Psychological Perspectives reflects on one year anniversary
The first installment of Psychological Perspectives appeared in the Pattaya Mail on July 2, 2004. This being the one-year anniversary of the column, I thought it appropriate to review a few of the stories covered in this series, and reflect upon my personal experience in writing on psychology for the Pattaya community.
Psychology in 2005 is a vibrant and vital social science. Over the past 100 or so years, researchers and theorists in psychology have generated an impressive body of knowledge and insights that are, in my view, uniquely relevant to understanding many of the events and issues that confront us in today’s world. Unfortunately, most of this information is published exclusively within the pages of professional journals, and is often obscured by technical jargon. For most in our society, the fruits of psychological research remain largely intangible, and consequently, irrelevant to the formation of public opinion and policies.
My intention in writing Psychological Perspectives has been to make a portion of this rich store of information in psychology available to readers of the Pattaya Mail, while demonstrating its applicability to the issues of topical and local interest to those of us fortunate enough to be a part of this interestingly diverse Pattaya community.
Over the past year there has been an abundance of local and regional issues and news events available to examine from a psychological perspective. The XV International AIDS Conference that was held last year in Bangkok prompted a consideration of the psychological issues raised by the deadly epidemic. In connection with World AIDS Day in December, Asian University followed up by hosting an AIDS Film Festival, free to the Pattaya community.
Another event that greatly affected the Pattaya community was the tsunami that rolled across the Andaman Sea in December, ravaging our neighborhood seaside communities. This regional tragedy formed the background for a number of pieces on the psychological aspects of dealing with the trauma produced by exposure to natural disaster and its aftermath.
Pattaya’s reputation as a haven for a thriving commercial sex industry prompted examination of a number of psychological issues raised by the existence of this controversial local enterprise. Related or, as some might argue, unrelated to the commercial sex industry, are topics pertaining to love and affairs of the heart. Some interesting psychological theories about the nature of love were examined here in connection with Valentine’s Day celebrations. The Miss Universe Pageant held last month in Bangkok also inspired a piece on psychological investigations pertaining to human beauty and attractiveness.
International events, too, provided the occasion for reviewing a number of relevant classic psychological studies from the dusty archives. For example, the apparent failure of the mainstream news media to properly assess the veracity of claims that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction prior to the U.S. led invasion, prompted a review of psychologist Irving Janis’s notion of “groupthink.”
When incidents of prisoner abuse were uncovered at Abu Ghraib, the U.S. run prison in Iraq, some U.S. politicians blamed it upon a few “bad apples.” Review of some landmark experiments by Stanley Milgram from the 1970s, however, illustrated the unpleasant fact that even “good apples,” like you and me, can be induced by situations to perform some very bad acts against our fellow man. Moreover, the decision of cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church to appoint an ultra-conservative theologian to replace John Paul II was revealed as predictable from the standpoint of social psychological theory.
New and emerging research findings from psychology have also been reported on this page. An example is the innovative research project that is being carried out with people living with HIV in Northern Thailand, to increase patient adherence to vital anti-retroviral treatments. Also reported here was the conclusion reached by the American Psychological Association, following a review of over 15 years of prevention research, that comprehensive sex education is effective in reducing the risk of HIV infection among young people. And let’s not forget the findings reported here two weeks ago that the basis of the female orgasm lies within the human gene.
I have personally found it both challenging and gratifying to examine and write about current events and topics of local interest from a perspective provided by psychological theory and research. I am always happy to receive comments on my stories, both favorable and unfavorable, from my readers. I want to take this opportunity to thank those of you who meet me here each week to explore topics in the news, and issues of interest to our unique Pattaya community.
Psychology in 2005 is a vibrant and vital social science. Over the past 100 or so years, researchers and theorists in psychology have generated an impressive body of knowledge and insights that are, in my view, uniquely relevant to understanding many of the events and issues that confront us in today’s world. Unfortunately, most of this information is published exclusively within the pages of professional journals, and is often obscured by technical jargon. For most in our society, the fruits of psychological research remain largely intangible, and consequently, irrelevant to the formation of public opinion and policies.
My intention in writing Psychological Perspectives has been to make a portion of this rich store of information in psychology available to readers of the Pattaya Mail, while demonstrating its applicability to the issues of topical and local interest to those of us fortunate enough to be a part of this interestingly diverse Pattaya community.
Over the past year there has been an abundance of local and regional issues and news events available to examine from a psychological perspective. The XV International AIDS Conference that was held last year in Bangkok prompted a consideration of the psychological issues raised by the deadly epidemic. In connection with World AIDS Day in December, Asian University followed up by hosting an AIDS Film Festival, free to the Pattaya community.
Another event that greatly affected the Pattaya community was the tsunami that rolled across the Andaman Sea in December, ravaging our neighborhood seaside communities. This regional tragedy formed the background for a number of pieces on the psychological aspects of dealing with the trauma produced by exposure to natural disaster and its aftermath.
Pattaya’s reputation as a haven for a thriving commercial sex industry prompted examination of a number of psychological issues raised by the existence of this controversial local enterprise. Related or, as some might argue, unrelated to the commercial sex industry, are topics pertaining to love and affairs of the heart. Some interesting psychological theories about the nature of love were examined here in connection with Valentine’s Day celebrations. The Miss Universe Pageant held last month in Bangkok also inspired a piece on psychological investigations pertaining to human beauty and attractiveness.
International events, too, provided the occasion for reviewing a number of relevant classic psychological studies from the dusty archives. For example, the apparent failure of the mainstream news media to properly assess the veracity of claims that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction prior to the U.S. led invasion, prompted a review of psychologist Irving Janis’s notion of “groupthink.”
When incidents of prisoner abuse were uncovered at Abu Ghraib, the U.S. run prison in Iraq, some U.S. politicians blamed it upon a few “bad apples.” Review of some landmark experiments by Stanley Milgram from the 1970s, however, illustrated the unpleasant fact that even “good apples,” like you and me, can be induced by situations to perform some very bad acts against our fellow man. Moreover, the decision of cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church to appoint an ultra-conservative theologian to replace John Paul II was revealed as predictable from the standpoint of social psychological theory.
New and emerging research findings from psychology have also been reported on this page. An example is the innovative research project that is being carried out with people living with HIV in Northern Thailand, to increase patient adherence to vital anti-retroviral treatments. Also reported here was the conclusion reached by the American Psychological Association, following a review of over 15 years of prevention research, that comprehensive sex education is effective in reducing the risk of HIV infection among young people. And let’s not forget the findings reported here two weeks ago that the basis of the female orgasm lies within the human gene.
I have personally found it both challenging and gratifying to examine and write about current events and topics of local interest from a perspective provided by psychological theory and research. I am always happy to receive comments on my stories, both favorable and unfavorable, from my readers. I want to take this opportunity to thank those of you who meet me here each week to explore topics in the news, and issues of interest to our unique Pattaya community.
posted by Michael | Friday, June 24, 2005
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home