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30 votes
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Health care workers say 'moral injury ' is more accurate than burnout in the face of severe cost cutting
16 votes -
Critical psychiatry and the political backlash against disabilities: a closer look at James Davies
11 votes -
The Homo Economicus as a prototype of a psychopath? A conceptual analysis and implications for business research and teaching.
6 votes -
‘Like a film in my mind’: hyperphantasia and the quest to understand vivid imaginations
18 votes -
Laziness does not exist
46 votes -
The facts and fantasies of dissociation
5 votes -
David Dunning: discoverer of Dunning Kruger effect on overcoming overconfidence
6 votes -
Here are thirteen other explanations for the adolescent mental health crisis. None of them work.
17 votes -
Loneliness can kill, and new research shows middle-aged Americans are particularly vulnerable
31 votes -
Underrated ideas in psychology
7 votes -
Researchers map how the brain regulates emotions
1 vote -
Venting doesn't reduce anger, but doing calming activities does, study finds
44 votes -
The great rewiring: is social media really behind an epidemic of teenage mental illness?
28 votes -
What books helped you deal with the anxiety of life's uncertainties?
Be it fiction or non-fiction, what books did you find helpful for accepting the uncertainties of life? I used the word anxiety in the title, because that's the angle I'm mainly interested in right...
Be it fiction or non-fiction, what books did you find helpful for accepting the uncertainties of life? I used the word anxiety in the title, because that's the angle I'm mainly interested in right now, but in no way I'm just asking about psychology books. All kinds of books are welcome.
29 votes -
Daniel Kahneman, who plumbed the psychology of economics, dies at 90
16 votes -
Daniel Kahneman, renowned psychologist and Nobel prize winner, dies at 90
19 votes -
Psychohistory
9 votes -
How are you using Intermittent Reward? (and why you should think about trying it)
Random Intermittent Reward (known as Variable Ratio Reinforcement Schedule in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis) is a powerful concept from psychology. It states that the increase in...
Random Intermittent Reward (known as Variable Ratio Reinforcement Schedule in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis) is a powerful concept from psychology. It states that the increase in motivation (through dopamine) from the anticipation of a reward is stronger when the reward is not guaranteed. You can see this effect in action with gambling, social media, mobile games (especially loot boxes), and dog training. If you're noticing themes of manipulation or addiction, that's not accidental. In the most typical and visible places that random intermittent rewards are implemented, it reinforces behaviors that are not well aligned with people's values.
It seems like a waste for something this effective to only be used against us, when it could be a huge asset for our personal growth.
I want to know if you have tried using this concept to motivate yourself to do things that are important to you. How did it go? What kind of behaviors were you trying to motivate? What kind of rewards worked or didn't?
Disclaimer: I've been using this concept for a while now to great effect, so I'm building a phone app to make it easier, more effective, and fun to use. You can go to https://tantaluspath.com to see more information and sign up to get notified when the app is available.
21 votes -
The Dunning-Kruger effect is autocorrelation
30 votes -
The rise and fall of the False Memory Syndrome Foundation (2020)
5 votes -
Join me on the path to Twilightenment
27 votes -
How parents' trauma leaves biological traces in children
18 votes -
MRI research shows live music makes us more emotional than recordings
21 votes -
Three long-term effects of a "plastic wrap parenting" style
21 votes -
Non-fictional books about getting to know emotions?
Hello, I'm looking for books written by professionals that would further my language and understanding of emotions, in order to connect with my emotions on a deeper level. An example would be...
Hello, I'm looking for books written by professionals that would further my language and understanding of emotions, in order to connect with my emotions on a deeper level. An example would be "Running on Empty: Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect", but it doesn't have to be about neglect. I just want to understand and experience the emotional spectrum better, so any book (written by a mental health professional) that would help with that is good. If possible, I prefer shorter books, around 100-250 pages, but it's not a hard requirement.
21 votes -
Why we can’t build better cities (ft. Not Just Bikes)
13 votes -
Finnish study finds that people from different cultures reported the same bodily sensations when listening to the same songs
7 votes -
Why are there such profound differences in conceptions of masculinity between Denmark and America?
15 votes -
Extreme metal guitar skills linked to intrasexual competition, but not mating success
28 votes -
I have a massive gripe with reductive "politicization" of mental health
Before we start, no, I don't mean "bring politics into" mental health. Politics obviously covers mental health issues, practices, and institutions. However, I've come to realize a certain approach...
Before we start, no, I don't mean "bring politics into" mental health. Politics obviously covers mental health issues, practices, and institutions. However, I've come to realize a certain approach to mental health has taken root in discussions around mental health. This approach is based on the criticism of mental health from an ideological point. It centers on the idea that mental health is treated only as a chemical imbalance in the brain, and that sociopolitical conditions aren't considered. One of the most prominently figures cited for this is Mark Fisher.
“The current ruling ontology denies any possibility of a social causation of mental illness. The chemico-biologization of mental illness is of course strictly commensurate with its depoliticization. Considering mental illness an individual chemico-biological problem has enormous benefits for capitalism. First, it reinforces Capital’s drive towards atomistic individualization (you are sick because of your brain chemistry). Second, it provides an enormously lucrative market in which multinational pharmaceutical companies can peddle their pharmaceuticals (we can cure you with our SSRIs). It goes without saying that all mental illnesses are neurologically instantiated, but this says nothing about their causation. If it is true, for instance, that depression is constituted by low serotonin levels, what still needs to be explained is why particular individuals have low levels of serotonin. This requires a social and political explanation; and the task of repoliticizing mental illness is an urgent one if the left wants to challenge capitalist realism.”
― Mark Fisher, Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative?, 2009
This, I think, is true to a degree. Denying the mental or physical results of certain policies benefits the rich. However, this criticism, whether intended by Fisher or not, is often used to reduce psychiatry and psychotherapy to mere, atomized, asocial, apolitical practices.
First of all, this hasn't been true in my case. Sure, I have my criticisms of the procedure and the practitioners, but I've talked about a variety of sociopolitical issues in therapy. I mean, how can you not talk about these issues? There are obviously social patterns in a population, and if they're not bad practitioners, the psychiatrists pick up on them. This doesn't mean that I talked about political theory in my therapy, but among numerous topics, I talked about things like the male gender role, the attached aggression and violence, the effects of emotional repression as a result of traditional roles. I know people who extensively talked in therapy about gender roles, queerphobia, and the associated problems.
Therapy helped me on political issues too. I used to be much more repressed, unable to express my disapproval, unable to handle any conflict. But with the help of psychiatry, I started expressing my opinions, including my disapproval, more and more. This included standing up for myself, and while there are many power structures I can't overcome as an individual, this change helped me better stand up for myself against people who have power over me. It also helps me feel not as much like a piece of shit when I can't, because learning to face my emotions helps me realize I have limits.
But, according to the Fisherian argument I've seen repeated countless times, this isn't what psychiatry does. It just treats you like an asocial animal, which is not true at all. If anything, psychiatry emphasizes, again and again, that humans are social animals, therefore, have social needs, and that not meeting those needs will lead to mental problems. Seriously. Search "humans are social creatures psychiatry" on whatever search engine you use and also on Google Scholar. You'll find, page after page, pop article and scientific article, talking about the importance of this.
The second thing I want to mention is that links between inequality and mental health are an important area of research. You can search for keywords like "socioeconomic status mental health" and "inequality mental health" on Google Scholar to see many articles written about this. You can alternatively replace "socioeconomic status" with "SES" and "mental health" with "mental illness" or a mental disorder of your choosing.
To add further support to my argument, let's look at the textbook "Psychology, Global Edition, 5th Edition" of Pearson, which is a very widely known publisher. It has an entire chapter dedicated to social psychology (Chapter 12). The chapter about psychological disorders, Chapter 14, has the following listed as one of its learning objectives (emphasis mine): "Compare and contrast behavioral, social cognitive, and biological explanations for depression and other disorders of mood."
Let's also look at WHO's mental disorders page (emphasis mine).
"At any one time, a diverse set of individual, family, community, and structural factors may combine to protect or undermine mental health. Although most people are resilient, people who are exposed to adverse circumstances – including poverty, violence, disability, and inequality – are at higher risk. Protective and risk factors include individual psychological and biological factors, such as emotional skills as well as genetics. Many of the risk and protective factors are influenced through changes in brain structure and/or function."
I think one of the other negative things about this argument is that, it denies the possibility that some people face mental illness not mainly as a result of social issues, but as a result of some biological unluck. I haven't checked it out specifically, but I think mental illnesses aren't necessarily mainly a result of social conditions or trauma. I can't claim this with certainty, but neither can the opposing side. However, my approach leaves a possibility open for people who may be experiencing exactly this. Therefore, without knowing, it doesn't claim that certain experiences can't exist.
Before I finish, I want to say that I don't deny the existence of bad practice. I've heard many stories of bad psychiatrists, and even if I hadn't, it would be unrealistic to think they wouldn't have such a problem, considering the problems in education and funding. However, my point is, it's not realistic to say psychiatry overlooks the social reasons for mental illnesses. There may be problems, but in no way they are a shared, distinctive feature of the field.
And last of all, this may be harsh but I think it needs saying, Mark Fisher fell victim to suicide. He's not exactly an epitome of healthy coping mechanisms, and his criticisms about mental health should be evaluated with that in mind. I often think intellectualization tends to come in the way of mental health for, well, intellectual people.
Edit: The last paragraph was poorly explained. I further elaborated here.
19 votes -
'Americans are fake and the Dutch are rude!': A personal account on their difference in social behavior
54 votes -
Can ‘micro-acts of joy’ make you happier? I tried them for seven days.
11 votes -
"If the role of dysfunctional parenting in psychological disorders was ever fully recognized, the DSM would shrink to the size of a thin pamphlet"
This statement by traumatologist John Briere is quoted in Pete Walker's FAQ on Complex PTSD, a proponent of the unified Trauma model of mental disorders. Dr. Gabor Mate has become popular in...
This statement by traumatologist John Briere is quoted in Pete Walker's FAQ on Complex PTSD, a proponent of the unified Trauma model of mental disorders. Dr. Gabor Mate has become popular in recent years, who similarly claims that (e.g.) "Attention Deficit Disorder is a reversible impairment and a developmental delay, with origins in infancy. It is rooted in multigenerational family stress and in disturbed social conditions in a stressed society." Another famous champion of this theory was Alice Miller. Quote: "Experience has taught us that we have only one enduring weapon in our struggle against mental illness: the emotional discovery and emotional acceptance of the truth in the individual and unique history of our childhood." A more recent bestseller around this topic is Philippa Perry's "The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read" (Guardian review).
The various personality disorders from ICD-10 were replaced by a single personality disorder diagnosis in ICD-11, and they finally added Complex PTSD. The director of the largest psychiatric clinic in Germany is in favor of removing the category of "
mentalpersonality disorders" altogether (German article).Studies seem to confirm strong links between "adverse childhood experiences" and various forms of mental illnesses. To pick just one of the many I found: "Compared to children with no Adverse Childhood Experiences, the odds of an ADHD diagnosis were 1.39, 1.92, and 2.72 times higher among children with one, two and three or more ACEs. The ACE most strongly associated with the odds of ADHD was having lived with someone with mental illness closely followed by parent/guardian incarceration." (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104884)
I'm interested in hearing your takes, and potentially this thread can serve as a collection of quotes and links around this theory.
38 votes -
Why are antidepressants so popular in Iceland? | Mindset
6 votes -
Why we crave – The neuroscientific picture of addiction overlooks the psychological and social factors that make cravings so hard to resist
15 votes -
What the Prisoner's Dilemma reveals about life, the Universe, and everything
32 votes -
Sludge videos are taking over social media and people’s mind
16 votes -
Frantz Fanon’s enduring legacy – The post-colonial thinker’s seminal book, “The Wretched of the Earth,” described political oppression in psychological terms
11 votes -
Studies suggest that relying on will power is hopeless [to eliminate bad habits]. Instead, we must find strategies that don’t require us to be strong.
46 votes -
There are two types of airport people : Some travelers love being late [2019]
22 votes -
You've just been fucked by psyops; the death of the internet
20 votes -
The case of Donnie Moss
6 votes -
Life begins at forty: The biological and cultural roots of the midlife crisis
10 votes -
The bodily indignities of the space life
21 votes -
Loved, yet lonely - You might have the unconditional love of family and friends and yet feel deep loneliness. Can philosophy explain why?
24 votes -
The happiest man in the world
14 votes -
Intro to Carl Jung and Jungian Psychoanalytics
Does anyone have any short-to-medium length content that clearly introduces the ideas of Jung? I don't mind it being dense philosophically, but there's sort of this deliberate obfuscation of ideas...
Does anyone have any short-to-medium length content that clearly introduces the ideas of Jung?
I don't mind it being dense philosophically, but there's sort of this deliberate obfuscation of ideas that Jungian content creators utilize towards some end.
In philosophy, specific terms and jargon is necessary to ensure philosophical precision of the idea being presented. If one looks up said jargon, they can gain context about what's being communicated.
As far as Jung content online goes, there's a lot of jargon being used, but I'd wager about 50% of it is made up on the fly. When looked up, the term often either doesn't exist, is an adhoc portmanteau of two random terms, or simply doesn't make sense within the context it's used. Why? It seems like they deliberately are obfuscating their ideas for seemingly no reason. Perhaps there's a perceived invulnerability to criticism if your position on basic ideas can't be nailed down?
It seems that Jordan Peterson is the most prominent idea-obfuscator in this tradition, but I understand why he does it; some of his audience likely wouldn't care for the fact that he's likely what they'd describe as an atheist if you were able to pin down the ideas he conveys (e.g., Christ is but one of many manifestations of a Jungian archetype.)
Kinds of content I'm looking for:
- Newb friendly
- Clearly communicates ideas
- Philosophically precise
- Critical, but not polemic (i.e., no "debunking" videos)
- Video/audio/books preferred
Thank you in advance (:
18 votes -
Maths anxiety
12 votes -
What wipes in Star Wars teach us about the brain and also interface design
27 votes -
Why people believe their own lies - The George Santos syndrome
20 votes -
A journey into the shaken baby syndrome/abusive head trauma controversy
14 votes -
The villa where doctors experimented on children
8 votes -
How disappearance became a global weapon of psychological control, fifty years on from Chile’s US-backed coup
21 votes -
Why are adverts so loud?
17 votes -
Here's why automaticity is real actually
17 votes -
A British Columbia study gave fifty homeless people $7,500 each. Here's what they spent it on.
42 votes -
It's very weird to have a skull full of poison
42 votes -
What Courtney Dauwalter learned in the pain cave
6 votes -
I’m so sorry for psychology’s loss, whatever it is
40 votes -
A University of British Columbia study gave fifty homeless people $7,500 each and debunks stereotypes about homeless people’s spending habits
34 votes -
Who is likely to believe in conspiracy theories?
35 votes -
What is narcissism? Science confronts a widely misunderstood phenomenon
24 votes -
Canadian court upholds social media sensitivity training requirement for Jordan Peterson
62 votes -
Fifty years on, Swedish psychiatrists are now calling the infamous Stockholm Syndrome a 'constructed concept' used to explain away the failures of the State
27 votes -
The psychological weight loss strategy | Laurie Coots
13 votes -
Book recommendations: Psychology topics
Hi everyone :) I am pretty obsessed with consuming information as someone with ASD, and one of my preferred topics to really dive into is Psychology, Philosophy, and Business ethics that can...
Hi everyone :) I am pretty obsessed with consuming information as someone with ASD, and one of my preferred topics to really dive into is Psychology, Philosophy, and Business ethics that can relate to the other 2 topics. I generally read a lot of articles, journals, and studies, but I have found myself really wanting to dive back into the course topics that I was learning about in college before I dropped out, as I don't do well in structured school settings.
I have been re-visiting a lot of Freud's work and other basic course stuff, but I do love more advanced topics that make me connect the dots between my personal studies and my schooling, so honestly just drop some titles for anything nonfiction and not as self help directed and I will check it out.
Thanks guys :)
18 votes -
Study: People expect others to mirror their own selfishness, generosity
40 votes -
AP psychology effectively banned in Florida over lesson on sexual orientation, gender identity
64 votes -
Consciousness and intrinsic brain information
5 votes -
Icono: A universal language that shows what it says
25 votes -
Is there a name for the "this is not who I am" defense?
Basically as the title says. I'm a big proponent of "judging people by what they do, not what they say"; it has been one of my most unshakeable life mottos and I can't, for the life of me, grasp...
Basically as the title says. I'm a big proponent of "judging people by what they do, not what they say"; it has been one of my most unshakeable life mottos and I can't, for the life of me, grasp why or how someone with even a modicum of intellectual honesty can believe otherwise.
I'm very interested in the nature of the mental gymnastics going on inside the people who defend themselves with such statements.
Thanks folks !!
EDIT: rephrased for clarity
44 votes -
Looking for sources related to "The Repetitive Nature of Human Tribulations"
Hello everyone :) I write as a hobby and have had an article in my drafts for a long, long time. In essence, I'd like to discuss the "repetitive nature of human tribulations/suffering/life", that...
Hello everyone :)
I write as a hobby and have had an article in my drafts for a long, long time. In essence, I'd like to discuss the "repetitive nature of human tribulations/suffering/life", that is, the fact that regardless of superficial characteristics we all are confronted with extremely similar circumstances throughout our lives.
Whether it's 10 years into our lives or 40, there's joy, heartbreak, loss, a need to belong, some desire for freedom, a need for a purpose, lack of direction, obsession with a newly found direction, etc.
I'd love to come across poets, philosophers, psychologists, etc who have touched upon this subject: we are not defined by our circumstances, as they are, in very broad strokes, largely the same, but by how we are able to adapt and reinvent ourselves amidst those same circumstances.
Looking forward for your answers :)
Thanks!
7 votes -
I interviewed the researcher behind the Misinformation Susceptibility Test
https://youtu.be/vodNabH5qoM But some important context: Earlier this month I saw a post regarding a Misinformation Susceptibility Test and was curious how 20 binary questions could be an...
https://youtu.be/vodNabH5qoM
But some important context:Earlier this month I saw a post regarding a Misinformation Susceptibility Test and was curious how 20 binary questions could be an indicator of someones media biases.
I started digging into the related paper and while the methods and analysis was interesting, there was still a lot of questions. So I reached out to Dr Rakoen Maertens who headed the study and we agreed to a discussion on the assessment and his experiences in social psychology.
The video above is an unlisted, unedited cut of the interview and I'd love to get some feedback:
Firstly: I have offered the Dr a tildes invite and he may engage with any questions or discussion. Time was limited and there were a lot of topics that was only briefly touched on or overlooked. Here is the original paper and supplementary resources if you want to see some of the language model work and bigger 100 question tests.
Secondly: I am going to do a more through edit and posting this on a dedicated channel. Since cutting off reddit, twitter and tiktoc; I've sort of rediscovered a love learning and investigations. I'd like to know if people like this form of engagement and discussions. No fancy production, just simply engaging with the research and academics behind topical and interesting ideas.
I'm already reading into fandom psychology, UV reflective paint, children's TV and CO2 scrubbing technology.
72 votes -
Psychologists at the University of Cambridge developed a Misinformation Susceptibility Tests. What's your MIST score?
86 votes -
America’s therapy boom
29 votes -
What is reality? Lisa Feldman Barrett, a neuroscientist explains.
5 votes -
Grab a friend and try this crazy ear stretching illusion called "Buddha's Ear Illusion"
9 votes -
How People Change: Psychoanalyst Allen Wheelis on the essence of freedom and the two elements of self-transcendence
9 votes -
Have you ever thought about suicide? How did you cope?
How did you end up in such a place, how did you get out? I'm currently struggling with this myself.
56 votes -
Lonely people see the world differently, according to their brains
30 votes -
Castlevania - The power of persuasion: The changing of Isaac's worldview
10 votes -
Empathy’s influence on drinking patterns
7 votes -
Why it took thirteen years to engineer the Taco Bell Crunchwrap
8 votes -
The curious side effects of medical transparency
10 votes -
The Big Five are word vectors
4 votes -
What to do if your inner voice is cruel. The golden rule of self-compassion: Treat yourself with the same kindness you treat others.
9 votes -
How to offer help when you don’t know what to say
7 votes -
Charles Silverstein, who helped declassify homosexuality as mental illness, dies at 87
8 votes -
Longitudinal study of kindergarteners suggests spanking is harmful for children’s social competence
7 votes -
988 Lifeline sees boost in use and funding in first months
5 votes -
Listening to podcasts may help satisfy our psychological need for social connection, study finds
12 votes -
How to deal with holiday stress, Danish-style
4 votes -
Teletubbies: The bizarre kids' TV show that swept the world
6 votes -
10,000 brains in a basement: The dark and mysterious origins of Denmark’s psychiatric brain collection
6 votes -
AI’s new frontier: Connecting grieving loved ones with the deceased
7 votes -
Bed Habits - One insomniac’s descent into the world of sleep research to understand what screens before bed are doing to our brains
4 votes -
Talk to me about: Impulse control
What is your personal impulse control like? Do you have good impulse control overall? Do you have an addictive personality? Where does it fail? Anything you’re particularly proud or ashamed of?
14 votes -
10,000 brains in a basement – the dark and mysterious origins of Denmark's psychiatric brain collection
8 votes -
Why you are lonely and how to make friends
5 votes