Best wishes

Nick

Researchers find that smokers tend to quit in groups, many in groups of three.  When you are trying to quit smoking, quitting with a friend is much easier due to the social support.  We all know the health risks of smoking and the difficulties in trying to quit.   The article discusses a wonderful longitudinal study that followed smokers and nonsmokers for 32 years, and ultimately demonstrating the power of the group effect.  This is a great article that combines both social psychology as well as research methods.

After reading the article, please consider the following questions:

1. How does ones level of social support affect their ability to quit smoking?
2. Why is having a social network so important?
3. How can research like this be applied to other mental health conditions and other addictions?

I couldn’t resist putting this article into the mix with the rising gas prices and all.  During times like these people tighten their budgets, reduce spending and sellstocks which, in turn, may make the economic situation worse.  One of the ways to combat this is to take a more cognitive approach, think rationally and logicially not with fear and from media hype.  This allows people to have the mental resources to sustain the ups and downs and not over react with panic and fear.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Are you fearful or worried about the economy? Why or Why not?
2. Are you doing anything to lessen your anxiety and/or worry?
3. What have we learned from previous economic ups and downs?

I thought this would be a great article to start a discussion amongst people within their own colleges and universities.  Hopefully, it will get people thinking and discussing ways of measuring outcomes.  I think too often we get caught up in tests, administrative duties, and other trivial things and don’t stop to think about what students actually take from their education.  What is interesting is that we are looking to show effectiveness, utility, and in a sense, value.  It’s not just in education, but in a number of other fields as well.  It is clear from this article that there are a number of institutions looking to raise the bar and increase overall effectiveness in the programs they deliver. This article gives you, as a psychology student, a sense of where the academic side of the field is going, what the future holds, and the level of concern for your education.

After reading the article, consider the following:

1. What do you find rewarding, useful from your psychology class/program?
2. What improvements would you make?
3. What improvements should your institution make?
4. What is the take home message from your psychology program?
5. How will your psychology class/program benefit you? 

Using psychology to help relieve chronic pain is nothing new, but the ways it is being performed is. This article examines the many fascinating ways psychology contributes to the relief of pain in patients coming off of surgeries and those suffering from chronic pain.  The evaluation of patients suitable for implanted devices can mean the difference between pain relief or continued discomfort.  Psychology and medicine have come together to work on a common problem.  There is a strong need for psychologists in this area, particularly health psychologists and clinical psychologists.

Consider the following questions:

1. What are the benefits of having psychologists work with pain patients?
2. How can psychology lessen the need for traditional pharmacological interventions?
3. How can we improve the lives of patients through psychology?

I felt the need to include this article on many levels. The first is that there are some of you out there that may be in these type of relationships. Secondly, you may be the friend or family member of someone who you know is being abused.  Lastly, knowledge and awareness is more powerful than avoidance and passivity.  Those who are abused are not weak, it is the abuser who is the weaker one.  The article cites that

• Sexual assault. One in four women report rape or sexual assault by an intimate partner in their lifetimes, compared with fewer than one in 10 men.

• Child maltreatment. While the rate of child maltreatment cases reported to child welfare agencies declined slightly from 12.5 cases per 1,000 children to 12.1 in the past five years, the real number of cases might be three times as high.

• Special populations and at-risk groups.Prevalence rates of partner violence in gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities, or in older people and people with disabilities, are not known.

If a relationship can cost you your life, it is not love. Someone who loves you will not abuse you.

“What is clear, however, is that family members—particularly intimate partners—are the biggest perpetrators of violence among this population, and their abuse can lead to the women’s early deaths.” This is a sad statement about our society, but it also provides the catalyst for more research and intervention.  What tends to be forgotten are the children who live in these environments and the poor role models they are witness to.  The risk of PTSD is greater for these children as well.

This article hits on so many topics, stress and health, psychological disorders, and in many ways social psychology.

Consider the following questions:

1. What are the consequences of growing up in an abusive household?
2. What needs to be done in terms of helping abused women?
3. What can be done to bring abuse of special populations and at-risk groups into public awareness? 

Occupational health psychology is a specific field that deals with the unique situations that arise in the workplace environment.  Today’s stressors are numerous from work life balance to telecommuting to workplace bullies.  Surprisingly, workplace bullying is more harmful than sexual harassment in terms of self-esteem and overall job satisfaction.  People are often coming to work sick when they should be at home resting.  Long and unpredictable commutes do not help either.  These can actually add to an already stressed-out worker.  There are ways to combat this, such as making your commute more enjoyable by taking public transportation, listening to music, and even carpooling.  Flexible schedules can also break up the monotony of the daily grind as well. Most importantly, taking time for yourself and realizing you need to recharge may be the most beneficial thing you can do for yourself.

After reading the article, consider the following questions:

1. How stressed are you today?
2. What are ways can you reduce the amount of stress in your job?
3. Why are we more stressed at work today than say our parents 20-30 years ago?

This article delves into the world of homesigners – deaf people who grow up without any access to formal sign language or spoken language.  The researchers are studying this area in hopes it will lead to need avenues in basic cognition.  Not surprisingly, these individuals lack basic counting abilities and only have limited ability for numbers from 1-4.  The need for children to develop spatial terms is imperative to their development. homesigners lack or are deficient in this ability.  Homesigners, despite their deficits, are able to communicate effectively with their own gesture systems.  They are able to do more linguistically than numerically. 

After reading this article, please consider the following questions:

1. Is homesigning really unique or merely just a series of gestures for the individual to get what they need?
2. Is homesigning purposeful outside one’s own family or village?
3. What can we say about the human condition and the need to thrive?

This is a rather interesting look at what expectations were for women in the 1930s.  There was a Marital Rating Scale which either gave merits or demerits depending on if you were a “good wife” or not.  The scale was originally designed to give couples feedback on their marriages.  Today, it is a humorous look at how far we have come both as a society and a field.  However, back in the 1930s this was taken quite seriously. 

As you look at the article you’ll probably laugh, but consider the following questions:

1. Using critical thinking, what are some of the problems with this scale?  Consider the scale itself as well as the author of the scale.
2. What problems are there with such a scale being used for marriage/couples therapy?

Thinking back to when you applied for college or even if you are applying for graduate school, was it stressful? Did it keep you up at night? Even worse, did you experience stomach pain, headaches, depression, eating disorders, or other mental health problems?  Some people handle it well, they are more resilient than others. Some resort to alcohol, drugs to cope. Some things to keep in mind; however, is that whatever college you are at, is where you have the opportunity to shine. It doesn’t matter if it was your second or third choice, it is your opportunity to demonstrate that you are a college student, you are a talented person, and you will reach your full potential.  Who knows why some people get in, and others don’t. Maybe the your application came late and the decisions were made, first come, first served.  Your success is what you make of it.  Life brings forth many challenges, it is up to you to turn those challenges into your success.

Consider the following questions:

1. Why to students put so much pressure on themselves to get into the school of their dreams?
2. Are admissions policies too rigid or not rigid enough? Why?
3. Do you feel that you will be successful only if you get into a certain college?