Preverbal Communication

"Just as we all do, infants tend to pay better attention to things in which they are genuinely interested, as opposed to things in which others think they should be interested." 

- Goodwyn,  Acredolo, and Brown (Impact of Symbolic Gesturing on early Language Development, 2000)

The Tip-of-the-Tongue Phenomenon

The tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon is the sensation you get when you can't quite remember a name or word (e.g., an answer to a question) but it feels like the word might come to you at any moment, like it is on the tip of your tongue but you can't quite verbalise it, and it is often very frustrating. 
William James, often preferred to as the Father of American Psychology, had come up with and described this phenomenon;  

"Suppose we try to recall a forgotten name. The state of our consciousness is peculiar. There is a gap therein but no mere gap. It is a gap that is intensely active. A sort of wraith of the name is in it, beckoning us in a given direction, making us at moments tingle with the sense of our closeness and then letting us sink back without the longed-for term. If wrong names are proposed to us, this singularly definite gap acts immediately so as to negate them. They do not fit the mould. "

- William James (Principles of Psychology)

Habituation

Habituation is the decrease in the strength of a response to a stimulus that has been presented repeatedly. In other words, when a stimulus is presented to you for the first time you will notice and might even be startled by this new thing, for example when you get a new clock you may notice that it is quite loud, but over time you'll stop noticing the noise. This is habituation. Because the sound of the clock poses no threat to you your unconscious pushes it to the back of your mind and you don't think about it. 

The Impact of Women in the Media

"To all the girls that think you’re fat because you’re not a size zero, you’re the beautiful one, its society who’s ugly."

In every magazine you look at you see beautiful women - and they're always beautiful. Beautiful, flawless and thin!

So how is a teenage girl (any girl in fact) meant to feel when she looks in the mirror and what she sees is different to the model in her magazine? Maybe she's got 'love handles' or her thighs are a bit bigger, or she doesn't resemble a skeleton - maybe it's acne or stretch marks. No matter what that perceived flaw is (whether real or imagined) it doesn't help that the women we are shown through the media - the women we're supposed to identify with and look up to - are flawless, beautiful and virtually perfect thanks to computerized touch ups.

In today's day and age girls are comparing themselves to  skinny models and many a flawless celebrity beauties. Some even take extreme measures to be like them. In recent years there has been an extreme increase in eating disorders like anorexia nervosa (http://www.therecoverclinic.co.uk/anorexia-help-advice-and-counselling/) and bulimia nervosa (http://www.therecoverclinic.co.uk/bulimia-help-advice-and-counselling/). Even more horrifyingly there are PRO-anorexia/bulimia nervosa groups; aka pro-ana and pro-mia. These websites glamorize and encourage girls to lose weight in these horrific ways. Girls become deluded into thinking they're fat/need to lose weight, don't deserve to eat (WTF?!) etc. You NEED food, without it you'd die nor will you get fat if you eat everyday. And if you really feel you need or should lose weight the best and healthiest way is to eat a balanced diet and do some good old fashioned exercise. You could even join a sports club/group and socialize and enjoy yourself whilst staying healthy. And it is not true that guys find skinny girls more attractive - guys often actually prefer girls with a more fuller figure. Rarely will a guy want a girl that looks fragile, like the wind could blow her over or like she's about to break. It's also dangerously bad for your health. You WON'T be admired for losing all that weight or for being so thin. Skin and bones is NOT attractive. Many have DIED from an eating disorder or come close. For centuries curves have been praise. It wasn't until fairly recently that size zero became a trend. 

The 'normal' (if such a thing even exists)  size isn't necessarily a curvy, hour-glass, Marilyn Monroe-esque figure, but it is a size that isn't forced in to shape by means of starvation or binge and purge. I'm not saying that you can't be relatively healthy AND a size zero/really thin as I'm sure some girls are and that's ok, it's when it becomes a risk to your health, or even worse your life, that it becomes a problem. Women come in all shapes and sizes and that's ok but it's not right that girls should model themselves on an illusion of beauty and perfection and go to extreme measure to try to reach that goal. It's ok to want to be thin (or to be curvy) but it is also important to be healthy and not risk your life for a social trend. Girls need to realize that what they seen in a magazine has been edited numerous times and it is very rare to see true beauty and real women, i.e. women that haven't been photo-shopped, women that are flawed. 

How are girls ever to be confident and happy with their appearance if they are constantly being compared (by themselves or others) to the beautiful works of art they see on the cover of magazines and movie posters? In a time when everyone has access to the internet and tv it's difficult not to notice and therefore aspire to be like celebrities, but it is a fantastical beauty to aspire to so no wonder that many girls are so insecure about the way they look. It hard to form your own sense of identity when you are constantly being bombarded with an idealistic and unrealistic image of beauty and the perfect body. Girls need role models but ones that teach you to be your own person, not to hate yourself and wish you were thinner or pretty or to have bigger boobs or a constant tan etc. Your role model is supposed to make you a better person, not vain and self-obsessed.  

Moral Development

Laurence Kohlberg's stages of morality

Level 1; Pre-morality:

Stage 1 - Punishment and obedience orientation.

• doing what is right out of fear of punishment - the child assumes that powerful authorities hand down a fixed set of rules which must be obeyed no questions asked.

Stage 2 - Hedonistic orientation.

• doing what is right for personal gain, e.g. a reward. Children account for individual points of view and judge actions based on how they serve individual needs.

Level 1 is typical of children; at this level people are unquestioning of what is right and wrong and see morality as a way of avoiding punishment. It's a selfish mentality that sees nothing wrong with taking what you want in life as long as you don't get caught. 

Level 2; Conventional Morality:

Stage 3 - Interpersonal concordance orientation.

• doing what is right according to the majority - conforming. At this stage they believe that people should live up to the expectations of the family and community and behave in 'good' ways. Good behaviour means having good motives and interpersonal feelings such as love, empathy, trust, and concern for others.

Stage 4 - Law and order orientation.

• doing what is right out of  duty and to help society - the emphasis is on obeying laws, respecting authority, and performing your duties to keep the social order maintained.

Level 2 is more typical of adults; it involves conforming to society, respecting authority and being a 'good person.' At this level people start caring about the effect of behaviour on society.  

Level 3; Post-conventional Morality: 

Stage 5 - Social contract or legalistic orientation.

• doing what is morally right even if illegal. The law is seen as too restrictive. people begin to step back from their own society and considering the rights and values that a society ought to uphold.

Stage 6 - Universal ethical principles orientation.

• doing what is right because of your inner conscience which has absorbed the principles of justice, equality and sacredness of human life.

Level 3 are less common attitudes; at this level people take diversity into account, question society and even challenges it. At stage 6 people may try to change society for the 'greater good' - this is based on a higher idea of goodness or justice.

Differential Association Theory

Edwin Sutherland's 9 principles of Differential Association:

1. Criminal behaviour is learnt
2. Learning happens through interacting with/observing others
3. Learning happens within intimate personal groups (family, close friends etc)
4. Learning criminal behaviour involves learning techniques, motives and justifications
5. We learn to define laws as favourable or unfavourable to us
6. A person becomes a criminal when they have an excess of pro-criminal definitions (i.e. attitudes/values)
7. Differential associations (number of contacts with criminals over non-criminals) vary in duration, frequency, priority and intencity. 
8. Criminal behaviour is learnt in the same way as any other behaviour
9. Criminal behaviour is based on the same general needs an non-criminal behaviour 

Bipolar Disorder and Famous Sufferers

Bipolar disorder (aka manic depression) causes serious shifts in mood, energy, thinking, and behavior–from the highs of mania on one extreme, to the lows of depression on the other. More than just a fleeting good or bad mood, the cycles of bipolar disorder last for days, weeks, or months. And unlike ordinary mood swings, the mood changes of bipolar disorder are so intense that they interfere with your ability to function.
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/bipolar_disorder_symptoms_treatment.htm



Marilyn Monroe

Frankenstein's monster:

Victor Frankenstein himself is an interesting character but it is the creature that has fascinated people of all ages. This creature is created/born into Victor's imperfect world. He is born innocent, as are all babies (unless you're a Nature supporter then you might think some babies are born with 'bad genes') which is what he is; he's a baby in the sense that he has just been born/brought to life. The creature - just like a baby - doesn't understand what's going on. Why does this thing in front of him, this human (his father more or less), look at him the way it does? The creature soon learns that Victor, the only father he'll ever know, is horrified and disgusted by him. Victor is also scared by his creation and runs away from it. Consequently the innocent creature turns into a murderous villain. This can be seen as supporting the Nurture side of the Nature-Nurture debate. The creature isn't born a villain, it's the environment in which he's raised that makes him evil. Victor's neglect. People's reactions to him. Victor's reaction to him. His own appearance and the recognition of his unattractiveness.
Hypothetically speaking, if Victor took responsibility for his actions and didn't run away and actually treated the creator like the son he is - Victor did create him after all - and fathered the creature, showing it love and the good in the world, teaching it right from wrong, the creature might have turned out good, kind and loving.    

Breaking Dawn (part 1)

 If you've not read the book/seen the movie you might not want to read this - SPOILER ALERT!

Black Swan

I am in fact talking about the recent movie with Natalie Portman.


I recently watched the movie and thought it wasn't half bad. Although it was often rather psychologically disturbing and dramatic, as I am sure was intended.
The movie tells the story of a ballerina desperately wanted to play the part of the Swan Queen in a new production of Swan Lake. Of course she does get the part but along with it come some peculiar events - or so it seems - start happening.
She is faced not only with the pressure of playing the lead in a ballet but also peer pressure, her mother, and most importantly her self. She is so determined to be perfect that in fact this ends up being her hamartia (her tragic flaw) which in the end actually kills her. 
The production requires Nina (Natalie Portman) to play both the innocent and virginal White Swan as well as the sensual seductress that is the Black Swan. Nina is the perfect candidate for the role of Odette, the Swan Queen, with her precise movements and innocence; it'd the part of Odile, the dark and sensual twin Nina has trouble adapting to. Although when Nina is introduced to Lily, a new found dark side starts to appear in Nina. Also Nina's feelings for the Director, Thomas Leroy, become apparent as the film progresses.

The Attachment Theory

Attachment is an emotional bond to another person. John Bowlby came up with the theory, describing as a  "lasting psychological connectedness between human beings."
The core of attachment theory is the bond between mother and child. First based on an observation of baby monkeys and their mother but has since had an enormous influence on human child-rearing techniques.
Attachment theory states that we are all social beings with an innate need for intimacy. The security of such intimacy first appears in the shape of our mothers. If the mothers (or representative mothers, i.e. carers) are available and responsive to their infant's needs they will establish a sense of security. The infant knows that the mother is dependable, which which in turn creates a secure base for the child to then explore the world.
There are 4 characteristics of Attachment Theory:

1. Safe Haven - that is, whenever the child feels threatened or scared they can return to their mother for comfort.
2. Secure Base - a secure and dependable base is provided for the child by it's mother to explore the world.
3. Proximity Maintenance - the child will want to say near it's mother to stay safe
4. Separation Distress - when separated from the mother the child will become distressed and upset.

The securely attached child will then explore the world and the strangers within it and greet it's mother with affection. However, and insecurely attached child could be clingy, afraid to explore and meet new people. The insecurely attached child may be indifferent about his/her mother or angry at her.
Thanks to psychologists like John Bowlby mothers can now sleep alongside their babies in hospitals. Thus, children as saved from emerging with feelings of abandonment which could undermine their mother-child bonds then as well as in later life.

Hello xD

Hey fellow bloggers, my name is Annie. I'm 18 and have lived in good old England for the past 12 odd years and this is my amateur psychological blog. I will post my interpretations of anything from books/novels to songs and just general fiction. I will also made posts on some random and/or interesting psychological facts. So watch this space :)

Hope you enjoy. x