Psychology Articles

Dissociative protection, like other defenses is the best possible adaptation of the immature organism to the particular situation. Then in later circumstances, they become automatic and therefore maladaptive (by influencing the formation of a neurosis or depression). Some dissociative individuals, according to psychology and psychotherapy, and adulthood keep dissociation forever – after the initial injury, the other in the event of termination abuse, reach for a long time or a fine collaboration of different personalities, and their dominance in the subjective world of one’s own “I “(“host personality”).

The typical (for a psychologist) is to stop the apparent dissociation (dissociative neurosis) when the patient leaves his family, which was brought up, and display it again when their son or daughter reaches the age at which parent is the first time subjected to violence. (This connection is not recognized.) Another common trigger of dissociation in adults is the meeting with any circumstances that enliven children’s trauma. Carefully gathering a history, a psychologist can find a lot of small examples of dissociation throughout adult life of the patient. But in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis he is usually led to some dramatic and maladaptive dissociative reactions – the loss of significant periods of time, the stories of others on matters about which the patient does not remember anything, and so on. Phenomena such as these allow the psychologist-psychoanalyst Klaft to talk about “windows that contribute to the diagnosis” (on the advice of a psychologist) in the dissociative states.

Dissociation – a strange “invisible” protection. When one “I” or other system of “I” speak in a gentle way, none of those around the patient notices the dissociative process. Many therapists believe that they have never come across “multiple” personalities, as they expect a client psychological counseling he will announce its multiplicity, or show a dramatic alien to the other part. Sometimes it happens (in fact, it happens more often as the demystification of dissociation), but usually indicate the multiplicity is much thinner. Even when therapy appears quite another part of the identifiable person (such as a frightened child), the therapist ignorant, honestly trying to provide psychological support, will tend to read the changes in a patient not in terms of dissociation (as, for example, as a transitory phenomenon of regression).

The exact assessment of dissociation hinders its discretion. Psychoanalysts have to advise the spouses of people with dissociative psychology, who, with full awareness of the diagnosis of his partner, made comments like: “Yesterday, she said the opposite”. Knowing the fact that the last person said, as she was someone else completely pales against the backdrop of her own perception, both yesterday and today I spoke with the same individual. If even an intimate partner does not notice signs of dissociation in humans with recognized, diagnosed disorder in the form of multiple personality, it is easy to understand how blind can be ignorant professionals. Dissociate people know how to “cover up” their standard deviation. Even in childhood, they develop a technique of evasion and fraud, and are constantly accused of “lying” – there are things that they do not remember. They suffer from the terrible violence (causing stress and depression) at the hands of people who would have to defend them, and therefore do not trust the authorities and do not come to the office of a psychologist with the expectation that full disclosure will only benefit them.

The assessment of the circumstances depends on the method of determination of dissociation. In addition to the “classical” multiple personality, a condition called now “DDNOS” (dissociative disorders, nowhere else does not differentiate, DSM), in which the other person is, but does not grab control of the body. There are also other dissociative phenomena – depersonalization, the third frequency of psychiatric symptoms after the depression and anxiety (fear). Depersonalization or presumably can be quite frequent and lengthy to be characteristic.

Therapist B. Brown offered an useful conceptualization – BASK (an abbreviation of the English words: Behavior, Affect, Sensation, Knowledge – behavior, affect, sensation, knowledge). With it, Brown has given the status of the concept of dissociation rather super ordinary category than the peripheral protection, as it is conceived by Freud. His model includes many of the processes, which often occur together, but not always treated as family. According to Brown, the dissociation occurs at the level of behavior – as in paralysis or self-inflicted in a trance, at the level of passion – as in the action “with a charming indifference,” or when you save the memory of the trauma, without any feelings, at the level of experience – both in the conversion of anesthesia and “body memory” of the abuse or at the level of knowledge – as in the states ‘fugues’ or amnesia (cf. Freud’s ideas about early childhood amnesia).

BASK model considers repression auxiliary to dissociation, and places a number of phenomena that were considered particularly hysterical (as did Freud), the dissociative domain (level). It also binds to the historical trauma, many problems that were considered exclusively an expression of intrapsychic conflict. Therapists engaged in counseling with patients with dissociative character, these formulations are very useful clinically, and those who work with other people, believe that they increase their sensitivity to dissociative processes occurring to each of them.

Psychology of Everyday Lifehttp://www.freud-sigmund.com

When people are asked” what is forensic psychology?”, they usually think of the criminal profilers seen on movies and television shows, when this is only a fraction of what happens in reality. In its most basic definition, forensic psychology is the application of the psychology practice within the law and the legal system. The word “forensic” originated from the Latin word “forensis” which means “of the forum” referring to the Imperial court in ancient Rome. This relatively new specialized branch of psychology was only given official recognition by the American Psychological Association in 2001.

The portrayal of forensic psychology in popular shows, books and movies caused a surge of interest in the field, especially for the past few years. However, these are glamorized depictions of the profession and are not entirely accurate. The people who practice forensic psychology aren’t strictly “forensic psychologists.” They could also be clinical psychologists or child psychologists, but their expertise or knowledge might be required to provide assessment, testimony and recommendations in legal cases. Some of their roles include determining an individual’s competency to stand trial, mental health assessment in insanity plea cases, and specialized forensic assessment of an individual’s personality. For instance, a clinical psychologist might be asked to assess the mental health of a suspect or a child psychologist will be asked to evaluate children subjected to abuse or prepare them for court testimony in criminal or child custody cases.

Forensic psychologists work in jails, police departments, law firms, rehabilitation centers or government agencies and deal directly with lawyers, defendants, victims, families or patients within these institutions. Their responsibilities within correctional institutions involve regular psychological assessments, individual and group therapy sessions, anger or crisis management and other court-ordered evaluations. The work of forensic psychology also includes working with the police departments, to evaluate law enforcement personnel and provide training on criminal profiling and other relevant courses. There are also those who prefer academic pursuits in universities to do further research on criminology, law and the human behavior. Analyzing crime trends, criminal profiling and effective mental health treatments are some of the topics covered by forensic psychology.

What separates this branch from other fields like clinical psychology is that forensic psychology is limited to specific duties in every individual case, such as providing advice on the suspect’s mental capacity to face charges. Learning the answers to “what is forensic psychology?” means dealing with individuals who are getting evaluation and treatment not by choice, unlike in the usual clinical setting where clients volunteer to seek help.

They are also called to provide expert testimony but they must be knowledgeable enough of the legal system to be called as a credible witness for the case. Majority of their role is preparing and delivering their testimony and translating it to legal terms, which has been more challenging since lawyers know how to undermine or discredit psychological opinions. There have been cases of malingering or feigning illnesses so psychologists should know how to recognize the real symptoms as well as evaluate the consistency of information across different sources. A great part of understanding the answer to “what is forensic psychology” means being able to explain or reformulate psychological terms or principles within a legal framework.

For more great information about different branches of psychology, you will want to visit http://whatisforensicpsychology.org/

According to Wikipedia, cyberpsychology “encompasses all psychological phenomena that are associated with or affected by emerging technology “. The Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design & Technology define cyberpsychology as “the study of the human mind and behaviour in the context of human-technology interaction”. Increasing interest in cyberpsychology has meant that institutions like Dun Laoghaire are now offering cyberpsychology-related qualifications. For example, a unique BSc in Psychology with Interactive Entertainment and a continuing professional development course in cyberpsychology are available from Glasgow Caledonian University, and a small number of PhD programmes also sometimes crop up, which can be found advertised on websites like findaphd There are also courses for counsellors, reflecting the need for suitably qualified individuals in the field of cyberpsychology.

Cyberpsychology is still in its infancy, although there are a number of researchers and clinicians out there who could be called cyberpsychologists. Professor Mark Griffiths of Nottingham Trent has been called an expert in cyberpsychology and has interests in online game addiction, in addition to being a professor of gambling studies. Dr. Monica Whitty of Leicester University has published books on online relationships, while others like Kimberley Young were exploring problematic Internet use before the turn of the century. In the UK anyone can call themselves a cyberpsychologist, as there are appear to be no legal restrictions on individuals who wish to do so. The British Psychological Society (BPS) and Health Professions Council do, however, protect a number of titles such as “Clinical Psychologist”, “Health Psychologist”, and “Practioner Psychologist”. Perhaps in the coming years “Cyberpsychologist” will too become a protected title, but it could be quite a long time before this happens, if at all.

So how do you become a cyberpsychologist? There are many people, like myself, who train for many years in order fulfil their ambitions of becoming a psychologist specialising in cyberpsychology. However, it is important to do some research and planning to reach this goal. Firstly, it is of paramount importance that you check your degree and/or masters degree is accredited by the BPS if you want to train as a psychologist. If you are planning advanced study after your masters degree, so that you can offer psychological services to the public as a practitioner psychologist, you must also check whether completing the course will allow you to register with the Health Professions Council (HPC). If you don’t want to be a Psychologist, but you are interested in cyberpsychology, then you could simply take a cyberpsychology course offered by a university.

When you start out at degree level you will probably be undertaking a straight psychology degree, or a degree in something like clinical psychology or applied psychology. Once you buckle down and start studying you are likely to have one of two experiences. Either you will have fixed essay titles and assignments with no freedom to write about cyberpsychology until your final year project, or you will be given a little freedom in your second and/or third years to write about something of your choosing as well as having your final year project to look forward to. Some essay titles that are heavily aligned to cyberpsychology may even come up for one or two of your modules, so don’t think that there will be limited opportunities to write about cyberpsychology in your first two years. Before you apply you could even e-mail a member of staff who has research interests in cyberpsychology-related areas to ask if they plan on basing any essays around cyberpsychology.

Your final year project will offer the greatest opportunities to write about cyberpsychology, provided that your proposed project is aligned to the research interests of your supervisor. This means that you should do some research and think about how your project is aligned to your supervisors interests. For example, my supervisor was interested in perfectionism and I was interested in video games, so my final year project looked at whether perfectionism was involved in video game use. I later went on to write about health and well-being in video game play for the final year project of my masters degree, again dovetailing with the research interests of my supervisor and the general course content for health psychology. Be aware that a percentage of the final mark for your project may lie in the research proposal, for me it was 20% proposal, 80% project. A good proposal will help guide your project, so make sure you work hard at both. You are looking at around 1500-2500 words for the proposal and around 8000-11000 words for the project

When planning your final year project you will find some areas of cyberpsychology are still developing, meaning that there is a lot of room for original contributions. Though be warned, you should conduct a thorough literature review before beginning significant pieces of work like the final year project, as you may well find there is a lack of research in certain areas that could make it very difficult to provide rationale for your study. On the other hand you may have been reading around various Cyberpsychology topics before you arrived at university or while you were studying, so you may be aware of well researched areas that you could look at from a different angle. Play to your strengths if possible and stick to what you know. If you get too ambitious you risk being overwhelmed by a large data set and the statistical analyses you have to run on your data. This could make the write-up incredibly difficult and time consuming (I made this mistake and paid for it later).

When writing you should also do your best to avoid abandoning the formal, scientific writing style you have spent so much time developing. One of the biggest mistakes I made while writing in my first year was to put in unsubstantiated personal opinions, which is a big no-no. You should avoid getting carried away while writing about cyberpsychology in your second and third year, by remembering that any arguments you make should be evidence-based. If you get carried away you could end up presenting statements or arguments without providing references. It is also easy to be lazy and fall into the trap of not bothering to find the reference for something you read about months ago. Doing either of these things will affect the quality of your arguments, so keep a level head, follow a logical progression in your writing, and hunt for those references. Not only will this help to improve your work which can result in higher marks, but you will be honing your research skills by learning the types of search terms you need to use to find what you are looking for. In cyberpsychology this is important, as there may only be few articles exploring the area you are writing about. Hopefully you will find the experience of writing about cyberpsychology a satisfying process, and one that gives you insights into the type of research you might be conducting in the future.

When you have completed your undergraduate degree you can then move on to your masters degree. If you want to offer psychological services to the public as a practioner psychologist with a specialty in cyberpsychology you must first complete a BPS accredited stage 1 masters degree in a broad area you are interest in. There are seven types of HPC-regulated practioner psychologist roles, each one requiring a corresponding masters degree (e.g. MSc health psychology to be a health psychologist, MSc clinical psychology to be a clinical psychologist). Completion of these stage 1 masters degrees allows you to gain access to the various stage 2 professional doctorates, as well as the BPS’ own stage 2 training course. Entry requirements for professional doctorates differ between universities, so be sure to check before you apply. Most, if not all, will require you to be doing a relevent job, voluntary work, or a combination of both. Some will require you to have achieved at least a merit at stage 1 in order to gain entry to the course. If you choose a professional doctorate you must ensure that the course is accredited by the BPS and will allow you to register with the HPC; you can check the accreditation status of courses on the HPC and BPS websites. Stage 1 courses are generally 1 year of full-time study or 2 years of part-time study. Stage 2 courses tend to take 2 years full-time or 4 years part-time.

The other option is to complete a PhD, which will require you to submit a research proposal to a university that employs staff with research interests in cyberpsychology. To ensure you apply to an appropriate university you will need to engage in some independent research before applying. Some universities have specialist cyberpsychology research groups, such as the University of Bolton and Nottingham Trent University, so look out for research groups while applying in order to better tailor your proposal to departmental strengths. For a PhD you will produce an original contribution to the field of cyberpsychology, which will require you to produce a substantial piece of research of around 80,000 words. This might seem daunting, but a PhD takes 3 years of full-time study to complete, so you should have adequate time to submit your work if you manage your time properly. That is as far as this guide goes, I can’t give further advice as I have not yet completed doctoral level study. Hopefully I will be able to add to this article in a couple of years and give better feedback about the doctoral level training.

I otherwise firmly believe that there will be many opportunities in cyberpsychology in the future. Although it is likely to take you an average of 7 years to become a fully-qualified psychologist you should not be discouraged, as the potential rewards are great. With dedication and hard work you could become one of a handful of experts worldwide with a speciality in your field, producing groundbreaking work over the course of your career. Stay positive, you will get there in the end if you work hard enough.

If you need to find any of the resources discussed here you can find them at http://www.cyberpsych.co.uk, one of the few portals for cyberpsychology-related resources. Bookmark the site and show your support for cyberpsychology by joining the Facebook community group and Twitter. Thanks for reading, and good luck in your training.

Matt Harvey

There was an interesting article recently in Live Science Online News on October 11, 2011 titled, “Military Seeks Sensor to Gauge Brain’s Reaction to Stories,” by Stuart Fox, InnovationNewsDaily Assistant Editor. The article stated that,

“DARPA plans to not only figure out why hearing or reading a particular story may change someone’s life, but also plans on developing sensors that can scan people’s brains to identify those changes. Narratives exert a powerful influence on human thoughts and behavior. They consolidate memory, shape emotions, cue heuristics, and biases in judgment, influence in-group/out-group distinctions, and may affect the fundamental contents of personal identity.”

Think about this for a moment, it’s true that humans take stories seriously, and it is amazing how tales foretold tend to stick in the memory. It’s also interesting how stories over the generations evolve and meld with the culture, shaping it, and holding it together. Nations, religions, cultures, all held together by what – stories, tales, and narratives. Amazing isn’t it? So, it makes a lot of sense that we ought to study this.

For instance consider the challenges we have in education, corporate training, or even keeping people working together for the common cause of our society or civilization? Stories help, they help break the ice, they help for comic relief, they help say things that are often difficult, but telling something through a story – well it works doesn’t it? Thus, we ought to use stories as much as possible.

The piece went on to add; “they change the course of insurgencies, frame negotiations, play a role in political radicalization, influence the methods and goals of violent social movements, and likely play a role in clinical conditions important to the military such as post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Wow, see those points? Now then, let’s switch gears here and let me tell you a though I had for this rather intriguing DARPA project about storytelling. I have some thoughts I’d like to share with you, okay so, here is the idea; The human voice box rattles or gives off a change in vibrational frequency when someone is of a very strong belief on the topic they are discussing.

This happens in business with branding, with devoted religious folks, or with anyone telling a story they truly believe in. It also has a way of coming out in writing, where folks can feel the emotional content. Perhaps someone like Steve Jobs or a fast mover in the political scene can do the same, perhaps a reverend or religious leader, and I bet this can be simulated by laying multiple tracks over speeches or instructional videos too.

I am somewhat sensitive to these vibrations, and I note my mind taking interest when these ‘rattling vibrations’ occur in other’s voices, in fact, I am of no-religion, but when a devout person starts their spiel about their “religious wakening” or born-again moment, I find my mind shifting gears as if operating on a secondary brain wave.

Interestingly enough, I also note my own voice rattles, as I am very solid in my beliefs of such things as free-market capitalism, country, winning, and my company. When I am, I see people stop and take notice, as if I’ve captured them for a moment to insert my view points and vision. So, I think there is something to it, and it would stand to reason based on such historical things like “pipe-organ music” in churches and their vibrational frequency and the large number of enthralled followers.

Although, I’ve never read anything explaining all this, I feel there is something more here, something that could explain why stories “capture our imagination” and perhaps why we even use the word “capture” in the first place, see that point.

Questions:

1.) Have some humans, through gene expression, evolved to have stronger voice box vibrational ability?
2.) Can humans through practice hone this vibrational ability in their voices.
3.) Would practiced singers be able to do this? Is that why church’s get large numbers to join their choirs?
4.) Does bowing and praying in the Muslim world cause shock waves to move forward and back during the rocking motion of praying, as savants often rock back and forth, thus triggering memory inducing brain waves?
5.) Does human passion cause certain chemicals in the body to react in engaging vocal cords? It would stand to reason.
6.) Did this ability help in the coming together of human troops, tribes, groups, communities, nationalities, cultures, religions, countries, movements?

Yes, well, as you can see, I have so many questions on all this and speculations, and theories, if you are also intrigued by this, maybe we should talk? You see, I am a writer (hobby writer), and have this storytelling ability apparently, which served me well in business, sales, marketing, and branding. It’s also been good to me as a writer. So, maybe we can help reform education, train folks better, allow for better memory uptake, and then, move the ball forward by doing what comes natural for human learning, and socialization.

In fact, I think this could be tested, simulated, and we could even use what we learn to mellow out problematic societies and rogue regimes that threaten the life-experience of human populations. Interesting isn’t it? Yes, all of it is, so please consider this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Future Concepts. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net

The study of counseling psychology prepares one to work individually and in group settings, usually providing counseling and therapy services to a variety of clients. This field allows trained professionals to have a direct impact on the lives of their clients, helping them to explore their behaviors and life events in an effort to solve existing and emerging issues. Psychology practitioners can work with a variety of clients from children to adults, in a variety of settings. Counseling psychology compensation varies based on education level and chosen work setting.

Careers in Counseling Psychology

Professionals holding a degree in psychology, counseling psychology or clinical psychology have a wide variety of options available for jobs, most involving direct therapeutic work with clients. Counseling psychologists are employed in hospitals, physician’s offices, businesses, legal facilities and mental health centers. They can also make careers in substance abuse programs, correctional facilities, law enforcement and government agencies, academic institutions and a variety of other private and public organizations, including human resources in the corporate sector.

Education Levels

Degrees in psychology are offered at the Bachelors Degree level, but rarely is a specialty in counseling psychology available at this level. While a Bachelors Degree in general psychology can be sufficient for some low level positions in education or human resources, a Master’s or doctoral degree is necessary to truly establish one’s self in the field of counseling. Those with a Master’s degree or higher can engage in self-employed professional practice, or joint practice, or serve at any variety of mental health organizations or other businesses. PhDs are most sought after and most highly compensated in the field of counseling.

Counseling Psychology Salary and Earning Potential

In the field of psychology, clinical psychology salary is the highest, with an established clinical psychologist expecting to earn a mean income in the mid $60,000 range, with high end clinical psychologists earning more than $100k a year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, counseling psychology salary varies a lot across different employment opportunities. While counseling psychologists generally earn a bit less than clinical psychologists, the pay is still pretty good. An entry level counseling psychologist working in social work might expect to make just $35,000 a year to start. Whereas, an experienced, PhD level counselor in private practice could make three to four times that amount. A college professor with a PhD in counseling, teaching psychology courses at the university level, could make from $50,000 to $100,000 a year, even more if they were to publish text books or articles, or apply for and receive research grants.

In short, salary will vary greatly, depending on the specific area one works in, one’s education level and years of experience. In most cases, a reasonably educated and experienced person can make a good education working a lifetime in counseling psychology. The key is to earn a graduate degree at an institution with tuition reasonable enough to pay off the debt within the first ten years of post- graduate work. A career in counseling psychology can be both financially and psychological rewarding.

My name is Richard Harrelson and psychology is my passion. If you share same infatuation with this gentle and powerful knowledge area – become familiar with my posts about clinical psychology salary on my blog www.clinicalpsychologygraduate.org.

Most psychologists believe that it began in 1998, when Martin Seligman chose it as the theme for his term of president of the American Psychological Association, though the term originates with Maslow, in his 1954 book Motivation and Personality. Seligman stressed that clinical psychology had been consumed by only mental illness, echoing Maslow’s comments. Research into positive psychology might be traced back to the 4 P. A. Linley et al. origins of psychology, such as, in William James’ writings on healthy mindedness. In fact, views that reflect humanism can be found in the work of William James, John Dewey, and G. Stanley Hall. William James argued that in order to study optimal human functioning thoroughly, one has to consider the subjective experience of an individual. For that belief, James is considered, by some psychologists, to be America’s first positive psychologist.

In his presidential address to the American Psychological Association in 1906, William James asked why some individuals were able to utilize their resources to their fullest capacity and others were not. Positive psychology has common interests with parts of humanistic psychology, and its emphasis on the fully functioning person, and self-actualization and the study of healthy individuals. Maslow lamented psychology’s preoccupation with disorder and dysfunction. The term first appeared in Maslow’s book Motivation and Personality. In this book, Maslow maintains that psychology itself does not have an accurate understanding of human potential, and that the field tends not to raise the proverbial bar high enough with respect to maximum attainment.

The first summit took place in 1999. The First International Conference on it took place in 2002. In 2009, only last year, the First World Congress on it took place. As I mentioned above, this science finds its roots in the humanistic psychology of the 20th century. Earlier influences on it came from philosophical and religious sources. The ancient Greeks had many schools of thought. During the Renaissance, individualism started to be valued. Utilitarian philosophers, such as John Stuart Mill, believed that moral actions are those actions that maximize happiness for the most number of people, and that an empirical science of happiness determine which actions are moral. Thomas Jefferson and other democrats believed that Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are inalienable rights, and that it justifies the overthrow of the government. The Romantics valued individual emotional expression and sought their emotional true selves, which were unhindered by social norms.

To summarize and add more details, most psychologists agree that the advent of it can be traced back to Martin E. P. Seligman’s 1998 Presidential Address to the American Psychological Association. Seligman realized that psychology had neglected two of its three pre-World War II missions: helping all people to lead more productive and fulfilling lives, and identifying and nurturing high talent. The advent of the Veterans Administration in 1946 and the National Institute of Mental Health in 1947 had rendered psychology a healing discipline based upon a disease model and illness ideology. With this realization, Seligman used his APA presidency to initiate a shift in psychology’s focus toward a more positive science.

After his A.P.A. (American Psychology Association) Presidency, Martin Seligman, reminded the field that it has been side-tracked reiterating that psychology is also the study of strength and virtue and that treatment is nurturing what is best within us. Seligman’s presidential initiative was catalyzed by a series of meetings of scholars who could inform the development of positive psychology, and the establishment of the Positive Psychology Steering Committee (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Ed Diener, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Chris Peterson, and George Vaillant). What segued was a Network, that later became the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, the first Positive Psychology Summit, and a special issue of the American psychologist on positive psychology to mark the new millennium.

Since Seligman’s presidential address, there have been numerous positive psychology books, journal special issues, and the establishment of regional positive psychology networks that span the globe. In 2006, the first dedicated journal, The Journal of Positive Psychology, was published. Seligman united the efforts of the scientists who have become key players in the positive psychology movement. These players include the Positive Psychology Steering Committee and the leaders of numerous positive psychology research centers, research pods, and grant holders (Seligman, 2005). C. R. (Rick) Snyder edited the special issue of the Journal of social and clinical psychology in 2000 and the influential Handbook of positive psychology in 2002.

Chris Peterson headed up the Values-in-Action project that led to the VIA classification of strengths and virtues, which I studied in this course’ previous assignment. The winners of the prestigious Templeton Positive Psychology Prizes were: Barbara Fredrickson, for her work on positive emotions in 2000, Jon Haidt, worked on the positive moral emotion of elevation in 2001, and Suzanne Segerstrom, for her work on the beneficial effects of optimism on physical health in 2002. Some of the financial donors are: the Templeton Foundation, The Gallup Organization, the Mayerson Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands, and the Atlantic Philanthropies. To conclude, this science also offered excellent opportunities for rapid scientific advances.

References

Seligman, M. E. P. (2005). Positive Psychology Network 2004 progress report.

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I have been a registered Clinical Psychologist for nearly six years now and I am interested in the difference between psychological disorder and psychic ability. During my psychology studies no-one ever mentioned the possibility of psychic ability, yet across the world there is a whole community of well respected psychics. The energy on Earth or vibrational level of Earth has increased significantly over the last few years and there are more people than ever who are more sensitive and reporting psychic phenomena. There needs to be some discussion between these two groups about where the boundaries really are.

Homosexuality used to be diagnosed as a ‘mental illness’ until only a few decades ago. Psychic ability also needs to be considered as a real phenomenon. Currently anyone who mentions that they are ’seeing things’ or ‘hearing voices’ would be diagnosed with something and given medication. I personally think this is ridiculous in this day and age when there are so many highly functioning people who have psychic ability. So why are certain people able to ‘listen’ to entities as and when they choose and have conscious control over the process and some are not? Psychic people may also see things that other people are not aware of and this is not a concern for them, yet for ‘mentally disordered’ individuals these sightings may be unpleasant or even frightening. A key difference between these two groups of people appears to be in functionality and knowledge. People who are psychic are aware that what they are experiencing is spiritual phenomena and make sense of the information, whereas people who are ‘mentally unwell’ are not.

To meet a diagnosis and the criteria for a ‘mental illness’ your daily functioning needs to be adversely affected; this may concern your work or socially. The people who are highly functioning and have conscious control over psychic processes receive messages that are very supportive and encouraging. If you examine some of the ‘messages’ that have been transcribed and voiced over the years from higher level entities on the other side, the themes are actually very similar. They all advocate peace across the planet and the evolution of human consciousness and Earth. If the messages were analyzed statistically, the entities have actually spoken of the similar things at the same times without the people receiving the messages being aware.

This appears to be where the difference is. The people who meet the criteria for ‘mental illness’ because they are ‘hearing a voice’ and ’seeing things’ frequently hear messages that are not supportive and may direct them to hurt other people etc. These individuals are not connecting to the same entities that high functioning psychics are. There are many ‘levels’ beyond the physical Earth, some on different vibrations that others. Individuals who would be labeled as ‘mentally ill’ or who have being influenced adversely by the entities they are connecting to, are being affected by entities that are on ‘lower levels’. These spirits on the other side do not have the person’s best interests at heart. These entities may not have been long out of human bodies and may not be aware they have died. They may also have chosen to ‘hang around’ and harass susceptible humans because they are angry at the way they died or were treated during their life etc. These spirits have been termed many things over the years such as ‘Earth bound’ or ‘lost souls’. There are groups on the planet that are working to move these entities on to higher levels.

People who deliver information in a conscious manner that is supportive and educational are connecting to entities with a much higher level of consciousness. Many of these entities are Ascended Masters and may be considered as spiritual advisers. They have had many incarnations on the planet and are aware that they are on the other side. They are wise and offer useful information and are encouraging people who listen, to work together and move humanity and consciousness forward. If psychics are receiving information there is also agreement on the part of the person to communicate with this entity. Lower level entities are usually interfering in the person’s life on Earth and are like uninvited guests. Psychic people may come across these entities but would pay them no attention.

It’s interesting to consider why someone would choose to connect with an entity on lower levels when there is this information available on higher levels? It could be through lack of knowledge and fear. If people do not believe in anything after the physical death, or have a religious belief system that states hearing voices is negative; if these people ‘hear a voice’ or ’see something’ they may become fearful. This fear may attract lower levels entities of similar vibration to people who are susceptible. Also, if people utilize illegal drugs this may affect their energy and make them more likely to attract these lower levels entities. It is possible that some of the psychiatric medications may also have this affect on individuals, people who are psychic and know they are psychic do not take these.

Many people discount psychic ability or the possibility of the human body carrying on after this life. However, many books and articles have been documented of near death experiences. These accounts reported were similar independent of culture. There have also been many accounts documented of young children who remembered past life experiences and who were able to name people, objects and places they have never been told about. This is how the Buddhist traditions identify the next incarnation of their spiritual leader, such as the current Dalai Lama. Prior to the current leader’s death, he will identify the location and time of his next rebirth. At the specified date the young child is sought out and then tested by identifying objects they owned in their previous lifetime. There are also children that appear to be born with certain talents such as musical ability in the West and are able to play instruments with no prior teaching. This lends credibility to the theory of reincarnation and beyond life experiences.

Psychic ability needs to be accepted within modern psychiatry and psychology. There are many spiritual people across the planet that accept phenomena treated as mental illness by physicians in the West. In the current Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV- TR) there is often an asterisk next to criteria which indicates that you need to check for cultural norms. This means that for example if you are experiencing ‘magical thinking’ and that’s normal within the culture you live, then you do not meet the criteria for that mental illness.

However, if you live outside that culture it needs to be considered indicative of mental illness. Therefore, if you don’t want to meet a diagnosis for a particular mental illness all you need to do is move somewhere where your experiences are considered normal. The DSM is currently a fourth version text revision and I hope that later versions exclude all forms of psychic ability.

Charity C-L Parrish is a Clinical Psychologist registered with the Psychological Board of Australia (PBA). She has been practicing as a psychologist since 2005 and has worked in many different areas including conducting assessments for the Family and Youth Court and clinical therapy work. Her recently published book is titled “Your True Nature? A Psychologist Explores Channeling.” For more information please visit http://www.newpsychology.com.au

Internet Therapy

Plasticity in the nervous system support cognitions, and is affected by age.Plasticity in the nervous system support cognitions, and is affected by age. Brain cognitive functions decline with age. Naturally, then, several neural mechanisms in the same brain areas also shift with age. This article presents significant advances in understanding age-related changes in the medial temporal lobe and prefrontal cortex. These changes in functional plasticity contribute to behavioral impairments in the absence of major pathology.

All animals experience cognitive decline with age. It is now known that age does not equal to significant cell loss. In the hippocampus and the PFC, however, there is a significant increase in Ca2+ conductance, which likely contributes to age-related changes in plasticity or long-term potentiation or LTP and long-term depression or LTD. The maintenance of long-term memory and plasticity requires gene expression; therefore, aged animals also show alterations in these processes.

Gene Arc shows differences in expression patterns between young and old animals. Age-associated changes in the dynamics of neuronal ensembles contribute to cognitive impairment. The hippocampus and the PFC are vulnerable to age. In many species, there is a decline in associative learning and spatial memory. Also, older animals show working memory and executive function deficits. Much needs to be learned, despite the fact that the average lifespan is increasing worldwide.

In other words, age is correlated with a decline in cognitive function that is in part caused by changes in neural plasticity. These changes are subtle compared to age-associated disorders. Age-related changes in cognition may affect pathological disease states.

Functional alterations occur during age in the medial temporal lobe and the PFC. These age-associated changes might contribute to the selective cognitive impairments during aging. The subtle changes in neuronal morphology, cell to cell interactions and gene expression might alter plasticity in aged animals. These changes disrupt the network dynamics of aged neuronal ensembles that cause selective behavioral impairments.

In summary and conclusion, during aging, animals experience cognitive decline. Now it is known that the changes occurring during ageing are quite subtle and selective. Most age-associated behavioral impairments result from region-specific changes in factors that affect plasticity and alter the network dynamics of neural ensembles that support cognition.

The morphology of neurons in the PFC is more susceptible to age-related change. There is also a small decline in cell number in an area of other animals that is correlated with working memory impairments. There are therapeutic approaches that might modify hippocampal neurobiology and slow age-related cognitive decrease or partially restore plasticity.

What is the most interesting about this article is that there is still so much unknown in the area of cognition and memory. This study reflects the needs for Psychology and Medicine to collaborate closely. All realms, besides the physical or medical and the psychological and emotional, must be explored to gather new data about cognition and aging. Other realms that could affect cognition and aging are: spiritual, intellectual, and social. I am personally interested in finding out more about all these other realms as well and their relation to cognition and the lifespan.

This information/research knowledge can be used in clinical practice in a way that supports exercising the brain muscle/s, in a way that supports the client’s continuous learning, and continuous researching. Also, this information could prompt the therapist to assess the client’s environment, nutrition and wellness, life purpose and any drug usage, to verify whether these important life areas affect cognition and age. Based on my experience and the experience of my clients, I believe these areas do affect age and cognition.

Thank you.

Elena Pezzini, M.S., C.P.C.
You Have Got The Power, Inc.
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Turnaround Coaching Psychology & Hypnosis
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Often, when people talk about introverts and extraverts, they think in terms of whether people enjoy social interactions. In fact, the true definitions of introversion and extraversion have to do with where a person finds meaning – and for this reason, knowing which you are can help you make life decisions that leave you happier and more fulfilled.

I was surfing the web the other day and came across a site that defined introverts as people who do not enjoy social situations and who are more comfortable alone. Now, if the author had prefaced the word ‘introvert’ with the word ’social’, then you wouldn’t be reading this article because I wouldn’t have written it. The site purported to be describing psychological introversion but pitched products and services geared specifically to a social definition of introvert, so my hackles rose and I jumped upon my soap box to address what is one of my pet peeves. To state it clearly and unambiguously:

Psychological introversion and extraversion are not measures of how comfortable you are (or aren’t) in social situations.

The concept of psychological introversion and extraversion was originally described by the Swiss psychoanalyst, Carl Jung, to explain two different ways people create meaning in their lives. A Jungian introvert derives meaning from the development of a rich internal life, and it is in the exploration of that internal life that they are most comfortable. To quote the Merriam Webster dictionary: Introversion is “the state of or tendency toward being wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in one’s own mental life.” A Jungian extravert, on the other hand, creates meaning in the interaction with things in the external world, and it is in the exploration of the external world that they are most comfortable. Merriam Webster again: Extraversion is “the act, state, or habit of being predominantly concerned with and obtaining gratification from what is outside the self.” While this might sound like it is no different from the idea that introverts are ‘people who do not enjoy social situations’ there is a huge difference. In the true Jungian use of the concept, the focus is on where an individual derives meaning not how, and it often has no relation whatsoever to a person’s comfort level at cocktail parties.

The confusion between social introversion/extraversion and psychological introversion/extraversion is fueled by the fact that most examples used to explain the concepts depend on observable behaviors – which are social due to the mere fact that they are observable. And to stress clarity, most examples are presented as polar opposites. So you will see things like “extraverts are gregarious and like parties and community gatherings and political demonstrations” and “Introverts like solitary activities like reading and writing, computer games, and listening to music.” See what I mean? Psychological introverts do indeed have social graces and enjoy parties and can be just as passionate about public demonstrations as the next guy. Psychological extraverts enjoy music, and reading and writing too.

Psychological introversion/extraversion is a continuum within each of us. We all prefer one over the other (deriving meaning internally versus externally), but all of us have the capacity for and often enjoy a wide variety of social introverted/extraverted behaviors. That’s why it gets so confusing when people try to apply a single label to describe someone solely based on observable behavior.

Knowing whether you are a Jungian introvert or a Jungian extravert can be very important in helping you to be more comfortable with yourself. It can help you make difficult decisions about careers, determine what kinds of skills you are likely to excel at and what kinds you are not, understand why some environments are better for you than others, and choose products and services best suited to your temperament. The same can be said about knowing whether you are primarily a social introvert or a social extravert.

If they can both provide the same type of information, why all the fuss? Why is this issue one I am willing to get up on a soap box for? Well, first of all I am a stickler for accuracy, and psychology, particularly styles theory, is a main focus of my company. But just being accurate is not what drives me on this issue. I am passionate about helping people to explore and understand who they are not just for the curiosity of knowing, but so that they can use that awareness to make life choices that fit who they are. This is impossible if the concepts that people use are applied incorrectly. While both concepts provide useful information and knowledge, conclusions drawn about one (Jungian introversion) based on the other (social introversion) are bound to be flawed.

Gary Jordan, Ph.D., has over 27 years of experience in clinical psychology, behavioral assessment, individual development, and coaching. He earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology – Berkeley. He is co-creator of Perceptual Style Theory, a revolutionary psychological assessment system that teaches people how to unleash their deepest potentials for success. He’s a partner at Vega Behavioral Consulting, Ltd., a consulting firm that specializes in helping people discover their true skills and talents, visit http://www.ACIforCoaches.com or http://www.ACIforEntrepreneurs.com.

We have something of a major shift in our society right now with all the social networks like Twitter, and Facebook. Often people associate more with their online identities than their actual identities in the real world. As the coordinator for a think tank which operates online I’m beginning to see a rather troubling challenge which lies ahead. You see, when folks fill out their applications to join, they have all sorts of ideas, but they have no practical experience in the real world.

They care very much about what’s going on in the world, they want to see alternative energy, and they enjoy reading all the online newsletters, and articles on science, philosophy, psychology, innovations, space, infrastructure, geopolitics, and the like. They have so many ideas on the best way to run a civilization and/or what products should come to market and be fast tracked in the innovation process. That’s all well and good but they’ve never actually taken a product or service to market, and they’ve never worked in a company at the level where they were actually making decisions.

Much of their observations comes from their friends on social networks who haven’t done anything either. Worse, because all their friends tell them they are smart, they assume that they are, but the reality is they’ve adopted all kinds of information they’ve heard the media, heard from a politician, or comments that someone left on their social networking page, as their own thoughts. But that information is available to everyone, it’s not unique to them, however apparently if they have lots of friends on their Facebook page they think they must be very smart.

Not long ago, in Kurzweil’s Accelerating Intelligence online newsletter titled; “The Dangers of E-Personality” which was posted on March 11, 2011. The article stated; “Excessive use of the Internet, cell phones, and other technologies can cause us to become more impatient, impulsive, forgetful and narcissistic according to a new book on “e-personality,” says psychiatrist Elias Aboujaoude, MD, clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and director of Stanford’s pulse control and obsessive-compulsive disorder clinics, in a new book, Virtually You: The Dangerous Powers of the E-Personality.”

Indeed, this would be a great book to read, and perhaps it speaks to my own observations working at our think tank. We have a real problem out there. One thing I’ve noticed is when I asked questions of individuals, or what they think, they immediately go onto Google, and look at the subject, and e-mail back with their relative decision. What they don’t seem to understand is that everyone in the world can do the same thing, and anyone who knows about the topic, or works in that industry already knows all that information.

The problem is these individuals aren’t thinking, and yet they think they are smart, when they don’t know much of anything, and have never done anything in the real world. I’m not sure if that is relevant, and I think it’s even worse when people prescribe to the self assessment and unearned ego as an achievement into their intellectual capacity. That’s false ego, and it can be quite dangerous. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes writing 22,700 articles was a lot of work – because all the letters on his keyboard are now worn off.