The New York Times published an article, that I found on the Association for Psychological Science website, about the Super Bowl and the psychological effects a F.A.N. (someone with Football Attention Neurosis) may experience during and after the game, especially when their favorite team is playing. The article doesn't have a serious tone, but I think it raises some interesting questions about what constitutes a psychological disorder. Do you think serious football fans can be considered to have an anxiety disorder because of the symptoms they may experience during the game? Have you observed any behavior (such as aggressive driving or Facebook/cell phone "addictions") that can be considered a psychological disorder? At what point do these quirks go from being normal to an actual psychological condition? If you do think something should be considered a disorder, do you think the therapy steps in the article can be adapted to help people recognize the problem or change their behavior?
A Home Treatment Kit for Super Bowl Suffering
Remember to respond to this post by Wednesday, February 9th and enjoy the game!
I loved this article!
ReplyDeleteIt was clearly a tad overly-exaggerated, but there was definitely some points of truth that could be pulled out of it. I feel that getting hyped up about your favorite team playing in the Super Bowl is not nearly enough to constitute an "anxiety disorder," as it undermines a number of other important components. It seems as if these "F.A.N.s" are not truly suffering from any psychological condition, they're just plain old excited football fans. Those with true anxiety disorders tend to experience symptoms more than once a year.
This article can also be likened to the question of whether or not someone can truly have an "addiction" to the Internet, texting, Facebook, etc. Although I don't believe it appears in the DSM as of now, I know Internet addiction was recognized as an official disorder in China that affects much of their population. It is fair to say that some people are truly "addicted" to the Internet, but, in a sense, I feel that creating these new disorders draws attention away from those with inborn disorders out of human hands, such as ADHD.
The descriptions underneath the therapy steps were catered to someone obsessed with the Super Bowl; however, I feel that if someone only read the Roman numerals (and not the descriptions that follow) it would appear that this is already the standard procedure for diasgnosing and assessing any problem or disorder.
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ReplyDeleteWhen I first read this, I got the impression that the author was being satirical and making fun at the way F.A.N.S act when watching their favorite team in the super bowl. I do not think that serious football fans can be considered to have an anxiety disorder because of symptoms they experience during one game. If this were considered a psychological disorder, then I think 99% of people living in American would be classified with this because we all tend to do the actions and have the effects listed in this article whether it’d be for our favorite football, hockey, baseball, etc team. I do think to an extent people with observed behavior such as the aggressive driving, addiction to facebook, etc can be considered a disorder. The point where it gets very bad and overly excessive is when maybe we should consider a disorder. Will we ever be able to judge when something becomes too aggressive/ obsessive? I think that some of the therapy steps could help people definitely recognize their problem because most people with disorders try to deny it when people bring it up. Overall, I thought this article was very humorous and good topic to bring up.
ReplyDeletePersonally I found myself rather unable to read this article with a serious mindset. I read and reread the article a few times and still remained unable to identify if there was any seriousness underlying it. However I agree that it was a perfect article for Super Bowl Sunday and I definitely enjoyed reading it. I am going to have to completely disagree and say that even the most obsessive of fans do not have psychological disorders. These so called “F.A.N.S.” do not possess an anxiety disorder of any sort, and being crazy about a team is not a psychological issue. Of course things can always be taken to the extreme; however, the cases described in this article were not such cases. As an avid Jets fan, I can relate to all of the behavior mentioned in the article. This year the Jets made it rather far into the playoffs and for every game my family came over, as we gathered around the TV, glued in our seats, screaming every other second. One would look at us and declare us crazy, but this cannot be considered a psychological disorder. Those people with serious anxiety disorders would show symptoms in other instances, not just during football games. I did however enjoy the steps to recovery and found them to be funny.
ReplyDeleteBringing up the facebook/texting/internet discussion, I also do not believe that it can be considered a legitimate psychological disorder that can be placed in the same category as something such as ADD or an eating disorder. It is true that some people are addicted to facebook and spend hours stalking everyone who appears on their homepage, but I would not classify this as a legitimate psychological disorder either. I don’t think facebook stalking would ever be serious enough to be considered a psychological disorder.
Wow. I honestly thought they were joking and that it was going to say "just kidding!" in the middle of the article. But after thinking about it this does make some sense. I have seen firsthand how crazy people can get over sporting events, as evident by the screams of despair or joy in my house when a game is going on. Sports play *pun* an extremely important part in my dad and brother's lives. It's the topic of all their conversations and they always have to have a radio nearby to make sure they're not missing any big game. I think sports is like any other escape; it can consume us. Just like if you're a huge One tree Hill fan and you obsess over the characters and the storyline and you wait for an episode religiously every week. If your passion is that great of course it's going to have some affect on your heartbeat during those suspenseful moments in the episode and whatnot. Now I'm not saying it could seriously affect your health like this article is suggesting but I do see where they are coming from. I really liked the article definitely got me thinking.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article I immediately thought of my Uncle Jack- the craziest Giants fan I have ever met. We went out to dinner with my Uncle Jack's family over Christmas break and his daughter Kimmy was telling me about how he was actually depressed for days after one of the Giant's big losses. We joked and laughed about how crazy her dad is about the Giants which made me email her this article after I finished reading because I knew she would love it. I think it is safe to say that my Uncle Jack could be considered a F.A.N., but I do not think that it is an anxiety disorder. Being overly obsessed with a sports team should not be considered an anxiety disorder. In a way, I feel that this article insults people who have real anxiety disorders. People are becoming crazy over STUPID games- personally, I think it is ridiculous! This article can be related to the debate about addiction to technology. I believe that people can have an addiction to their cell phones, Facebook, or the internet, but I do not believe it should be considered a psychological disorder. The I don't think there is a breaking point in which one can say that these quirks go from being normal to an actual psychological condition- it all depends on the person and their behavior.
ReplyDeleteThis article was quite interesting and pretty funny. Many of these symptoms remind me of my parents. Although, my mom read this and thought it was ridiculous and didn't think it was like her at all. I am not sure if they have a disorder... I think they might just have an extreme obsession with the team and the game. I have seen many people with a cell phone, Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr addiction but I do not believe that they have a disorder. Like the football teams, I think that these people just have an obsession. Since I do not believe that these are psychological conditions, there is not a point where these "quirks" go from being normal to an actual psychological condition. (Well, there could be some very extreme cases where someone will start to stalk a member of the team. Then I think that might need to be looked at. But other than that, cheering and going a little crazy is normal for a football game. Take a look a pep rally's or football games in life, everyone is up and yelling and jumping up and down.) I didn't think the therapy steps in this article would be able to change the behavior or allow them to recognize it. Some people are crazy and usually are around others who are just as crazy, so they never see their "obsession". Overall this is an interesting article and I enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteLike Kelly’s uncle my little brother is obsessed with the Giants. The day after they lost the big game he tried to convince my mom to let him not go to school because he was “too depressed.” He cried over the loss and wouldn’t let anyone talk to him for awhile. I wouldn’t consider him to have a psychological disorder, but maybe just a strange and really stupid obsession with the Giants. When I started to read this article I thought about how people have addictions to all different kinds of technology. Such as cell phones, Twitter, and Facebook. I do not think football fans or they have psychological disorders because they are just obsessed. I do think that some people can cross a certain line and that can become a psychological disorder, but for most people I don’t think that it is a disorder.
ReplyDeleteI thought that this was a very funny article, poking fun at the type of people that everybody knows (or perhaps, the type of people they are themselves). I thought its message was interesting and very comical, but in all seriousness I think that what the article describes as F.A.N. can't really be considered a disorder. Like our class discussions on intelligence, this article raises the question: How far is too far to stretch a definition? Part of being human is experiencing extreme emotions every once in a while, when you're put in a situation where something important to you is on the line or when you're engaged in or watching something (like a sport) that you're passionate about. Now, perhaps there are a couple of unique individuals in the world for whom the words "psychological disorder" would actually be appropriate in describing their reactions to something like the Super Bowl. I'm sure it's possible, but it's just not the norm. I think, on average, the extreme intensity experience by the biggest football fans out there can be classified as no more than a personality quirk. But I really enjoyed this article, and I thought that the treatment guidelines that it outlined were hilarious, actually relevant, and probably successful.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this article is very true in regards to the responses of viewers when a person on their favorite team gets injured or when someone on their favorite team is running up the field, I do not think that this can in any way be considered a psychological disorder. I know that when I am watching one of my brothers play hockey I become very focused on every little thing that is happening on the ice, and although I am not really a football fan, I think this is the same feeling die hard football fans get during an entire football game when their favorite team is playing. The reason I would not consider it a psychological disorder is because when I person has an actual disorder, I feel like it needs to be much more serious and involved rather than just getting nervous (or in this case extremely nervous) when your favorite team has the ball. My favorite line in the whole article is under the Administering Therapies section within the Treatment Guidelines, and it is "For example, beliefs like a player “always fumbles” or “never makes late kicks” or “couldn’t cover my grandmother” represents an overestimate of risk. " This is because many people tend to make these comments in passing when a player does poorly, but I do not believe that the fan actually believes this way. I thought this article was funny and enjoyable to read even though I disagree with the idea that intense sports fans may have a psychological disorder.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I found it extremely difficult to read this article without laughing or smirking! I found myself thinking, "Oh my god, I do this. Am I a F.A.N.?" I'll grab my head or fidget if I'm anxious while watching the Superbowl or even an exciting episode of Grey's Anatomy. Does that mean I have a disorder? I am forced to doubt it. I understand why the article states that such behaviors could be the symptoms of a disorder, but I find it a little hard to believe for most people who watch television programs. Most Americans gets nervous or anxious while watching the Superbowl and cheering on their favorite team, but that does not mean they have all have a disorder. That said, this article definitely got under my skin and got me thinking. I have the same way of thinking when it comes to facebook and our cell phones. We all enjoy them, and maybe some of us use them too much. But I think that it only becomes a problem when your life revolves around it. If we use it in moderation, I do not think that it is a major problem. Overall, I enjoyed reading this article and the thoughts it put in my head!
ReplyDeleteI think that the concept of this article was extremely relevant and thought-provoking considering this past Sunday's events. Obviously the article is a satirical piece, written to aid frustrated friends/family members of fanatic football viewers. While I think we can all agree that being a sports fan isn't a psychological disorder (though we may, at times, wish that there was a prescription/cure available) there is some validity to the concept of something greater than just liking the sport. Being a dedicated fan of a certain team can be seen as part of our social identity, or the "we" aspect of our self-concept. This is the part of our answer to "who am I?" that comes from our group memberships. Relating to what Steph mentioned about addictions to Facebook or other social networking sites, people connect with each other through these social mediums on the basis of team unification alone. Facebook "friends" who have never met before strike up a conversation when one member posts an encouraging status. Some join fan pages, some dedicate themselves to the forums. Regardless, we feel like we are part of a group and we identify ourselves as such. "I am a Steelers fan," or "I am a Packers fan" is part of our identity. You'll hear someone say "we had a great game." They're immediately identifying themselves as part of a humongous group including the team itself, the coaches, and all of the other fans. Overall, an entertaining article that revealed an unexpected connection between fandom and its social implications.
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading this article, I struggled to stay serious and couldn't help but laugh. I thought that the points being made were both humorous and absurd. There is no way that F.A.N can be considered an anxiety disorder because I believe that these fans of their teams are just expressing their extreme love for sports. Since everyone in my family, including my extended family, are crazy sports fans, this article keeps bringing to mind my uncles. My Dad and his 7 brothers are devoted football fans, no matter what team it is. Every family party you can find them surrounding the TV in the living screaming all different things at the players as if they could hear them. Even though it is a little ridiculous, everyone has these people in their families and I don't think anyone would classify them as having a disorder. They are just merely showing their love for the game and I think they have the right to do this.
ReplyDeleteGreat find Stef! The article was very cute and a little too on point with the "Treatment Guidelines." The one factual piece of information I can draw from this article is that my dad and brother are in fact normal... a frightening realization in itself. To respond to your question, I think that there is a bigger question that we need the answer to in order to answer your question accurately. Where do doctors draw the line between normal behavior and disorder behavior? Living in Bergen County, we tend to live on the fast track. Everything involves immediate actions with immediate results. My dad told me when he moved to Pennsylvania it was a completely different environment. He said that the people in PA were so laid back and this was foreign to him. SOOO going back to the point of whether this random behavior is a disorder or not, my belief is that it is not a disorder but more of an influence of the culture surrounding the subject. (this response corresponds to the general idea of random behavioral changes as opposed to the single subject of the super bowl)
ReplyDeleteI really found this article to be very interesting, especially since Superbowl Sunday was this past weekend! I guess I never really thought about all of the factors against us during "holidays" or other get togethers and parties. Looking back, the Superbowl party that I went to had SO much food! There were constant snacks, picky foods and desserts. There was always something on the table.
ReplyDeleteAt the Suerbowl party I was at, one of the guys there, around our age, seemed to be personally involved in the game. He was devastated when there was a fumble or an interception against the Greenbay Packers. I thought he was just excited, but after reading this he may have F.A.N (ahhh..i'm diagnosing everyone with all of these crazy disorders!! hahaa). I think so many times we just assume someone is overreacting when they get a little overexcited for a win, or really down in the dumps about a loss; so, i think this idea could be really important for further research and a possible diagnosis. I mean, I thnk the overall idea of the article was a little overly dramatic; however, I do feel that the idea is totally plausible.
People who may suffer from this neurosis, must go through a whirlwind of emotions throughtout an entire season. It's interesting to me that these psychologists are not necessarily trying to "push pills" with those they think may suffer from this. I think the fact that a home remedy may settle this type of disorder is interesting, too.
This was really interesting for me because my family is a huge hockey family. We have season tickets and are at almost every Devils home game. My brother started playing hockey when he was five years old (he's thirteen now) and ever since hockey has been a huge focus for our family. We go on tournaments together, games on weekends, and sometimes even practices during the week! Hockey has become a bond between all of us, but I find it really interesting that some psychologists are actually talking "neurosis" for fans. Of course we love to see our Devils win, but not one of my family members takes it so personally if they lose (which has happened a lot this season!).
I hope everyone enjoyed their Superbowl and didn't experience any Football Attention Neurosis!! :)
This was a really funny article, but it did definitely have some validity to it! We wouldn't have all found it so amusing if we didn't recognize these "symptoms" in people we know. I think this can apply to a lot of different areas -- as people who have so much access to outside technology, movies/TV shows, sports, etc., we tend to become completely submerged in it all. We treat the outcome of a sports game as if our REAL life actually depends on it, and we can become genuinely upset for an extended period of time if our chosen team loses. Like I said, I think this can apply to other areas too, and one of my own experiences has just come to mind. This is going to sound completely stupid, but the show "Lost" was literally my favorite show and last year was its final season, and I remember being really sad the whole time I knew it was going to end. And it's a TV show. And I kept saying to myself, okay, this is a TV show, not real life, why do I even care...but I think we do have a tendency to become overly invested in certain things even though they shouldn't have any consequence to our own lives. We haven't learned the specific criteria for disorders yet, but I feel like any obsession with a single thing that reaches the point where it becomes unhealthy could be considered a disorder. Obviously this article was a bit of a joke, but if a person was so obsessed with football (and not just on game days) that it inhibited his/her daily functioning in life, I think it probably could be considered a real disorder. Likewise, if I had decided I was so upset over the series finale of "Lost" that I couldn't come to school, that would obviously be a problem. It's clearly okay to have a favorite TV show or a favorite sports team, but it's also true that things can become dangerous once we stop experiencing them in moderation and start becoming obsessed. Maybe "F.A.N.," if it became more severe, could be considered a form of OCD? I'm just speculating here since we haven't covered this yet...okay I just checked out the definition of OCD in our textbook and this doesn't quite fit, but this discussion has made me really excited to do the Abnormal Psych unit!
ReplyDeleteI can relate all too well -- maybe better than most -- to the obsessions that emerge from sports fandom, especially the annual crowning football championship. To be frank, after the Super Bowl victory of his beloved Giants back in '08, my father a) made precisely twenty DVD copies of the game and handed them out to extended family members including my 83-year-old grandmother, b) re-watched the game roughly 16 times in the first week, and c) delights in pulling out the DVD two years later, summoning my family to share in his glee for the moment of triumph. No joking. I watched David Tyree's other-worldly helmet catch last week.
ReplyDeleteThis article was both witty and accurate in pinpointing/poking fun at all of the "symptoms" of compulsive fan obsession. But I think it also touches on another obsession that is unique to the current era. Just as technological advances (like radio and TV) allowed people to experience the hype and excitement of sports games when not in the stadium, technological advances (computers and the internet) play a role in the diagnosing of our emotions in this setting. With exposure to virtually limitless information in the virtual internet database, people are moving towards a new trend in which they look up "symptoms" that they have and reach the conclusion that they have a number of far-fetched, rare, and unproven diseases. "I just left a concert and my ears are ringing...let me look that up...I must have tinnitus!" I think that this has definitely been a factor in the movement towards creating and diagnosing new disorders by psychologists -- hoarding, for example, or even our fictitious F.A.N. Not to criticize psychological advances (it's obviously an improvement to recognize ADHD in children, etc.), but in my opinion, some are taken too far; this seems to be driven by the demand of the population to be diagnosed for any abnormalties, rather than acceptance. This article seems to poke fun not only at sports obsession, but also our tendency to overdiagnose regular phenomenon.