Female Student Psych Crisis?

We talk about gender differences a lot in Psychology, and one of the significant differences we've cited in these past two units on disorders and treatments is that statistics show women are more anxious and depressed than men. What's more intriguing, though, is the reason behind this difference. In this article, published in Newsweek at the end of January, Kristina Dell says that surveys show female college freshmen report lower levels of emotional health than do their male counterparts. They key word, here, I think, is report. Like we've mentioned many times these past few weeks, because of certain female stereotypes, it is more acceptable for women to admit emotional weakness than it is for males. This does not mean males are not feeling the same way -- they are just more hesitant to report it (this statement is supported in the article by Greg Eells, director of counseling and psychological services at Cornell University).

So, though the article does mention reasons female students may truly have lower levels of emotional health than do male students, do you think the difference is mainly in the number of females willing to report such feelings compared to the number of males willing to do the same? Or do you support the argument that women are actually in worse shape? If so, which of the author's arguments would you cite as the main reason for women's lower emotional health? Further, since men do have the tendency to "wait and stew" and in many cases fail to acknowledge their problems, are they the ones who are actually in crisis?

The Depressing News about Antidepressants...

As we've discussed, biomedical therapy is very popular in the treatment of many disorders, especially depression. Drugs such as Prozac and Zoloft have become common in our vernacular. Often people seek treatment and are prescribed an antidepressant. Sometimes these are also used with psychotherapy.....other times not.  

In this article published in January 2010, Sharon Begley raises the question of whether or not antidepressants work. Moreover, she explores the placebo effect in detail, arguing perhaps that it may be all we need to cure depression.

Please read this article and comment by Thursday 3/31 before class. Consider the following questions when drafting your response:

• What is the placebo effect and how does it impact treatment of depression?
• How do you feel about the FDA requirements from clinical trials in approving drugs?
• How do antidepressants affect people with mild, moderate, or severe depression? Why do you think there is a difference among the three?
• If antidepressants are not the answer to depression....what is?

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/01/28/the-depressing-news-about-antidepressants.html

Begley, S. (January 29, 2010). The depressing news about antidepressants. Newsweek. Retrieved from:

            http://www.newsweek.com/2010/01/28/the-depressing-news-about-antidepressants.print.html

Are Women Their Own Worst Enemies?

Since we go to an all-girls high school and have to deal with girls on an everyday basis, I thought that this article was a very appropriate topic! We always here about the ongoing “girl-fights” at lunch or parties, but what is the foundation for most of these fights? This article says that social comparison is a fundamental characteristic of humans to engage in which is why so many fights start. I completely agree that humans are always in competition with each other to have the better car or clothes, but are women more prone to engaging in social comparison than man? This article states that women are more likely to participate in “upward” social comparisons where they compare themselves to someone superior to themselves. Why do you think this is? The article also believes that women are more prone to this upward social comparison because they have one more motive than men do: their offspring. Women tend to be in competition with other women because they think, whether it is consciously or unconsciously, that women of a higher status are more likely to get a larger share of the available resources for their offspring. This evokes anger, jealousy, and hatred because every woman wants to raise their children the best that they can. What do you think of this idea? Do you believe that when women are jealous of each other they are really thinking about their future offspring? One of the final points this article makes for women being more prone to social comparison deals with the concept of discrimination against women. Women compete more fiercely with one another because the sources “reserved” for them are scarcer. Do you think this is true? What are some other reasons that you think women are more prone to compare themselves to other women? What do you think social comparison does to a person’s self-esteem and self-worth?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sapient-nature/201103/are-women-their-own-worst-enemies

The college that rejects you may be doing you a favor

I know it isn't my turn to blog ;-)  but I read this in the Record yesterday and could not agree more with Mitch Albom. You know Mitch Albom...author of Tuesday's with Morie and 5 People You Meet in Heaven....  Anyway, just a brief little article to help you, my stressed seniors, cope with the next few weeks.

Feel free to comment.....

Opinion: The college that rejects you may be doing you a favor

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

BY MITCH ALBOM

The Record

http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/albom_032311.html

Virtual Visitation Rights

Okay, so I know, I know we're always told how all of this technology is ruining all of our social skills; I don't know that it is necessarily ruining those skills, but I do agree that they are being diminished. I also think, however, that our social encounters are becomming more casual. In years past, the relationship between a parent and his or her child was very formal and "appointment-driven" , but now with social networking sites, like Facebook, they've become extremely more casual. I thought it was interesting when Dvora (the article's author) said that social networking sites can eliminate, or at least significantly decrease, the uncomfortable and awkward interaction between two people. I definitely think it is a lot "easier" to talk with someone on Facebook, through video chats, or on the telephone because you don't necessarily see the full reaction that is intended by the other person. Facial expressions, tone of voice, and text messages can be hard to interpret sometimes. How many times have one of you received a text and were like, "umm..are you mad? are you actually just kidding?" I know I've been the receiver of those messages a couple times. I think when someone feels he or she is only able to reciprocate a relationship online, then he or she isn't ready for the relationship. I also want you to think about how many Facebook friends you have; now how many of them do you actually talk to or even know? I thought that was an interesting point that Dvora (the author of the article) made; she said there were many "friends who scarcely knew" her, she didn't want her father to be one of them. Maybe to really get someone, you need to go beyond the computer screen. With Maslow Heirarchy of Needs, that need for being wanted and belonging aren't really met through a computer screen; they may give false hope, but it just makes it that much easier to be pushed down the "ladder" when there really isn't anything to back those feelings up.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/fashion/20Facebook.html?_r=3

Segregation: Boys v. Girls

I think that this is an article that all of us can easily relate to! This article discusses single-sex education. Single-sex education is definitely on the rise, and the article discusses whether it enforces gender stereotypes or erases them. I believe that we all went to co-ed middle schools, so we all can see the differences in learning with boys and without them. Which one do you guys prefer? Do you think single-sex education enforces stereotypes or erases them? The girls classes would have a weekly class meeting to talk through their interpersonal issues. Would you like to have this in our school? Do you think it's sexist to only have this session for the girls? The article also says how girls would be in yellow classrooms and boys would be in blue classrooms. Do you think you'd rather learn in a yellow room than a blue room? Critics of single-sex education say that it is unconstitutional and enforces gender stereotypes - do you agree?




http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/the-new-segregation-battle-boys-vs-girls-1534925;_ylt=ArovjS6WBOnm2i0e2bZJKWF8bqU5

Human Nature vs. Social Construct

The article I've chosen exposes some socially taboo or socially unacceptable subjects as innate human nature. The article posits that some of the social constructs or norms we have like monogamy, defy human nature. I thought it was super interesting and slightly shocking to read the arguments for each politically incorrect truth. I'm not sure if I agree with the author on some of his justifications. What do you guys think? After reading this article, are the social and political constructs in our society defying our human nature? Are we suppressing or denying truths like beautiful people having more daughters or couples with sons being less likely to divorce because we don't personally agree with them? What do you think the article says about our collective unconscious and evolutionary psychology?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200706/ten-politically-incorrect-truths-about-human-nature

The Modesty Manifesto

This article explores the idea that American citizens are more overconfident and proud of their self-worth than ever before. I thought that this article was very interesting because its applications can be seen on both a grand scale (like comparing countries' math scores to each other) and on smaller scales, like what's playing on our radio stations (Pretty Girl Rock, anyone? http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/kerihilson/prettygirlrock.html)

What has made Americans' self-confidence swell so much over the last few decades? Think about what confidence may have looked like in the 1950s and what (over)confidence looks like now in 2011. Has America's independence finally gotten too much to our heads? Are recent parenting styles to blame--never allowing a child to fail so that when that child becomes an adult, he/she expects nothing less than perfection? Why else might America's problem with overconfidence seem so gigantic when compared to countries like Japan and Switzerland and Morocco? Is it nature or nurture, genetic or cultural? Look back at concepts of personality (self-esteem, self-concept, self serving bias, individualistic vs. collectivist societies). What do you think?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/11/opinion/11brooks.html?_r=1&ref=psychologyandpsychologists

Sincerely Yours, The Breakfast Club

Alright, I'll be perfectly honest here. I could classify my addiction to John Hughes' classic The Breakfast Club as very much real, and a possible candidate for review by the DSM. Hopefully all of you have seen the movie (for the sake of this blog post, as well as your own mental health.) I think that we can all relate to watching a certain movie over and over again and never getting tired of it. John Hughes, however, had a particular style of writing and directing which has transcended decades and continues to appeal to every generations' teenagers. Why is this? What is it about Hughes' movies, including favorites such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Sixteen Candles, and Pretty in Pink, that have stood the test of time in the movie industry? The author of this article explores the possibility that there may be some psychology behind the movie's mass attraction to Hughes' movies, The Breakfast Club in particular. I ask you all to go back to Unit 14, where we learned about social psychology, and make any connections you can to this movie. Some things to consider are conformity, the looking glass effect, normative social influence, deindividuation, the bystander effect, and the social exchange theory.

http://globalvillage.pepperdine.edu/b.htm#break1

(The Breakfast Club 2 as reviewed by Gerald J. Grzyb, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh)

Creatively Saving Your Relationship

Ignore the big Justin Bieber picture in this article I promise it has little to do with it.

Anyway, so I found this article really interesting because it proposes that creativity affects a part of our lives that we would usually not associate it with: relationships. We've all talked about how certain jobs depend on a good amount of creativity, but not how creativity can be a component to a thriving relationship. This article says that as a country our Creativity quotient is not increasing as our IQ is; could this correlate to our divorce rates? I mean think about those couple who have been together for years. Do you ever wonder what they talk about when they know everything about each other? How they keep the relationship fresh? This article suggests that people are able to utilize creativity to approach recurring problems in a relationship in new ways and to come up with different ideas to spend a Friday night. If we are discouraged to be creative in schools, we may never develop the ability to think outside the box in not just academic and career related situations, but in our relationships as well. What do you guys think? Do you really think creativity is important in a relationship? Do you think our schools are teaching us how to utilize our creativity? If so, why has our Creativity Quotient plateaued? Any other environmental influences?

and most importantly

What does everyone think of Justin Bieber's new hair cut?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-middle-ground/201103/justin-bieber-and-the-american-creativity-quotient