Science of the SpiritS


Family

Can parents turn their children into criminal psychopaths?


Psyblog
Mon, 01 May 2017 09:39 UTC
creepy bad guy alley psychopath
The criminal psychopath is not just born: he is also made.

'Extreme' styles of parenting are linked to criminal psychopathy in later life, research finds.

Interviews with criminals have found that many have a history of either total parental neglect or of rigidly controlling, authoritarian parents.

All criminal psychopaths have a history of grotesque physical and/or psychological abuse during childhood.

Of course, parents cannot be blamed for everything - after all, some children have awful upbringings and don't become criminal psychopaths.

Comment: Certainly, a bad upbringing can damage children, sometimes beyond repair. But just as not all children with a bad upbringing turn into criminals, not all criminals had a bad upbringing. Consider that it is the lying psychopaths themselves who are blaming their parents on their interviews in order to avoid personal responsibility!

We recommend these two fascinating reads on the topic of the criminal personality and its causes:

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2 + 2 = 4

The dangers of possession and our search for meaning

Lisa Marchiano
Quillette
Mon, 26 Feb 2018 11:45 UTC
fallen
"There is no such thing as not worshiping," wrote novelist David Foster Wallace. "Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship." G. Jung would have wholeheartedly agreed. He posited that psychic life is motivated by a religious instinct as fundamental as any other, and that this instinct causes us to seek meaning. "The decisive question for man is: Is he related to something infinite or not?" Jung wrote in his autobiography. "That is the telling question of his life."1

There is empirical evidence that backs up Jung's idea of a religious instinct. Researchers have found that the less religious people are, the more likely they are to believe in UFOs. "The Western world is, in theory, becoming increasingly secular - but the religious mind remains active," writes psychology professor Clay Routledge, in The New York Times. He notes that belief in aliens and UFOs appears to be associated with a need to find meaning.
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Brain

Loss of psychiatric hospitals led to a mental health crisis in US

Samantha Raphelson
NPR
Fri, 17 Nov 2017 13:15 UTC
Northville Psychiatric Hospital
© Paul Sancya/APWhen the Northville Psychiatric Hospital closed, many of the patients either had to leave southeast Michigan for hospitals elsewhere in the state or ended up in community programs that haven't always met their needs, an advocacy group says.
A severe shortage of inpatient care for people with mental illness is amounting to a public health crisis, as the number of individuals struggling with a range of psychiatric problems continues to rise.

The revelation that the gunman in the Sutherland Springs, Texas, church shooting escaped from a psychiatric hospital in 2012 is renewing concerns about the state of mental health care in this country. A study published in the journal Psychiatric Services estimates 3.4 percent of Americans - more than 8 million people - suffer from serious psychological problems.

The disappearance of long-term-care facilities and psychiatric beds has escalated over the past decade, sparked by a trend toward deinstitutionalization of psychiatric patients in the 1950s and '60s, says Dominic Sisti, director of the Scattergood Program for Applied Ethics of Behavioral Health Care at the University of Pennsylvania.

Comment: There's no connection between individuals with mental health diagnoses and mass shootings? How many perpetrators of mass shootings were on some kind of psychotropic medication? Doesn't that require a diagnosis? Nikolas Cruz, the most recent perpetrator of a mass shooting, said he heard voices telling him what to do. See also:

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Bulb

Creativity: The silver lining of social rejection


PsyBlog
Sat, 24 Feb 2018 15:41 UTC
Creative mind
Being rejected socially makes people more creative, research finds.

Feeling outside the group helps people generate more novel ideas.

It may help to explain why so many great artists were outsiders - people who lived separate lives in order to produce works that would surprise and delight the rest of us.

The study's authors call it the 'outsider advantage'.

Professor Jack Goncalo, who led the study, said:
"If you have the right way of managing rejection, feeling different can help you reach creative solutions.

Unlike people who have a strong need to belong, some socially rejected people shrug off rejection with an attitude of 'normal people don't get me and I am meant for something better.'

Our paper shows how that works."

Comment: Learning to carry on in the face of adversity is one of life's great lessons.

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Books

Hey kids time to unplug! Students learn way more effectively from print textbooks than screens

Patricia A. Alexander & Lauren M. Singer
The Conversation
Sun, 15 Oct 2017 15:09 UTC
books
© ShutterStock
Today's students see themselves as digital natives, the first generation to grow up surrounded by technology like smartphones, tablets and e-readers.

Teachers, parents and policymakers certainly acknowledge the growing influence of technology and have responded in kind. We've seen more investment in classroom technologies, with students now equipped with school-issued iPads and access to e-textbooks.

In 2009, California passed a law requiring that all college textbooks be available in electronic form by 2020; in 2011, Florida lawmakers passed legislation requiring public schools to convert their textbooks to digital versions.
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Bell

A sign of the times: Why are kids impatient, bored, friendless and entitled?

Victoria Prooday
deeprootsathome.com
Fri, 19 Jan 2018 14:19 UTC
kids
"Kids today are in a devastating emotional state! Most come to school emotionally unavailable for learning. There are many factors in our modern lifestyle that contribute to this." ~V.P.

In her practice, my friend Victoria Prooday, OT is seeing something so widespread and alarming that I asked if I could share her thoughts. Due to the overwhelming interest and conversation on this topic, I am re-sharing her post.

I encourage every parent who cares about the future of his/her children to read it. I know that many would choose not to hear what she says in the article, but your children needs you to hear this message.
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Arrow Down

Nervous breakdown: What are the signs?

Jennifer Huizen
Medical News Today
Sat, 24 Feb 2018 00:01 UTC
nervous breakdown depression
Nervous breakdown and mental breakdown are dated terms describing emotional or physical stress that temporarily makes someone unable to function in day-to-day life.

Though once used as a catchall for a wide range of mental illnesses, the medical community no longer uses the term "nervous breakdown" to describe any specific medical condition.

Nonetheless, a so-called nervous breakdown remains a sign of a recognized, underlying mental health condition, such as depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.

So, the signs and symptoms of what some people may still call a nervous breakdown depend on the underlying medical condition.

Comment: As Western society continues to spiral through its collective mental breakdown, it will no doubt become more and more common for individuals to cope. Knowing the signs of excessive stress and breakdown, and the ability to recover, is becoming more and more important. See also:

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Snakes in Suits

Which hairstyles make you look most intelligent and attractive?


PsyBlog
Fri, 23 Feb 2018 14:08 UTC
Hairstyles
© Flickr/CC BY-ND 2.0Hairstyles as depicted on an ancient sculpture of women in the Louvre, France.
Certain hairstyles made people look more sexy, others more good-natured or even more narrow-minded.

Medium-length casual-looking styles are judged as making women look more intelligent, a survey finds.

These styles are also linked to being good-natured.

Shorter, highlighted hairstyles on a woman make them look more outgoing and confident.

However, in one of those inevitable and irritating trade-offs, shorter hair is seen as less sexy on women.

The hairstyle that gives an intelligent sheen to a man was medium-length side-parted hair.

The bad news for men with these haircuts is that they were also seen as narrow-minded.

The sexiest hairstyle for a man was rated as short hair with a 'front-flip'.

Actors Matt LeBlanc and Ben Affleck both often sport the front-flip.

The front-flip, however, was linked to being self-centred.

Comment: It should be interesting to read this article in light of what we know of cognitive bias and prejudice:

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Compass

Jordan Peterson's '12 Rules for Life: A compass for the lost

Jared Sichel
Daily Wire
Fri, 23 Feb 2018 11:44 UTC
Professor Jordan Peterson
When I read Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson's new book, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, last fall, it read like a bestseller-to-be.

Well-written, insightful, and best of all, practical. Since its release in January, it has sat atop the Amazon bestseller chart. And thank God.

Peterson's book occupied my mind for weeks after I finished it. His points, or "rules," of personal conduct - surround yourself with people who want the best for you; pursue meaning, not expedience; speak precisely and deliberately - are universally invaluable.

Comment:

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Butterfly

Give yourself a tailwind: The value of chasing discomfort, pain and fear

Chris Bailey
A Life of Productivity
Tue, 13 Feb 2018 00:00 UTC
dragon of discomfort fear
There's a remarkable amount of value in chasing discomfort.

Look at the projects on your plate, and ask which make you feel the least comfortable. You'll usually find these projects are extraordinarily valuable, and that your aversion is caused by the fact that they're difficult, frustrating, and ambiguous. While these feelings are uncomfortable, they are precisely what make certain experiences valuable.

Similarly, think of the conversations you've been meaning to have at work and at home. The ones you're most averse to are probably the most important. The same goes for DIY projects you're avoiding; emails left unanswered in your inbox; and books you've been meaning to read, but have been too intimidated to start.

Anyone can do easy tasks, but few want to do ones that make them uncomfortable. By running towards discomfort, instead of away from it, you do what others don't want to-and as a result, deliver unique value. This gives you a leg up on others who don't want to do the work.

Comment: Stepping outside your comfort zone: Ten uncomfortable challenges that will pay off forever

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