Thursday, May 6, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Text-Crossed Lovers
Hi Everyone,
The link below contains a short, funny article I came across regarding a bizarre and quintessentially modern adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Put succinctly, the legendary tale of Romeo and Juliet is (currently) being played out via twitter tweets, where Romeo, Juliet, Mr. and Ms. Montague/Capulet and the rest of the gang tweet a loosely based story with updated language and idioms.
After reading this my brain traced back to our discussions on identity and the internet (or more generally, non person-to-personal exchange). As discussed, our identities can be remolded under the shroud of non-physical contact, and I wonder how that may or may not play a role in redefining some of the characters. Of course, the fact that this is an updated version (similar to the efforts of Baz Lurman) will also play a significant role in their redefinition.
I have some other ideas/concerns bubbling about this, such as that tweets are commentary on already-occured/occuring events, which will make it difficult to stay in the present tense. Also, how are they going to pull off a death scene? Anyway, just thought Id share this peculiar intersection of classics, technology, and psychology.
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8615432.stm
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
The Great Happiness Space
Oi.
Our brief conversation about the Japanese "online suicide" got me thinking about a documentary I watched recently called "The Great Happiness Space." It's about the "host" industry in Osaka, Japan. Hosts are sort of like a modern, male equivalent of geisha. The work for a certain club where women with disposable income go to have a good time. Although that can mean intercourse, apparently sex is NOT the norm.
Rather, these hosts make money by simulating an entire relationship with each of their clients. Engaging in a physical relationship may sate a client who then loses interest; dangling the possibility of physical intimacy "at some point," or "when it feels right" in their "relationship" keeps the clients interested, and keeps their pocket-books open. So hosts simply make jokes, ask sensitive questions, and tell women exactly what they want to hear. The hosts talk very candidly about this in the documentary--the fact that it's all a sham, and that they have zero personal interest in women that they fawn over in the club. The female clients also KNOW, intellectually, that this is a host's job, and it's not real--however, the documentary reveals how privately many of them think they have a chance to lure hosts away and eventually marry them. They hope against hope that THEIR particular sham relationship has a real foundation (disclaimer: it never does).
A final weird thing is that, as it turns out, many if not most of the women who frequent these clubs are prostitutes. They need to sell their bodies to earn enough money to pay for time in the lavish host clubs, which makes them feel better about selling their bodies. Crazy, right? They say the like the clubs because while society looks down on them, hosts treat them like princesses.
I almost brought this up because we were talking about weird, inorganic (internet based) social phenomena in Japan, and the host clubs are the epitome of an unreal social relationship. But then again, I'm not suggesting that the suicides of people who meet online are any more or less legitimate, or their feelings distinct in some way from non-internet users, whereas host relationships are very clearly fake. Anyway, just an interesting phenomenon from a social and developmental standpoint.
Our brief conversation about the Japanese "online suicide" got me thinking about a documentary I watched recently called "The Great Happiness Space." It's about the "host" industry in Osaka, Japan. Hosts are sort of like a modern, male equivalent of geisha. The work for a certain club where women with disposable income go to have a good time. Although that can mean intercourse, apparently sex is NOT the norm.
Rather, these hosts make money by simulating an entire relationship with each of their clients. Engaging in a physical relationship may sate a client who then loses interest; dangling the possibility of physical intimacy "at some point," or "when it feels right" in their "relationship" keeps the clients interested, and keeps their pocket-books open. So hosts simply make jokes, ask sensitive questions, and tell women exactly what they want to hear. The hosts talk very candidly about this in the documentary--the fact that it's all a sham, and that they have zero personal interest in women that they fawn over in the club. The female clients also KNOW, intellectually, that this is a host's job, and it's not real--however, the documentary reveals how privately many of them think they have a chance to lure hosts away and eventually marry them. They hope against hope that THEIR particular sham relationship has a real foundation (disclaimer: it never does).
A final weird thing is that, as it turns out, many if not most of the women who frequent these clubs are prostitutes. They need to sell their bodies to earn enough money to pay for time in the lavish host clubs, which makes them feel better about selling their bodies. Crazy, right? They say the like the clubs because while society looks down on them, hosts treat them like princesses.
I almost brought this up because we were talking about weird, inorganic (internet based) social phenomena in Japan, and the host clubs are the epitome of an unreal social relationship. But then again, I'm not suggesting that the suicides of people who meet online are any more or less legitimate, or their feelings distinct in some way from non-internet users, whereas host relationships are very clearly fake. Anyway, just an interesting phenomenon from a social and developmental standpoint.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Honesty Box
In thinking about cyber-bullying, I remembered seeing an app once on Facebook called "honesty box," where people can anonymously post comments on their friends' walls. It seems to me that this is an invitation to be mean to someone else (and I honestly don't understand why anyone would use this app). Here is the Facebook home page:
http://www.facebook.com/honestybox?v=wall&story_fbid=117435508272694
There is actually a post on it about cyber-bullying, and it's interesting to read some peoples' reactions. Enjoy!
another case of cyber bullying...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/24/alexis-pilkington-faceboo_n_512482.html
I've been thinking a lot about cyber bullying, especially on websites where a person can say really awful things and remain anonymous. One of these sites is formspring.me, where people can post anonymous questions (or comments.) Many of these pages quickly turn into a place where people are called ugly, fat, etc. I was horrified to see that my 13-year-old cousin has one of these, and that ANYONE can write on it. Her page had some really mean comments on it, and I just wonder how it's influencing her, and why she even wants to have this page at all. The girl in the above article apparently had a formspring where people left her nasty comments and CONTINUED to leave nasty comments even after she killed herself. People posted pictures of people hanging themselves...etc...obviously completely disgusting and almost hard to believe. Anyway, I was thinking if sites like this should be regulated? They seem to be causing a lot of irreparable damage.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Drop what you're doing and read about evolution
Evening, all.
I've been sitting on this article for a couple of weeks now, but I had a problem accessing the blog. Anyway, the subject matter is timeless: evolution and human happiness. Seriously, if you read one article this semester... well you should probably read more than one article this semester. But make this one of them.
A few weeks ago, we talked about the fact that different people have significantly different baseline levels of happiness. Feeling like I've been given a raw deal, I endeavored to read up on this phenomenon. I also wanted to learn more about another of Prof. B.'s ground-breaking assertions: who says we are meant to be happy? Who decided that happiness is the natural state, the ultimate goal that we should strive for? Does evolution support that view at all? This article sheds light on these points and many more.
Some teasers (I defy you to read my excerpts and not want to finish the article):
Although a reliable method to compare well-being across the centuries
is lacking, the remarkable growth in wealth and the
technological advances of recent decades have improved
human well-being considerably, but we have now reached a
point where average life satisfaction is stable at best, and
possibly declining rapidly (Kahneman et al. 1999). The
time is ripe to consider new perspectives on the factors that
influence well-being.
Because resources for intervention are so much more available than those for
prevention, the effects of early abuse and neglect, and the
effects of dysfunctional social groups, have been overshadowed
by the dominant paradigm of biological psychiatry,
with its emphasis on individual differences in brain
mechanisms and drug treatments (Valenstein 1998).
In the past decade, the challenge of finding routes to
human happiness has taken a new turn, with an explicit
focus not only on the causes of suffering, but now also on
the origins of positive states of well-being (Kahneman et al.
1999). This, in part, reflects a growing recognition that
happiness and flourishing do not automatically emerge
when the swamps of suffering are drained...
The average well-being for a society increases
as the average income increases up to the equivalent of ca.
$10 000 per year; above that level additional GNP adds
little to the average happiness ratings of the populace
(Kahnemann et al. 1999). Within societies, the picture is
different; increasing income increases ratings of well-being,
although the benefits taper off in high income brackets...
Even dramatic events such as becoming paralysed or winning the lottery
have effects on SWB that are strikingly small and temporary
(Brickman et al. 1978)
At least in modern Western
societies, people also tend to make disproportionate
investments in the pursuit of money, status and attractiveness,
domains in which the value of resources is intrinsically
relative to what others have, resulting in escalating
arms races that sap time and energy from friendships and
social engagement that are highly correlated with SWB
(b) Six reasons why the body is not better designed
Most people like to imagine that normal life is happy and
that other states are abnormalities that need explanation.
This is a pre-Darwinian view of psychology. We were not
designed for happiness.
Natural selection has no goals: it just mindlessly
shapes mechanisms, including our capacities for happiness
and unhappiness, that tend to lead to behaviour that maximizes
fitness. Happiness and unhappiness are not ends,
they are means.
One obvious possibility is that natural selection is too
slow to adapt us to rapidly changing environments. Our
modern world is vastly different from the environments in
which we evolved. Much, even most, chronic disease
results from this mismatch; atherosclerosis, diabetes,
hypertension and the complications of smoking and alcohol
are rare in hunter-gatherers even at older ages.
Third and fourth, there are many things that no system
can accomplish and some that are impossible for organisms
shaped by selection. Design trade-offs leave every aspect of
any machine, including the body, somewhat less than optimal.
For instance, thicker bones would break less easily,
but they would be heavy and unwieldy. Natural selection is
subject to additional constraints, especially the requirement
that changes can take place only by incremental alternations
of existing designs, and the result must work well in
every generation. There is some hope that the awkward
QUERTY keyboard will be replaced some day, but our
eyes will always be an absurdly designed device, with the
nerves and vessels running between the light and the retina
where they cast shadows and cause an unnecessary blind
spot.
Link to JSTOR: http://www.jstor.org/sici?sici=0962-8436%282004%29359%3A1449%3C1333%3ANSATEO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-1&origin=serialsolutions
I've been sitting on this article for a couple of weeks now, but I had a problem accessing the blog. Anyway, the subject matter is timeless: evolution and human happiness. Seriously, if you read one article this semester... well you should probably read more than one article this semester. But make this one of them.
A few weeks ago, we talked about the fact that different people have significantly different baseline levels of happiness. Feeling like I've been given a raw deal, I endeavored to read up on this phenomenon. I also wanted to learn more about another of Prof. B.'s ground-breaking assertions: who says we are meant to be happy? Who decided that happiness is the natural state, the ultimate goal that we should strive for? Does evolution support that view at all? This article sheds light on these points and many more.
Some teasers (I defy you to read my excerpts and not want to finish the article):
Although a reliable method to compare well-being across the centuries
is lacking, the remarkable growth in wealth and the
technological advances of recent decades have improved
human well-being considerably, but we have now reached a
point where average life satisfaction is stable at best, and
possibly declining rapidly (Kahneman et al. 1999). The
time is ripe to consider new perspectives on the factors that
influence well-being.
Because resources for intervention are so much more available than those for
prevention, the effects of early abuse and neglect, and the
effects of dysfunctional social groups, have been overshadowed
by the dominant paradigm of biological psychiatry,
with its emphasis on individual differences in brain
mechanisms and drug treatments (Valenstein 1998).
In the past decade, the challenge of finding routes to
human happiness has taken a new turn, with an explicit
focus not only on the causes of suffering, but now also on
the origins of positive states of well-being (Kahneman et al.
1999). This, in part, reflects a growing recognition that
happiness and flourishing do not automatically emerge
when the swamps of suffering are drained...
The average well-being for a society increases
as the average income increases up to the equivalent of ca.
$10 000 per year; above that level additional GNP adds
little to the average happiness ratings of the populace
(Kahnemann et al. 1999). Within societies, the picture is
different; increasing income increases ratings of well-being,
although the benefits taper off in high income brackets...
Even dramatic events such as becoming paralysed or winning the lottery
have effects on SWB that are strikingly small and temporary
(Brickman et al. 1978)
At least in modern Western
societies, people also tend to make disproportionate
investments in the pursuit of money, status and attractiveness,
domains in which the value of resources is intrinsically
relative to what others have, resulting in escalating
arms races that sap time and energy from friendships and
social engagement that are highly correlated with SWB
(b) Six reasons why the body is not better designed
Most people like to imagine that normal life is happy and
that other states are abnormalities that need explanation.
This is a pre-Darwinian view of psychology. We were not
designed for happiness.
Natural selection has no goals: it just mindlessly
shapes mechanisms, including our capacities for happiness
and unhappiness, that tend to lead to behaviour that maximizes
fitness. Happiness and unhappiness are not ends,
they are means.
One obvious possibility is that natural selection is too
slow to adapt us to rapidly changing environments. Our
modern world is vastly different from the environments in
which we evolved. Much, even most, chronic disease
results from this mismatch; atherosclerosis, diabetes,
hypertension and the complications of smoking and alcohol
are rare in hunter-gatherers even at older ages.
Third and fourth, there are many things that no system
can accomplish and some that are impossible for organisms
shaped by selection. Design trade-offs leave every aspect of
any machine, including the body, somewhat less than optimal.
For instance, thicker bones would break less easily,
but they would be heavy and unwieldy. Natural selection is
subject to additional constraints, especially the requirement
that changes can take place only by incremental alternations
of existing designs, and the result must work well in
every generation. There is some hope that the awkward
QUERTY keyboard will be replaced some day, but our
eyes will always be an absurdly designed device, with the
nerves and vessels running between the light and the retina
where they cast shadows and cause an unnecessary blind
spot.
Link to JSTOR: http://www.jstor.org/sici?sici=0962-8436%282004%29359%3A1449%3C1333%3ANSATEO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-1&origin=serialsolutions
Sunday, April 11, 2010
The wisdom of "Dr. Jenn"
This is the "life coach" for parents. She tweets too!
http://www.parentingteengirls.com
This is her shoe program:
You know what life is like for your daughter, don’t you? Maybe not. And that’s part of the problem in creating a respectful, loving relationship with her.
We often assume we know what life is like for someone else. We look at what they own, what they do, and believe we can piece together a sense of who they are. But our assumptions are very often way off target. We don’t always know or understand how life is impacting others.
The best way to understand our daughters is to do our best to walk in her shoes. How do we do that? Two things come to mind.
1. Literally ask her to loan you one of her shoes. Ask her to write down three things that she wishes you understand more about her. Ask her to tuck the note in the shoe. Read the note and use your best listening skills to open your heart to her message. Learn what she needs from you and do your best to respond to her needs in a timely, loving fashion.
2. As you read her note, practice kenosis. It’s an unusual word, but don’t let it put you off. It simply means to “empty yourself of yourself.” That means you empty yourself of any agenda you have for your daughter. Empty yourself of your own self interests and truly open your heart to her. Do you very best to see her life through her eyes, to walk through life in her shoes.
Ask your daughter to loan a shoe to you so you can learn how to understand and love her in a way so she feels it.
When you find ways to walk in your daughters shoes and be there for her, you are answering her big brain question with a YES! Social Neuroscientist Dr. Mark Brady writes that all of our brains are hardwired to ask the people we care about, “Are you there for me?” When the answer is “Yes!” our brains grow more neural networks. We create better lives.
Find out what life is really like for your daughter, and how you can best support her.
Ask her to loan you a shoe.
Hold onto it for a few days. Keep it where you can see it. And do your very best, to try to walk in her shoes for a bit.
When you return her shoe, I encourage you to have a conversation with her about what you have learned. It may be helpful to remember the two important questions, “What do you need?” and “How can I help.”
Let’s all learn to try to walk in others shoes so we can understand them and love them more.
All best,
Dr. Jenn
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Adolescent Sexuality-- by Cara (fixed by prf. b.)
"Like steak-house owners trying to raise vegetarians, we idealize youth and sexiness but recoil if our young want to be sexy."
"What has complicated things recently is that girls are literally getting older younger. Their bodies are hitting physical maturity sooner, often before they are ready to deal with the issues of sexuality that go along with it.
Even though I had seen 'Thirteen' before, I still felt such shock (and much stronger emotions) when watching it in class last week. I really can't believe Tracy and Evie were meant to be in the 7th grade! It's amazing (and terrifying) the way in which kids go into sixth grade looking like babies and come out of middle school looking like Evie. The article from Time that I referenced above is titled, 'The Truth About Teen Girls" and is incredibly relevant to a lot of the themes in the film, especially in relation to that experience of newness with sexuality that often comes in middle school. Did Tracy even view what she was doing in a sexual way (i.e. did she feel genuinely interested), or was she just doing what she thought was socially acceptable? It’s interesting to think that kids are often just imitating what they see in the media and what their peers are doing, and likely don’t yet have the hormones or feelings to go with the way in which they’re presenting themselves. So, what’s a parent to do?
The first time I saw the film I most identified with the young girls, but watching it the second time around (and the first time was years ago) I was better able to understand and connect with Tracy's mom. While she missed of red flags, her relentlessness, as Tom said in class, was something that really struck me at the movie's end. Because adolescence is still a present state for me, I can most easily understand Tracy's frame of mind, but being older and more mature than my first years in adolescence (when I first saw the film), I now more greatly understand Tracy's mom, who was really struggling and just so sad all on her very own. She needed her own help, yet was still doing everything she could to be a good mother. Of course Tracy never saw it that way, but I know in time she will/would. I made a short attempt to locate research on the time frame in which children first start seeing their parents as “real” people, when they finally realize they’re truly wiser (and at the same time just as flawed as the rest of the adult world), but I didn’t come up with anything. It was a strange moment for me with my parents—have others had this revelation yet?
"What has complicated things recently is that girls are literally getting older younger. Their bodies are hitting physical maturity sooner, often before they are ready to deal with the issues of sexuality that go along with it.
Even though I had seen 'Thirteen' before, I still felt such shock (and much stronger emotions) when watching it in class last week. I really can't believe Tracy and Evie were meant to be in the 7th grade! It's amazing (and terrifying) the way in which kids go into sixth grade looking like babies and come out of middle school looking like Evie. The article from Time that I referenced above is titled, 'The Truth About Teen Girls" and is incredibly relevant to a lot of the themes in the film, especially in relation to that experience of newness with sexuality that often comes in middle school. Did Tracy even view what she was doing in a sexual way (i.e. did she feel genuinely interested), or was she just doing what she thought was socially acceptable? It’s interesting to think that kids are often just imitating what they see in the media and what their peers are doing, and likely don’t yet have the hormones or feelings to go with the way in which they’re presenting themselves. So, what’s a parent to do?
The first time I saw the film I most identified with the young girls, but watching it the second time around (and the first time was years ago) I was better able to understand and connect with Tracy's mom. While she missed of red flags, her relentlessness, as Tom said in class, was something that really struck me at the movie's end. Because adolescence is still a present state for me, I can most easily understand Tracy's frame of mind, but being older and more mature than my first years in adolescence (when I first saw the film), I now more greatly understand Tracy's mom, who was really struggling and just so sad all on her very own. She needed her own help, yet was still doing everything she could to be a good mother. Of course Tracy never saw it that way, but I know in time she will/would. I made a short attempt to locate research on the time frame in which children first start seeing their parents as “real” people, when they finally realize they’re truly wiser (and at the same time just as flawed as the rest of the adult world), but I didn’t come up with anything. It was a strange moment for me with my parents—have others had this revelation yet?
"What has complicated things recently is that girls are literally getting older younger. Their bodies are hitting physical maturity sooner, often before they are ready to deal with the issues of sexuality that go along with it."
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1840556-1,00.html
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1840556,00.html#ixzz0kIVOi44g
Sunday, April 4, 2010
"Cool Moms" and "Hot Moms"
As we continue our discussion on parenting and parent-teen relationships, one thing that I would like to consider is the "hot mom" issue-- how do mothers of teenage daughters learn to feel comfortable with their own body image, beauty, and sexuality, while still setting a good example for their daughter and avoiding the MILF (or "trying-too-hard") stereotype? I really enjoyed this article in More magazine, which is aimed at older women and often considers issues of "aging gracefully."
http://www.more.com/2051/13147-being-stacy-s-mom
A couple quotes to pique your interest:
There are many examples of mothers succeeding or failing at this balance in pop culture, movies, celebrity families, etc. In his shows aimed at teenagers (The OC and Gossip Girl), Josh Schwartz usually gives the parents some of their own relationship drama, and it occasionally clashes with the interests of the teenage sons and daughters. In 13, we saw how a mother's dating habits can be difficult and even traumatic for her daughter. Melanie also struggles to appear "cool" and to be accepted by Evie and Tracy.
How do you balance effective parenting with likability? When is an appropriate time to bring a new boyfriend or girlfriend home to meet your kids? What personal sacrifices should a parent be expected to make for well-being of their children, in terms of their own happiness? Some other pop culture examples to consider: Weeds, 40 Year Old Virgin, Mean Girls, American Pie-- and I'm sure you can think of many more.
And, in closing, one of my favorite unfortunate mother-daughter duos. I like to hope that maybe Taylor Momsen's mother just dresses like a ridiculous teenager and doesn't act like one, but one really has to wonder:
http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/32781494.html
http://www.more.com/2051/13147-being-stacy-s-mom
A couple quotes to pique your interest:
But what was I supposed to do now? If my daughter had become the hottie in the house, then what was I, aside from her chauffeur? My personal definition of good mothering has always included not just supporting my daughter but stepping aside for her. When she made the basketball team I went from being knowledgeable former player to mom in the stands, cheering her efforts; it was unthinkable that I would bellow free throw tips from the bleachers or do anything else to show her up. Yet when it seemed time for me to sit down in the stands and play frumpish, middle-aged mom, I balked.and:
“I was doing the wash and I found a bunch of thongs that weren’t mine,” she said. “I couldn’t figure it out. Then I realized—they belonged to Chloe! I knew I hadn’t bought them for her. I marched into her room and asked her what was going on, and she said that all the other girls in her class wore them. Before I could say, ‘But you’re not all the other girls, are you?’ she said, ‘You wear them.’ What was I supposed to say to that?” Apparently, the conversation ended there and then; my pal’s response was to toss out all her tiny, lacy red G-strings and purchase two dozen white cotton Jockey for Her briefs.
There are many examples of mothers succeeding or failing at this balance in pop culture, movies, celebrity families, etc. In his shows aimed at teenagers (The OC and Gossip Girl), Josh Schwartz usually gives the parents some of their own relationship drama, and it occasionally clashes with the interests of the teenage sons and daughters. In 13, we saw how a mother's dating habits can be difficult and even traumatic for her daughter. Melanie also struggles to appear "cool" and to be accepted by Evie and Tracy.
How do you balance effective parenting with likability? When is an appropriate time to bring a new boyfriend or girlfriend home to meet your kids? What personal sacrifices should a parent be expected to make for well-being of their children, in terms of their own happiness? Some other pop culture examples to consider: Weeds, 40 Year Old Virgin, Mean Girls, American Pie-- and I'm sure you can think of many more.
And, in closing, one of my favorite unfortunate mother-daughter duos. I like to hope that maybe Taylor Momsen's mother just dresses like a ridiculous teenager and doesn't act like one, but one really has to wonder:
http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/32781494.html
Friday, April 2, 2010
Physiological Markers For Cutting, Other Self-Harming Behaviors By Teenage Girls Found
After watching "Thirteen" I wanted to learn more about destructive behaviors that seems to serve as a form of relief for many teen girls (despite how gruesome they appear to outsiders). As I was researching cutting behavior in teen girls--which turns out to be extremely prevalent--I found this study on a possible (and probable) neuro-bio connection. Pretty cool findings. I pasted the link to the whole article below but I think you'll get the idea from the few paragraphs I included. enjoy!
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/06/060616135015.htm
University of Washington psychologists have discovered that adolescent girls who engage in behaviors such as cutting themselves have lower levels of serotonin, a hormone and brain chemical, in their blood. They also have reduced levels in the parasympathetic nervous system of what is called respiratory sinus arrhythmia, a measure of the ebb and flow of heart rate along with breathing.
"A low level of this measure of the parasympathetic nervous system is characteristic of people who are anxious and depressed and among boys who are delinquent. But this is the first study to show it among adolescent girls who engage in self-harming behavior," said Theodore Beauchaine, UW associate professor of psychology.
To find physiological markers of self-harming behavior, the UW researchers showed both groups of adolescents a three-minute film clip from the movie "The Champ" depicting a boy with his dying father. Previous studies have shown the film can induce sadness. A number of different psychophysiological measures were collected from each of the girls before, while and after viewing the film clip. Following the viewing a small blood sample was taken to measure whole-blood serotonin.
The girls who engaged in self-harming behavior had lower levels of respiratory sinus arrhythmia in their parasympathetic nervous system while watching the film clip. These measures, the researchers argue, support the idea that the inability to regulate emotions and impulsivity can trigger self-harming behavior.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Psychology Study to Complement 'Thirteen'
Hi everyone – I located an interesting study on child-parent relationships that I believe is extremely relevant to the movie “Thirteen”. The title of the study is “Lying behavior, family functioning, and adjustment in early adolescence,” and although it’s packed with information (some more relevant, some less) it explores several noteworthy correlations regarding child lying and the quality of a parent-child relationship in areas such as (a) communication, (b) trust, and (c) alienation. Not surprisingly, an increase in lying was strongly correlated with less communication and trust, as well as greater alienation. Although relatively intuitive, the researchers provided an intriguing explanation for this phenomenon by suggesting that when a parent knows a child is lying (and has lied several times in the past), the child loses credibility. The parent thus becomes frustrated and chooses to avoid engaging the child, believing conversation will get them both nowhere.
I believe this explanation is emphasized in the movie, particularly after Mel picks up the two girls from ‘the library’. Mel asks the two how studying went and Tracy immediately responds saying she was researching a biosphere project. Evie then explains that she’s researching advance physics. Mel quickly nods her head, acknowledging both responses, and there is an eerie silence between the three of them as they walk towards the car (before the scene cuts to inside the house). It’s as is Mel understands these are thinly veiled lies (advance physics in middle school? Really?) and simply doesn’t want to engage them anymore.
The explanation provided in the study shouldn’t by any means be taken as the only explanation, and in fact, though the study addresses concerns with causality, there are several ‘chicken or egg’ dilemmas that are left unaddressed (i.e. does alienation lead to feelings of betrayal that increases lying which, in turn, decreases trust?)
Nevertheless, it’s a relatively short read and worth looking into if you’re interested in adding some more psyc analysis to your thoughts on “Thirteen”.
Link to study via ProQuest: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdlink?Ver=1&Exp=03-30-2015&FMT=7&DID=1164232161&RQT=309&cfc=1
I tried to comment on Shari's post about the NY Times bullying article, but for some reason it didn't work, so I'm putting it here. As someone who hopes to work in education, this article raised a lot of questions/concerns for me. First, how does a teacher show concern and care for a student while upholding professional teacher-student relationships? How can teachers show that they care, when school days are often not set up with time for adult-student mentoring or non-academic conversations? When something like this occurs, who is accountable? How should responsibility be assigned, and by whom? What makes a school a safe place, and how can a safe, caring school be molded?
On a slightly related note, I've been thinking about "Thirteen." There were tons of memorable moments, but one that struck me was the scene where Tracy's teacher informed her that she would have to repeat 7th grade. The thing that bothered me was that none of Tracy's teachers had apparently bothered to give her warning before she failed, or to ask why she had so suddenly changed. Were those teachers oblivious? Was it a matter of not caring? Did they notice and care but not know how to act? If they had acted--which is possible, since it probably doesn't make for exciting cinema--why did their attempts fail? It seems to relate to the article on bullying, because the girl who committed suicide had been bullied for only three months, and in the movie, Tracy's destructiveness happened in about four months. She easily could have been killed or killed herself accidentally any number of times. It shows that within a relatively short period of time, it is easy for a "normal" child/teen to undergo huge changes--and huge consequences--while adults are still trying to decide on a course of action.
On a slightly related note, I've been thinking about "Thirteen." There were tons of memorable moments, but one that struck me was the scene where Tracy's teacher informed her that she would have to repeat 7th grade. The thing that bothered me was that none of Tracy's teachers had apparently bothered to give her warning before she failed, or to ask why she had so suddenly changed. Were those teachers oblivious? Was it a matter of not caring? Did they notice and care but not know how to act? If they had acted--which is possible, since it probably doesn't make for exciting cinema--why did their attempts fail? It seems to relate to the article on bullying, because the girl who committed suicide had been bullied for only three months, and in the movie, Tracy's destructiveness happened in about four months. She easily could have been killed or killed herself accidentally any number of times. It shows that within a relatively short period of time, it is easy for a "normal" child/teen to undergo huge changes--and huge consequences--while adults are still trying to decide on a course of action.
NPR Interview with Nikki Reed
I found an interview that NPR did with Nikki Reed, the co-writer and girl who played Evie in Thirteen, which was done after the movie came out. Nikki talks about the way she portrayed her personal experiences in the film versus what her actual life was like. It's about five minutes long, but she has incredible insights and I really suggest listening to it:
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Bullying and suicide...what should a parent's role be?
I saw this really interesting, really sad article on NY Times.com:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/us/30bully.html?pagewanted=1&ref=general&src=me
On the one hand, the article brings up important issues surrounding peer influence. A teenage girl actually committed suicide after being bullied and harassed by her classmates. On the other hand, I think the article also brings up questions about what kind of roleparents/guardians/teachers should/can play when their teen is being bullied. How can/should adults intervene in adolescents' peer relations? Could the teenage girl's death have been prevented?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/us/30bully.html?pagewanted=1&ref=general&src=me
On the one hand, the article brings up important issues surrounding peer influence. A teenage girl actually committed suicide after being bullied and harassed by her classmates. On the other hand, I think the article also brings up questions about what kind of roleparents/guardians/teachers should/can play when their teen is being bullied. How can/should adults intervene in adolescents' peer relations? Could the teenage girl's death have been prevented?
Since we are talking about parenting this week-- I wanted to link you to some good footage from the movie 13, which I REALLY would like you all to see--
while this is a clip about the "making" of the movie- there is loads of good stuff in it-- pay very close attention at 5:15-- critical point in the movie!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEAc1k4BDkE
while this is a clip about the "making" of the movie- there is loads of good stuff in it-- pay very close attention at 5:15-- critical point in the movie!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEAc1k4BDkE
Thursday, March 25, 2010
The joys of being a pre-teen
Here's an article on the "Baby Bratz" (is it possible to say that as a singular noun?) with a thong:
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/bizarre&id=3765173
It carries a BOTTLE. And wears a THONG. Here's a picture:
http://www.weblogsinc.com/common/images/5607149836182359.JPG?0.19433504057705142
But, frankly, just seeing the dolls themselves is enough to freak me out:
http://z.about.com/d/toys/1/5/L/9/Babyz.jpg
Hmmmm.
In other news, some words of wisdom from Mike Jeffries, CEO of Hollister, Aeropostale, and Abercrombie and Fitch, excerpted from a Salon.com article:
Our first bump came when I mentioned the 2002 uproar over the company's thongs for middle-school girls, which had "Eye Candy" and "Wink Wink" printed on their fronts. "That was a bunch of bullshit," he said, sweating profusely. "People said we were cynical, that we were sexualizing little girls. But you know what? I still think those are cute underwear for little girls. And I think anybody who gets on a bandwagon about thongs for little girls is crazy. Just crazy! There's so much craziness about sex in this country. It's nuts! I can see getting upset about letting your girl hang out with a bunch of old pervs, but why would you let your girl hang out with a bunch of old pervs?"
I still think those are cute underwear for little girls.
Oh, okay.
Source
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/bizarre&id=3765173
It carries a BOTTLE. And wears a THONG. Here's a picture:
http://www.weblogsinc.com/common/images/5607149836182359.JPG?0.19433504057705142
But, frankly, just seeing the dolls themselves is enough to freak me out:
http://z.about.com/d/toys/1/5/L/9/Babyz.jpg
Hmmmm.
In other news, some words of wisdom from Mike Jeffries, CEO of Hollister, Aeropostale, and Abercrombie and Fitch, excerpted from a Salon.com article:
Our first bump came when I mentioned the 2002 uproar over the company's thongs for middle-school girls, which had "Eye Candy" and "Wink Wink" printed on their fronts. "That was a bunch of bullshit," he said, sweating profusely. "People said we were cynical, that we were sexualizing little girls. But you know what? I still think those are cute underwear for little girls. And I think anybody who gets on a bandwagon about thongs for little girls is crazy. Just crazy! There's so much craziness about sex in this country. It's nuts! I can see getting upset about letting your girl hang out with a bunch of old pervs, but why would you let your girl hang out with a bunch of old pervs?"
I still think those are cute underwear for little girls.
Oh, okay.
Source
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Relevant Articles from Jezebel
Jezebel is a daily blog that is an off-shoot of Gawker, a popular NYC blog. It caters to Vassar sort of women, but not in that annoying preachy/angry feminist sort of way. While their tag line is, "Celebrity, Sex, Fashion for Women," they often delve deeper than Cosmo (and actually critique the majority of magazines for women). While I was browsing the site last night, I came across two different articles that seemed relevant to what we've been discussing in class.
The first one discusses aggression in women, in relation to sports.
http://jezebel.com/5498948/women-behaving-badly-unsportsmanlike-behavior-sparks-debate
And the second one referenced the article below, which is a study recently conducted on "Early Predictors of Girls' Adolescent Sexual Activity"
http://www.girlsinc.org/resources/girls-shape-the-future.html
The first one discusses aggression in women, in relation to sports.
http://jezebel.com/5498948/women-behaving-badly-unsportsmanlike-behavior-sparks-debate
And the second one referenced the article below, which is a study recently conducted on "Early Predictors of Girls' Adolescent Sexual Activity"
http://www.girlsinc.org/resources/girls-shape-the-future.html
Thursday, February 18, 2010
MTV--at the forefront once again!
MTVs: 'Sexting In America: When Privates Go Public'
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1631123/20100203/asher_roth.jhtmlDid anyone else catch the MTV special on sexting? It was actually very well done. I caught a few minutes the other night and was pleasantly surprised. I looked for some good clips but I think it's too soon. I'll look again in a few days, but it's worth a tivo.
If anyone's writing a paper on anything about the effect of media/internet on teen lives its a really good resource and, I assume, would lead you to even better ones... enjoy!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Christian the Lion
I don't know if any of you have seen this, but during class when we were talking about the ability of animals to feel emotions like happiness, I thought about this video. I figured I would share it.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
delay of gratification
This is a great illustration of impulse control (or lack thereof). It might still be interesting even though it's shown in younger kids..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWW1vpz1ybo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWW1vpz1ybo
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
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