Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Doom and Gloom and Bad Actors

 

Sculpture at Terazin 
2024

“Those Who Do Not Learn History Are Doomed To Repeat It.”

George Santayana

*****

A great quantity of information in the form of text, photographs, statues, films, drawings, and paintings portray and honour the lives of those who were victims of the Nazi’s murderous plan.

The concentration camps do concentrate one’s focus on a particular era of terror. The evidence from the past 80 years suggests Santayana was right and wrong. In a sense, his statement was too general to be contradicted. For example, the specific conditions that generated and maintained the Nazi system of mass murder are unlikely to be replicated; however, some timeless characteristics of human nature persist.


*****

I’m a psychologist and not a historian yet, I come away from recent visits to several Nazi terror sites with some impressions.

1. Religion supports dictators. Horrible leaders often have an amiable relationship with the larger religious groups who fail to dissuade their congregants from the support of evil. In Christianity, adherents are encouraged to obey authority as if the authorities are placed in their positions by God. Today we still learn of devout religious people who support aggression towards people identified by politicians as enemies. I know from my own religion do good works, but we have too many failing to demonstrate love and compassion in some 2000 years of faith and in the present.

2. Humans psychologically prepare themselves for the destruction of others by stripping them of all forms of dignity before the final acts of elimination. Mockery, associations with animals, ugly imagery, associations with immorality, and other lies convince many that certain groups are subhuman and aren’t worth caring for—in fact the world would be better off without them. These characteristics of Nazi propaganda continue today. Immigrants, people with mental disabilities, and people who look different from the majority are targets of politicians and other antisocial people. Harsh rhetoric leads to physical violence.

3. People can be bought. The offer of better jobs, social benefits, and prestige are common ways people “buy-in” to the agendas of tyrants. People are too easily persuaded to vote for a promise. Americans should know that presidents can rarely deliver on promises that require legislative approval.

4. Fear is a powerful force for good and evil. The leaders who are capable of creating fear and positioning themselves as saviours know that nothing motivates people to follow an ideology and it’s self-appointed leader than fear. The prospect of death, torture, or eternal damnation keeps large numbers of people in submission. Add fear-mongering to cheap promises and the potential for power over large percentages of a population occurs again and again.

5. Indoctrination works. Religious and national narratives taught to children and woven into culture in so many ways creates a normal way of living for those within a culture. Those who control the dissemination of information are in a strong position to influence the opinions of their constituency. What is normative becomes what is moral. Normalizing violence is too easily accomplished.

6. Role models change behaviour. People learn how to treat themselves and others in part by observing what prestigious people do. Handsome soldiers in uniform can teach brutality by demonstration. Attractive leaders can encourage young men and women to join a malicious cause as they sign up and join the ranks. Wicked leaders seem tuned in to the power of observational learning.

7. Feedback shapes behaviour. In an engineered society, the power of frequent feedback can guide people into the correct way to express patriotism, religious sincerity, and attitudes toward outgroups. Here, correct means the way promulgated by those in power.

8. Outgroup management is a skill honed by effective politicians and clergy. The Nazis were obvious masters of this rhetoric. But I’ve heard such talk from clergy and politicians in the USA. One evangelical pastor seemed keen on shooting gays. Legal and illegal immigrants are lumped together as a threat without considering the individuals and their contributions to society. Of course, people of colour can fill books with tales of discrimination despite years of laws designed to protect their rights.

9. Confirmation bias can impair whatever lessons from history are possible. People look through past events in their own lives and the writings of others based on their worldview. One powerful factor is our human tendency to look for evidence confirming our ideas and reject contradictory evidence. Unless this can be overcome by working with others, the lessons of history will vary from person to person. I wonder if Santayana considered this feature of human thought.

We the people need to be vigilant when it comes to electing our leaders. In politics and organisations strong opposition and a free press are vital to societal health. Strong presidents control legislatures. Strong clergy control their boards. Might can make wrongs right.

Santayana’s pithy statement won’t help much unless we realise that a combination of nasty traits in human nature can be combined to ruin an otherwise healthy society.


Friday, May 3, 2024

Teacher Stress and Burnout

 



Strengthening the Fabric of Our Society

I have good memories of my High School teachers. After earning my PhD in School Psychology, I worked in public and private schools and gained an appreciation for how stressful their careers could be. We usually interacted in meetings with parents when I would share the results of assessment or receive a referral for psychotherapy. Sometimes I sat in classes to collect information in an effort to collaborate with a teacher on classroom management issues.

At one point, I had studied the literature with my friend and colleague, Thomas J. Huberty, who is Emeritus Professor at University of Indiana. At the time, Christopher Wilson had developed a measure of teacher stress. He did not find any differences among groups in his teacher sample and neither did we. We compared teachers in regular education with those who taught teens with severe disabilities in a residential school. According to Wilson’s measure, our teachers scored in the moderate range of stress. What’s interesting to me are the categories Wilson considered. Take a look at the many potential sources of distress facing teachers.

  Student behavior

  Employee / Administrator relations

  Teacher/ teacher relations

  Parent/teacher relations

  Time management

  Intrapersonal conflicts

[Wilson’s measure also asked about the following]

Physical symptoms of distress

Stress management techniques

Our work was so long ago so, I looked at more recent studies to learn about sources of stress for contemporary educators.

2018 Study

Todd Haydon and others (2018) studied special educators. The two most frequent sources of stress were:

Administrative interaction

Individual student challenges

2022 Findings

A report by Gershenson and Holt compared teachers’ stress with that of nonteachers. It appears the mental health of both groups was worse compared to an assessment in 1979 but teachers were not worse off than those in other positions.

Burnout

Persistent stress can lead to burnout. In the US, since 2016, more than 270,000 teachers leave their profession each year (AU 2021).

Recognizing burnout- The following signs may indicate burnout

Constant fatigue associated with poor sleep, eating habits and irritable mood

Self-doubt regarding their career choice as a teacher

Withdrawal from social interactions

Loss of enthusiasm for their work

 

But then came the pandemic

Numerous factors made life difficult for teachers during the pandemic. And many decided to leave the profession.

 

What can we do?

What we can do depends on our role in society.

Educators can find plenty of ideas online. For example, Brown university offers evidence-based ideas.

School mental health staff have the skills to be supportive. When I did work in schools, I found sensitive administrators were willing for me to provide supportive consultation with teachers. Referring teachers to mental health services in the community is just one idea.

Parents and caregivers can be sensitive to both the needs of their children and their children’s teachers. Successful education is a partnership.

As citizens, we can support efforts to adequately fund our local schools.

 

 

References

Haydon, T., Stevens, D., & Leko. M. M. (2018). Journal of Special Education Leadership, 31, (2), 99-107

Sutton, G.W., & Huberty, T.J. (1984). An evaluation of teacher stress and job satisfaction. Education, 105, 189‑192. on Researchgate



Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is  www.suttong.com

 

See Geoffrey Sutton’s books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Follow on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   X  @Geoff.W.Sutton    


FREE STUFF

You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

 

Dr. Sutton’s posts are for educational purposes only. See a licensed mental health provider for diagnoses, treatment, and consultation. 









 

Sunday, March 31, 2024

An Easter to remember

 


Not long after we came to America, dad wanted to see Florida. So, we went during Easter break—I think it was before college students raised hell. The memories I stored have been reprocessed a few times, but the colourful gist remains.


Dad loaded our things into the boot of his well used two-tone blue Chevy Bel Air and headed south. By the time we reached the Carolina’s, my memories stored images of people and events strengthened by my parent's commentary. A hard-working black man was with a mule in a field. Signs at a roadside stop read “Whites Only”.


Somewhere in the South, people marvelled at how well we spoke English since we hadn’t been in the US very long.


I must have slept a lot. Dad drove all night. We didn’t do hotels, which was a good thing I found out later when dad chose some hovels on future trips.


When we crossed the border—Florida—dad stopped for samples of Florida orange juice. I’m guessing we arrived Saturday because I was red with a helluva sunburn at church the next day. Dad couldn’t skip church even on a holiday. So, what I remember were people in colourful clothes. They were members of a Native American tribe. I’m learning a lot more than I would in school.


Now my parents planned to surprise me. And they did. The Easter egg they packed from New Jersey had not survived the wrath of Florida’s sun god.


Sometime during that sun-drenched visit, I became acquainted with a product called calamine, which was later featured in a song. You see, one memory activates another.


Anyway, I came back to New Jersey with memories of a colourful parrot’s claws on my bright red sore arms and you could see the agony in my face—if you had an old-fashioned slide projector. 

And I had this jumble of other memories too, but some are out of focus.


For some, Easter is about a life hereafter. Perhaps for some, Easter had always been a promise of a better life beyond Jordan. Lord knows you ain’t gettin much of a life behind a mule.


On reflection, I see that I had a better life as a foreign white boy than did some people who had lived here all their lives. Like old black and white photos that only hold colour in my memories, Easter was bereft of meaning for those trapped in a white man’s paradise.



I’ve learned a lot since that Easter. Those memories reframed with adult eyes keep me focused on liberation—not from life, but for helping people get a life in this life. I’m sure there are many ways to do the work of liberation.


There ain’t much use carrying a cross or raving about an empty tomb unless I help someone roll away the stones that entomb their lives. 



Funny how lessons from childhood can be woven into a life-narrative. Innit?

 




Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is  www.suttong.com

 

See Geoffrey Sutton’s books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Follow on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   X  @Geoff.W.Sutton    


FREE STUFF

You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

 

Dr. Sutton’s posts are for educational purposes only. See a licensed mental health provider for diagnoses, treatment, and consultation.