Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

FUNDAMENTALISTS: WHO ARE THEY? Recently I overheard four faculty members from a conservative American Christian school discussing creationism and the age of the earth. One person was impressed with the presentation at the Creation Museum in Kentucky. "I teach the Bible," she said. As I listened to them talk I assumed they took a literal view of scripture, held ultra conservative social values, and were quick to support military solutions when national interests were threatened. Was I right? Zorrse Zonkey Creation Museum / G Sutton 2015 American fundamentalism has been associated with the beliefs of Protestant Christians who reacted against social trends toward higher biblical criticism and evolution. The fundamentalist leaders developed a list of fundamental truths: 1. Authority of the Bible; 2. Virgin birth of Jesus; 3. Substitutionary atonement for sin; 4. Resurrection of Jesus; 5. Miracles; 6. Millennialism. Behavioral scientists began looking for...

Why do people do what they do? Why do some recover from loss whilst others are devastated? Why do some turn to God and others turn away from God when bad things happen? Why did she say that?  What were you thinking?  People want answers.  2007 Greensburg KS tornado destroyed my brother-in-law's house And that desire for answers to why questions has fueled incredible progress for both the well-being and destruction of humanity and our planet. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl illustrates the human quest for answers . I suspect that search is why psychology is such a hot college major. And why I love psychological science. This post is an introduction to thinking broadly about human nature. It would be nice to have one answer to each why question. But people are complex. Some short and simple answers might satisfy as answers to simple questions. But if you take a careful look, simple answers might not lead to any useful conclusi...