Geoff W. Sutton Blog

We are currently awash in #metoo notices on social media sites. A catharsis of massive proportions has followed in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.  As with any storm, news sources  examine the origins and publish a chronology . The current storm hit the U.S. 5 October when the NYT published salacious allegations. Now, two weeks later, the storm has abated. Other news stories are headlines. Meanwhile, clean-up after Hurricane Harvey continues. We don't know how many lives have been destroyed. Heavy rains have affected many beyond the eye of the storm. People are hurting. Some still await care. As with any storm, accusatory fingers point in many directions. There are reasonable calls for climate change-- we must end the rape climate that creates the conditions giving rise to such sexual hurricanes. They are right of course--women, that is. Men are responsible for most of the problems. We do need to change.  The helpfulness of metoo reports provides a Joh...

Here I revised an old post with 7 thoughts about the psychology of some issues. Seven Lessons from Psychological Science 1. Illusions  can be explained . The brilliant demonstrations by  Derren Brown  reveal how easy it is to deceive us. We quickly believe supernatural activity rather than natural phenomena explain unusual events. In the 1850s, British scientist,  Michael Faraday  created tests to show how turning tables could be explained by human expectations rather than some spirit force. Other events like spelling prophecies with a glass on an Ouija board have been explained by psychological scientists who show how minds search for patterns and anticipate responses before other parts of  our brain become aware of our actions. To learn more, read  The Illusion of Conscious Will by Daniel Wegner.  You can get a summary from former paranormal researcher,  Susan Blackmore . Our minds can trick us into thinking some externa...

Managing Terror As a psychologist it was natural for me to think of Terror Management Theory in the wake of the horrific killings of people in Paris on Friday 13th, November 2015. The raw reactions of the survivors were vivid descriptions of people whose world had been suddenly and mercilessly upended and threatened in a show of force. The graphic descriptions confronted viewers with reminders of the fragility of life and our shared vulnerability with those who enjoy an evening out at a game (Stade de France), a concert (Bataclan), or a favorite restaurant. The psychology of disgust was also evident as people spoke of blood, other bodily fluids, pieces of flesh, and efforts to survive by hiding beneath dead bodies. Many in Western democracies added symbols of the French Tricolour in sympathetic identity. Key aspects of our identity as freedom loving people were also under attack. The ability to enjoy an evening out with friends is tagged with fear. The presence of armed ...

Cross & Heart 2023 Geoffrey Sutton and Bing AI Messing with Malevolent Metaphors Exploring the role of metaphors in Christian teaching about purity and sanctity. As a child I learned that sin made my heart black. I learned this lesson by means of small plastic hearts dangling from a chain. Hearts are red, white and black. You start with a black heart. All have sinned. Red hearts mean Jesus' blood cleanses, White hearts mean we're all cleaned up. For many Christians, white is good , pure, clean and holy. Cleanliness is next to godliness. Black is bad , evil, and linked to sin. We’ll never measure up—the good things we do are but filthy rags. Outer darkness is where you go if you die without Jesus. So what's the problem with such metaphors? Is it possible that metaphors, which glorify whiteness and link blackness to sin influence, racist attitudes? Do religious metaphors guide our thinking about people? Metaphors My task the week I wrote ...

A muddy day LOVING the UNHOLY, UNCLEAN, and DISGUSTING Like most children, I loved to visit zoos. One day my dad took me to the Philadelphia zoo. It was a lot of fun until dad had a disgusting experience. A massive tiger faced us. Then, with front paws raised, it soaked dad in urine. At church, a group of us are looking at Richard Beck’s book titled, Unclean . Philosopher, Doug Olena introduced the topic in the last two weeks. Our impulse is to avoid the unclean and expel that which is disgusting. But Christians are called to serve people that society considers unclean. Beck draws heavily on disgust psychology. In psychology, “Dr. Disgust” is Paul Rozin of the University of Pennsylvania. Rozin has studied disgust for decades. It’s fascinating for many reasons. Disgust is of course an emotional response with a recognizable facial expression. Though the classic disgust face can be seen in babies rejecting anything distasteful, infants soon learn more about that which is di...