Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

  Repeated Stories in Conversatio n   Recently, I looked at some photos of Christmases past as I was moving to a new computer. I smiled a lot and enjoyed the good memories. Like most people my age, a lot of family members are no longer present. Sometimes, repeating an old story at family gatherings can be a pleasant experience. We remember someone we loved and something funny about what they said or did. It’s repetition, but it’s pleasant. Context and frequency make a difference. But you may have had the common experience of annoying repetitions. Someone you know has a habit of repeating old stories, jokes, or awkward one-liners. Sometimes they are out of context or sometimes they fit the context, but they’ve been heard so many times. And sometimes, the stories are obnoxious. Why People Repeat Themselves:  And Some Suggestions Why is this? There may be several reasons for repetition. 1. Reinforcemen t. We tend to repeat behavior that feels good. Smiles, laughter, and posi...

                           7 Perspectives on Human Nature, God, and Violence     Previously I asked the question  “Why did God order the killing of so many people ?” See the previous post for context. In this post I look at human nature and consider how understanding people might apply to understanding old texts like those in the Bible. As I said before, I am not a biblical scholar so I shall leave the evaluation of my ideas up to those who are experts in both biblical studies and behavioural science. I can offer the perspective of someone who has studied human nature in the present as well as in historical narratives. Instead of assuming that the biblical writers were telling their audience what God literally said and did, is it possible the biblical texts are a true record of how the ancient Israelites interpreted events in their lives? For Christians, the perspective of Jesus t...

Creative Memories I recall the time our house was bombed by the Germans. Actually, I don’t. But I do recall my mother telling the captivating story. We love stories—especially stories that inspire us by overcoming great odds or keep us in suspense as to the death-defying outcome. From time to time a famous person tells a tale that stretches credulity and seems fit for a party or a pub rather than a place of leadership. We want people we can trust. If they lie about their past, won’t they lie to us about important matters? For decades, psychologists have published studies that plumb the limitations of human memory. Since Bartlett published his famous work in 1932 , we have been suspicious about the accuracy in human memory. To paraphrase, Bartlett explained that the processes of relying on memory to help us adapt to life events also lead to errors. A few years ago (2012), psychological scientist, Daniel Schacter provided a helpful summa...

MAKING PEACE WITH FATHERS When the Faith of Fathers Interferes with Relationships How do you celebrate father’s day when your memories don’t allow you to say, “You’re the Best Dad ever?” Perhaps your casual glance at social media suggests so many people had better father’s than you did. Do you notice the silent posts —people who don’t comment on their fathers and how great they were? Perhaps you knew the fathers of friends and wish your father could be more like theirs? Perhaps your father wasn’t there for you and you wonder why he was not in your life? There are fathers who only merit the name in a biological sense. I’m not writing about those. Apparently some father’s walk on water—at least that’s the impression I get from reading posts by many young women. I’m not writing about those fathers either. There are ordinary fathers who have delightful and troublesome attributes—it’s those I write about. And in particular I am writing for this blog about Psycho...