Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

The Scary Season Psychology, Halloween & Mysterious Happenings Halloween is that time of year when some Christians feel anxious about what they ought to do about celebrating Halloween. The holiday costumes vary from the cute to the grotesque. Perhaps what’s most scary for some is the fear of the demonic and supernatural evil. In this post I look at psychological perspectives on Halloween and related topics like Ouija boards and witches. I suggest Christians should get their guidance about how to celebrate the partying from their clergy. _____      Setting aside a day to celebrate evil, darkness, witchcraft, fear, death and the demonic brings disdain to God. Period. A Christian celebrating Halloween would be like a Satan worshiper putting up a nativity scene at Christmas while singing, "Happy Birthday, Jesus!" The two just don't go together. Jesus has nothing in common with Satan (2 Cor. 6:14), and neither should we.      - Jamie Morgan (2016) _____ 1...

People who act to save lives generally count as heroes.  Tuesday, 6 September, I looked out on the Hudson River at the spot where Captain Chesley B. Sullenberger III landed the U S Airways jet on the water. I saw small water craft and a slow-moving barge. I wondered what kind of courage and skill would it take to really land a jet such that all 155 people lived to tell their story. As with any retelling of an event, people recall different facts . Anyone wanting to accurately retell a story exercises some degree of judgment when reconciling disparate narratives. Add to this the known problems of eye-witnesses and we have the potential for disagreement. Fortunately, scientific advances can help investigators in their quest to learn lessons to prevent future problems. Data are recorded. Simulations can be run. Asking questions of heroes and survivors is important but it can be a challenging experience for all involved. The movie, Sully , retells the tale of this 2009 dram...

The TIMES writer misuses the term “bribe” in the story. “The Right Way to Bribe Your Kids to Read” KJ Dell’Antonia July 23, 2016 The New York Times Although it is common for many to consider rewards for behavior as “bribes,” the term often carries the meaning of influencing people to violate trust or break a rule. In short, it suggests rewards and prizes may be morally questionable. The quotes in the story also refer to rewards in a confusing manner. Consider this. If reading were a rewarding activity, then it would be rewarding in itself and there would be no need for external rewards—a new book might suffice to encourage more reading. Psychologists prefer the term “reinforcement” to refer to events or tangibles that, when presented following a behavior, serve to strengthen the desired behavior.  And in research or clinical practice, psychologists recommend fading (reducing) reinforcements as the behavior becomes a habit. Even better, different schedules o...

Democratic Party Values Previously, I wrote about several Republican Party Platform issues and general Republican values. Then I brought the post up-to-date with the 2016 platform . In this post I look at the Democratic Party. My focus in primarily on culture rather than on party politics. But clearly, culture can change to the extent more people from a particular party govern according to their espoused values. Here’s a link to the previous platform . Taxes Democrats are known for tax structures that take less taxes from low income workers and more from those who earn more. This is referred to in the platform as paying a “fair share.” If you check the Republican platform, you will see a focus on closer to equal sharing of tax burdens, sometimes referred to as flatter . The question is “What is a fair share of taxes?” And the answer is it is up to you to decide! But here’s more about fairness . I think most Americans are willing to conced...

Lives destroyed in Dallas John the Baptist, Rodin, St Louis Art Museum On Friday morning I ambled toward the breakfast room of my St Louis hotel. Black hands took turns with my white hands filling plates with yellow eggs and brown sausages followed by filling white cups with black coffee. The room was full of black families watching horrific Dallas scenes. “Officer down. Officer down.” We all learned five of twelve injured officers had died—gunned down at a #blacklivesmatter protest, which followed the shooting of black lives earlier in the week. I’m mindful of another catastrophic week not far from here -- the 2013 events in nearby Ferguson, Missouri. #blacklivesmatter I return to my room passing an open door. The sign says, “Family Reunion.” Children scamper to and fro ignoring parent calls. Some black families are enjoying time together. #blacklivesmatter. Like the screen in the breakfast room, police’ lives become the focus of attention. Now more fami...

A disturbing story challenges thinking about diversity. When I read this story, I was appalled.What about you? AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images See link to the story below. Why not evaluate cultures? It has been fashionable of late to not merely study diverse cultures but to celebrate diversity and to encourage respect of people and their different ways of living. Differences are to be understood and respected—not evaluated. And certainly not condemned. The scientific study of diversity sometimes slips into a moral stance like the following: "It’s wrong to condemn a culture as immoral or inferior because they do things differently." Said another way, "all cultures are equally moral." I have no problem with emphasizing the importance of respect for people of other cultures. I enjoy learning about the different ways people celebrate the stages of life in dance, music, art, and religion. There’s a beauty in so many colorful ways people fro...

From CNN.com I am simply stunned by the hatred and violence toward those who have been shot and injured in Orlando Florida today. Words like outrage and horror come to mind. The picture of pastor Kelvin Cobaris hugging two people is the kind of response I would hope to see from more clergy, regardless of their faith. As a nation, we need to see religious leaders and secular leaders binding people together to help those in need and guiding all to replace the rhetoric of hated with the language of love and respect. The focus must always be on the survivors struggling to stay alive and those with months of rehabilitation ahead. And the families will need much support. There is little meaning to be found in such a powerfully destructive act. Some have wondered about the motives of the mass murderer. Some even say motives do not matter. There will be inquiries of course. And I do hope some information helps homeland security make the USA a safer place.