Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

“7 Lies About Welfare That Many People Believe Are Fact” The article named above was shared by my friend, Donna Washburn. It caught my eye because several people offered comments of support. The author, Danica Johnson, offers some insights into the US welfare system that are probably not known to many. Unfortunately, some of her comments have a slant that could prove off-putting to some as noted by another friend, Brandon Schmidly. Johnson's ideas are worth examining with a critical eye—at least by those of us who care more about understanding our world and helping people in need than we care about advocating for one political agenda or another. 1. As noted, welfare is not one program but a general term for a group of programs designed to meet the needs of people with different needs that cannot be met in other ways such as employment or relying on a family or church for support. This is important. Criticizing welfare makes no sense . Criticizing a speci...

Creating Good Memories After a Loss I knew something was wrong when my dad came to take me out of fifth grade in the middle of the day. In the old grey ’49 Plymouth, mum was crying. Soon we were at Idlewild for my first flight back home- London, England. For days, my aunt Joan’s home in East Finchley (North London) was a grand central station-- family coming and going. Funny old stories repeated. Newfangled Lego blocks were really cool. A visit to Aunt Lilly and Uncle Jack’s sweet shop (actually a small grocers- I focus on what’s important). Then there were trips to old friends. The lights of Oxford St and Regent St. A walk with dad by the Thames whilst mum grieved with her sisters and her dad. Good memories amidst the sorrow. The 5 th December, marks the anniversary of my maternal grandmother’s death and a special memory. I’ve lived more than six decades. My wife and I have known many losses. And some of our loved ones died very close to Christmas. I’ve learn...

Two big splits happened in Western nations this year. The British voted to exit the EU and Americans fought or endured a presidential campaign punctuated by harsh words and allegations of crimes, treason, and immorality. I've heard calls for reconciliation and unity. Sometimes the calls make sense. Sometimes they almost seem insulting. And at other times the encouragement to reconcile or unify is ridiculous. The only way to make sense of these calls is to get beyond the glibness. I'm talking about the kind of glibness that fits on a bumper sticker like "Missouri values." What values do you claim--that's what I want to know. RECONCILIATION - Should we get together and trust each other? It is nice to seek reconciliation. It's a feel good word. I noticed earlier this year that Pope Francis met with Lutherans - in case you haven't heard, the 500th anniversary of the big split comes up next year. The "Reformation" was indeed a major spli...

Mysticism and the M(Mysticism) -Scale Factors Scholars disagree on how to define mysticism, which makes it difficult to have a meaningful discussion. There is a growing consensus that an experience of unity is a common experience. There is a tendency among philosophers to discuss mysticism as an experience of a reality that is not known by the usual sources of evidence such as our senses or even introspection. For a more detailed definition with an explanation of terms see the Stanford Encyclopedia entry for mysticism . Following is their somewhat tighter definition of mysticism. A (purportedly) super sense-perceptual or sub sense-perceptual unitive experience granting acquaintance of realities or states of affairs that are of a kind not accessible by way of sense-perception, somatosensory modalities, or standard introspection. Many contemporary behavioral scientists trace the history of scientific inquiry into mysticism to the exploratory 1917 work, The Varieties ...

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...