The Freudian Slip CSB/SJU Department Newsletter April 2012 College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University HE OWER OF ORGIVENESS T P F , photograph (1938) INSIDE THIS ISSUE: By Natalie Vasilj

to have detrimental Easter brings along and the person they are Natalie Vasilj, yellow daffodils, bright physical and psychological The Power of forgiving. There no longer effects. These people have Forgiveness colored eggs, pastel is a “debt that needs to be increased levels of colored candies, and the paid,” and all the energy Erin Noel, charming reminder that depression and anxiety. Psychologist in the used previously for They have elevated levels Spotlight: Abraham spring is here. Aside from resenting or hating a Maslow all the festivities, Easter of anger and have been person can be directed to a found to be more likely to Rachel Heying, holds a deeper story filled new and more constructive act in abusive and verbally Students in the Spotlight with spirituality and outlet. degrading ways. They may compassion; the story of Aside from the release become self-abusive, lack the crucifixion and of negative pent up resurrection of Jesus Christ self-esteem, and have low UPCOMING EVENTS: feelings, the Mayo clinic self-worth. is one about forgiveness. has found other So do yourself a favor Easter Break The Bible says that Jesus psychological benefits of and help your April 5th—April 9th Christ died on the cross to forgiveness. They found psychological health. forgive the sins of the that those who chose to Happy Easter!! Forgive your teacher who April 8th world and bring new life. forgive had: gave you that undeserving Forgiveness, although - Healthier relationships Scholarship and grade. Let go of the times difficult at times, is a very - Greater spiritual and Creativity Day you and your friend had a important act that has psychological well-being April 25th disagreement. Forgive many psychological - Less stress and hostility your significant other for ‘12 Pines benefits. - Lower blood pressure April 28th the hurt they caused you. The definition of - Fewer symptoms of By doing so we embrace forgiveness is the act of depression, anxiety and the story of Easter and “releasing the right for chronic pain welcome the feeling of remission or indebtedness - Lower risk of alcohol renewal that only for wrongs committed and substance abuse. forgiveness and spring can against you.” When a Those who chose not to bring. person forgives, they forgive others were found Page 1 relieve both themselves

P SYCHOLOGISTS IN THE S POTLIGHT : A BRAHAM M ASLOW By Erin Noel

Maslow first introduced his little more than drug abuse, concept of a hierarchy of needs in astrology, and self-indulgence, his 1943 paper "A Theory of cognitivism provided the Human Motivation" and his scientific ground students of subsequent book Motivation and psychology were yearning for. Personality. This hierarchy He went on to further research suggests that people are motivated at Columbia University, to fulfill basic needs before continuing similar studies but this Born on April 1st, 1908, moving on to other, more time with a focus on human Abraham Maslow was the first of advanced needs. sexuality. Later, he taught at seven Maslow children. Raised by In the 1960‟s in particular, Brooklyn College and Brandeis two uneducated Jewish people became tired of the where he became the chair of the immigrates in Brooklyn, New reductionist, mechanistic psychology department. He York, Maslow was pushed to messages of the behaviorists and spend his final years in semi- academic success and sought physiological psychologists. retirement in California, until, on refuge in his books. They were looking for meaning June 8, 1970, he died of a heart Throughout his life, Maslow and purpose in their lives, even a attack after several years of ill spent most of his time in schools. higher, more mystical meaning. health. He first studied law at City Maslow was one of the pioneers The father of the humanistic College in New York; after 3 in that movement to bring the movement once remarked, “I was semesters he transferred to human being back into awfully curious to find out why I Cornell, and then transferred back psychology, and the person back didn‟t go insane”. Maslow's to City College. He then attended into personality. thinking was surprisingly original graduate school at the University At approximately the same -- most psychology before him of Wisconsin where he married time, another movement was had been concerned with the his first cousin Bertha Goodman, getting underway, one inspired by abnormal and the ill. He wanted against his parents‟ wishes. some of the very things that to know what constituted positive Bertha and Maslow later went on Marlow disliked: computers and mental health. After all his to raise two children in information processing, as well as research on humans, he Wisconsin. Here, he became very rationalistic theories such as concluded, "Human nature is not interested in psychology, and his Piaget‟s cognitive development nearly as bad as it has been school work began to improve theory and Noam Chomsky‟s thought to be." dramatically. He spent time there linguistics. This, of course, working with Harry Harlow while became the cognitive movement investigating dominance behavior in psychology. As the heyday of Page 2 and sexuality. humanism appeared to lead to

S TUDENTS IN THE S POTLIGHT

By Rachel Heying

Here are three more inspiring Interestingly, when compared to the used both encoding and psychology students. Take a control group, the participants had recognition tasks. The participants look at what they have significantly fewer convictions in her study completed four accomplished! following the program, but not different word list memorization significantly fewer jail days. tasks, where each list had a For her honors thesis, Evan “Though, with an increased sample different odor-emotional state Lowder researched the size, there likely would have been a pairing. She then tested their „effectiveness of a mental health significant effect for post-program memory for each condition, and court in decreasing recidivism for jail days between participants and memory intrusions from other offenders with mental illness‟, the comparison group,” Evan conditions were used to estimate focusing specifically on the „impact reasoned. the degree of connection between of graduation status and co- Additionally, she found that odor, emotion, and memory. After occurringsubstance use on post- there was a significantly greater the word lists and filler tasks, each program recidivism.‟ This topic decrease in number of jail days participant completed post-tests falls into the field of following the program for that provided Laura the baseline Psychology and graduates of the mental health court data on their sensitivity to odors Law, a branch of compared to non-graduates, but this and their emotional arousability. psychology that effect was not significant for Given this information, Laura Evan is convictions. “When comparing all was then able to better analyze the particularly three groups (graduates, non- participants‟ interested in as a graduates, and comparison group), data from the Psychology and however,” Evan stated, “graduation memorization Political Science double major. status did not have a significant tasks. Through This past summer, Evan effect on post-program recidivism.” her study, Laura interned at the Ramsey County Interestingly, Evan found that the hopes to discover Mental Health Court through the participants with co-occurring whether memory Jackson Fellows program. This substance use had a greater or emotion is internship increased her interest in decrease in jail days that those triggered first, the assessment of mental health without co-occurring substance use. which will help court programs, and she decided to This result is different from us to better understand the take it a step further and focus her previous research, and Evan relationship between odor, thesis on the topic. Evan hopes to believes it may suggest that memory, and emotion. go to graduate school and either Ramsey County Mental Health Though doing an honors thesis pursue degrees in psychology and Court is, “particularly effective in requires a great deal of work, law or a degree in criminal justice treating participants with chemical Laura believes it is well research. dependency.” worth the effort. “I have learned Evan received data from the Recently, Evan had the great so much from this experience,” she Ramsey County Mental Health honor to share her research at the said. “Even though it has been Court for both the participants Board of Trustees and Regents quite frustrating at times, overall it (those in the Mental Health Court Reception and Dinner. She will be has been very rewarding.” Laura program) and the control group (a presenting her research on campus has received the great opportunity comparable group of offenders who again when she defends her thesis to present her research at the th did not go through the Mental on Monday, April 30 at 4:15pm in Midwestern Psychological Health Court program). Evan Gorecki 120. All are welcome! Association Conference in Chicago measured recidivism (relapsing into in May. She will also be defending crime) in two ways: the number of Laura Shrode researched the her thesis on campus at a time yet jail days following the program and effect of odor on memory and to be determined, and will also be the number of convictions. emotion. While she has always had presenting at Scholarship and Evan‟s research brought several an interest in the connection Creativity Day. Come and learn the interesting finds. The participants between smells and , results of her study, and show your of the Mental Health Court did she first began researching the support for the great work she has show a decrease in jail days topic during her sophomore year done! (Continued on Page 4) for her class. following the program, but not a Page 3 decrease in convictions. Laura set up an experiment that

(Continued from Page 3) research on the murder, looking at Note: We at the Psychology In Dr. Immelman‟s Criminal countless news articles and Department would like to say a Profiling course last semester, conducting phone interviews with huge “Congratulations!” to senior Kelsea Schneider began those who have connections to the Alex Lenzen (featured in last researching the unsolved murder of case. She is currently continuing month‟s „Student in the Spotlight‟). Kathy Kolodziej, a 17-year-old girl with the interviews and is in the Alex is the 2012 winner of the who was killed in New York back process of getting a hold of Tom Minnesota in 1974. Though it began as a class Cioffi, the lead investigator on the Psychology project, Kelsea became so case, and Sheriff Tony Desmond, Association‟s interested in the case that she the sheriff in Schoharie County Donald G. continued investigating after the where Kathy was murdered. She is Paterson Award semester ended. Her work has not also hoping for an interview with a in Psychology/ gone unnoticed; woman from Long Island who Outstanding last month, knew Kathy personally, because Senior Kelsea was gaining information about the Undergraduate Student. The award featured in victim as a person would be very is highly competitive and is given a New York valuable to the case. Kelsea is also to a college senior who plans to newspaper, the rewriting her paper to include the pursue a career in psychology. Times-Journal, additional information she has Alex was chosen based on her in regard to her found. Eventually, the paper will be superior undergraduate focus on the murder of Kathy available to read online on Dr. achievement, her plans for future Kolodziej. “It was exciting to talk Immelman‟s website. While the work in psychology, and her with people out in New York who case itself is very tricky, Kelsea has personal characteristics that will be are interested in the case!” she said. enjoyed working on it. “I feel like assets working in the field of “I felt honored to be featured in the it‟s something „real‟ that I can psychology. Be sure to newspaper as well, with the hopes contribute, and even though it‟s a congratulate Alex on this great that it will generate renewed long shot, I hope it helps in some achievement! interest and possibly help in some way,” she said. This experience of way.” investigating the Kolodziej case has Kelsea‟s interest in this confirmed her passion for forensic particular case was increased psychology, which she plans to because of its unsolved nature, and focus on in grad school next year.

the fact that the victim was a To read the article on Kelsea in College of Saint Benedict college student like herself. She the Times-Journal, follow this link: 37 S. College Ave. St. Joseph, MN 56374 320-363-5139 describes the case as http://timesjournalonline.com/ Saint John’s University “heartbreaking,” as forty years details.asp?id=70943. PO Box 2000 Collegeville, MN 56321 320-363-3195 have gone by without answers. Kelsea has done a great deal of

References

The Power of Forgiveness http://rdhauckmft.wordpress.com/2011/04/24/psychology-of-easter-4-the-power-of- forgiveness/

Psychologist in the Spotlight: Abraham Maslow http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/maslow.html Page 4