the the psychologist psychologist january 2017 january 2017

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As The Psychologist relaunches, we consider style and impact

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contact The British Psychological Society 48 Princess Road East Leicester LE1 7DR 0116 254 9568 [email protected] www.bps.org.uk Why magazines matter

As The Psychologist relaunches, the psychologist we consider style and impact and research digest www.thepsychologist.org.uk www.thepsychologist.org.uk www.bps.org.uk/digest www.psychapp.co.uk [email protected] The Psychologist Twitter: @psychmag is the magazine of Download our iOS/Android apps The British Psychological Society advertising Reach 50,000+ psychologists It provides a forum for communication, discussion at very reasonable rates. and controversy among all members of the Society, CPL, 1 Cambridge Technopark and aims to fulfi l the main object of the Royal Charter, Newmarket Road ‘to promote the advancement and diffusion of a Cambridge CB5 8PB knowledge of psychology pure and applied’ recruitment Matt Styrka 01223 378 005 [email protected] display Michael Niskin The Psychologist needs you! 01223 378 045 [email protected] We rely on your submissions throughout the publication, and in return we help you to get your message december 2016 issue across to a large and diverse audience. 54,776 dispatched For details of all the available options, plus our policies and what to do if you feel these have not been followed, design concept see www.thepsychologist.org.uk/contribute Darren Westlake www.TUink.co.uk The main message, though, is simply to engage with us. Contact the editor Dr Jon Sutton printed by on [email protected], tweet us on @psychmag Warners Midlands plc or call / write to us at the Society’s Leicester offi ce. on 100 per cent recycled paper issn 0952-8229 (print) 2398-1598 (online) Managing Editor Jon Sutton Assistant Editor Peter Dillon-Hooper Production Mike Thompson © Copyright for all published material is held by the British Psychological Society unless Journalist Ella Rhodes Editorial Assistant Debbie Gordon specifi cally stated otherwise. As the Society is Research Digest Christian Jarrett (editor), Alex Fradera a party to the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) agreement, articles in The Psychologist may be copied by libraries and other organisations under the terms of their own CLA licences (www.cla.co.uk). Permission must be Associate Editors Articles Michael Burnett, Paul Curran, Harriet Gross, Rebecca Knibb, obtained for any other use beyond fair dealing authorised by copyright legislation. For further Adrian Needs, Paul Redford, Sophie Scott, Mark Wetherell, Jill Wilkinson information about copyright and obtaining Conferences Alana James History of Psychology Alison Torn Interviews Gail Kinman permissions, e-mail [email protected]. Culture Kate Johnstone, Sally Marlow Books Emily Hutchinson, Rebecca Stack The publishers have endeavoured to trace International panel Vaughan Bell, Uta Frith, Alex Haslam, Elizabeth Loftus, Asifa Majid the copyright holders of all illustrations. The Psychologist and Digest Editorial Advisory Committee If we have unwittingly infringed copyright, Catherine Loveday (Chair), Emma Beard, Phil Banyard, Helen Galliard, we will be pleased, on being satisfi ed as to the owner’s title, to pay an appropriate fee. Harriet Gross, Rowena Hill, Stephen McGlynn, Peter Olusoga, Richard Stephens the psychologist january 2017

In a dizzying couple of years, we have redeveloped both The Psychologist and Research Digest websites, launched apps, produced a regular podcast and branched out into live events. It’s important that we reach out to diverse audiences in new ways, but I am left with a nagging sense that we have neglected those of you who still like to hold The Psychologist in your hands, sit down with a cup of tea or flick through it on the bus. So this is a relaunch for you, the print lovers. Whether or not you like the new direction, please be assured that we set out on this path after careful consideration of reader surveys, along with much 54 Books discussion at our Editorial Rosalind Ridley discusses her exploration of J.M. Barrie and Advisory Committee. Peter Pan, with Chris Frith I think back to a comment in one of those surveys: ‘it 02 Letters 20 Overrated/underrated 58 Culture Elizabeth Meins with the first seems more of a magazine 10 News in an occasional series 64 ‘Real things are just than anything’. Yes – we endlessly fascinating’ believe that magazines 28 The limits of empathy We meet James Pennebaker Diana Kwon on when walking in matter (p.40), and we are another’s shoes is not enough 72 Careers proud to be one. We hear from past Do engage with us 34 The real deal interviewees; plus the latest Stephen Joseph goes in search job vacancies on Twitter @psychmag, of our true selves or email, write, call, pop 76 Looking back round… we hope you stay 40 Why magazines matter Marjory Harper on migration As we relaunch, Ella Rhodes and mental illness with us on this journey, considers style and impact because together we can 80 A to Z reach great places. 46 Writing for impact Some of our regular Dr Jon Sutton contributors on the benefits Managing Editor @psychmag Failure as a platform to learn

Having made my fair share of mistakes, I have always had experienced (regardless of its nature), the more believed that it is the way you respond to failure that empathy they had. In turn, this greater empathy was determines whether the eventual outcome is helpful associated with higher sympathy ratings and their or a hindrance. It is refreshing to see that the Health generosity (as measured by their donations to charity). and Care Professions Council have recently revised Although this study only demonstrates a their standards of conduct, performance and ethics correlational, rather than causal link, between adversity to include a standard about being open and honest and compassion/empathy, it is nevertheless indicative when things go wrong (Standard 8). Creating a culture that those who have suffered setbacks are more likely to whereby failure is seen as a platform to learn rather show empathy to others. Is it too tenuous to extend such than something to be ashamed of is the first step in a conclusion to those who have dealt with failure? encouraging practitioners to be open and honest about A therapy increasing in popularity is Acceptance their mistakes. and Commitment Therapy, and similar principles could Failure should be seen as something that can be be applied in the workplace to incidents of failure. If positive. A recent psychological term ‘post-traumatic we create a culture of admitting failure rather than growth’ describes a phenomenon whereby sufferers of creating a culture of shame, we create an environment difficulties caused by trauma have been seen to result that encourages openness and honesty, a core standard in increased resilience and renewed appreciation for for HCPC practitioners. It also increases the likelihood life. Perhaps the same philosophy should be applied to that the failure will result in personal development failure; emphasising ‘post-failure growth’ rather than rather than in feelings of shame and guilt. With one in criticism and negative appraisal. four experiencing mental illness, and one in six children Additionally, a study by Daniel Lim and David experiencing anxiety, it’s about time we changed DeSteno [covered on the Research Digest: see tinyurl. perceptions of failure and reduced the associated com/zj8ja5o] has recently demonstrated that the more stigma. In turn, we will encourage children to challenge adversity in life someone has experienced, the more ideas, be ambitious and flourish, rather than increasing compassion they tend to feel and show towards others. their anxiety of potential setbacks and failures. In this survey, participants answered questions about Failure is a part of life and a potential for growth, adversity they had suffered in life, including injuries, and the quicker we accept that, the better societal bereavements and relationship breakdowns. They also attitudes we create to personal difficulties in general. completed measures of empathy and compassion, and Gina Wieringa the opportunity to donate some of their participation Final-year psychology student 02 fee to charity. The more adversity the participant University of York the psychologist january 2017 letters

It was so brilliant to read Vice President Jamie Hacker Hughes’s A welcome spirit of openness letter (November 2016) describing how he treasures the empathy with I have been inspired to write in response eating disorder, I think I was (paradoxically) more clients that comes from having his to the letter ‘Clinicians with mental health able to resist the pernicious distortions of diet, own experience of psychological difficulties’ (October 2016) and the candid eating behaviour and body image that we are health problems. Surely one of the response from Professor Jamie Hacker surrounded by when working with EDs. Thirdly, most important things psychology Hughes (November 2016). I have also historically at least, EDs have been viewed has to contribute to the mental been inspired to write after taking part in as chronic, entrenched and even untreatable health field is the idea that there is a qualitative research study with Shamini disorders. Having successfully overcome my no ‘them and us’: the alternatives are Sriskandarajah on the experiences of own ED(s), I’ve always had a strong belief in the not being ‘mentally ill’ or being ‘sane’ therapists with a history of eating disorders very real possibility of recovery, meaning that I (see @OnlyUsCampaign on Twitter). (EDs). I am a practising clinical psychologist always approached my clients’ difficulties from a Psychological health is a continuum who has experienced mental health problems, position of robust hope. that we all move up and down. The specifically anorexia nervosa (and a briefer I’ll add that I was later fortunate enough challenge for psychologists is to find episode of bulimia). I am happily now free to engage in my own course of (Jungian) ways of drawing helpfully on our own of both disorders and have been for many therapy (for separate issues). This has given me experiences, however extreme, in years. However, until now, I have not found invaluable experience as a client, as well as a the service of our clients, rather than the appropriate forum in which to share these unique role model as a therapist, both of which pretending they don’t exist. personal facts with professional colleagues – continue to guide my practice. Our current President, Peter so thank you for opening up the discussion. I hope this letter will further encourage Kinderman, has also written openly I know my experience of EDs influenced others to share with colleagues their personal about his emotions, his ‘particular my decision to specialise in the field, ultimately experiences of mental ill health. Such openness brain’ and having used mental health leading to a job as a psychologist with the can surely only strengthen our profession: services (e.g. see tinyurl.com/z7ayqx9). Maudsley Eating Disorder Service. I have often allowing us to better support each other, gain This new spirit of openness in the thought that my personal experiences gave me greater insight into the disorders we work with Society is hugely welcome and I hope some important advantages in my work there. on a daily basis, and reduce the stigma on mental that other professions follow suit. Firstly, not surprisingly, I have always found health by practising what we preach. Anne Cooke eating disorders easy to understand. I ‘get’ them. Dr Philippa East Salomons Centre for Applied Psych This, I’d say, is a helpful starting point for treating Chartered Psychologist in private practice Canterbury Christ Church University them. Secondly, having already overcome an Sleaford

Join a CLaN Around 20 psychologists, therapists, wellbeing practitioners and NHS managers met recently – the third meeting of the CLaN (Collaborative Learning Network) established as the main output from our British Psychological Society and New Savoy Charter on Psychological Wellbeing and promoting effective services support and mutual learning; to and Resilience. through models of ensuring good develop a network of influence and Past surveys from New Savoy and psychological wellbeing at work… awareness raising; to share and evolve the BPS have identified high levels co-creating compassionate workplaces the wellbeing tool and organisational of stress and feelings of depression and sustainable services, and… interventions; and much more. For amongst mental health professionals, through organisations committing to further information, find our blog post and these have been linked to the monitor and improve the psychological on the BPS website. We really need dominance of the ‘target culture’ wellbeing of their staff’. you, and the organisations that you in frontline services. Our resultant The latest survey is open until work for, on board. Charter, endorsed and supported 31 January at tinyurl.com/newsavbps. Jamie Hacker Hughes, Presidential Team Project by over 20 organisations, calls for ‘a The results will be reported at the Champion [email protected] resetting of the balance in the drive New Savoy Conference on 15 and Amra Rao, BPS Steering Group Lead to increase access to psychological 16 March. [email protected] therapy services…a greater focus The ClaN aims to build on this Jeremy Clarke, New Savoy Steering Group Lead on staff psychological wellbeing work to foster a culture of openness, [email protected] president’s letter Positive guidance to get through the maze I’ve quoted Albert Camus before, but he bears repetition I was saddened to read – ‘Psychology is action, not the ‘Opinion’ piece by thinking about oneself.’ The Della Sala and Cubelli charitable objects of the British (‘Entangled in an ethical Psychological Society include ‘to maze’, December promote the advancement and 2016) regarding the diffusion of a knowledge of psychology pure and difficulties psychology applied’. Our purpose is to benefit the general researchers’ experience public, rather then ourselves. These considerations with NHS Research Ethics apply to our avenues for communication – including Committees (RECs/ECs). The Psychologist itself. While they acknowledge It could be argued that The Psychologist is our ‘in- that their view is partial house’ magazine, serving as ‘the voice of the Society’. and ‘does not apply to Alternatively, since we pay for The Psychologist all ECs’, the tone of through our subscriptions, there’s an argument their article suggests that it should serve as the ‘voice of the members’. that they view these difficulties as making broad inferences about the I am much more strongly attracted to the second commonplace, and see ECs as a functioning of RECs on the basis of a option, but I would go further. Human societies (and hindrance, rather than as a support, few isolated experiences of individual Societies) have a tendency to become self-serving. to psychology research. researchers. However, it is no doubt For me, The Psychologist could best be seen as The authors take issue with the true that some RECs have limited having a responsibility beyond the Society, beyond the NHS Health Research Authority’s understanding of psychology and Members and more properly for the wider public. stated primary role as ‘protect(ing) and social science research. I endorse the We have recently relaunched the Society website promot(ing) the interests of patients authors’ view that a more collaborative – designed specifically to welcome and encourage and the public in health research’. relationship between RECs and members of the public to engage with psychology It appears to me that they fail to psychology researchers is highly and the work of psychologists ‘pure and applied’. As recognise that, while a significant desirable. A positive way forward is for we also relaunch The Psychologist, similar functions aspect of this has to do with protecting more psychologists (both academics are worth considering. I strongly favour the idea participants from potential harm and practitioners) to volunteer to that The Psychologist should serve the public first, (which they acknowledge can be a become members of RECs. That psychologists (the members of the Society) second, risk even in research that does not way, they would be able to educate and the Society itself only last. And it is perhaps involve new medicines), the other their fellow REC members (if they particularly important to ensure that The Psychologist component of the role is that of need education regarding psychology has the editorial freedom to question and challenge. supporting research that increases research…) as well as supporting Like Camus, I believe that academic and the body of knowledge, both within appropriate ethical psychology scientific disciplines are essentially about real life – the basic science and in relation research. and the very real challenges that face us all, perhaps to the development of treatments/ I have been an expert member especially now. Professions and scientific disciplines interventions that may be helpful to on a London REC for some time, advance though challenge. At best, statements of patients, and as such is in the public and our REC has two psychologist fact are treated as hypotheses to be tested rather interest. Such studies are thus not members. I would be surprised if any than accepted without question. Practitioners regarded as ‘inferior’ or less important psychologists who have presented and clinicians develop new approaches to helping than CTIMPS (Clinical Trial of an their proposed research to us feel that people in difficulty by proposing new formulations Investigational Medical Product). our committee has not understood or methods or approaches, explicitly competing with Indeed, some RECs are not ‘flagged’ the nature of the research, the need the status quo. An ‘in-house’ magazine that was to review CTIMPS, and, therefore focus for adequately powered studies, or not similarly able independently and fearlessly to exclusively on other research. the difference between a CTIMP and challenge received wisdom would fail to protect and The authors state that in order to psychological research. promote our discipline and profession. produce reliable and valid results, a Ann Malkin The Psychologist has become the place to find study needs to be adequately powered. Consultant Clinical Psychologist intelligent, topical, insightful, independent and It is a pity, therefore, to see them London critical voices in UK psychology. Long may it continue.

Peter Kinderman is President of the British Prize Crossword no.89 – Winner Psychological Society. PresidentsOffi[email protected] Barbra Hughes from Harrogate will receive a £50 BPS Blackwell book token. or follow him on Twitter @peterkinderman We are considering whether the crossword has a place in the new style 04 Psychologist – happy to be swayed by the weight of public opinion. the psychologist january 2017 letters Multiple choices on assessment I am worried about the lack of use of multiple-choice My impression is that psychologists who want to use question (MCQ) exams in psychology assessments across MCQ exams are often asked to justify their assessment the UK, both at undergraduate and master’s levels. method, whereas such a justification is never asked In many other countries (e.g. the Netherlands and for essay-style exams. This is not only inconsistent, but the USA), as well as in other disciplines in the UK (e.g. also unfair, because the most popular exam type in UK medicine), the use of MCQs is extensive because of psychology, the essay-style exam, has considerable assessment advantages, such as: (1) MCQ exams have shortcomings, including the lack of explicit criteria in many questions, which means that the exams can cover the marking, fluctuations in the markers’ attention and energy whole range of material covered; this encourages students throughout the process, and the inherent advantage for to engage with all of the course material; (2) marking is those who have good verbal skills and can write fast (even a 100% reliable; (3) the relation between answers and though those skills in and of themselves are irrelevant grades is unambiguous; (4) there is, in principle, a realistic to the examined subject). Further, essay-style exams possibility of gaining the highest (but also lowest) grade. rarely cover the full breadth of a module, which raises MCQ exams are regularly criticised for the wrong the question of how we can be certain graduates have the reasons. For example, some argue that MCQs are too desired skills and knowledge. easy or that they do not require critical thinking. In fact, There is no doubt that essay questions serve a good the ease of MCQ exams depends on the difficulty of the purpose, but no one should automatically assume that they questions and scoring algorithm; a good MCQ exam has are better or preferred over MCQ exams. In this respect, questions from a range of difficulty levels. Further, there is the UK can learn much from countries that use MCQ no reason why MCQs cannot tap into critical thinking skills. exams extensively and are also known for their high-quality This is well illustrated by some of the most sophisticated psychological research and teaching. and best designed international educational surveys using Gijsbert Stoet MCQs, such as the Programme for International Student Professor in Psychology Assessment. Leeds Beckett University

Dr Ian C. Murphy (1936–2016)

We were extremely saddened by the loss of Ian Murphy who died on 6 September, after a long-standing illness. During this time he was cared for with unwavering dedication and compassion by his wife Doreen. Ian gained an honours degree in psychology from the University of Sheffield at the age of 22. His doctoral research explored psychophysiological stress responses in mentally abnormal offenders. Ian’s first post as a clinical psychologist was at the Whitely Wood Clinic in Sheffield, then a unit for people diagnosed with the ‘neuroses’ and home of the university’s Psychiatry Department. Ian’s next post was at Sheffield’s Child Guidance Clinic where he worked for nine years, learning psychotherapy along Jungian lines. Ian then returned to work for the NHS, initially at St John’s Hospital in Lincoln, transferring after a year to Shirle Hill Hospital in Sheffield where he stayed until his retirement, working with children with serious and intractable mental health problems. With an appetite for work, Ian always carried a colleagues who shared his view of what it meant to be a large outpatient caseload, directly referred by local GPs, professional. He strongly believed in ‘managing’ his junior neurologists, psychiatrists and paediatricians, this in colleagues by discussing our issues, but we did not feel addition to his inpatient work. For many years he also over-managed. It felt more as if we were ‘looked after’. worked half a day a week in each of two GP surgeries This was in contrast to the mainstream management consulting to adult clients. style at the time. For us those were golden days. One of Ian’s special interests for several years was Ian had little truck with bureaucratic fashions and the group psychotherapy, running psychotherapy groups for self-aggrandising behaviour of colleagues who had strayed adults in the evenings and for adolescents in the day. His away from keeping clients at the forefront of practice. ease of contact was a great therapeutic asset and it was A wonderful blend of mischief, stubbornness and accompanied by great interpersonal sensitivity. He would compassion made him particularly effective when working ensure no individual‘s efforts to be heard were missed. in challenging and complex scenarios, none more so than in Ian had the ability to mask his shyness. Long before the family courts. Many children were given the opportunity coming across researched techniques for managing social to achieve their potential and now function as healthy adults anxiety Ian had developed the skill of shifting attention away thanks to Ian’s persistence, his preparedness to take a from himself by focusing on others in conversation. He was long-term perspective on change, and his willingness to a wonderful listener. go the extra mile. From the perspective on those of us who were his Outside of work Ian had been a talented musician trainee clinical psychologists, and later as qualified clinical including church organist. In keeping with his modest psychologists who worked with him, Ian was fastidious manner, personal knowledge of him came slowly, but like in his work with clients; his overarching approach was a good novel he showed rather than told. We shall miss his one which focused on, and indeed celebrated, individual counsel, his sense of the ridiculous, and his compassion. differences. His style as mentor, supervisor, and coach was David Briggs, Nigel Hopkins and Caroline Lovelock full of humour, tolerance and empathy. Ian worked best with Chartered Psychologists in private practice

Dr Allan McNeill (1958–2016)

As well as being a gifted academic with a genuine passion and enthusiasm for psychology, Allan McNeill, who died in September at the age of 57 after great many colleagues directed forensic enquiries his way. a long battle with cancer, was also a very special human being. Ask anyone He was brilliant in this role – a safe pair of hands when who knew him what they remember about him and a host of stories emerge. describing the most relevant research findings. Most of Who knows for example, how many people believed him, that ‘haggis’ was a the time he delivered unwelcome news saying, ‘No – you little Scottish, flightless bird with one leg shorter than the other from walking can’t reliably make an identification from that evidence’, around the hills in one direction! but his authority and affability made him a very popular His love of people and talking to them was almost expert witness. A couple of times, Allan and Mike went to legendary, whether you were eight, eighteen or eighty if you see bands in the Barrowlands, a legendary Glasgow venue. were privileged enough to be in his presence, you could be He seemed to know everyone there, and he cut through sure of an interesting and lively conversation focused on the crowds – that friendly authority again. Allan achieved you. Allan loved people and being around them, and he had something not often managed by 57-year-old academics. that gift of making you feel really listened to and important. He was cool. One thing that defined Allan was his love of music. In When Allan died, he was a senior lecturer at Glasgow his teenage years and early twenties he had an exciting but Caledonian University and a devoted fighter for the workers’ short-lived musical career as a guitarist in a punk-rock union. For many years he had also been a stalwart member band with a prominent name ‘Johnny and the Self Abusers’, of the BPS Cognitive Section Committee, most recently which later became a founding basis of ‘The Simple Minds’. as Treasurer, providing fascinating research by day and He then went on to open a recording studio in Berkeley unforgettably good company by night at the Section’s Street in Glasgow in the early 1980s. Many people passed Annual Conference. Allan in a kilt at the conference ceilidh through his doors but one day two young lads turned up. in 2012 was classic Allan. The two teenagers were Pat and Greg Kane and that was In recent years, Allan found deep happiness in his the beginning of Hue and Cry. Allan thought they were too personal life with fellow psychologist Dr Monika McNeill, good to let them get lost in the jungle of the music business whom he married in a ceremony on the Isle of Arran in and he became their manager. December 2015. As well as Monika, Allan leaves behind Later, Allan went on to re-invent himself and became three children Mhairi, Lewis and Caitlin, his father Joe, a psychologist. He undertook his PhD with Professor sister Elizabeth and a host of friends and colleagues Mike Burton, with whom he became friends. For years he whose lives were richer for having him in them. 06 represented academic face research in the courts, and a Sue Sherman, Mike Burton and Monika McNeill the psychologist january 2017 letters guidance simple uncomplicated consultation reassurance civil protect flexible safe tailored support cover public specialist liability easy interpreting legal professional servicetranslation individual Indemnity confidence

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http://dementiaandimagination.org.uk/

Countering hopelessness and frustration

ementia now stands as the leading cause of death in The BPS report suggests that to help people live DEngland and Wales for the first time, overtaking heart well with dementia we need a better understanding of disease, but what can be done to tackle this devastating its psychological impact. The BPS Dementia Advisory condition and to improve the experiences of those living Group authored the report, which stressed that dementia with it? A recent British Psychological Society report, affects a person’s sense of identity, how they think and Psychological Dimensions of Dementia: Putting the Person behave, their mood and their personality. Among their at the Centre of Care, highlights the areas where action is recommendations, the authors suggest those with needed to improve both understanding and care. We spoke dementia should be supported in making their own care to one of its authors about the role psychologists can play decisions as far as possible, that their care and treatment in improving dementia care and why this report has come should be tailored to individual needs and circumstances at a crucial time. and that families and carers should be included in care Figures released by the Office for National Statistics planning at all times and have access to psychological showed dementia was the cause of 61,000 deaths in 2015. support. The report also emphasises that a person’s care This shift may be down to both an ageing population and should involve perspectives and inputs of practitioners better diagnosis by doctors – the condition is now also from various disciplines. given more weight on death certificates, according to a Professor Linda Clare, Chair of the Dementia Advisory BBC report. Although rates of dementia seem to be falling Group, said psychologists have a key role in ensuring in some countries it still affects around 850,000 people dementia care is as integrated and multidisciplinary as in the UK as well as having huge implications for the possible. ‘One key skill that psychologists bring is that 10 families and friends of those affected. of formulation – drawing together all the information the psychologist january 2017 news about an individual gained through an assessment, and British Psychological Society Book Award using psychological theory to provide a framework for describing and understanding an individual’s needs. The 2016 winners of the British Psychological Society This understanding is essential in developing a tailored Book Awards have been announced. Awards were split care plan that can optimally support that individual into four categories. and/or family, which would integrate the contribution of different disciplines.’ Academic Monograph: Modern Families: Parents and In our approach to supporting and caring for Children in New Family Forms by Susan Golombok people living with dementia and their families, Clare Nominated by Cambridge University Press said, we should listen to what they find helpful as Popular Science: Black Sheep: The Hidden Benefits of well as assessing the research evidence about what Being Bad by Richard Stephens is effective. She gave some examples of how this Nominated by Hodder & Co may look in practice: ‘For people in the early stages, Practitioner Text: Working with Brain Injury – A Primer for individual support with everyday activities to help Psychologists Working in Under-resourced Settings by Rudi maintain functional ability, using a rehabilitation Coetzer and Ross Balchin approach, can help people remain independent for Nominated by Taylor & Francis longer. For people with severe dementia living in Textbook: A History of the Brain – From Stone Age Surgery residential homes, deploying care staff to spend short to Modern Neuroscience by Andrew P. Wickens periods engaging people with dementia in personally Nominated by Taylor & Francis meaningful activities instead of, say, completing paperwork, could reduce the incidence of behavioural Professor Daryl O’Connor, Chair of the BPS Research problems.’ Board, said: ‘It was a great honour to chair the BPS Book There is much stigma still attached to a diagnosis Award committee this year. The number, the breadth and of dementia, leaving many sufferers feeling isolated; standard of submissions were incredibly impressive. We according to the 2012 World Alzheimer Report, the were particularly pleased to receive a large number of very idea that nothing can be done to help people with nominations in each of four categories. As a result, the dementia often leads to hopelessness and frustration. committee had a difficult and challenging task in choosing Clare suggested that we should listen to and learn the winners. Well done to the winning authors.’ from people living with dementia. She said many with early-stage dementia do incredible work advocating On our website, find an extract from Susan Golombok’s for the types of support and services they find helpful. book; we are discussing extracts/articles/interviews with ‘We need to extend this thinking to consider the needs the other winning authors. of people with severe dementia. People with severe dementia are the last group in society whom we deem it acceptable, by virtue of their health condition, to place in institutions where, for some, there is a risk that they will experience woefully inadequate care.’ A busy month for… Hugo Spiers This report has come at a crucial time for both dementia care and research, as the condition is ‘It was a crazy experience announcing currently a priority among charities and policymakers. the first results from Sea Hero Quest, There has been a noticeable shift in focus in recent our mobile game where anyone can help times towards developing effective drug treatments scientists fight dementia. We guessed we and improving the quality of care people receive. The would get some media attention after the development of the new Dementia Research Institute interest we’d had at launch, but this time is under way and extra funding from the Alzheimer’s the coverage was larger and more intense. Society, which will be launching an ambitious new ‘The day of my talk at Neuroscience 2016 I woke at strategy next year, has ensured that the Dementia 6am in San Diego, gave the talk at 9.30am, then a flight to Research Institute will cover care and public health London, where I was whisked (after a quick shave) to BBC as well as biomedical research. World News for interview. It was somewhat disorienting Professor Clare concluded: ‘This is an important talking about disorientation on the BBC after all that. opportunity to put the person with dementia at the ‘I was unsure how the gender difference and country centre of our work, which aims to understand more differences might be presented by the press – e.g. about the condition – its causes and mechanisms, its “Brits beat French and Germans at navigation” – but the effect on cognition, and its impact on people’s lives coverage was amazingly well considered (e.g. see tinyurl. – and about what kinds of care, services, community com/hmbp97w). It was also amazing to see Chelsea initiatives and informal support make a difference.’ ER Clinton tweet the story to her 1.24 million followers!’

Some of Dr Spiers' (University College London) research Full report: tinyurl.com/j5lv9qc. An earlier interview on navigation, with Anna Jafarpour, was covered recently with Professor Clare: tinyurl.com/jpxauv8 on our Research Digest; see tinyurl.com/jhmmruz mental health through his documentaries, music, Mind awards autobiography and media work. Professor Green has committed to putting a spotlight on male suicide, his This year’s Mind Media Awards, which honour the best documentary Professor Green: Suicide and Me, also portrayals and reporting of mental health in the media, featured leader of the University of Glasgow’s Suicidal saw Professor Green, ITV and many journalists receive Behaviour Research Lab Professor Rory O’Connor. awards for their work. Green said: ‘I realised that the biggest part of Among the many notable winners were My Baby, the problem with the stigma that surrounds mental Psychosis and Me, which won the documentary award for health issues, and in particular suicide, is that people its portrayal of two women who suffered from postpartum don’t admit how they feel, they’re not honest about it psychosis. Journalists were also honoured for their so I just thought ‘spit it out’. I think the most important work in bringing mental health stories to the public eye; thing is that we raise awareness, and after awareness Michael Buchanan was presented with the award for will come understanding.’ ER journalist of the year for his collection of original stories for BBC News illustrating the significant problems at Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust. To read our Editor Jon Sutton’s review of Professor Stephen Manderson, better known as musician Green’s documentary see: tinyurl.com/glen5ko Professor Green, was awarded the Making a Difference For a review of My Baby, Psychosis and Me see award for his dedication to campaigning about men’s tinyurl.com/gnoh6zj

‘There are so many ways to share research’

A psychologist with a passion for spreading the word about primary schools across Scotland. The Gow encouraged any researcher research and the effects of ageing on the brain has been workshops took students and pupils or academic with an interest in awarded the 2016 British Psychological Society Public through examples of media reports public engagement to get involved. Engagement and Media Award. of research, each highlighting the He suggested speaking to public Dr Gow (Heriot-Watt University) said he was lucky need to read beyond the headline. engagement departments within to be in a subject area that is as appealing to most This project is also to be extended for universities for advice on the kinds people as psychology: ‘People are broadly interested older adults thanks to further British of events and opportunities that are in understanding themselves and Academy funding. out there. He said: ‘People shouldn’t others. When researching some of Gow has also held multiple talks feel they have to do it in one form the big questions around mental speaking about his research area – or another, there are so many ways health or wellbeing we really do have the ageing brain and how thinking to share one’s own research or talk an audience ready to hear what we skills change over time, including at more broadly about research in have to share, and discuss those the annual BPS Psychology4Students general. If people are starting out for issues too,’ he added. event. In August 2015 he performed the first time in public engagement Among his many public and ‘The Great British Brain Off’ at the I’d suggest they get involved with media engagement projects across Edinburgh Festival Fringe as part something that’s already established the years one in particular stands of Edinburgh Beltane’s Cabaret of at first, such as a Festival or Fringe out. Gow and colleague Sinead Dangerous Ideas, a show exploring the event organised by their public Rhodes developed the Research the factors that might protect or harm the engagement colleagues, so they Headlines blog (see tinyurl.com/ ageing brain. have a safe space to try it out for jp2dp8v), which both posts on new More recently Gow and colleagues the first time before becoming more research but also teaches readers have launched the What Keeps You independent.’ to think critically and be aware of Sharp? survey, a nationwide survey of Gow said people will find they are how research can become skewed in people’s beliefs and understanding pushing against an open door if they mainstream media, or even before it about how thinking skills might start to look into public engagement. reaches that stage. change with age, and whether they He added: ‘Some colleagues, who Later Rhodes and Gow secured think there are lifestyle factors that may not be interested so much in funding from the British Academy influence those changes. The survey, public speaking, might be great on to run the initiative Rewrite the Gow says, will reveal what people social media so that’s their thing, or Headlines. This series of workshops have understood from science some of my colleagues are excellent led by colleagues from the Young communication around thinking and writers so blogging becomes theirs. Academy of Scotland was held ageing and what remains unclear, It’s about finding the right platform in universities for undergraduate and may help scientists better for you, but I really think there’s 12 students and in more than 90 communicate messages in the future. something for everyone.’ ER the psychologist january 2017 news Are empathic people more altruistic?

There’s been surprisingly little research to test whether measuring someone’s empathy levels in a questionnaire actually predicts the likelihood they will show real-life altruism. That’s what Richard Bethlehem and his colleagues have done A pioneer in the understanding of human memory for a new study in Social their journey, and took an has been awarded the 2016 John Maddox Prize. Neuroscience, in which they email address for sending Professor Elizabeth Loftus was awarded the prize staged a bicycle accident questionnaires to tap for courage in promoting science and evidence on along a university footpath. empathy levels and more. a matter of public interest, despite facing difficulty The results provide some Of the 1067 eligible and hostility in doing so. of the first evidence that people, 55 subsequently Loftus, a cognitive psychologist at the empathy is correlated with agreed to talk to the University of California, Irvine, is recognised altruism ‘in the wild’. second observer and take for her decades of research looking into false Like secret agents on part in the study. Of these, memory and has faced both personal attacks and a surveillance mission, 29 per cent had stopped to attempts to undermine her professional status the researchers placed help the cyclist (compared and research. She is perhaps best known for work observers in two discreet with just 7 per cent of the on the misinformation effect, which demonstrates positions opposite and after entire sample of 1067). that the memories of eyewitnesses are altered the staged bike accident Analysis of the participants’ after being exposed to incorrect information about scene (in which the cyclist later questionnaire scores an event. was sitting on the ground, showed that empathy In addition to her research – Loftus, who also wincing and rubbing his scores were correlated with sits on The Psychologist’s International Panel – ankle). The first observer real-life altruism – that has appeared as an expert witness in numerous took notes on all passersby is, the good Samaritans courtrooms, consulting or providing expert approaching the crash, and scored much higher on witness testimony for hundreds of cases. Her signalled to the second empathy than the non- findings have altered the course of legal history, observer, positioned in a helpers (average score in showing that memory is not only unreliable, but concealed location after 56/80, versus 20/80). also mutable. the crash, whether the next This study stands out The John Maddox Prize, now in its fifth year, person to pass the scene because it was conducted is a joint initiative of journal Nature, the Kohn was physically unimpaired outside of the psych lab. Foundation, and the charity Sense about Science, and on their own, making ‘These types of real-life and is awarded to one or two people a year. The them eligible for the study. settings have become late Sir John Maddox, was editor of Nature for The second observer extremely scarce,’ the 22 years and a founding trustee of Sense about then noted if an eligible researchers said. The Science. passerby helped the cyclist findings suggest that Previous winners of the award include or not (if approached, the most people do not stop to Professor of Psychiatry Simon Wessely (2012) cyclist said he was fine and help a stranger, and that for his work in the field of ME (chronic fatigue just resting) and, either among the factors affecting syndrome); Professor David Nutt (2013); and, way, she approached and our willingness to help in 2014 Emily Willingham, a US writer who asked this person to take – including the culture brought discussion about evidence, from school part in a memory study we are raised in, and shootings to home birth, to large audiences – this was to conceal the how rushed we feel – our through her writing. ER true aims of the research. empathy levels remain an If they agreed, they became important influence. a study participant, and the To read our 2012 interview with Professor Loftus observer then asked this Christian Jarrett for the see tinyurl.com/znbptju person questions about Research Digest memorable features of www.bps.org.uk/digest Liminality, love and the stuff of life

Jon Sutton reports from the British Psychological Society’s when 12 things go wrong.’ respect, and this had a huge impact Psychology4Students event in Sheffield. What helped Anne, Deary’s on Vermes’ client’s self-acceptance. Liminality, said Dr Vincent Deary 20-year-old case study? Re- Make the most of your lump of gold, in the first talk of the day, can be evaluation, seeking closeness/help Vermes advised, and cherish the described as a state of ‘no longer/ from those she had until now devoted ways you do not fit. If you have an not yet’. It’s a space in our lives where her life to helping, allowing herself idea where you’re going, you will find the old self-narrative does not fit any some pleasure/comfort. Anne’s a way. longer, and the new narrative has not employers hadn’t helped: ‘She was yet emerged. Liminality may arise just a broken fuse in the company Solutions from life transitions, challenging system, they wanted to know when Professor Rebecca Lawthom, our sense of who we are. Such they could replace it.’ Interestingly, a community psychologist at transitions bring people into therapy. Deary had described Anne as a ‘stoic Manchester Metropolitan University, They can also provide conditions for coper’, but now said her anger was had a slightly different take on this. transformation and growth. I was useful: ‘I think we underrate anger.’ Yes, people often have the solution struck by how Deary’s descriptions And such anger is certainly to their own problems, but often they could be applied to the patients in his understandable. We live, argued just haven’t got the resources to NHS Fatigue Clinic, to the assembled Deary, in a volatile, uncertain, complex enact those solutions. The community audience of sixth-formers, and – as and ambiguous world. Resilience might be their lump of gold. ‘The time the day unfolded – perhaps even to training is everywhere, but, as Deary is right’ for community psychology, the discipline of psychology itself. pointed out, this idea that you need Lawthom argued: ‘Inequality hurts.’ Before Deary, BPS President armour for modern life is basically an This isn’t going to be easy, Professor Peter Kinderman had admission that it’s war. We need to Lawthom cautioned the aspiring drawn on his excellent blog [tinyurl. understand the lives of the ‘Precariat’, psychologists. ‘Working with humans com/jtebdmf] to argue that ‘the and Deary clearly feels that ‘as is like trying to do chemistry with dirty separation of falsehood from truth is psychologists we can be too quick test tubes. We’ve all got grime… let very important to place the locus of the issue in the the messiness begin!’ Psychologists for our society’, individual’. should be ‘nailing their flag to the perhaps more Case studies and stories also mast’, she said, ‘saying we believe now than ever. featured in the next talk, from in justice, that it should be more ‘We have our Caroline Vermes, a counselling fairly distributed’. This requires a own distinctive psychologist in training who also focus on the micro, meso and macro responsibilities manages a not-for-profit psychology systems we take for granted in in helping enterprise. Vermes is an art history order to understand and transform analyse and graduate, and says that the subject them. Central concepts are justice, understand has enriched her life, work and stewardship, empowerment. these collective thinking enormously. Volunteering at Personally, I am totally on board social hiccups.’ an eating disorders charity in the US with this, and we have featured a This is the stuff of life, he said: (a seed perhaps sown by a childhood lot of community psychology in The psychology is quintessentially a friend with bulimia) paved the way for Psychologist over the years (see subject about us. her own quest, to help people who https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/ Back to Deary, who showed what want to make changes in their life. festival-community-psychology). But happens when our own ‘hiccups’ Vermes told different versions of a here’s what I think is interesting. really take hold. The people he sees ‘riches to rags’ moral tale, to illustrate Has the discipline truly embraced have been bounced from pillar to the circumstances that surround a such approaches? Are we in a post, in a system not too kind to those person’s ability to make change, or liminal state, ‘no longer/not yet’? experiencing profound physical and not. A lump of gold became creative So much of course depends on the emotional exhaustion: ‘the kind of potential, and the quest turned next generation of psychologists, tiredness which is just your body towards self-acceptance in work and and the signs are not encouraging. saying “enough”’. Deary draws on relationships. To the client Vermes Throughout the day I mingled, and elements of ‘story’ to make sense of described, her value lay in her ability more than once heard comments what has happened to such people – to control – appearance, weight, diet. along the lines of ‘There was, like, narratives of restitution, quest, chaos. She was able to tell Vermes that her loads of words and that… it’s not Borrowing an analogy from sound relationship with her dad was marked really psychology though is it, it’s just engineering, Deary spoke of ‘corner by angry standoffs… through four talking and stuff.’ cases’ and ‘edge cases’: ‘A meltdown sessions with the pair of them, the If such thoughts are at all 14 isn’t when one thing goes wrong, it’s dad came to express admiration and representative, then that’s a great the psychologist january 2017 news

what you like; identify criteria that matter; and then settle for whoever best satisfies all your criteria. If you’re not that attracted to them, don’t sweat it; the ‘mere exposure effect’ will kick in. Although talking of sweat, have a good sniff… the major histocompatibility complex, a collection of proteins created by genes that play an important role in immunity, may be key to attraction and long-term compatibility. ‘You cannot escape the fact that biology has a profound effect on everything we do,’ Coulson concluded. Dr Vincent Deary: We live in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world If that seems quite a contrast to some of the earlier talks, Coulson shame. Because as more than one someone is talking bullshit it’s not did leave the door open for wider speaker emphasised, the need for just useless, it’s worse than useless’. influences. Forget opposites attract, an approach to psychology that takes And to ensure you’re not talking similarity – pretty much however you a practical approach to root causes bullshit, Boon says you must have measure it – is way more important. of injustice, in natural settings, is a framework, and one that leads to That can include values and interests, obvious. ‘The work is doing,’ Lawthom testable hypotheses. socio-economic group, approaches said; ‘and then we reflect on that Boon’s framework is one of to everyday life. And once you’ve activity.’ Her projects with forced psychological growth, and how it decided that ‘this is my jam’, labour in the Chinese community, and can be thwarted. Caringness, open testosterone and oestrogen may see disabled older people, were powerful lovingness, empathy, balance in you through ‘lust’; dopamine and examples. ‘The funder wanted us relationships, respect, consistency, serotonin through ‘romance’; to look at work,’ she admitted. goal setting: all are determinants of oxytocin might help with the ‘The people wanted to talk about growth, the building blocks of trust ‘commitment’. But if you’re not relationships. Family, connectedness.’ in relationships, and without them wary of the ‘Four Horsemen of people build a protective wall. Also the Communication Apocalypse’ Uncertainty and imperfection key is uncertainty: ‘Don’t seek it out, – ignoring, contempt, criticism, I’m sure the next speaker, Dr Julian that’s psychopathic; don’t try to live defensiveness – then all the biology Boon (University of Leicester), won’t without it, that’s sadism. Just learn to in the world won’t help you. mind me describing him as rather live with it.’ In bigging up the biology, more old school. Sure, relationships Also encouraging us to live with Coulson had said that psychology and the context are central to his life’s grime and perfect imperfection is ‘not just about people and cuddly thinking on offender profiling – ‘I tried was Dr Mark Coulson (Middlesex ideas’. As the next generation of like hell with the Blair government University), the day’s final speaker. psychologists filtered out of the to make kindergarten education Fresh from his work on TV’s Married Mercure Hotel, I wondered what compulsory,’ he said, ‘an oasis where at First Sight (yes, just how it sounds), they thought psychology is about. I children from chaotic backgrounds he drew on decades of experimental often wonder whether our discipline can learn consistency.’ But really evidence to show how to find the remains in a liminal state, in a space his environment is behind the eyes: perfect partner (and keep them). searching for a narrative that fits, ‘Welcome to my world,’ he warned, Despite the abundance of red at a time when transformation and ‘the dark side of the personality.’ hearts on his PowerPoint, I wouldn’t growth are needed more than ever. For more than 30 years, Boon’s say Coulson’s approach is the most Or perhaps it has always been so. approach to helping the police with romantic. Treat pair bonding like As Professor Kinderman had said their enquiries has been a mix of all choosing a jam, he suggests. More in his introduction, quoting Martin the stereotypes: Sherlock Holmes/ choice is not always good – if you’re Luther King Jr’s 1967 address to the Miss Marple/Father Brown/Poirot/ holding out for that ‘Tinderbolt’ (neat) American Psychological Association – Cracker/Silence of the Lambs. Given from the blue, that ‘soulmate’, you’re ‘There comes a time when one must how ‘hopelessly overwhelmed’ the likely to have a long wait. Don’t expect take a stand that is neither safe, nor police are, anything from a non-police perfection; try out a few varieties politic, nor popular. But one must side is ‘gold dust’ – but equally, ‘if to get a feel for things; work out take it because it is right.’ We have an unfortunate tendency to assume we’re morally superior to others

‘How did our politics get so poisonous? We drank too much of the poison. themselves on these different domains then, if they were There’s a gentle high to the condemnation. And you know you’re right, right? being logical about it, the more they should have socially You know you’re right.’ – Stephen Colbert projected and assumed that when they were high on a Wrapping up his coverage of the US election, CBS TV host Colbert touched trait, the average person would be too. on something that may hold true even beyond partisan politics: most of us As a rule, the participants engaged in social projection, seem to think we’re more moral than other people. Now a study in Social which helped them to rate others accurately. But in the Psychological and Personality Science has provided fresh evidence supporting morality domain, the participants should have socially Colbert’s observation. Our tendency to see ourselves as better than average – projected much more than they did. Instead, their ratings already well-established in psychology in relation to things were influenced by the desirability of the moral traits, like driving ability and attractiveness – applies to our meaning that participants rated particularly prized traits sense of our own morality, more strongly than it does to like trustworthiness as 6.1 for themselves, but only 4.3 for other aspects of ourselves. And the new research shows others. Traits like competence and warmth in the other just how irrational this really is. domains were also highly prized, but people didn’t inflate There are some contexts where it makes sense to view their scores here in the same way. In short, we seem your own qualities as unusual. The most obvious is when especially prone to seeing ourselves as morally superior. you can make a clear comparison, such as knowing your Sometimes mismatches between ratings of self and IQ is 140 and that the average is 100. The second, raised others have a rational basis, but not when it comes to our by study authors Ben Tappin and Ryan McKay, is when moral superiority, where we are led away from accuracy you know you are strong on a trait, with no reason to think by our desire to be a certain way. The researchers point that should be typical of others. If it strikes me one day out that it’s particularly easy to make this kind of error that I have a peculiar strength – say that I’m far better at when it comes to morality because we aren’t privy to other observing canine hunger than any other doggy state – it people’s motivations, yet routinely rationalise our own wouldn’t make sense to assume that everyone else has actions and lapses. this peculiar skill too. Since the discovery of these kinds of ‘positivity But in other contexts, it’s irrational to assume illusions’, scholars have argued that they prop up that our own skills are unusual. Imagine I’m very kind our wellbeing, but in this dataset, these irrational and nurturing to kittens, much more so than I am to enhancements of moral superiority were not associated cockroaches. Without a Kitten-Kindness psych-test score with greater wellbeing or self-esteem. Perhaps we expect proving I’m objectively superior, and knowing full well that feeling morally superior will give us peace of mind… that most people have a fondness for softer, non-vermin but ultimately, it doesn’t deliver. Something to remind animals, then to presume I’m special in this area would ourselves of in these trying political times. be irrational. It would make more sense to either drop my own self-rating, or award high ratings on this trait to Alex Fradera, Research Digest: www.bps.org.uk/digest everyone. This balancing-out is called social projection – if I do it, similar people probably do it as well. The question Tappin and McKay set out to test is whether we view our morality, as compared with other traits, more like kitten cuddling or dog perception; that CREST funding communicating evidence is, whether we see our own moral virtues as special or if opportunity for impact. instead we socially project and assume others are like us. Applicants should The researchers recruited 270 participants from an After successfully funding propose work that online portal and asked them to rate themselves and the 10 projects last year, the addresses one of 15 average person on 30 traits, and to rate the desirability Centre for Research and topics, including behaviour of each one. A third of the traits related to the domain Evidence on Security change, information of morality (e.g. honest, principled), a third sociability Threats (CREST), led by disclosure in online or (warm, family oriented) and a third agency (hard-working, Lancaster University, is virtual environments, competent), and Tappin and McKay computed how similar seeking to fund innovative, and enhancing long-term each participant was to the rest of the sample on each of forward-looking, economic, memory for complex these domains. The more similar the participants rated behavioural and social events. The funding is science research. either for short projects, Individual researchers (up to six months), and long and research teams are projects (no more than 12 eligible to apply. Successful months). ER New online: ‘Rats stop laughing when they are in dangerous situations. We applicants will become humans should allow ourselves to stop laughing sometimes, too.’ – Professor part of CREST’s larger Sophie Scott (Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London) on research programme, For more information see President-Elect Trump and more, in ‘That joke isn’t funny anymore’. Also see benefiting from resources tinyurl.com/hg67bcm; 16 ‘A time for much thought and new action?’ www.thepsychologist.org.uk for translating and deadline 31 January 2017 the psychologist january 2017 news

A Professor of Child Mental Health has visited six continents in six weeks as part of a project to establish a model of helping children who have suffered trauma and adversity. Panos Vostanis (University of Leicester) has worked with NGOs, orphanages and other specialist centres developing a standardised approach that can be used with children who may have limited, or no, access to specialist trauma services. This new model has six levels: safety and child protection; nurturing environments; building resilience through schools and communities; applying principles of therapeutic approaches in schools and other group settings; trauma- focused interventions adapted for children; and the use of limited mental health resources. During his tour of Greece, Turkey, Indonesia, Australia, the USA, Brazil, Kenya and Tanzania, Vostanis explained the model to NGOs and others who work with children who have experienced adversity and trauma It is only in relatively recent times, Vostanis said, that research has revealed that children can recall traumatic events. He added: ‘The differences between children and adults in processing trauma are developmental; the main difference is to work with children you have to work through adults, which includes the parents and other caregivers and professionals and communities.’ Vostanis, who has spent the majority of his career working as a child psychiatrist, said in every centre he visited psychologists were the largest group represented. He added: ‘It's not easy to contribute to these kinds of situations, but psychologists have a role in applying their interventions to more difficult environments and contexts.’ ER

Influential neuroscientists

Two UK psychologists, both members citations all involve brain imaging, but based imaging we are now beginning of the British Psychological Society, they concern psychological topics, to relate cognitive processes to neural have appeared in a list of the top 10 such as social cognition, empathy and mechanisms.’ most influential neuroscientists. We working memory.’ Professor Robbins joked: ‘There spoke to Professors Trevor Robbins Frith has said he ‘got into human must be a bug in their computer (University of Cambridge) and Chris functional brain imaging very early’, program!’ He then told us: ‘I was Frith (University College London). making it possible to ‘be first to do proud to be the highest ranked The citation analysis called many of the obvious studies'. ‘One of (i) Experimental Psychologist Semantic Scholar (see www. the attractions of brain imaging for (ii) Behavioural Neuroscientist semanticscholar.org) is an online me was the number of disciplines (the only one of the 10 working tool built at the Allen Institute for required: physicists, anatomists, with animals) and (iii) a non card- Artificial Intelligence (AI2) in Seattle, statisticians among others,’ he told carrying Brain Imager (although I do Washington. Oren Etzioni, CEO of AI2, us. ‘Psychology had a very important collaborate in using these methods in claims that Semantic Scholar sees role from the start.’ He believes some projects).’ He added: ‘I was also much more than the typical academic brain imaging has had such a large proud that the UK scored four out of search engine. ‘We are using impact that ‘this is sometimes the top 10 in view of our generally machine learning, natural language difficult to see. I remember when lower levels of infra-structural processing, and [machine] vision to clinical neuropsychologists were research funding (despite the great begin to delve into the semantics,’ he asked to use their paper-and- contribution of the Wellcome Trust told ScienceInsider (see tinyurl.com/ pencil tests to infer the location of in supporting my own research). semschol). a brain lesion. Meanwhile cognitive Furthermore, all four of us include Professor Robbins ranked neuropsychologists were drawing behaviour as a crucial variable in our fourth; Professor Chris Frith was box and arrow diagrams of the research, showing the robust health at number seven. Professors Karl cognitive processes that were of research on psychology in relation Friston and Raymond Dolan, also revealed by detailed behavioural to the brain in the UK. Let’s hope it University College London, have a studies of patients with lesions. can continue.’ JS more psychiatric background. Also in We did not expect that within a few the top 10 were US-based professors years we would be able to measure of psychology Randy Buckner and and localise activity in the brains Read more comments from Jonathan Cohen. of healthy volunteers. The paper- Professors Robbins and Frith in Professor Frith (see also p.54) told and-pencil tests became scanning the online version of this piece, and us: ‘I would see this as recognition paradigms and the boxes and arrows search our archive for full interviews for me as a psychologist. The high could be localised. Using model- with both. Organised by BPS Conferences

BPS conferences are committed to ensuring value for money, careful budgeting and sustainability

Conference Date Venue Website Division of Occupational Psychology 4–6 Jan Hilton, Liverpool www.bps.org.uk/dop2017

Division of Clinical Psychology 18–20 Jan Hilton Liverpool www.bps.org.uk/dcp2017

Faculty for People with Intellectual Disabilities 29–31 March Hilton Sheffield www.bps.org.uk/fpid2017

Annual Conference 3–5 May Hilton Brighton Metropole www.bps.org.uk/ac2017

Division of Forensic Psychology 13–15 June Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel www.bps.org.uk/dfp2017

Qualitative Methods in Psychology Section 5–7 July Aberystwyth University www.bps.org.uk/qmip2017

Division of Counselling Psychology 7–8 July Crowne Plaza, Stratford-upon-Avon www.bps.org.uk/dcop2017

Psychology of Women Section 12–14 July Mercure Cardiff Holland House Hotel www.bps.org.uk/dhp2017

Division of Health Psychology 6–8 Sept Cumberland Lodge www.bps.org.uk/pows2017

Developmental Psychology Section 13–15 Sept Crowne Plaza, Stratford-upon-Avon www.bps.org.uk/dev2017

18 Call for Nominations President 2018-19

A nomination is sought for the election of a Member Chief Executive’s office (e-mail: [email protected]). of the Society to fulfil the role of: The Board of Trustees has the responsibility to • President 2018-19, who will be President-Elect in ensure that there is a candidate for this position. In 2017-18 and Vice-President in 2019-20 line with previous practice, a Search Committee has been set up to facilitate this process. Those proposing The Presidency is the highest office within the Society. candidates should, in the first instance, contact the The role includes representing the Society at national Honorary General Secretary, Dr Carole Allan (e-mail: and international functions, and acting as Chair of the [email protected]) for guidance. Board of Trustees. Nominations must reach the Chief Executive’s Descriptions of the role and responsibilities, Office at the Society’s Leicester office by 5pm on together with requirements and time commitments, Friday 27 January 2017. Nominations will only be are available on request. valid if the standard nomination form, including signatures, is fully completed. Procedure If contested, these positions will be decided A nomination pack, which includes further information by membership ballot prior to the Annual General and a standard nomination form, is available from the Meeting 2017.

Call for Nominations

Members of the Society are invited to submit nominations for the following positions on the Society’s main Boards to serve from the Annual General Meeting 2017

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE BOARD One Ordinary Member (two-year term); One Ordinary Member (one-year term) EDUCATION & PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT BOARD One Ordinary Member (one-year term)

NOMINATIONS To ensure validity of nomination, you should use the standard nomination form, which gives details of the information and signatories required. For nomination forms and further information please contact the Chief Executive’s office: [email protected]. Nominations should reach the Chief Executive’s office by Friday 20 January 2017.

VOTING For each vacancy, if more than the appropriate number of nominations are received, a membership ballot will be carried out immediately prior to the Annual General Meeting 2017. 20 the psychologist january 2017 rated

The predictive power of attachment

Elizabeth Meins with the first in a new series, where psychologists choose the concepts they feel are overrated or underrated

ow more than ever, the to check the facts. What possible theoretical critical importance of grounds would lead you to hypothesise that parent–child attachment being insecurely attached as a toddler would is being emphasised. lead to all of this bad stuff? But claims about The Department for the predictive power of attachment appear to Health explicitly aims have the ability to short-circuit people’s basic to promote secure common sense, let alone their desire for critical attachment through evaluation. the health visiting service and its Healthy The fact is that there’s no strong evidence NChild Programme. Andrea Leadsom’s prime for parent–child attachment in infancy ministerial campaign raised the profile of predicting anything much about children’s attachment even further, so much so that she later development. Indeed, Booth-LaForce was criticised for ‘going on about attachment and Roisman’s definitive 2014 study showed theory’ in the leadership hustings. that early attachment doesn’t even predict The emphasis arises because of a belief attachment later in development, let alone all that secure attachment predicts ‘successful’ of these other things. There is good evidence development in the child. Public Health that how a parent feels as an adult about their England’s posters launched earlier this year childhood attachment experiences relates to tell us that ‘a loving, secure and reliable the security of the attachment relationship relationship with a parent or carer’ is they have with their own child, but this is important in areas ranging from ‘emotional very different from the kind of attachment you wellbeing’ to ‘brain development’. And this yourself had as a toddler predicting the kind of optimal development isn’t merely short-term attachment you’ll have with your future child. – we’re told that being securely attached as So the belief that making all toddlers securely a baby helps ensure that you’ll form secure attached will have knock-on positive effects for attachment relationships decades later when future generations is patently incorrect. you come to have children of your own. In The highly complicated and potentially contrast, insecure attachment is believed to confusing nature of attachment research is one put the child on course for no end of trouble: likely reason for this misplaced conviction that physical ill health, delinquency, mental early parent–child attachment is critical for illness, substance abuse, poor job prospects, children’s later development. In the 1960s and criminality. Graham Allen MP’s 2011 reports 1970s, Mary Ainsworth and colleagues devised calling for early intervention even claimed that the strange situation procedure for classifying early insecure attachment was linked to more toddlers into different attachment categories on risky driving behaviours. the basis of how they respond to reunion with You would think that these outlandish the parent after short periods of separation. claims would sound the alarm bells and Toddlers’ attachment to the parent is classified lead people to look up the research papers as either secure or insecure, with insecure attachment being divided into three different types: predicted fewer externalising behaviours. Promoting insecure-avoidant, insecure-resistant, and insecure- secure attachment in order to ensure children’s disorganised. ‘emotional wellbeing’ therefore appears to be based on Unfortunately, people still seem to confuse insecure oversimplification and misinterpretation of the evidence. attachment with lack of attachment. Clearly, having It’s important to point out that attachment is a quality no attachment to anyone is likely to have a negative of close relationships rather than an individual trait. impact on children’s development. But we’ve known for We talk about securely attached children, but what we decades that children fail to form any attachment only mean is that the child was classified as securely attached under the most extreme conditions of social isolation when observed responding to that particular parent and deprivation. The landmark meta-analysis by van or caregiver. The fact that attachment is a quality of IJzendoorn and colleagues reported the percentages of relationships is illustrated by the finding that the same children in the four attachment categories for multiple toddler may be given different attachment classifications circumstances – maltreatment, maternal mental illness, in relation to each parent. Surprisingly, we know nothing maternal substance abuse – and about how the various different in none of these categories were attachment relationships that children classified as having no “Insecure attachment children form act in concert to attachment. is being pathologised shape their development. Individual studies often combine Complicating matters yet further, the three insecure classifications and vilified” attachment is measured in many into a single insecure group in different ways. Although people tend statistical analyses to combat to associate attachment with parent- problems associated with low numbers in the individual child relationships early in the child’s life, attachment insecure groups, but it is important to underline can be assessed throughout the lifespan. Many studies how fundamentally different children in the insecure measure attachment in adolescents or adults, and these groups are from one another. Treating ‘insecurely assessments often focus on attachment relationships attached’ children as a homogeneous group is therefore with friends and romantic partners, rather than those problematic. with parents. Scientific papers have reported concurrent This fact is highlighted when you come to evaluate relations between attachment security in adolescence or claims for insecure attachment predicting non-optimal adulthood and things like physical health, delinquency, development in the future. High-profile meta-analyses poor job prospects and criminality, which have been in the last few years have investigated how early misinterpreted as early parent-child attachment attachment security relates to behaviour problems in predicting all of these outcomes later in development. later childhood. The results of these meta-analyses are Laying so much emphasis on attachment isn’t helping interpreted as insecure attachment predicting higher anyone. Telling parents that secure attachment in the first levels of both internalising (social withdrawal, anxious two years of life is critically important for their children’s and depressive symptoms) and externalising (conduct future development is likely to give many parents cause problems and hyperactivity) behaviours. for concern. What if you suffered from mental illness But on closer inspection, the findings are much after your baby was born or if your baby was severely ill less clear cut. Avoidant attachment was the only or in need of special care in the first months and years of form of insecure attachment that was associated with their life? Parents are unnecessarily being made to worry higher levels of internalising behaviours (but the small that they’ve scuppered their children’s chances before effect was only for social withdrawal and not anxiety they’re even out of nappies. or depression), whereas it was only disorganised Insecure attachment is being pathologised and attachment that predicted higher levels of externalising vilified. It is not abnormal – at least 39 per cent of us are behaviours. Looking closer still at this last association, insecurely attached. Different types of attachment simply there were fascinating gender differences. For girls, reflect the kind of individual differences you’d expect to being classified as insecure-disorganised actually see in any aspect of children’s early development. People are perfectly happy with variation in toddlers’ height, weight and ability to walk and talk, but don’t want variation in attachment relationships. Secure attachment is wrongly being set up as a benchmark for all toddlers to attain. Why do we need to talk about attachment? The focus should be on equipping parents with evidence- based information on babies’ development and how best to interact and play with their children as they grow and develop. It seems madness only to want to do this if it means that babies will become securely attached. Surely supporting people to be the most effective parents 22 possible is a good enough end in itself. the psychologist january 2017 rated

Resilience

he attachment literature also provides a nice as common as insecure-avoidant attachment and more example of the factor I feel is underrated: common than insecure-resistant attachment. It therefore resilience. In his 1992 Emmanuel Miller shouldn’t be treated as abnormal and a marker of Memorial Lecture, Peter Fonagy succinctly parental maltreatment. Tdefi ned resilience as ‘normal development under Cicchetti in 1989 and Rutter in 1990 made diffi cult conditions’. A great deal of research has focused theoretical advances in understanding resilience, on resilience in response to child maltreatment. Van highlighting its complexity and dynamic nature. IJzendoorn and colleagues’ meta-analysis reported that Resilience shouldn’t be viewed as an individual trait; 48 per cent of children who were identifi ed as having rather, it embodies a process involving multiple systems been maltreated were classifi ed as insecure-disorganised, – child attributes, family functioning, social relationships, compared with 15 per cent of children from regular the broader environmental context – at particular points middle-class families. These fi ndings are generally in time. But perhaps acknowledging this complexity interpreted as abusive parenting causing children to served to put people off. form a disorganised attachment relationship. A decade later, Luthar, Cicchetti and Becker wrote a But while the incidence of disorganisation in review in which they discussed and attempted to counter children who have been maltreated is clearly elevated, major concerns that had been raised about the construct the inescapable fact is that the majority of these children of resilience: little consensus about defi nitions and are not classifi ed as disorganised. And what about the terminology, substantial variation in operationalisation 15 per cent of children growing up in seemingly optimal and measurement, confusion over whether resilience conditions who are classifi ed as insecure-disorganised? is a personal trait or a dynamic process and an over- Some children are resilient against non-optimal reliance on empirically-driven studies rather than theory- experiences with their parents, whereas others do not driven, hypothesis-based research. These concerns led to form an organised pattern of attachment despite being proposals that resilience wasn’t useful for understanding exposed to no obvious risk. In fact, in regular middle- development or for informing interventions and should class families, insecure-disorganised attachment is just therefore be consigned to the scrapheap. It’s interesting to consider these criticisms with reference to attachment. As discussed above, there is confusion between lack of attachment and insecure attachment, and the heterogeneity in insecure attachment is often ignored. This seems to fit with the problems relating to definitions and terminology. There is also substantial variation in the operationalisation and measurement of attachment – there are observation, genetic factors influence development in indirect ways. interview and self-report methods, assessing attachment For example, particular genotypes make individuals to parents and caregivers or to friends and romantic better or worse at dealing with environmental stress, partners. The dynamic nature of attachment and the fact which in turn relates to their mental health. Other that it is assesses the quality of relationships is frequently genotypes act via environmental circumstances such as ignored in favour of a tendency to see attachment as an parenting – the child’s genetically specified characteristics individual trait. Finally, many of the may trigger maltreatment in the studies on attachment, particular parent. Resilience in this case is those involving adults, are not “The more we learn characterised not as adapting to grounded in theory. When relations about genetic markers of difficult circumstances, but as having with attachment are observed, they the predisposition that enables these are therefore difficult to explain – resilience and vulnerability, circumstances to be avoided in the why should attachment predict your the more it becomes first place. Research in epigenetics health or job prospects or driving obvious that predicting has emphasised the importance ability? What are the developmental of the regulation of gene activity mechanisms underlying these children’s development is over the underlying makeup of relations? For some reason, people fantastically difficult” the genotype – if environmental like to believe the attachment story circumstances mean that the gene and so it has achieved a degree of is never expressed, risks associated immunity to these concerns. with particular genotypes will be irrelevant to the Thankfully, the burgeoning interest in genetic and individual’s development. Under these conditions, neurobiological mechanisms shaping development the environment itself conveys resilience. means that the concept of resilience has survived. The more we learn about genetic markers of Research in this millennium has shed light on resilience and vulnerability, the more it becomes obvious the complex interaction between our genes and that predicting children’s development is fantastically the environment in determining resilience and difficult. Perhaps this is why resilience has not caught vulnerability. Caspi and colleagues reported the first the public’s imagination in the way that attachment gene–environment interactions in relation to maltreated has. Simple causal relations are attractive because they children’s psychological development. Variations in the are easy to grasp. Understanding the idea that secure monoamine oxidase-A (MAOA) attachment leads to successful development, whereas gene were found to interact with insecure attachment leads to unsuccessful development, maltreatment in determining isn’t challenging in any way. Getting your head around Elizabeth antisocial behaviour disorders. the complex web of developmental pathways highlighted Meins Having a particular MAOA genotype by the resilience literature is considerably more difficult. is Professor of made children at an increased risk But the fact that development is determined by Psychology at of having antisocial behaviour many different factors acting in concert with one the University disorders if they were maltreated. another doesn’t excuse giving parents and practitioners of York. These findings therefore qualify the incorrect information about what’s essential for assumption that maltreatment plays children’s development. Surely people need to know that Sources in online or app version. a direct causal role in antisocial development is a dynamic process in which there is a behaviour disorders. great deal of instability and change, only some of which [email protected] Behavioural genetics research relates to how children are parented? This is a much has also highlighted how certain more optimistic view than seeing future development having its course set by the security of the parent–child attachment relationship in toddlerhood.

What do you think is overrated/underrated in psychology? If you are interested in writing a piece, or simply suggesting a topic, get in touch with the editor on 24 [email protected] the psychologist january 2017 rated New and Forthcoming Titles from Guilford Press

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Plymouth Spiritual listening to children and young people Professor Irvine Gersch Thursday 19 January 2017

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www.bps.org.uk/ac2017 Seeing others in distress will make us feel for them – and may even motivate some of us to help reduce their suffering. But recent psychological research suggests this is not always the case.

28 Ana Louis/destroymodernart.com the psychologist january 2017 empathy

The limits of empathy

Diana Kwon on when walking in another’s shoes is not enough

napshots of the horrifying aftermath of by putting the reader in their shoes. ‘Often what [the terrorist attacks, refugees fleeing their writers] are trying to do is create this caring for, this war-torn homes, and families mourning valuing of the other’s welfare to induce concern,’ says a victim of police brutality can be Batson. ‘The reader knows this is a fictitious character, gut-wrenching. Many people consider this but those feelings can then generalise [to others].’ ability to understand and feel what others One notable example he points to is Uncle Tom’s are feeling, or empathy, as a primary Cabin, a widely-read abolitionist novel by Harriet source of morality and the glue that Beecher Stowe published in 1852. ‘[This book] is holds societies together. President Barack Obama has probably considered to be the work of fiction written Sdescribed empathy as the ‘heart of my moral code’ and in English that has had more impact in changing public has suggested that an empathy deficit is at the heart of policy than any other,’ Batson told me. Stowe’s highly many of our society’s problems. influential book helped raise awareness about the harms Empathy is a key component in our relationships, of slavery, and some historians have even argued that it and in many situations, it does motivate people to help acted as a catalyst for the Civil War that came less than others in need. However, this is not always the case. a decade later. Recent psychological studies suggest that empathy is In the same way, contemporary artists use various not quite the societal cure-all we often believe it to be. forms of media to cultivate awareness and concern for While it can help promote cooperation and motivate mistreated groups of people. For example, the popular prosocial behaviour, in some cases, empathy can actually television show Orange is the New Black allows viewers deepen divisions been groups and inspire aggression to delve deeply into the lives of trans, homosexual and against others. minority inmates while shedding light on the real issues facing these groups in the American criminal justice system. A force for good? While empathy can be a strong motivator for morally Most people see empathy as a good thing. Thinking good or altruistic behaviour, its influence can also go about the absence of empathy conjures up an image of in the opposite direction. The notion that empathy is a cold-blooded killer or ruthless con-artist with no not always a force for good was recently popularised regard for other’s emotions or wellbeing. And indeed, by psychologist Paul Bloom at Yale University, with a long line of studies has shown that empathy can evoke widely discussed pieces in popular media outlets like prosocial behaviour. Some of the earliest experiments the New Yorker and the Boston Review as well as a recent were conducted in the 90s by the social psychologist book, Against Empathy. Bloom’s central argument is that C. Daniel Batson, one of the leaders of empathy research, empathy, which he defines as ‘feeling what other people and his colleagues. In one study, they asked participants feel’, is not the best guide for making moral decisions. to imagine how a person from a stigmatised group – Bloom is not the first to take this stance on empathy. such as a person with AIDS, a homeless man, and even The philosopher Jesse Prinz made a similar argument a convicted murderer – was feeling, finding that this in a 2011 essay, where he contends that empathy is not experimental manipulation could improve attitudes necessary for moral judgements. Even before them, towards such individuals. Other groups have also shown famous thinkers like Immanuel Kant argued more that feeling empathy can help reduce the will to harm generally that when it comes to making moral decisions, others and improve intergroup relations. rational considerations trump emotional reactions. ‘Considerable evidence supports the idea that Recent evidence supports this notion. In certain empathic concern motivates helping directed toward conditions, rather than motivating prosocial behaviour, reducing the empathy-inducing need,’ says Batson. empathy fosters hostility and aggression. In one 2014 In fact, he points out, many novels were written with study, psychologists at the University of Buffalo led the goal of inducing concern for outgroup members by Anneke Buffone found that when participants felt empathy for someone in distress, they were more willing to inflict pain on that person’s competitor in a math test – a relatively non-threatening environment – even when the competitor posed no direct threat. ‘People are punishing emotionally rather than to restore the victim,’ Mina Cikara, a psychologist investigating intergroup neuroscience at Harvard University, told me. So does empathy make us do good or bad? Some studies suggest neither. One meta-analysis of empathy and aggression studies, led by psychologist David Vachon Rethinking disorders of empathy at the University of Minnesota, revealed that there is virtually no relationship between having low empathy and being malicious across various types of aggression, Society often stereotypes people with autism and Asperger’s syndrome including verbal, physical and sexual attacks. ‘It turns as antisocial, unemotional and lacking in empathy. The scientific out that if I want to know how likely you are to help evidence, however, reveals that while people with autism may have people or give to charity or be a good person, knowing difficulties with cognitive empathy (understanding what another person how empathic you are will tell me very little,’ says is feeling), their emotional empathy (the ability to feel what another Bloom. feels) is intact. Even stories, which are powerful methods to induce A growing body of research suggests that the reduced ability empathy for oppressed or mistreated groups, are not to empathise in some individuals with autism is actually due to always used for good. This is evident in political rhetoric, alexithymia, a separate condition that impairs emotional processing. where politicians like Donald Trump use empathy to Alexithymia is present in around 10 per cent of the general population manipulate. Trump harnesses the strong emotional and approximately half the people with autism. responses evoked by drawing attention to victims of One 2011 study, for example, led by psychologist Geoffrey Bird at terrorist attacks in Western countries to encourage King’s College London, revealed that gaze avoidance – the tendency to people to support anti-immigration policies and turn spend less time scanning parts of the face that display emotion, such as away refugees. ‘Donald Trump talks a lot about people the mouth and eyes – was a feature of alexithymia rather than autism. who are assaulted by illegal immigrants, raped or In another recent study a group of neuroscientists in Italy and murdered,’ Bloom says. ‘I wish to some extent that the Austria found that participants with autism displayed similar empathic population could become more immunised against that responses to moral dilemmas as those without the condition. In fact, sort of emotional appeal.’ those with autism displayed stronger emotional distress when faced with a utilitarian dilemma (sacrificing one to save many) and were less likely to endorse options that that caused direct harm to another Friends and foes person. Empathy’s limitations become most apparent in the context of conflict and competition. Empathy is biased – People with psychopathy are also often defined as being callous and we are more likely to empathise with those who are from without empathy. Popular depictions of psychopaths include serial similar social, racial and political circles. Engendering a killers like Ted Bundy or the fictional Hannibal Lector. strong empathic response for atrocities towards ingroups In recent years psychologists have started investigating the question is a potent tool to mobilise people to a cause. ‘Empathy of whether individuals with psychopathy lack the ability to understand has been historically used as a major tool to spur people and feel what others are feeling completely or are just less likely to war,’ says Bloom. to do so in certain situations. Evidence suggests the latter – recent In competitive situations, rather than feeling neuroimaging studies show that while individuals with higher levels sadness or distress at the sight of a suffering outgroup of psychopathy are less perturbed by emotional stimuli, when primed member, people tend to feel pleasure at another’s pain, to attend to emotional cues, the differences between psychopaths and or schadenfreude, and will not feel motivated to aid them. non-psychopaths largely disappear. There are even separate neural circuits that determine In one 2013 Brain study, for example, Christian Keyser’s group at the how we react to another group’s suffering. One 2010 Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience found significantly less neural study led by psychologist Grit Hein, who was then at the activity in participants with psychopathy who passively viewed videos of University of Zurich, found that distinct neural responses emotional hand interactions compared to non-psychopathic subjects. in brain areas associated with empathy predicted However, when the experimenters asked them empathise with the whether football fans were willing to endure pain to help actors in the clips, these differences are significantly reduced. supporters of the same team or fans of a rival team. Psychopaths make up a disproportionate amount of the According to Cikara, it is not simply the dangers of incarcerated population. Understanding the neurobiological origins of low empathy towards outgroups, but the risk of extreme psychopaths may help rehabilitate offenders and create early prevention empathy for ingroups that can lead people to take systems. If psychopathy is the result of the reduced propensity rather extreme measures, such as sacrificing themselves and than the lack of ability to empathise, training these individuals to attend hurting others in the process. ‘This is interesting because to emotional stimuli may prevent antisocial behaviour later in life. it suggests something counterintuitive, which is that […] 30 maybe one way of attenuating bias between groups is the psychologist january 2017 empathy Ana Louis/destroymodernart.com

actually to get people to be a little bit less responsive to psychologist at Stanford University, and his colleagues ingroup suffering,’ Cikara told me. have found that when people believe empathy is under Recent investigations by Cikara and her colleagues their control, they are more likely to empathise even in support the notion that intergroup conflicts could be difficult situations, such as responding to someone with mitigated by reducing the gap between empathy felt for opposing sociological views or listening to emotional one’s own group and those they are in conflict with. stories by someone from a racial outgroup. ‘It turns out For example, they found that shifting people’s focus away that simply believing that empathy is something that from their group membership using short descriptions you can change seems to get people to put more effort of the individuals in both groups successfully reduced into empathising, especially in cases […] when empathy this bias. might not naturally help people do the right thing,’ Zaki told me. According to Zaki, people already regulate empathy Regulating empathy, cultivating compassion all the time. Doctors, he says, may tune down their Empathy is a powerful tool, so how can we harness empathy to avoid burning out from feeling too much of its power for good? Most of us think of empathy as an their patients’ pain. Like other emotions, being able to automatic, uncontrollable response to the pain and tune our empathic responses in certain situations might distress of those around us. Experimental evidence from help harness its potential benefits. Regulating emotions infant and animal studies suggest that empathy is innate: can help improve political attitudes in conflicts – one babies will cry when they hear another baby crying and group of psychologists found that training Israelis in rats will help free a fellow rat trapped in a cage without emotion regulation made them more likely to support training or the promise of a reward. conciliatory rather than aggressive strategies in Israeli- Recent evidence, however, suggests that we can Palestinian policies. regulate how much empathy we feel. Jamil Zaki, a social In a similar way, learning to control our empathic reactions may help improve intergroup relations. If you recognise a politician using emotionally manipulative stories, you might want to turn your empathy down. On the other hand, you would want to vamp it up in situations where you are faced with people from different At the very basic level, neuroscientists have found groups or backgrounds. that empathy stimulates shared representations in the Alternatively, psychologists like Bloom and Tania brain – participants activate the same neural areas in Singer, a neuroscientist at the Max Plank Institute for response to feeling pain and observing others in pain. Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Germany, believe Social neuroscientists like Claus Lamm at the University in a different strategy altogether. Rather than working of Vienna have been using a variety of neuroimaging with empathy, they believe that cultivating compassion techniques such as functional MRI to study the – a more distanced form of care and concern for others’ underlying brain mechanisms of empathy. The classical wellbeing – is a more effective approach for studying this, according solution. to Lamm, is the pain paradigm, Singer and her colleagues have “if you’re going to get where researchers place participants been working on compassion fairness or justice in the in an MRI scanner and record their training techniques by drawing on society, empathy-induced neural activity as they receive painful the Buddhist practice of loving- shocks or observe others getting a kindness mediation, which involves altruism is not necessarily painful shock. quietly concentrating on extending the best way” In recent studies Lamm and caring feelings from loved ones to his colleagues have discovered strangers and eventually to all living that these activations can be beings. Studies reveal that compassion, unlike empathy, artificially manipulated. One functional MRI study does not suffer from the same type of limitations. It also revealed that giving participants placebo painkillers activates a completely different network of brains areas decreased activation in brain areas associated with and increases prosocial behaviour while improving pain and empathy for pain. Further, they found that emotional wellbeing. opioid-blockers could block the placebo’s reduction for both one’s own pain responses as well as the empathic response for another’s suffering. Finding empathy in the brain Studies have also shown that cognitive empathy, Psychologists define empathy in myriad ways, and some emotional empathy and compassion all activate unique see compassion as a component of empathy rather than networks in the brain, and that this activation predicts separate from it. ‘You can find almost as many definitions different behavioural outcomes. ‘What the neuroscientific of empathy as you can find people writing about investigation do is that they basically confirm what the empathy,’ says Cikara. social psychologists have suggested for quite some time Empathy is often described as a combination of three already,’ Lamm told me. factors: cognitive empathy (thinking about another’s emotions), emotional empathy (sharing another’s emotions) and motivational empathy (caring about A force for good and evil another’s emotions – or compassion). ‘Empathy is not Perhaps the best way to think about empathy is as an just one thing, but rather it’s an umbrella term that entity separate from morality. Batson himself suggested describes the different ways that people respond to each this in a 2009 article where he wrote: ‘Empathy-induced other’s emotions,’ Zaki explains. altruism is, we suggest, best thought of as neither moral Each of these, though closely connected, are actually nor immoral, but amoral.’ independent psychological and neurological processes. Empathy is a powerful force, capable of doing good In recent years, as researchers have started to probe the and harm. Some psychologists believe that humanity brain to better understand how empathy works at the would best thrive if we avoided it all together and relied neural level, studies are beginning to show how these instead on rational, reasoned thought. Other see a more three components can be teased apart in the brain. delicate balance – that both are necessary to make the world a better place. ‘What Paul’s saying is that if you’re going to get fairness or justice in the society, empathy- induced altruism is not necessarily the best way,’ says Diana Kwon Batson. ‘My own bias is that reasoned moral thought is a science alone isn’t the best way either. The kind of change Paul’s reporter. Full talking about takes the two working together.’ sources in online Overall, it is important to know when to empathise or app version. and to assess the motives of people who try to stir our emotions with a critical light. Learning to numb our www.dianakwon.com reactions to stories some politicians tell may ultimately 32 help make our world a better place. the psychologist january 2017 empathy

Division of Clinical Psychology Annual Conference 2017 ‘The future is now’ Hilton Liverpool 18-20 January 2017 Last chance to book your conference experience Nimisha Patel, University of East London Rachel Calam, University of Manchester Peter Kinderman, University of Liverpool & BPS President Lisa Cameron, Clinical psychologist & forensic psychologist David Pilgrim, University of Liverpool Joe Powell, All Wales People First “A fantastic high energy conference with up-to-the- minute research and information, shared by people leading their field. Excellent networking opportunities, an answer and idea for every question.“ DCP Annual Conference 2015. To keep up with the latest conference information visit www.bps.org.uk/dcp2017 Follow the conference on Twitter #dcpconf The real deal

Stephen Joseph calls for more research into the psychology of authenticity

Has anyone ever given t’s a topic that appeals to common sense, but you the advice to ‘just it is only over the past decade that authenticity has become a focus for research. In 2002, Susan be yourself’? Perhaps Harter, one of the most eminent developmental you were going for a job social psychologists, commented that ‘there interview, or maybe you is no single, coherent body of literature on authentic self-behavior, no bedrock of were about to meet a knowledge’ (p.382). A decade later Harter new date. Did you ponder described how this situation has begun to change, with what it actually means Inew positive psychology research inspired by the early humanistic psychologists. Following a brief historical to be yourself? excursion into that area to set the scene, I will give an overview of some recent research, and finally consider future directions for this new and important area.

How does authenticity develop? Authenticity has a long history as one of the core themes of humanistic psychology, but the terminology of these previous writers was somewhat different. Notably, back in 1943 Abraham Maslow described the state of ‘self- actualisation’. Self-actualised people were, for example, thought to be realistic in their perceptions, accepting of themselves and of other people, guided by inner goals and values, able to form deep relationships, not needing to seek other people’s approval, and they are well adjusted to culture but not immersed in it unthinkingly. Similarly, in the sixties Carl Rogers described the state of ‘fully functioning’. This involved movement: away from façades, from oughts, from meeting expectations, from pleasing others, and towards self-direction, openness to experience, acceptance of others and trusting oneself. Roger’s description of the fully functioning person was largely synonymous with Maslow’s description of the self-actualised person, but importantly both were describing states that they believed were the default settings for human beings, a universal urge. We were, in their view, hardwired to be authentic. The ideas find echoes in modern research: studies led by the University of Edinburgh’s Alison Lenton have found that people seem motivated to deliberately seek out experiences in which they feel authentic, and to avoid situations in which they feel inauthentic. Of course, how these self-actualised or fully functioning states are expressed in behaviours will vary from person to person depending on their idiosyncratic preferences, strengths and abilities. Look at Rogers’ 34 list of the qualities of the fully functioning person. the psychologist january 2017 authenticity James Grover/www.jamesgrover.com

For example, the authentic person is self-directing. was how parents interacted with the children. Watching For one person that could be to engage in scholarly from behind a one-way screen, they categorised work, another to be a musician, and for another to be controlling statements made by the parent into those a sportsperson. But whatever the route, Rogers posited that pressure the child to do something, distract the that authenticity is the natural and normal direction for child’s attention from what they are doing, imply children’s development. conditional worth, use words such as ‘should’ and so However, the social environment can thwart these on (for example, ‘Good, that’s just what you should do’, developmental tendencies. Richard Ryan and Ed Deci’s ‘Don’t you think you should use smaller building blocks self-determination theory echoes the earlier ideas of the for that?’ or ‘You are a good boy for doing that’). The humanistic psychologists to also posit how controlling, children had been watched beforehand when they were chaotic, and restrictive social environments thwart the on their own to establish what they freely liked doing normal and natural developmental process. Research in and what interested them the most. When parents were the self-determination tradition (reviewed by myself and controlling, children spent less time on the things they Terrence Patterson in 2007) has provided a wealth of freely liked doing – the things that they were intrinsically evidence consistent with these earlier humanistic ideas. motivated to do. For example, in a 1993 study led by Deci, children aged Thinking back to our own childhoods can sometimes 6 or 7 years were observed playing. In the room were give us a clue about own intrinsic motivations and children’s magazines, jigsaw puzzles, building blocks, can be a useful tool in counselling. What are your first and so on. But what the researchers were interested in memories as a child when you remember yourself feeling joy? What were you doing? The chances are you were using one of your natural strengths, talents or abilities to its full extent. There would have been sheer pleasure in the doing. Left to our own devices, as children we will do the things that come naturally to us. We will use our strengths, interests and abilities. Looking back on our lives in this way can give us insight into what our natural strengths, interests and abilities are.

The problems of inauthenticity Humanistic psychologists are sometimes thought of as being somewhat ‘Pollyannaish’ with their talk of people actualising their potential, but it was not their claim. Rather, they recognised that this tendency in people would be thwarted when their basic needs were not met, and that degrees of inauthenticity were the norm. To illustrate, Rogers wrote in 1963 about a potato bin in the basement of the family farm where he grew up. It was here that the family stored their winter supply of potatoes. The bin was several feet below a small window.

He noticed how, unlike the healthy green shoots that James Grover/www.jamesgrover.com potatoes sprout when planted in the soil, the potatoes stored in the basement produced (1) awareness (e.g. self-understanding), (2) unbiased pale, white and unhealthy looking processing (e.g. objective self-evaluation), (3) behaviour sprouts: ‘…these sad, spindly (e.g. congruence between one’s actions and needs), and Key sources sprouts would grow 2 or 3 feet (4) relational orientation (e.g. sincerity in relationship in length as they reached toward functioning with one’s intimates). Our own 12-item The the distant light of the window. Authenticity Scale (AS: Wood et al., 2008) was based Harter, S. (2002). Authenticity. In C.R. The sprouts were, in their bizarre, on Rogers’ description of how authenticity involves Snyder & S.J. Lopez (Eds.) Handbook of futile growth, a sort of desperate congruence between the experience of inner emotional positive psychology (pp.382–394). New expression of the directional and cognitive states, awareness of those states, and the York: Oxford University Press tendency … They would never ability to be openly expressive of those states. It consists Kernis, M.H. & Goldman, B.M. (2006). become plants, never mature, never of three subscales: (1) Accepting external influence, (2) A multicomponent conceptualisation fulfil their real potential.’ Self-alienation and (3) Authentic living. of authenticity. In M.P. Zanna (Ed.) Famously, Rogers wrote of how Since the development of these scales, new research Advances in experimental social he thought of these potatoes when has begun to emerge investigating the correlates of psychology, Vol. 38. (pp.283–357). San he encountered people in the back authenticity. For example, in 2014 Boyraz and colleagues Diego, CA: Elsevier Academic Press. wards of state hospitals in his job as collected information from college students on their Lenton, A., Slabu, L. & Sedikides, C. a psychologist. His analogy focuses authenticity, life satisfaction and levels of distress at two (2016). State authenticity in everyday our minds on what happens when points in time separated by almost two months. They life. European Journal of Personality, the sun doesn’t shine: does that found that those who showed greater authenticity as 30(1), 64–82. lead to wide individual differences measured by the AS at the first time point were more Murphy, D., Joseph, S., Demetriou, in authenticity, and how would we satisfied with life and less distressed at the second E. & Karimi Mofrad, P. (in press). know?. time point. In other studies, authenticity has also been Unconditional positive self-regard, As new interest in authenticity found to be associated with grit (Vainio & Daukantaité, intrinsic aspirations and authenticity. emerged in the mid 2000s, 2015), mindfulness (Lakey et al., 2008), decisiveness Journal of Humanistic Psychology. researchers recognised that work (White & Tracey, 2011), social engagement (Lenton et Pinto, D.G., Maltby, J., Wood, A.M. & in this area was hampered by a lack al., 2016), unconditional positive self-regard (Murphy Day, L. (2012). A behavioural test of of psychometric tools. Two such et al., in press), perceptions of the balance of power in Horney’s linkage between authenticity scales were introduced following relationships (Kristin Neff & Marie-Anne Suizzo, 2006), and aggression. Personality and extensive factor analytic work to and eudaimonic states of wellbeing (Smallenbroek et al., Individual Differences, 52(1), 41–44. investigate the earlier conceptions of 2016). Wood, A.M., Linley, P.A., Maltby, J. et the humanistic psychologists. The Other research has investigated the interaction of al. (2008). The authentic personality. 46-item Authenticity Inventory from authenticity with other variables. In a 2015 paper, Bryan Journal of Counselling Psychology, 55, Kernis and Goldman (2006) was and colleagues showed that those who felt lonely were 385–399. based largely on Rogers’ description also more depressed and anxious, had more physical of the characteristics of the fully symptoms and more drink problems; but for those who Full list available online functioning person, measuring felt lonely and who also scored highly on authenticity, 36 four interrelated components: their feelings of depression and anxiety, physical the psychologist january 2017 authenticity symptoms and drink problems were not as intense. I got In a 2012 experimental interested in manipulation led by Diana Pinto authenticity using more sophisticated prospective at the University of Leicester, a during my and experimental designs. I hope study tested how people high education that this article will inspire a new in authenticity behave in social to become generation of psychologists to situations compared to people low a person- pursue research in this challenging in authenticity. Participants were centred therapist. Here was but important area of human asked to engage in a computer task an approach that valued experience. We need developmental in the laboratory. All they had to do people for who they are rather research into the antecedents of was press a button in relation to a than for what others thought authenticity. What are the factors in message that appeared on the screen. they should be. This was a young person’s life that thwart the If they pressed a certain button different from everything I development of their authenticity? in the time allocated, they earned had experienced in my own What problems in living does a lack points that they could exchange for life up to that point. For me, of authenticity lead to? How can money. The twist was that they were authenticity is ultimately about we nurture authenticity anew and told that they were playing against self-knowledge and that is maintain it in adult life? How stable another person in an adjoining always a work in progress. is authenticity over time and right laboratory who could steal points There is no once and for all across the lifespan? Is change gradual from them. The task was designed pass mark. I strive to live or abrupt? to mirror real-life situations where according to the principles of We also need strong evidence people might sometimes take credit the person-centred approach, that authenticity is associated with for others’ hard work. However, doing my best to be open the best of human experience, participants were not actually to learning and respectful not the worst - one of the major playing against another person – of people’s right to self- criticisms of authenticity is that it the idea being that by thinking that determination. will lead to selfish behaviours, as one someone else was stealing points would predict from a Freudian point from them, the participants would of view. For Sigmund Freud, humans feel cheated and be provoked to Stephen Joseph were lustful murderous savages if play the game aggressively. To test is a Professor of Psychology at they followed their natural instincts, for aggression, they were told that the University of Nottingham, and it was only through civilisation they could steal points from their a registered coaching that we learned to keep checks and opponent next door if they wished. psychologist, and author of the balances on our destructive nature. It was found that players who scored book Authentic: How to Be For humanistic psychologists, high on authenticity were actually Yourself and Why It Matters. however, human nature is seen as less likely to respond aggressively. London. Piatkus Little Brown. essentially social and constructive, They continued to do their best to Take his authenticity quiz at with the recognition that authenticity earn points for themselves rather www.authenticityformula.com involves a difficult process of always than turning their attention to striving for balance in the process getting their own back – they were of realising one’s own needs while less punitive towards others. It was people who scored living together with others in such a way that meets the low on authenticity who were more likely to behave needs of those relationships. We need hard data on this aggressively despite this being at some personal cost – by balance, for example are authentic people more altruistic, behaving aggressively, participants lost even more of their caring, emotionally intelligent and expressive? own points. I hope to have convinced you that authenticity is Turning to the practical implications, Yona Kifer’s the real deal: a topic with a rich theoretical history, now team at Tel Aviv University have used an experimental attracting the attention of contemporary psychologists. method in which a group was instructed to simply There is now a need for more rigorous research into recall and write about a situation in which they were the development of authenticity and what difference it authentic, while another group recalled an experience makes, and that research could come from across the of inauthenticity. The ‘authentic’ group were happier, discipline. For practitioners in clinical and counselling raising the tantalising prospect that it may be possible to psychology it may be that the promotion of authenticity induce happiness through authenticity. may have benefits for improved mental health and increased wellbeing. For educational and school psychologists there may be wider applications as we Invitation to research change the way we look at parenting, and the role of So results to date are promising. However, research into schools and universities. For business and coaching authenticity is in its infancy. Most studies have been psychologists, there may be new ideas about how to correlational and require replication and further scrutiny develop people at work. MSc Business and Organisational Psychology Also available via blended learning and an extended masters with professional experience MSc Occupational Psychology Also available via blended learning

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40 the psychologist january 2017 magazines

Why magazines matter

As we relaunch, our journalist Ella Rhodes considers style and impact in the printed form

e love magazines at The Psychologist. Although our roots and appearance may have been that of a strange hybrid of journal and magazine, at heart we are clear about our identity. Every now and then, our reader surveys will throw up a comment such as ‘Seems to be more of a magazine than anything’. We believe that’s a good thing, and that it’s time to remove any doubt. With this relaunch, we hope to become unapologeticallyW ‘magazine’. We believe that magazines matter. But is this just a sentimental attachment to a dead format? We’ve put a lot of time and effort into our presence online and in other forms of media lately… is that (increasingly) where the real action is? Is print irrelevant to the first generation of ‘native’ digital readers? Or does the research, by psychologists and others, suggest that magazines retain concrete benefits – and even intangible, mysterious advantages?

Left to our own devices Let’s get this out of the way: there are undoubted benefits to our various digital offerings. With our free apps (both The Psychologist and Research Digest), you can have dozens of issues and hundreds of the latest studies in your pocket, offline; you can search, share, jump off to other sources. With our Research Digest podcast you can catch up while you go for a run, or do the gardening. So why, whenever we ask the question of whether you would be happy to receive The Psychologist in digital form only, do we get a resounding ‘no’? Dr Nicola Yuill (University of Sussex) has recently completed research looking at the differences in child and parent interactions when reading a book or a tablet. She said reading, and the switch to digital reading we’re seeing, encompasses many psychological questions about attention, comprehension and memory. But interestingly, the way we physically act while reading print is radically different to reading on screen. Yuill and her team filmed interactions between children aged between seven and nine, being read to by their mothers and vice versa either using a hard copy of a book or reading on a tablet. She told us there was little difference between retention for the information read, but what was interesting was the posture adopted for reading the hard copy. ‘There were some interesting differences in warmth and engagement. When they’re reading the e-book children tend to be in a “vulture posture”, crouched down and hunched over the tablet, but reading a paper book they tend to be in more of a curled up posture. From a relationship and embodied point of view they’re quite distinct.’ familiar: the first time I sat in a car it didn’t feel like this Yuill thinks that screen reading should be seen as piece of technology that would enable me to go places, distinct from, rather than as an alternative to, print it just felt like this terrifying thing. I had no standard reading; especially while the former is still ‘finding its model for how to interact with it, but you develop these feet’ in terms of how the material is presented. She said: standard models over time and they become the most ‘I don’t think it’s an “either or”. What I’d like to see is natural thing in the world.’ more work on the design of electronic print. We’re at a I ask Hayler about Nicola Yuill’s view, that print and difficult stage where there are lots of different platforms screen reading are very different experiences. Is it only to read online – the technology is always changing. a matter of time before new generations see the two as It’s a very plastic kind of technology. But the cultural equivalent? He suggests that as a society we view print meaning of the object is important: when developers try reading as a totemic experience of what it means to be to make a digital offering the same as a paper one, they’re intellectual. ‘We’re not trained how to digitally read approaching it from the wrong direction. It’ll never be in schools, we’re just trained how to read as if that’s the same, because the device you’re using affects your the same thing. And by not being sensitive to both of approach to it.’ the experiences we always think of electronic reading Matt Hayler (University of Birmingham) is an English as an impoverished version of paper reading, rather Scholar who has worked closely with cognitive scientists, than thinking electronic reading and paper reading are and a member of E-READ (Evolution of Reading in the important and are totally different skills.’ Age of Digitisation), an interdisciplinary network that Jenny Thomson, Reader in Language and Literacy connects psychologists, philosophers, social scientists at the University of Sheffield, whose work explores the and humanities scholars to develop a model of what it neuroscience of learning difficulties in children and means to read and what electronic reading might change. developmental dyslexia, thinks that adults often struggle His work has looked into the ‘grammars’ or unconscious to have a ‘flow’ experience while reading on screen, rules we all have when approaching objects. Hayler perhaps because our brains are just so used to reading in told me that e-reading just doesn’t feel ‘right’ to some print. She does feel the ‘next generations’ will handle this because we are yet to develop a set of ‘grammars’ of how better: ‘A lot of what children read is going to have lots of to approach it. ‘When we’re left without a standard way things trying to entice them to click here and click there, of approaching something we feel incredibly lost. For but I do think they will probably have a better time anyone who’s learnt how to drive a car that feeling is very reading on screen and e-readers than we do.’ When living in Boston, Thomson worked with an astrophysicist at Harvard who had severe dyslexia. He told Thomson his reading ability was much better when reading on an iPhone screen. She carried out a study on high school students with dyslexia and found they could also comprehend quite extended texts, both fiction and non-fiction, when they presented them on a smartphone, 42 compared to paper or even an iPad. ‘That small window the psychologist january 2017 magazines

More than information Others I speak to keep coming back to this physicality of magazines. Journalist Ferris Jabr, author of the excellent Scientific American Mind article ‘The reading brain in the digital age’ (tinyurl.com/kvdaqfp), thinks that magazines matter. He describes them as ‘chimeras’: ‘As physical objects, magazines are larger than the average paperback book, offering a generous canvas for words of text really helped them, but for people who have and images, which means more opportunities for visual learned to read traditionally the idea of reading a novel landmarks that help people establish a sense of progress on a smartphone induces pain!’ in a text and remember where in the publication they Thomson does point to disadvantages of reading read something. Because they prioritise visual aesthetics online. ‘We’ve got these massively powerful companies throughout their pages, not just on the covers, magazines doing research essentially on how to get us to be create a highly sensory reading experience, which distracted which results in commercial gain for them. improves memory. And because they are generally not Websites are designed to be regarded as permanent fixtures for multimedia and appealing but the the bookshelf – because we bend, big online players in this world are “Because they prioritise fold, rip, clip them without much working on how we can get you concern – they encourage sharing to move from thing to thing – our visual aesthetics and social reading.’ brains don’t stand a chance!’ throughout their pages, Matt Hayler returns to that idea However, this constant not just on the covers, of a set of ‘grammars’ – in the case of bombardment of ads and hyperlinks magazines, developed over decades. doesn’t seem to be a problem for magazines create a ‘A magazine is something you can everyone. Research has shown highly sensory reading cut things out from, a magazine is that those with a smaller memory experience, which something you’re happy to leave on capacity have a huge dip in their a train or doctor’s office, you’ll use it comprehension when reading a improves memory” as a coaster or fly swatter… there’s text packed full of hyperlinks, something very functional about a but those with stronger memories magazine’. But Hayler also points to seem to have improved comprehension. Thomson said: another advantage, suggesting that magazines are both ‘It almost makes them fight harder to create a kind of playful and a serious arena in which to curate content comprehension schema, and so they retain more. This – something that is becoming increasingly important has massive implications for textbooks and the digital in our information-heavy world. He added: ‘Magazines design of these.’ like Wired still have their print edition but when the So with benefits of digital reading – some obvious, entire internet is full of technology news there’s editorial some less so – why are we so attached to print? principles, design principles, and you know you’re According to Thomson, ‘it’s partly how we’re wired and getting the good stuff. This is so relieving and important partly a generational thing. Whether this will change in the face of a glut of information. It kind of gives people over the generations I just don’t know… we associate permission to say “if you only read this once a month that physicality and even smell with really positive that would be okay”.’ experiences and I think it can be hard to let that go. I According to Professor Bruce Hood (University wonder whether children will have the same nostalgia for of Bristol), what’s in a magazine is more than just digital… presumably they might, it just seems less of a information. The printed word has an ability to become pleasurable physical experience.’ a sentimental object as well as an owned object. Hood the printed page is aided by what Ferris Jabr calls ‘more obvious topography than onscreen text. An open magazine presents a reader with two clearly defined domains – the left and right pages – and a total of eight corners with which to orient oneself. A reader can focus on a single page without losing sight of the whole text: one can see where the magazine begins and ends and where one page is in relation to those borders. One can even feel the thickness of the pages read in one hand and pages to be read in the other. Turning the pages of a magazine is like leaving one footprint after another on the trail – there’s a rhythm to it and a visible record of how far one has travelled. All these features not only make text in a magazine easily navigable, they also make it easier to form a coherent mental map of the text. In explains: ‘To become sentimental, an object must be contrast, most screens, e-readers, smartphones and authentic – a uniqueness that is increasingly important tablets interfere with intuitive navigation of a text and to many of us in this digital age of reproduction… Take a inhibit people from mapping the journey in their minds.’ book… the closer it is to the author in reprint, the more Jabr refers to the importance of ‘serendipity and a authentic and valued it is. The smell sense of control’ in navigating the and touch of the printed word is printed word, and points to research not something that digital formats “Screen and print reading which suggests many readers skim can copy. When reading in print the are perhaps best viewed through online text before printing reader is required to engage with it it out for more in-depth reading in a physical way that technology as complementary, rather later. All of this brings us back to cannot easily emulate.’ than competing, entities. that depth of understanding, and But as you sit with the research led by psychologist Kate Garland suggests that print is the Beneath and beyond latest incarnation of winner here. Speaking to Maia So, a magazine can be a ‘sentimental The Psychologist in your Szalavitz, a neuroscience journalist object’… can we do better than that, hands, we hope that you for TIME.com, Garland explained and find more tangible benefits of that when you recall something, the printed word? will value it and engage in you either ‘know’ it and it just Psychologists Maryanne Wolf a way that you might not ‘comes to you’ – without necessarily and Mirit Barzillai have written with our digital offerings” consciously recalling the context that an immersion in reading that in which you learned it – or you is largely online ‘tends to reward ‘remember’ it by cuing yourself certain cognitive skills, such as about that context and then arriving multitasking, and habituate the learner to immediate at the answer. ‘Knowing’ is better – you can recall the information gathering and quick attention shifts, rather important facts quicker and with less effort. ‘What we than to deep reflection and original thought. The found was that people on paper started to “know” the immediacy and volume of available information may well material more quickly over the passage of time. It took delude new learners into thinking they have what they longer and [required] more repeated testing to get into need to know.’ When information seems so complete, that knowing state [with the computer reading, but] they write, what motivation is there to go beneath and eventually the people who did it on the computer caught beyond it? ‘From a cognitive neuroscience perspective, up with the people who [were reading] on paper.’ the digital culture’s reinforcement of rapid attentional shifts and multiple sources of distraction can short- circuit the development of the slower, more cognitively Best of both worlds demanding comprehension processes that go into the Perhaps the destination is the same, and the bottom line formation of deep reading and deep thinking.’ is your preference for how you get there. Screen and Perhaps, then, magazines reward that greater print reading are perhaps best viewed as complementary, cognitive effort. Ergonomics research on this rather than competing, entities – clearly there are appears increasingly conflicted and outdated – for benefits to both. But as you sit with the latest incarnation example, this 2008 review (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ of The Psychologist in your hands, we hope that you will pubmed/18802819) – but psychological studies led by value it and engage in a way that you might not with our Rakefet Ackerman at least suggest that readers approach digital offerings. We encourage you to take a look at our the printed word with more of a learning mindset than other channels, but we stand by our view that magazines they might on a screen version. matter. Let us know what you think… you are our 44 This perhaps more arduous, linear journey through guides on this journey! the psychologist january 2017 magazines

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Howden is a trading name of Howden UK Group Limited, part of the Hyperion Insurance Group. Howden UK Group Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in respect of general insurance business. Registered in England and Wales under company registration number 725875. Registered Office: 16 Eastcheap, London EC3M 1BD. Calls may be monitored and recorded for quality assurance purposes. 09/16 ref: 4454 With its relaunch, The Psychologist aims to reflect and encourage the trend for clear science communication. Here, regular contributors give their views on the benefits of engaging a wide audience. First up, Steve Reicher and Alex Haslam Writing for

here are doubtless many skills involved in writing for impact. But we will never learn those skills unless we are motivated to do so. For that to happen, attitudes – or rather social norms – in our discipline have to change. There are many entrenched views that stand in the way of taking our work to a wider audience such that, even if we Tindividually want to do so, we fear the reactions of others and the impact on our careers. We want to deal with just three of these views. The first is the growing predominance of the journal article over all other forms of writing. Near the start of our careers, our PhD supervisor, John Turner, used to argue that articles provide the building blocks that allow you to make a broader and more comprehensive statement, typically in books. A discipline of books is a discipline of substantial arguments that are accessible to those in other disciplines and outside the academic world. But since the advent of the RAE (and now the REF) the mania for measurement inevitably means that we 46 prioritise what is easy to measure, not necessarily what the psychologist january 2017 impact

is most important. And journal articles, surrounded by process of intellectual and social revolution) not putting a host of metrics (journal impact factors, citations) are them down. easier to judge. Books (which have no impact factor and If we write for a ‘high-impact’ journal, we can whose impact is not necessarily reflected in citations) are presuppose that others share foundational assumptions harder to assess. They might be good. They might not. (and hence take them for granted), we can presuppose We have no figures to bolster us. And so local panels, that others share an interest in our topic, we can which choose what is entered into the process and presuppose that relatively narrow shifts within a which are notoriously risk-averse, overwhelmingly stick paradigm will be of broad interest. However, the more to papers. We thereby become an atomised discipline of general the audience we write for, the more we have to small points and limited reach. As Naomi Ellemers has spell out or even question foundational assumptions, observed, psychology has become a sea of dots that are the more we have to demonstrate the significance of our rarely joined up. The result is that we often fail to see the arguments and the broader our arguments have to be. In big picture. Sometimes we see no picture at all. Where, many ways we both most enjoy talking to lay audiences then, is the vision that could inspire a wider audience? or writing for popular magazines. Certainly both of us A second, and related, view, is that books, especially think that they are among of our most significant work. the popular or ‘trade’ book, is a form of dumbing down. Yet we could only write them as the culmination of a And not only books. Anything aimed at a more general programme of research, after years of reflection, when audience must necessarily involve simplification. A we could be limpidly clear about foundational issues and ‘media academic’ is a term of abuse to denote the failed when we were trying to propose new ways of seeing. The researcher turned populariser: ‘He who can, does; popular demands that we achieve simplicity, but that is he who cannot, teaches.’ In our experience, however, the opposite of being simplistic. precisely the opposite is true. Indeed, when George The third view derives, we think, from our Bernard Shaw first made this observation, note that threatened identity as scientists. Do we really belong he was praising teachers (who he saw as central to the in such a category with all the kudos and (more importantly) the funding that derives from it? Our dogma of ‘tell them of what you are going to tell them, sense of insecurity leads us to cling on to the surface tell it to them, tell them what you have told them’ – an signs of belonging – and one of these concerns our forms approach with all the excitement of a forced route march. of expression. We must appear as objective, dispassionate We would do well to have storytellers come to teach and technical as possible. We differentiate ourselves technique to our students – and to ourselves. from the ‘soft side’ to which some would consign us. We In sum, then, writing for impact forces us to thus become the living embodiment of C.P. Snow’s ‘two address many fundamental aspects of our contemporary cultures’ of Science vs. Arts. As a consequence, anything discipline. It is more than a matter of glossing the surface that smacks of the literary is suspect. We relate our of what we do. It is a matter of rethinking our very research clunkily and mechanically. Dullness becomes a identity (some of you might have wondered how long it badge of honour, an asset not a liability. would be before we mentioned ‘identity’). To change our And yet we are storytellers. Of course we tell stories ways won’t be easy, then. But it could be more satisfying based on evidence, but we are storytellers nonetheless. than we realise. And we need to tell stories in a way that engage people, that induce suspense, that provide a frisson of excitement when the outcome is revealed. We must learn Professor Steve Reicher, University of St Andrews different narrative forms and move beyond the military Professor Alex Haslam, University of Queensland

When I submitted my first piece for The Psychologist – a conference review, I think – I was quite nervous. Like most of us, I had been trained to write in a very specific formal style, with the primary aim of convincing my small audience that I had done a solid piece of research. And although I have always been passionate about spreading my love of science, I wasn’t at all sure how to write something that people might actually want to read! As it turned out, the editor Jon Sutton seemed content to include my effort in the next month’s magazine, albeit after he’d made a few helpful editorial changes. I learned a lot from Jon’s suggestions and my follow-up pieces needed increasingly fewer changes. I confess to getting the bug – people were e-mailing or tweeting me about what I’d written and I started to feel the buzz that I get from doing a really good lecture. A year or so down the line I was asked to write a piece for The Conversation website, which got picked up by The Guardian and attracted way more readership and response than anything else I’d ever written. Directly off the back of that, I was approached by a publisher who was looking for someone to write a book about neuroscience for the general public. Despite some reservations I said yes, and I’m very pleased to say that my book goes on sale in September this year. I can honestly say that writing that first piece for The Psychologist was one of the best decisions I ever made. Without that experience and nurturing, I would never have had the confidence to write for The Conversation and I might well have never discovered how much I love writing. The Psychologist can help you along the ‘path to impact’ – just take that first step of wanting to reach a new audience!

Dr Catherine Loveday, University of Westminster, and Chair of the Psychologist and Digest Editorial Advisory Committee 48 the psychologist january 2017 impact

The pervasiveness of PowerPoint in public presentations proves that psychologists are putting a lot of emphasis on graphics and pictures compared to straight text. Traditionally, written prose is beautifully suited to convey what you want to say. Pictures were seen only as an aid to the story. But there is a hybrid form, the comic strip. It’s not just a combination of text and pictures, it’s a form that demands the reader understand both. The text is deliberately made up of few words, and the pictures are equally simple. Surprisingly, few have exploited this form, even though it gets closer to the way that psychologists are actually talking to each other. You can easily present the set-up of an experiment and show a cartoon image of the experimenter. Results of many experiments are most striking when presented in graphic form. Comic strips tend to be very short, illustrating just one idea. This is often not good enough as the idea needs to be seen in context. Presenting a psychology paper in this form will inevitably put the gimmick first. In this example, the page is just part of a much wider story that provides the context. Nonetheless, even in this one page, it is remarkable to see that it is possible to reduce complex designs and thought processes into manageable packages of information. Readers can quickly pick up the information, and if their curiosity is caught, they are ready to invest effort in finding out more. They can even go back to the original (text only) article. It is possible to alternate pictures and text, but the hybrid idea is a great challenge. Telling a story in pictures requires knowing precisely what you want to convey. It can be easy to hide a vague idea behind competent prose, whereas comics only work at all if the Draft page from a forthcoming graphic novel about social cognition. idea is easy to understand. Harder Text and artwork copyright Alex Frith and Daniel Locke. work, perhaps, but a stronger end result. to the finished comic page only certain information will The hardest part is finding an artistic collaborator. survive. It can’t contain as much as a traditional prose But working with another person, especially someone article, but you can be sure that what does remain is who is unlikely to have a background in psychology, (a) the gist of what you want to say, and (b) the parts forms another crucial step. It means that you, the author, with the most impact – and this might please even the have to work out how to explain your experiment to an picky reader. outsider – and explain it well enough that he or she can then turn it into a series of pictures, a true team effort. In the process from discussion to script to rough art Professor Uta Frith, University College London “We all use language differently and this is 2000 article on autobiographical memories). Clear, easy-to-follow papers take you on a clear narrative also true of writing” journey and rarely leave a reader going ‘Wait – what?’. Most importantly they usually make their point – their hook – clear at the start. It’s also worth remembering of course that scientific papers are written for an audience of peers – we are generally writing for other researchers, who may or may not be completely au fait with every detail of theory or methodology but for whom we won’t need to go back to first principles. But peers are just one kind of audience: writing for impact means aiming to engage with a wider range of audiences. This normally As academic psychologists, we never think of only really means thinking carefully about how you ourselves as professional writers, yet it’s the case that set out and describe your work – other factors are just no matter how clever our experiments, observations, as important, if not more, when writing for non-peer or analyses, if we don’t write about them the no one audiences. Below, I have listed a few of these factors that will know what we’ve been up to. To this end, I’ve I have found it very useful to keep in mind when writing. been running classes on writing for MSc students What is your ‘hook’? This roughly means, what is the at UCL and we talk to a variety of different people message you’d like people to take away from this? To be about writing and storytelling and voices. blunt, why should anyone care? If you look at the top-cited papers in, for example, Don’t be afraid to let go of jargon – as the novelist cognitive neuroscience, it is striking how well written Will Eaves has pointed out when speaking to my they are (e.g. Martin Conway and Kit Pleydell-Pearce’s students at UCL, not only can using jargon hide your

“Don’t be fooled into thinking that writing for those outside your area is somehow cheapening. Learning to do this is upskilling, not dumbing down”

When you write, imagine the smartest possible can result us in trying to compensate by patronising or reader you could have, but the least informed. This boring them with repetition. reader will get whatever you have to say, as long as Thinking this way can free up even technical writing, you explain it well without relying on knowledge making it easier to understand for everyone, not just that they don’t have. non-specialists. Good writing is so hard because it The most common error we make when trying to requires relentless attention to the state of knowledge write outside of our specialist area is to overestimate the of your readers – what they start out knowing, what reader’s knowledge and underestimate their intelligence. you want them to move towards understanding, and Overestimating their knowledge leads us into using what the correct order of steps along the way is. Every abbreviations, jargon and references that the reader sentence needs to be interrogated for what it assumes the 50 doesn’t understand. Underestimating their intelligence reader knows: Is that word commonly used, or peculiar the psychologist january 2017 impact meaning from the audiences, but it can also hide your meaning from yourself. You may be fooling yourself into thinking you know what you mean [Editor’s note: see also tinyurl.com/wordssorcery]. And don’t forget that audiences are not divided up into your peers and everyone else – writing for audiences can be very specific and it’s worth taking this seriously enough to find out what your audience might want. If I’m writing for The Guardian, I find I will take a different tone than if I’m writing for the BBC website. Don’t be afraid of taking this seriously. Who are you writing for? Why are you writing this? Don’t be afraid of trying to write well. As Stephen King says, writing should be mind reading. The words should disappear and the readers will just get straight to what you mean. Don’t be afraid to use your own voice. We all use As a conversation analyst, writing about ‘talk’ language differently and this is also true of writing. presents an immediate opportunity as well as an Ask other people to read your work – and listen to immediate challenge. On the one hand, as my what they tell you. If they tell you something is not clear, colleague Derek Edwards often observed, ‘talk’, as a then don’t ignore them. phenomenon of social life, is there to be understood. We need it to live our lives. Talk is not like a black hole, which, although something that scientists strive Professor Sophie Scott, University College London to understand, does not exist in the first place to be understood by humans. So, writing for impact on the topic of talk should be a fairly straightforward task: the conceptual gap between audience and phenomenon is small. On the other hand, it can be a challenge to convince audiences that we need a scientific or empirical approach to the study of talk at all – surely talk is something thing that we ‘just do’? But in contrast to much of the psychological or popular literature, conversation analysts study real talk. They don’t simulate it, construct theoretical or idealised examples of it, or ask people about their communicative lives on a questionnaire or interview. They collect corpora of tens to thousands of audio or video recordings of talk in the wild, from first to my field? Is it clear why this fact is important? Can the dates to medical consultations and from family mealtimes reader see that this next claim is one I’m reporting, not to cockpit interaction. one I believe? And so on. The upshot of this work is that we understand Don’t be fooled into thinking that writing for those how talk works in ways that often upend what we outside your area is somehow cheapening. Learning to think we know, either from self-help or academic do this is upskilling, not dumbing down. Everybody literatures. There’s little evidence that, say, ‘silence’ is outside of a limited circle of about 30 scholars is naive about processing time; that women and men build about aspects of your specialist topic which you take social actions differently, or that our bodies leak the ‘real for granted. In this age of collaboration and increasing meaning’ behind our words. This can be uncomfortable specialisation, outside of this circle of your specialist to talk and write about too – but it is important to try. knowledge means most other psychologists, not to My work has impacted on service providers of all kinds, mention other scientists and scholars from different and I’ve managed to write about conversation analysis disciplines as well as the people who might be impacted with impact, via public engagement activities at TEDx, by your work, as well as the curious public. the Royal Institution, Latitude Festival [pictured above This means that most of the readers of your backstage, with our editor Dr Jon Sutton], and more. papers, your collaborators, the people who review Communicating in this way about ‘everyday’ your grants, cases for promotion or impact statements phenomena can feel like it should be easy, but end up are non-specialists. The better able we are to write for hard. Yet the reward is when people begin to understand non-specialists the wider the impact of our work and why academics do what they do, and see the importance further we can take our research. of findings about something as simple as talk.

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In the University of How did a respected neuroscientist come to write Cambridge psychologist a book about Peter Pan? I came across an early edition of Barrie’s first Peter Rosalind Ridley’s 2016 Pan book, 1906’s Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, by book Peter Pan and the accident. In the text I found descriptions of many aspects Mind of J.M. Barrie: An of cognitive psychology that have only been studied scientifically since the middle of the 20th century… Exploration of Cognition I think of Ulric Neisser’s 1967 Cognitive Psychology. and Consciousness The more I read, the more I found. I was hooked. (Cambridge Scholars Most people are unaware that Barrie wrote two Publishing), we learn that novels about Peter Pan in addition to the pantomime. there is more to the story Do these give us a different view of the nature of than pirates and children Peter Pan and the intentions of Barrie? In Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens Peter is about a week who can fly. Barrie was old while in 1911’s Peter and Wendy, which is based very aware of the scientific on the pantomime, he is about six or seven years old developments of his day, (although he supposedly still has his baby teeth, which indicates his immaturity). Although Peter is ‘the boy who and the original Peter Pan wouldn’t grow up’ he undergoes several changes of age, stories are infused with out of synchrony with other people in the stories. One ideas about humanity’s explanation for this is that Peter is Barrie’s memory of himself as a child achieved through ‘mental time travel’, place in the natural world and that Barrie is both exploring the nature of childhood and the mental lives of and re-living his own childhood. children and animals. In What was Barrie like? many places Barrie seems Barrie was a lonely man who had had a difficult childhood to have anticipated ideas and a childless marriage that ended in divorce. He found in psychology that only adults difficult and sought refuge in a fantasy world, outside the normal stream of consciousness of our emerged after his death. mundane existence. Here, UCL psychologist Chris Frith asks his And yet, he was also one of the most successful authors of his time and knew everyone from friend and erstwhile Thomas Hardy to A.A. Milne. But Barrie certainly colleague why Barrie’s had problems. I believe that, like Lewis Carroll, he ideas are important for suffered from insomnia but that he attempted to control this by taking heroin. He must often have contemporary psychology. experienced the strange states of consciousness that occur at the borders of sleeping and waking. Did these experiences inspire aspects of the Pan story? Yes, Barrie complained of terrible sleep and gave accurate 54 descriptions of almost all the clinical parasomnias in his the psychologist january 2017 books stories. It is more than likely that he experienced these sleep disturbances and that this taught him that what he experienced and what was happening ‘out there’ are not the same thing. When Barrie was six years old his older brother drowned. Their mother became very depressed and Barrie felt that his dead brother was more real in his mother’s mind than he was. This may have encouraged Barrie to think in terms of internal mental states rather than the outside world.

Barrie seems to have been seeking a special state of heightened consciousness, which he believed people experienced in some historical or childish Golden Age. You call this state ‘sublime consciousness’. What is this? Although he didn’t use these terms, Barrie clearly understood Josef Perner’s modern distinction between primary mental representation (mainly perception) and secondary representation (mainly episodic memory, anticipation of future, and the imagination of alternatives). His stories were based on the notion that these were different, mutually exclusive, types of consciousness and that only adult humans had what we would now call ‘secondary representation’. He longed for pure primary consciousness (which I have called sublime consciousness), which he believed was available to animals, children and only occasionally to adults. Barrie argued that animals and very young children were not burdened with the ‘sense of time’ or ‘sense of agency’ that comes with the development of secondary representations and so were free to enjoy a heightened experience of the present.

This reminds me of that research by Jonathan Schooler, Dan Ariely and George Lowenstein, showing that, if you think about being happy, you will feel less happy. But isn’t there one animal in the stories who does have secondary representation? Yes, Solomon the crow. In the picture by Arthur Rackham we see him with the sock he is using to save for his pension. Crows have always had a reputation for being clever and my colleague, Nicky Clayton, has published work suggesting that they can plan for the future. that ‘a word… means just what I choose it to mean’, Barrie took a more pragmatic approach in making Wendy And research led by Seweryn Olkowicz in Prague describe a ‘kiss’ as a ‘thimble’ when she could see that finds that crows’ brains contain more neurons than Peter was using the two words the wrong way round. the brains of some primates of comparable size. Barrie then goes on to distinguish between solid objects I remember the rather sentimental episode in and socially constructed objects, just as John Searle did the pantomime where children are told that every in 1995’s The Construction of Social Reality. In a rather time they say, ‘I don’t believe in fairies’, then a fairy complex scene, Peter has forgotten how to fly and is will die. But, in your book, you suggest that Barrie is marooned on the island in the Long Water in Kensington making a comparison between the type of thing that Gardens. A boat made out of a five pound note washes fairies are and the type of thing that money is. up on the island, but, rather than using the boat to make Well, yes, Barrie liked to play tricks with words and ideas. his escape, Peter cuts the bank note up into smaller pieces He made ethereal objects behave like solid objects; a and uses these to pay the thrushes (who have been told shadow, for example, is folded up and put in a drawer. that these ‘coins’ are valuable) to build him a bird’s nest Like Lewis Carroll, Barrie saw that words and the objects boat. Here Barrie recognised that money is not only a they represented were separable but, whereas Carroll (in piece of paper, but is also a socially constructed object that 56 Through the Looking Glass…) adopted a semantic view only exists as currency so long as everyone believes in it. the psychologist january 2017 books

Similarly, fairies are socially constructed objects, who only she wants to be to me, but she says it is not my exist if you and your friends believe in them. mother.” “No, indeed it is not,” Wendy replied with frightful We once did an imaging study, led by Cristina emphasis. Becchio, where people watched bank notes being torn up. The higher the value, the more brain activity Here Peter is clearly described as not knowing what we saw. it is that Tiger Lily wants to be to him, rather than You suggest that a major theme of the Peter Pan not knowing how he should respond to her amorous stories concerns the cognitive differences between advances. Later Peter gives a puzzled, nervous laugh and animals, children and adults. After Darwin published skips off merrily when he thinks that Wendy has been shot his theory of evolution, people had to reconsider dead. these differences, since he had shown that we are all animals. Well, it’s certainly amazing that Barrie was so much Peter Pan is described as a ‘betwixt-and-between’, part ahead of his time in presenting these various ideas, child, part bird (he can fly) and part instinctive, slightly which we associate with contemporary cognitive dangerous creature, like the god Pan. This allowed psychology, but is this enough? What does your foray Barrie to compare the mental world of adults, children into the humanities contribute to contemporary and animals and to consider the extent to which neuropsychology? human behaviour is instinctive rather than rational and Barrie was a close observer of human and animal enculturated. These are very post-Darwinian themes, and behaviour as well as being extremely well read. I suspect Barrie clearly believed that children start life with animal that many of his astute observations were entirely his own instincts and develop additional, specifically human but the implications of scientific discovery was a very cognitive skills as they mature. This reflects the view put pressing issue amongst the intelligentsia of the time and forward by the 19th-century embryologist Ernst Haeckel Barrie knew a great deal about science. For example, his that ‘ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny’. story of the fairy duke who does not know that he is in It would not have occurred to anyone before love charmingly demonstrates the James/Lange theory Darwin to compare the behaviour, especially the moral of emotion, which was proposed at the end of the 19th behaviour, of humans and animals… the view was that century. humans were made in the image of God and animals At first I was surprised by the cognitive approach he were just dumb beasts. Barrie also refers to paths in adopted but I now realise that much early psychology, Kensington Gardens that have been made by men and especially that proposed by William James (whom adjacent ‘vagrant paths that have made themselves’, Barrie had met), was very cognitive in approach. But it suggesting that he understood that evolution could apply was then overshadowed by the subsequent schools of to anything that was based on bottom-up processes, not Psychoanalysis and Behaviourism. We should pay much just plants and animals. more attention to the psychological insights of the 19th and early 20th century. One of the more exciting research programmes to Barrie’s literature makes science accessible, but Barrie emerge toward the end of the 20th century was about also showed that a good grounding in science and the theory of mind or mentalising, for example Premack scientific approach can contribute to literature when and Woodruff’s work. This is the ability that enables he said in his 1922 Rectorial Address at St Andrew’s us to realise that other people may have different University ‘science is the surest means of teaching you beliefs from us and that it is these beliefs, rather than how to know what you mean’. reality that will determine their behaviour. Children don’t seem to acquire a full version of this ability until they are about six or seven years old. Although Barrie does not specifically discuss the nature of Peter’s cognitive limitations, his various descriptions of Peter’s behaviour certainly indicate failures of mentalising. Peter cannot remember events of the past and cannot understand what ‘afraid’ means because it is about the future. Peter also appears not to have a fully developed theory of mind and the social cognition that develops from it. He has great difficulty dealing with the beliefs and desires of others. Our coverage of books is changing. We’ll be having more in-depth interviews, “What are your exact feelings for me?” articles based on books and exclusive online extracts. There will still be a place “Those of a devoted son, Wendy.” for reviews, alongside several new regular features: we expect these to return “I thought so,” She said, and went and sat by herself next month. at the extreme end of the room “You are so queer,” he said, frankly puzzled, “and If you are a book publisher who has yet to get involved in our discussions over Tiger Lily is just the same. There is something the new approach, get in touch with the editor on [email protected]. True colours of the Middle Ages

Charles Fernyhough (University of Durham) attends an exhibition at Fitzwilliam Museum

e think of the Middle Ages as a drab time. The Monty The exhibition at Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam challenges exhibition WPython image of the filthy peasant, dressed in brown presuppositions about the inferiority of manuscript Colour: homespun, fits with a preconception of ravaged bodies illumination in delightful and, well… colourful ways. The Art and and benighted, superstitious minds. But a stereotype There is much here of interest to the psychologist. Science of that would have been practical reality for many belies the In disciplines as diverse as physics and neuroscience, Illuminated period’s deep attraction to all that was bright and vivid. scientists are recognising that medieval scholarship was Manuscripts When funds allowed it, medieval houses were painted, more sophisticated than previously believed. Medieval Fitzwilliam clothes dyed and colour used as a language to encode thinking on the mind and brain was no exception (see The Museum, spiritual and worldly meanings. Psychologist, November 2016). The manuscripts collected Cambridge Over hundreds of years, the colours have mostly faded. in the exhibition evidence an understanding of modelling until They blaze on in the stained-glass windows of Gothic – two-dimensional representation of three-dimensional 2 January churches, but such fragile works of art were vulnerable to forms – that pre-dates the frescoes of Cavallini and Giotto – Free the depredations of the Dissolution and other upheavals. by a good few decades. Medieval illustrators pioneered Densely valuable, portable and discreet, books could be techniques such as pointillism and grisaille (the expert hurried out of sight when trouble came. The medieval use of shades of grey), and showed a grasp of aerial codex has proved remarkably resilient: perhaps a million perspective that is usually understood as a triumph of the such manuscripts survive, many of them illuminated. You Quattrocento. could argue that only on their pages do the true colours of The artistic achievements of masterpieces like the the Middle Ages shine through. Dover Bible and Macclesfield Psalter (both displayed here) Manuscript illumination was traditionally considered were in some ways founded on scientific understandings. a secondary art. Paintings in books served very practical In the body of theoretical knowledge known as perspectiva purposes, bringing the stories of the Bible alive to the – an eclectic mix of classical, Christian and Arabic ideas illiterate masses. The early missionaries to England would on colour and vision – medieval illumination demonstrated literally walk into a crowd with vast paintings held aloft; it an invigorated understanding of optics that underpinned proved the most effective way to disseminate the word of the advances in perception science made later by God. It was in wall and panel painting, supposedly, where Newton and others. The visionary colour theory of Robert the true technical breakthroughs were made, eventually Grosseteste, the early 13th-century scholar and bishop, 58 culminating in the aesthetic revolution of the Renaissance. is still being puzzled over by academics. The shadowy the psychologist january 2017 culture textures of grisaille may not have been conceivable without The drugs education that my school skipped the revisions to Aristotle’s colour scale made by Theodoric of Freiberg in the early 14th century – particularly the Say Why to Drugs (SWTD) is a hosts. You feel like you are listening separation of black and white to a separate scale that fortnightly, fact-based, educational in on a conversation between moderated, but did not constitute, colour. X-ray and podcast discussing legal and illegal friends. Dr Gage’s academic stance infrared analyses show that the illuminators of that time recreational drugs, dealing with is complemented by Scroobius (who included women as well as men) had access to a far the myths and realities Pip’s relentless interest; greater palette of pigments – from plenteous ochres to the surrounding one drug he asks the questions legendary ultramarine – than was once assumed. In one in each episode. It is podcast that the layperson would, display case of many-hued rocks, the pragmatics of taking created and presented Say Why which makes the content colours from the earth are beautifully described. by Dr Suzi Gage, a to Drugs accessible to a wide This riot of colour also gives us insight into the postdoctoral researcher Suzi Gage audience. Scroobius Pip’s ordinary workings of the medieval mind. Colour was seen in the School of past drug use is discussed a feature of an object rather than a trick of the light, and Experimental Psychology on the podcast, but he no it could therefore bear meaning in ways that it can’t today. at the University of Bristol, who is longer takes any substance; he only In alchemy (so important for laying the foundations of joined by podcaster, musician and drinks alcohol once or twice a month modern chemistry), colour represented elements of a actor Scroobius Pip. (primarily for his drunk podcast: cosmology. It also linked the microcosm of the human The SWTD podcast was the DrunkCast). The mix of these two organism to the macrocosm of God’s creation. Mental product of Dr Gage winning I’m perspectives gives the podcast’s imbalances like melancholy, with its excess of black bile, a Scientist Get Me Outta Here, a message more credibility. were literally painted on the body (as in the affecting competition run by the Wellcome My favourite episode is the one early 15th-century ‘Melancholic Man’). Colour served a Trust. The online competition on alcohol. Dr Gage describes how practical purpose in organising knowledge, with those involves students putting questions alcohol receives special treatment gorgeous initial capitals and acrostics serving useful to scientists and judging what the in the UK by not often being referred purposes in guiding the mind through a text. Many of scientists propose to do with the to as a drug: even in academia the books displayed here had educational functions, £500 prize money: Suzi pitched the field is referred to as ‘Drugs providing an insight into contemporary theories about the this idea, won the competition and Alcohol’. After discussing the developing mind. Depictions of angels, demons and other and the podcast was started. appeal, they then talked about how supernatural beings help us to understand the unfamiliar Dr Gage was then interviewed ingrained alcohol use is in society, to logic of a thoughtworld in which the divine and the on Scroobius Pip’s own podcast the extent that it can be a surprise demonic were fully entangled with human affairs. ‘Distraction Pieces’, leading him to people if someone abstains. This The illuminated manuscript arguably reached its to join SWTD. It was also here is a really important point to raise apotheosis in the remarkable cultural success of the that it got its name, Say Why to in a podcast aimed at young people, Book of Hours, a fixture in a literate person’s life as Drugs: a fantastic play on the anti- as it highlights the value of choosing necessary and addictive as a modern smartphone. The drugs campaign ‘Say No to Drugs’ to drink (or not drink), regardless of era’s technological innovations changed many things, but that was funded by the Church of peer or social pressure. It led me they did not dim the desire for colour, evidenced by the fact Scientology. to think about my own drinking and that some of the most brilliant works on display here were The format of the podcast is whether I make an active decision. made long after the spread of moveable type printing. simple: the drug is introduced In the ‘myth-busting section, Light destroys colour as well as revealing it, and the and its appeal is discussed, Dr Dr Gage explains how a myth can Fitzwilliam’s display cases are necessarily kept quite dark. Gage then works through straight be built from a body of research and Combined with small and unfamiliar scripts, the challenge facts about what is known about explains how to critically analyse to the eyes makes the museum’s borrowable magnifying the drug and its effects, before results. She describes what to look glasses very handy. There is a useful catalogue book with exploring myths. Watersheds do out for in research, to be sceptical, copies chained, in a nice medieval touch, to benches for not exist with podcast, so there’s and not to take research at face- the public’s benefit. If you can’t get there in person, an freedom that other forms of media value. It’s a theme she returns to in excellent online resource, Illuminated, tells much of the don’t allow. With this controversial most of the episodes. This is brilliant: story from afar. The variety on display is exhilarating. topic, that’s a necessity. Some she doesn’t just bust a myth by From vast bibles to minuscule books of hours, from podcasts are edited so that you telling listeners that it is wrong, but early musical sourcebooks to handbooks for combining listen to a rehearsed show, but she explains why, and that provides pigments, the predominantly European exhibits range in SWTD retains its conversational listeners with the tools to repeat date from early insular (Anglo-Saxon) manuscripts to the authenticity. This works well: with the analysis to other papers and sumptuous trophy texts of early-modern princes. There drugs education, the last thing you articles. Making young people think are some very significant manuscripts on display, but it want to hear is something that and critique information that is given may be the more mundane ones – the medical textbook feels forced, or adults telling kids to them is not only great for future showing a gruesome operation for haemorrhoids, the what to do. It is laid-back, raw and researchers, it’s a valuable life skill. comic marginal touches like the energetic game of unedited. Add to this the fact that links are ‘kickboots’ – that will resonate in the mind. Say Why to Drugs has an attached to the audio file so that you instant appeal; it has a relaxed can explore the research: the podcast www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/colour atmosphere with two dynamic then serves as a gateway to the world of drug research that isn’t printed on evil. My experience was neither SWTD is both unique and necessary, the front of tabloids. informative nor frightening. Both Dr an unbiased, fact-based drugs The podcast has won Skeptic Gage and Scroobius Pip have had podcast. I hope it inspires more magazine’s Ockham Award, and had feedback from parents and teachers podcasts and learning resources over 200,000 downloads. There is who have introduced the podcast promoting the same ethos. clearly an audience for this refreshing to their children or students, and outlook on drugs education. I there are potential plans to create a Listen via personally would have loved this learning resource for schools. www.acast.com/saywhytodrugs resource in drugs education at The podcast may not be for Reviewed by Elle Wadsworth, school; it is a stark contrast to the everyone: it does not delve too deeply a Research Assistant at the police turning up with a briefcase into each drug so perhaps the level Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology of drugs advocating that drugs are of content is too low for some. But and Neuroscience

Seven broken hearts, seven racing minds music Let Them It’s 4.18am, and where are you? Are you one of the lucky Eat Chaos oblivious, or are your crowding thoughts keeping you Kate Tempest awake? In Let Them Eat Chaos, Kate Tempest drops you from distant space into teeming humanity, guiding you ghost-like through the minds of seven people. They may well be seven people you know. This is an album of spoken-word poems set to atmospheric music, a series of individual narratives threaded together. If hearing the word ‘poem’ takes you back to stanzas in the schoolroom, or you picture a beret-wearing beat artist clicking his fingers, it’s time to experience how poetry has evolved. Spoken- word has undergone a modern resurgence, with artists vibrantly exploring the individual and society in ways that are deeply relevant to psychologists (see https:// thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/new-voices-slam-science). When performing live Kate Tempest is one of the best (https://youtu.be/E8Jus1QbMso), and much of that energy translates to this album. A critically acclaimed poet, she fills each track with details that create rich images. Her style is torrential, by turns urgent, desperate, arch and joyous, with a delivery that sweeps you along on the journey. The album has the beat of rap, the flow of poetry, topic is the continuation of action that the characters feel and the characterisation of a novel. Forget wand’ring they can’t control. clouds, thees and thous; this is poetry for the present, A theme of Kate Tempest’s previous work has been the using our own words to tilt the world we know to a new representation of working class voices, and that continues angle. in this album. Graffiti tags, a blight whitewashed over by ‘His thoughts are like a pack of starving dogs, fighting gentrification, represented safe territory to Zoe. Esther is over the last bone.’ Kate Tempest’s characters are awake, a shift-working care assistant struggling with the crises vulnerable and charged with cortisol, her poetry creating humans cause, and Pete’s living back at his parents with inner monologues that feel authentic. The minds we’re nothing to save for. Part of Kate Tempest’s power is in her introduced to are failing to outrun their past, attempting voice, and her delivery and intonation subtly alter to convey to process their present, questioning their existence, the mood and heart of her characters. For many, this dealing with loss or spiralling with intoxicants. This is a album will bring humanity to statistics seen in the news. gift for anyone interested or working in psychology, and ‘The myth of the individual has left us disconnected, lost the focus and detail of the poetry revitalises concepts and pitiful.’ Is there a psychologist out there who hasn’t commonly encountered. Thoughts that flash past reveal speculated about the effects our changing world has had the daily anxieties of those who are coping-not-coping. on the psyche? The mind at 4.18am acts as a lens through Drug and alcohol use is the norm, causing problems which the fallout of modern life can be considered. Our but, as in life, channelling fun and creativity, staving off consumerist society is analysed throughout, and to say boredom. The poems are at their best when they confront it’s found wanting is an understatement. Many of the 60 the contradictions inherent in behaviour, and a recurring characters are hitting the limits of what consumerism the psychologist january 2017 culture

Listening in explains their character’s client – notably the TV worried about her teenage radio life, background and drama series In Treatment, daughter Grace. Susie also In Therapy Now in its second series, reasons for seeking where the psychotherapist sees Grace separately, BBC Radio 4 In Therapy on BBC Radio therapy. Each episode was Gabriel Byrne, and and the series ends with 4 offers the opportunity is an improvised scene the clients all photogenic Susie’s suggested joint to eavesdrop on the world recorded on concealed (see www.imdb.com/title/ session between Amelia of psychotherapy. The microphones at Susie’s tt0835434). and Grace. This includes therapist is real-life Susie surgery. The sessions have As in the first a visceral argument Orbach, probably the best- a verisimilitude that has series, each 15-minute between mother and known psychoanalyst not quite been achieved programme features a daughter that offers Susie in the UK. The clients by similar attempts to different client, enabling an unmissable opportunity are actors, who have portray what happens Susie to demonstrate a to help them address been given a profile that between therapist and range of issues that can be their miscommunications. brought to the consulting Although it can never get room. There’s John, a too deep, the format works retired railway worker well in illustrating what who in Series 1 declares psychotherapy can do: a he has fallen in love with recommended listen. Susie, but by Series 2 has transferred his affections In Therapy is available to a sex worker. Another to listen again at can provide, and struggling to process their need for is Helen, a lawyer who tinyurl.com/jh6w8e7 something more. The story of the album is set in London, was recently diagnosed Reviewed by Kate but the themes resonate across people and places. At a with breast cancer. Then Johnstone who is Associate time when changes to the benefits system are brought there’s Amelia, who’s Editor for Culture to the big screen in I, Daniel Blake, Let Them Eat Chaos presents the repercussions of low wages, gentrification and globalisation on people’s minds and actions. If this sounds bleak – it is, but I had to laugh at the line ‘I don’t What I seek… speak the lingo/Since when was this a winery, it used to be when I want a busman’s holiday the bingo’. ‘You’re more than the three or four you’d go to war for.’ I love television. It allows me to suspend what I think is my real self The poems focus on the plight of individuals, but in the for a while, and explore thoughts and feelings that Freud might have background bigger issues can be glimpsed. The album argued are repressed. I want to see new ways of looking at the pain and stresses the need to recognise our connection with wider misery I come across in my work in addictions, and to understand more humanity, beyond those immediately around us. The about being pushed to extremes and losing control. dissonance that the characters experience in distracting There’s not much that fits the bill on mainstream TV at the moment themselves from global crises contributes to their however: Shameless completed 10 glorious years in 2013, and Irvine isolation and anxiety. The album ends with Kate Tempest Welsh is not yet writing for Hollyoaks. Fortunately there’s Netflix and exhorting the listener to love more, to see the similarity box sets, and here addictions lead the way. The seminal series on with those we think of as ‘other’, and to take responsibility drugs in modern-day America, The Wire, showed the failings of the for our society. Listening to this at the end of 2016, a time ‘War on Drugs’. As I watched four, five, six episodes in a row late into when many of us are suffering news burnout and trying to the night in a farmhouse in France, I realised I was hooked. Then along turn off the world, this resonated deeply. For psychology as came Breaking Bad: 62 episodes of breathtaking moral ambivalence a discipline and a profession, these poems raise questions capturing the highs and lows of drug taking, drug dealing, crime and about whether we’re equipped to help individuals deal with desperation. And indecently funny. Now Narcos opens up the world of the far-reaching tragedies humans have created. Pablo Escobar, the ultimate big man of drugs, with fabulous seventies Listened to as a whole, Let Them Eat Chaos clothes and facial hair. convincingly weaves a world in which you eavesdrop on These, then, are my Grimms’ fairytales, where violence and gore the internal monologue of people you may speak to every are commonplace; and good and evil aren’t always the right way round. day, portraying the effects of the modern world on the Do they make me see my work differently? Perhaps. But perhaps more mind. But when did you last sit and listen to an album importantly they reinforce the human need for stories and humour, for 45 minutes? Kate Tempest critiques our society for however disturbing the topic. its constant distraction and disengagement. If you can When I do manage to drag myself away from the sofa and the small overcome those traits for long enough, you won’t find screen, I look for insight and escape in the music of Massive Attack. this album easy listening, but you’ll find an absorbing, More drugs. thought-provoking and energising experience. By Dr Sally Marlow, National Addiction Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Reviewed by Lindsey Hines, a Postdoctoral Researcher Psychology and Neuroscience, and Associate Editor for Culture and Teaching Fellow at King’s College London Fierce and hopeful schizophrenia is mentioned. Arnhild’s facetiously through a farcical staff play transition between ‘patient’ and training session followed by the brutal Tomorrow This play, staged by the Belarus ‘clinician’ identities was perfectly reality of experiencing it firsthand. I Was Always Free Theatre company, was a captured by the actors constantly The theatre company ran a campaign a Lion powerfully insightful and highly interchanging between these roles alongside the play to end face-down Belarus Free emotionally charged portrayal of during the play. This also served as restraint; a highly dangerous practice Theatre Arnhild Lauveng’s personal account an important reminder that none that unfortunately still sometimes of developing schizophrenia, her of us are immune to the potentially occurs on psychiatric wards in the encounters with mental health devastating effects of mental ill UK. The depiction of physical restraint professionals, and her long road to health and that the perspectives of was suitably balanced in the play recovery. It provided a relentless patients and professionals are equally though, with Arnhild acknowledging insult on the senses, not dissimilar valid. that she wouldn’t be alive without from the overwhelming experiences The inclusion of full nudity in such intervention, but stressed the of those in the acute stages of one scene of the play was rather importance of using words first psychosis, punctuated by moments unexpected, and potentially (or indeed and explaining to the person what of humour and tenderness which intentionally) uncomfortable for the is happening before and during the provided welcome relief to the audience, but it highlighted how process. audience (and no doubt were crucial vulnerable and powerless individuals Indeed the whole play challenges to Arnhild’s survival of often brutal can feel while on a psychiatric ward. mental health professionals to take internal and external attacks). Ironically, Arnhild had just been a long hard look at the way they Despite the fierceness of the granted her request of a bath by interact with individuals under their play, the main message was one of a doctor who had listened to her care and screamed (sometimes hope. Through the support of her plea of wanting to be treated like a literally) for the adoption of a more family and the staff that had faith ‘normal’ woman, but then had her compassionate approach that in her ability to succeed and have a dignity quickly swept aside as two respects the individual’s right to be future outside of the mental health members of staff (and the entire treated as a human being and equal. system, Arnhild found the strength audience) watched her undress This need not be complicated; small to finish her schooling and is now and bathe. Such close observation acts of kindness (such as a smile, practising clinical psychologist is undoubtedly essential when an taking a few moments to listen to despite 10 years of being ‘lost in the individual is considered to be at high the person’s needs, and respecting forest’ of psychosis. This story of risk of taking their own life, but the their opinion) clearly made a huge recovery reflects the more optimistic scene provided an important insight difference to Arnhild’s experience perspective adopted over the past into how degrading the experience of of psychiatric care and her ability to two decades by the Early Intervention mental health ‘care’ can be for those hold on to an ounce or two of self- movement, which strongly focuses on inpatient wards. worth. This sentiment was echoed on getting young people back into The issue of using physical during the post-show discussion I did education or employment rather restraint in mental health settings with Jonny Benjamin, a prominent than writing off their lives when was also tackled in the play – initially mental health campaigner who has schizoaffective disorder, who emphasised the importance of small gestures from staff in making his stays on psychiatric wards bearable. I found participating in these post-show discussions rewarding and very humbling. It was a fantastic way to directly and creatively engage the public in thinking about mental health and to begin to breakdown the stigma that is still associated with schizophrenia. Indeed we were privileged to have this discussion space, given that in Belarus we could all have been arrested for simply watching the play let alone discussing its subject matter!

Reviewed by Dr Helen L. Fisher, a Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & 62 Neuroscience, King’s College London the psychologist january 2017 culture

No justice, no peace

13th is a raw and powerful new documentary directed by Ava DuVernay, a Golden Globe and Oscar nominee for Selma. The Netflix feature-length documentary opens with shocking statistics, grippingly spoken by outgoing President Obama, that ‘America is home to 5 per cent of the world’s population, but 25 per cent of the world’s prisoners’. In the land of the free, what is even more concerning is that one in three African-American men will be imprisoned in their lifetime. Against the backdrop of the current political climate in the USA (which includes movements such as Black Lives Matter), 13th offers an unflinching look at racial inequality within the criminal justice system, the American politics, the concept of ‘black criminality’ and the USA correctional service. The documentary takes its title from the 13th other prisoners and guards as well being held in solitary Amendment, which made it unconstitutional for any confinement for two of the three years in prison. film American to be held as a slave. A clause exempts 13th presents the vicious cycle of the psychological 13th criminals from this Bill of Rights. The film argues that this impact narratives of racial difference (i.e. presumption Ava DuVernay loophole, which allowed servitude as a punishment for of dangerousness and guilt) continue to have upon (Director) crime, has been exploited and actually serves to maintain African-Americans. This includes their sense of self, their Netflix African-Americans in servitude within the context of the family structure (loss of sons and brothers, and absent criminal justice system. 13th takes a significant step fathers), the intergenerational transmission of negative forward in identifying and naming the mechanisms by racial experience, their sense of community and their which black people are incarcerated at a higher rate than uncertainty about their place in the 21st century (e.g. their white counterparts (1 in 17): legislation, lower socio- the loss of the right to vote). economic status, illegal drugs, relationships with law The documentary invites a diverse range of highly enforcement and politics all play a part, along with more respected individuals to comment, and the narratives psychological and psychodynamic mechanisms such as are arrestingly illustrated through archive video footage fear of the Other, splitting, projective identification and and interviews with those directly affected by this internalisation. phenomenon. The film is set to a powerful soundtrack 13th confronts issues of racial inequality within the from lyrical wordsmiths who further connect the viewer to USA by embedding them in a historical framework. The the raw emotions evoked through the narratives and visual first half sets the scene and provides a stark review of images. the context of the country’s relationship with slavery, 13th provokes strong feelings of upset, anger and racism, politics, legislation and criminality. The second shame. However, it also leaves the viewer with a sense of half focuses on the US correctional system, racial biases hope. The film, along with modern-day advances (such as in the criminal justice system, black mental health, and instant video recording and the internet), and increased issues associated with mandatory sentencing and plea awareness and courage, may allow conversations to bargaining. It also explores the financial implications occur that effect meaningful change and address the associated with the interlinked web of companies that longstanding/chronic issue of the disenfranchisement profit and contribute to growing prison populations. of an entire race based upon skin colour. One example is Kalief Browder who was imprisoned Although the documentary is American, it has without a trial for three years on false charges of robbery implications for the UK. It invites us to think meaningfully (stealing a backpack) at 16. He was unable to post bail and critically about the UK’s experience of race, racism, set at $10,000. He maintained his innocence by refusing a the criminal justice system and the prison service. plea bargain which resulted in his incarceration. Two years following dismissal of the case and his release, Kalief Reviewed by Dr Roberta Babb, Chartered Psychologist, committed suicide by hanging himself. Activists attributed Registered Clinical Psychologist and Honorary Forensic his mental health decline to the beatings he received by Psychodynamic Psychotherapist James Pennebaker ‘Real things are just endlessly fascinating’

Our editor Jon Sutton poses the questions, on expressive writing, humour in teaching and more

I was hugely impressed in your talk just now with By way of giving a bit of an intro to people who don’t the walk through science that you took, and how know about you, say you were to analyse a corpus multidisciplinary and multi-method your approach of my written words, what would you expect to be has been. What are the roots of that approach, in able to determine? By the way, I used your Twitter terms of the psychologists and theories that inspired tool, apparently my feed is that of a ‘worried, spacey you when you began that journey? Valley Girl’… I started the way that I’ve approached life, from the very Then I’d be a little concerned about the way you’re beginning, from right out in the backyard, growing up and writing! trying to figure out what’s the best way to kill ants! Trying to understand how to catch fish, or doing chemistry Many people are… experiments. This mixture of just playing and then trying In terms of your general writing, if I analysed your email, to understand, and then coming up with a model of how I could do a pretty good job of telling how socially it must be working, and then testing that out. So it’s not connected you are, how smart you are, how analytic something that was unique to me in terms of psychology, you are, how self-aware you are, how personal, how it was something that I’ve just always done. depression-prone, how honest… With all of these, I would do better than chance, and I’d do better probably A very practical focus on life, that has led you to the than someone who read your emails. It wouldn’t be advice that you gave to a student – ‘Go and study perfect, and that’s the important issue, this gets to trying to real things’. understand the real world. That’s exactly right. Because, you know, real things are just endlessly fascinating. In much of my early career, any Would you do better than people who talk to me, for time there was a big disaster, I was at the door to study it. example, or is it just that with the written word you A large group of people all dealing with something new – can do it so quickly? just watching how people do it tells you about the event, That’s it, I can do it so quickly. And it’s kind of like if you it tells you about people, it tells you about the context. ask all your friends about you, they’re going to come away I guess I’ve been saying the same thing over and over with slight variations in terms of who you are, because again, going back and forth between trying to understand, you behave differently around each one. The beauty and also just discover. of the emails is that they can pick up each one. What information do you change when you’re talking from one Looking at disasters, that led you to study 9/11, and person to the next? the aftermath. When 9/11 occurred, because I’d studied so many others Has technology in that way been a godsend to you? – I’d studied an earthquake and I’d studied shootings, The work of course could not have been done 30 years and all sorts of things – when that happened, I knew ago, it’s just so costly… to go through and count words exactly what to do, because I’d done so many of these on that page and find out which dimension each word things that I could jump right in. is, would take somebody half a day, and would take me 1/100th of a second.

At the same time, in terms of interventions, does it James Pennebaker will be a keynote speaker in some ways make the opportunities for expressive at the Society’s 2017 Annual Conference writing interventions more narrow, because people To book for Brighton, 3-5 May, are so emotionally expressive in a variety of online 64 see www.bps.org.uk/ac2017 forums? the psychologist january 2017 interview

“I don’t think people need to do expressive writing very often. I view it as a kind of life course correction… I will do expressive writing myself now maybe once or twice a year” Jon Sutton That’s a very interesting question. I do think there’s been this in our Introductory Psychology class, I’ll say, ‘There a cultural shift, that people are more open nowadays than are 1500 people in this class, I will not read what you’ve they were when I started this research. written’.

Maybe too open? It gets annoying on social media. Because it’s just fed into the computer. Other languages have a word for people who, when Yes. So if you’re trying to get some kind of support, or cry you ask them how you are, they tell you. People for help, do it directly. don’t necessarily like the emotionally expressive. That’s exactly right. I think there has been a cultural What about the ethics in terms of the use of your shift. I used to think that people being expressive online methods? Clearly there’s applications that we’re would not be as healthy as writing for yourself; there’s a talking about, working for Microsoft, so you’re clearly study done by a group in Israel that shows that expressive comfortable with the more commercial applications writing through social media is as healthy as writing for of your methods. ‘With great power comes great yourself that surprised me. responsibility’, is that something you feel aware of? So here’s the issue: I’ve created a computer program that How much do you need to write, to experience any dope can do on their own, so if other people are the benefits of emotionally expressive writing? going to do it, so be it. In terms of my own computer I don’t think people need to do expressive writing very program, and I have a commercial wing of my life, so often. I view it as kind of a life course correction. I look there’s a company that uses it. It’s not as though this is at myself; I will do expressive writing myself now maybe an intervention, it’s more, just, it’s a thermometer, it’s once or twice a year, and I’ll do it and will sit down and like selling a thermometer, if you make meth with a write, I’ll get up in the middle of the night, tossing and thermometer, that’s just life in the fast lane. turning about my current job, and I can’t sleep, and I’ll get up and write for about 20 or 30 minutes and that’s that. So So it’s a tool that’s used to pick up things that are maybe when you’re younger, a little more, things are more already out there. chaotic. That’s right. I should say – the kind of stuff I’m doing is creepy. I mean – it is creepy, how much we can learn about Is it important to write when things are going well? people from their word use. But we can say the same thing I’d say no. My attitude is: Why? Because if things are going with body language, or cameras, or whatever. well, you should enjoy them. Don’t analyse them; just enjoy them. You’re an HBO series waiting to happen, a kind of Lie to Me! Do you think that’s only not happened because That’s interesting. That might be why a lot of words don’t lend themselves to the visual? You’d have people stop writing diaries after the teenage years, to have words flying around on the screen… because they’re dealing with all of that complexity I’d like to just move now to your approach to and uncertainty, and I did this myself through to teaching, because that’s something that’s come more my teenage years, and realised that the entries were to the fore recently. getting – ‘everything’s kind of all right, no point It has. doing this’. That’s exactly right. Explain to me how your approach to teaching differs from what’s out there. When people do write about traumatic events, in the Well, it’s become much more technology-heavy. We’re course of your research, how do you deal with that doing a big online class, and Sam Gosling and I have ethically? If things are revealed that maybe haven’t been teaching that now for ten years together, and about been revealed in other ways? four years ago we began to switch to online. The Intro I’ve dealt with this in all sorts of ways. What I do is I Psych class TV show, we broadcast it out to 1500–2000 tell people beforehand that if you talk about anything people. It’s a live broadcast TV show. We have a quiz at that could signal to me that you’re a danger to yourself the beginning of every class. At every class, we break the or others, I have to act on that. And hardly ever does class into small groups so they can work together, we have that happen, but if it does, I contact them first and then surveys and give people immediate feedback, so there’s afterwards I’ll contact authorities if necessary. I can’t constant feedback, constant connection between the remember when that’s been necessary. students and us. There’s kind of an irony – students feel In other studies I’ll say, some studies we won’t link to more connected to us in a class of 1500, than if we taught names with their writing so I can’t identify them. In others, a class to a 100. I tell people, ‘I will not read what you’re writing’, so I’ll do Why is that? Because we’re immediate. Our faces are this big, when you’re watching this, and it’s the immediacy that you get from watching a late-night talk show, you get to 66 know that person actually pretty well. This happened the psychologist january 2017 interview with my wife, she was at a play in New York, and We might have to do that. It’s linking in with your the person who sat down next to her was Stephen research, your approach to teaching, it’s all about that Colbert, and this issue the entire time is that my wife feels narrative. Have you applied that approach and those like she knows him. They ended up talking, and findings in your own life? Do you keep diaries? he has this all the time, that people feel that they’re I write occasionally. I don’t write very often. really connected. And that’s how my students are with Sam and me. And you’re married to a writer. Exactly. In terms of self-reflective writing, I do it It’s parasocial attachment, isn’t it? sometimes, but not very often. I do it when it’s needed; Yeah, it is. It’s really quite striking. When we walk around when there’s stress or conflict in my life. All the data show campus and students go, ‘Oh my God, Dr Pennebaker!’ that the younger you are, the more stress and conflict you You know, you see them and they’re all flushed and getting have, and the older you get, you’ve been through it all, really excited and they want to take pictures with me. or more and more of it. When you’re young and horny, it leads you to really stupid things, you just can’t control You seem very approachable. yourself. That’s the definition of youth. And when that But here’s the point – I used to teach the class live to 500 happens, that’s when writing is really beneficial. and never did that ever happen. Tell me about the importance of the ‘function words’. Maybe that’s partly the selfie generation. I think it’s fascinating that you’ve picked up on I think it’s the online, it’s just so different. something that comprised 70 per cent of everyday speech, but until you went into that, it was mostly You’re a funny guy, as well… Do you think it’s ignored as unimportant. important to use wit when you’re teaching? That’s right. It’s the difference between content and style. You know, teaching is a mixture of entertainment and It’s a little bit like watching two people, like those three information. Anybody who denies people there, you could ask ‘Where that is not a good teacher. If you can’t are they going? Are they going hold a person’s attention; you’re not “teaching is a mixture a particular route?’. But you can successful. also watch how they’re walking, of entertainment and you can get a sense of what their How does that work in practice? information. Anybody relationship is, their social class, all Is it jokes, or more a general who denies that is not these other things, all these stylistic approach to the material, the a good teacher” variables that are telling us about examples you use? their psychological state, their social This gets at the nature of the narrative relationships, and that’s kind of what of stories. Look at you, you’re function words are doing. So they’re professional, you write, if you write dry text, no one will not telling us what they’re talking about, but they’re telling get past the third sentence. And you know that. And so us how you’re thinking, and how you’re connecting. what you do is the same thing as I do, you personalise it, you humanise the person, you use every sleazy trick in the From what I’ve seen of your own language use, book to keep people on the page. the Pennebaker Inventory of Limbic Languidness, take the PILL online, you’re using language to form At the moment we’re doing a redesign of the acronyms that are a little bit witty. magazine, due to launch in January, which may well I should tell you that I used to get shit because I’d invent end up containing this interview now, because part clever names like that, and that’s why I call my computer of that is around changing in a way that makes in program that – I wanted to sound so obscure and particular our articles more engaging. As part of that complex. Linguistic Inquiry Word Count – what could be we’re thinking about what the writing style is; what more boring and academically appropriate? is it that we’re looking for from our mainly academic I’m known for being a little bit cute and flip. So I contributors? It feels to me that the time is right to wanted this to be scientifically respectable. capitalise, there’s changing climate with academics understanding the need to write in a more engaging Choose your moments to be cute and flip. and personalised way, not just a big long list of Exactly. academic references. You also have to start using more YouTube videos. Your wife Ruth has published a book called Pucker Up – The Subversive Woman’s Guide to Aging with Wit, If we had the resources! Wine, Drama, Humour, Perspective and the Occasional You don’t need many resources. You can have a Good Cry. Do you see yourself as a subversive man, two-minute snippet of a person telling a story, or who ageing alongside her in the same fashion? knows. But there are so many ways, if you don’t do it, Of course. That’s one reason I think we’ve always been you’re going to get screwed. attracted to each other, because we’re both subversive. Providing first class medical consulting and therapy rooms at prime locations in Central London and Liverpool

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Ian Florance follows up some of his ‘Careers’ interviewees

The Psychologist, like the Some psychologists are slightly defensive (or ‘nervous’ as Elizabeth Stokoe commented) when Roman Empire, seems approached by the media, even The Psychologist. to have been around for Yet many interviewees found the process valuable a very long time. As this in itself. Catriona Morrison told me: ‘It is always an indulgence to talk about yourself, but reflecting on issue shows, our long my career path set off some thoughts: how did I get life reflects constant here? Is this where I want to be? In fact, I’d say it refreshment and was more useful than most of the staff development reviews I’ve had in the various universities I’ve reinvention. But as worked in!’ Jackie Sykes also suggested that it ‘gave Monty Python’s Life time to reflect’ and this can sometimes lead to firm of Brian asked of the resolutions. Almuth McDowall discovered that she missed teaching occupational psychology, and Roman Empire, what speaking to me made her determined to get back to has The Psychologist it. Kim Stephenson backed up these views: ‘It was ever done for us? interesting to be able to look at myself.’ For Elizabeth Stokoe, the interview ‘provided a “taking stock” moment, in terms of what I’d achieved so To focus on one element far in my career – and even think that words like achieve in the magazine, more and career might apply to me. It made me think a lot about how best to communicate what I do – which than 200 psychologists is fairly opaque to lots of psychologists – in the most have answered questions effective way.’ about what it’s like to be a psychologist in our Reactions to the interview ‘Careers’ interviews. Of course, people can be equally nervous about the What happened to them? reactions to their interviews once they’re printed. Some of the interviewees (Funke Baffour and Elizabeth Stokoe, By taking an hour or two for instance) commented that very few of their friends out of their working days, are psychologists or read The Psychologist. But others had did they find unexpected different stories. Catriona Morrison told me that she ‘got universally positive feedback. Indeed, I think some of my outcomes and benefits? friends/colleagues weren’t aware of what I had been doing, and were surprisingly complementary.’ ‘I got lots of e-mails and feedback – all positive’, said Jackie Sykes. Roy Childs raised an issue a lot of us face. ‘My friends and family always ask what I do and don’t really get it… so it was nice to give them something which explained my work and thinking.’ In other cases, the reaction has been varied. ‘I got my leg pulled about being in the media – very good- naturedly. People at conferences come up to me having read the interview, which was really nice’ (Almuth McDowall). Kim Stephenson argued passionately for the 72 relationship between psychology and finance in his the psychologist january 2017 careers interview. He was perhaps surprised by the lack of What else happened? reaction from psychologists themselves. ‘I made a A number of people I speak to link to the interviewees couple of interesting contacts with other people who on their websites or in proposals tenders. Stephanie were in that edition, one of whom was an educational Davis explains. ‘Coverage in The Psychologist strengthens psychologist who gave me some useful ideas for positioning… It has more weight than many publications, communicating ideas with under-16s. And I had one particularly given that I’m in an unusual area of work.’ contact from somebody who’d studied psychology, For Cordelia Galgut, whose interview appeared fairly who I’m now working with on various education and recently, ‘It’s too early to evaluate if it’s had an effect, charity projects… Any (other) comment I’ve had – and but it was important professionally and personally. It is it’s all been favourable, along the lines of “that’s really interesting to see my life and professional journey to date Funke Baffour interesting, I don’t see why more people don’t do it, I down in black and white.’ inspired a must get your book” – has been from business people, Catriona Morrison raised interesting points. ‘What number of charity workers, et cetera. Not a single psychologist.’ I particularly liked about the article is that it was quite readers to pursue personal too, and presented me as a rounded human a career in being, with more to it than it just being a job. I am sure psychology Did the interview open any doors? this will help aspiring psychologists to feel like they don’t Elizabeth Stokoe’s experiences are worth recounting in have to be super-human in order to achieve a career full. ‘This was the unexpected and amazing thing about in psychology… what I think was additionally really the interview… It led to real career-changing things. I helpful was the occasional tweeting by @psychmag to was approached by BBC Radio 4 The Life Scientific, who keep it visible and in the public domain. Articles in a found me via The Psychologist… As a massive Radio 4 fan, monthly publication will be read once and forgotten – I was absolutely thrilled, but also again to be given the I think what the magazine is doing with keeping articles opportunity to talk on a serious science programme. So live is a really good idea.’ my research and biography got a 30-minute dedicated Funke Baffour reports that her interview ‘resulted programme, alongside the likes of Brian Cox, Peter Higgs in a number of young, black women contacting me to and Richard Dawkins. After that, academic life changed suggest I’d inspired them to try to pursue a career in quite a bit! I had huge interest from professionals of all psychology’. Roy Childs said kinds – from salespeople to medics and other academics, Kim Stephenson makes a very practical point: that it was nice to and so on, which generated lots of research partnerships getting the view of a neutral on his work ‘helped with give friends and and the interest kind of snowballed. From there I did a setting out brief biographies, pen portraits for articles family something TEDx talk in Bermuda, was invited (three times now!) to and other communications’. that explained his talk at the Royal Institution, I won a WIRED Innovation work and thinking Fellowship, had loads of invites to give guest speaker lectures (from Tatler magazine to the Gas Board!). A summary Just recently I was back with The Of course this is only a snapshot of 15 years of ‘Careers’ Psychologist as part of the Wellcome interviews. We have not yet looked at the effect of Trust Hub at Latitude Festival. So that the articles on readers: for instance, have they helped interview really changed my academic undergraduate and in-training psychologists in their life, and gave conversation analysis a decision-making? The application of psychology has public platform it would never have never been more important in national and international had otherwise.’ policy, even in entertainment and the private lives of Stephanie Davies also was many people. In addition to models, theories and robust invited to give talks internationally research, the stories and biographies of psychologists and, if you read her initial interview, and the psychologically trained could help to increase Catriona Morrison you can see why she’d be a real this influence. But for now, it at least seems that being said that being success as a public speaker. interviewed offers benefits to the interviewees, not least interviewed Other outcomes related to increased opportunities to communicate their ideas and ‘set off some careers. According to Catriona work to a diverse readership. thoughts’ Morrison, ‘it helped to recognise my standing – at least as I put it across To read these and other careers interviews, in the interview! I’m sure it was helpful in me getting see www.thepsychologist.org.uk/meets a more senior university job, as Professor and Head of Department, having been a Senior Lecturer.’ Susan Golombok felt it got ‘the work of the Centre for Family Research in front of psychologists with Might you have an interesting story to tell about your career path, the highs different backgrounds’, and Almuth McDowall mentions and lows of your current role or the professional challenges you are facing? ‘opportunities for outreach work, usually more than I If you would like to be considered for a ‘Careers’ interview in The Psychologist, can meet’. As for Jackie Sykes, although she couldn’t get in touch with the editor Dr Jon Sutton ([email protected]). Of course identify direct outcomes she said there may well be ‘an there are many other ways to contribute to The Psychologist, but this is one indirect link to book sales’. that many find to be particularly quick, easy and enjoyable. Advertising opportunities in 2017

CPL has been appointed by the British To discuss the opportunities for advertising Psychological Society and we are very and promotion in The Psychologist, excited to be your point of contact for all www.jobsinpsychology.co.uk and Research advertising. CPL is an award-winning Digest, please contact Kai Theriault on 01223 full service agency that was established 378051 or email [email protected]. in 1996. Upcoming Display Appointment Publication The new appointments website has recently issues advert section date deadline deadline launched, and is still the number one site for psychology jobs. Now fully accessible on mobile February 03 January 04 January 19 January and desktops, the site features increased March 25 January 01 February 16 February search functionality, greater ease of use and navigation. For recruiters, there are many more targeting options for you to promote your vacancies to members and visitors. www.jobsinpsychology.co.uk. You will be happy to hear that all recruitment advertisers in the print edition of The Psychologist will continue to have their adverts included on the new appointments site.

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WƐLJĐŚŽůŽŐLJ'ƌĂĚƵĂƚĞƐ Llandyrnog, Denbighshire, North Wales ƉƉƌŽdž͘ϯϬŵŝůĞƐĨƌŽŵŚĞƐƚĞƌ͕ƐĞƚǁŝƚŚŝŶŽƵƚƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐŶĂƚƵƌĂůďĞĂƵƚLJ zŽƵ͛ǀĞĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞĚLJŽƵƌĚĞŐƌĞĞ͕ƐŽŶŽǁŐĂŝŶǀĂůƵĂďůĞĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞŽĨƵƐŝŶŐƉƐLJĐŚŽůŽŐŝĐĂůůLJďĂƐĞĚƉƌŝŶĐŝƉůĞƐĂŶĚŝŶƚĞƌǀĞŶƟŽŶƐƚŽƐƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶLJŽƵƌsʹĂŶĚ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚLJŽƵŽŶLJŽƵƌũŽƵƌŶĞLJƚŽďĞĐŽŵŝŶŐĂƋƵĂůŝĮĞĚWƐLJĐŚŽůŽŐŝƐƚ͘ zŽƵ͛ůůďĞũŽŝŶŝŶŐƚŚĞƚĞĂŵŽĨ^ƵƉƉŽƌƚtŽƌŬĞƌƐĂƚŽŶĞŽĨŽƵƌϭϭŚŽŵĞƐĂƚ,ŝŐŚĮĞůĚWĂƌŬ͘,ĞƌĞ͕ǁĞƉƌŽǀŝĚĞŚŝŐŚͲƋƵĂůŝƚLJĐĂƌĞĂŶĚƐƵƉƉŽƌƚƚŽĂĚƵůƚƐǁŝƚŚůĞĂƌŶŝŶŐ ĚŝƐĂďŝůŝƟĞƐǁŚŽŵĂLJĂůƐŽŚĂǀĞĞdžƚƌĞŵĞĐŽŵƉůĞdžŶĞĞĚƐ͕ĂƵƟƐŵƐƉĞĐƚƌƵŵĚŝƐŽƌĚĞƌƐĂŶĚͬŽƌƉŚLJƐŝĐĂůĚŝƐĂďŝůŝƟĞƐ͘ You can look forward to a full training programme that will include: using applied behavioural analysis; carrying out complex psychological assessments ƚŽŝŶĨŽƌŵĐĂƌĞĂŶĚƚƌĞĂƚŵĞŶƚ͖ĂŶĚĚĞǀĞůŽƉŝŶŐĂŶĚŝŵƉůĞŵĞŶƟŶŐƉŽƐŝƟǀĞďĞŚĂǀŝŽƵƌĂůƐƵƉƉŽƌƚƚŽŵĂŶĂŐĞĐŚĂůůĞŶŐŝŶŐďĞŚĂǀŝŽƵƌ͕ŝŶĐůƵĚŝŶŐĚĂƚĂĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ ĂŶĚĐŽŶƚƌŝďƵƟŶŐƚŽŝŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂůůLJƌĞĐŽŐŶŝƐĞĚƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ͘zŽƵǁŝůůĂůƐŽŚĂǀĞƚŚĞŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚLJƚŽĞŶŐĂŐĞŝŶŵŽŶƚŚůLJƐƵƉĞƌǀŝƐŝŽŶƐĞƐƐŝŽŶƐǁŝƚŚƚŚĞWƐLJĐŚŽůŽŐLJ ĞƉĂƌƚŵĞŶƚ ŝŶĐůƵĚŝŶŐ ŽƵƌ WƐLJĐŚŽůŽŐLJ ůĞĂĚ ƌ ZĂĐŚĞů tŽƌƚŚŝŶŐƚŽŶ ǁŚŽ ŚĂƐ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ŽĨ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƟŶŐ ŐƌĂĚƵĂƚĞƐ ŽŶƚŽ ƚŚĞ ůŝŶŝĐĂů WƐLJĐŚŽůŽŐLJ ŽĐƚŽƌĂƚĞ ƉƌŽŐƌĂŵŵĞĂƐǁĞůůĂƐƚŚĞ&ŽƌĞŶƐŝĐWƐLJĐŚŽůŽŐŝƐƚŝŶdƌĂŝŶŝŶŐĚŝƉůŽŵĂƌŽƵƚĞ͘ zŽƵ͛ůůďĞŚĞůƉŝŶŐƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚƐŵĂŬĞƚŚĞŵŽƐƚŽĨĂĐƟǀŝƟĞƐĂŶĚůŝĨĞŝŶƚŚĞŝƌĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƟĞƐƚŽŽ͕ƐŽƚŚŝƐŝƐĂŐƌĞĂƚŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚLJƚŽƉƵƚ ĂůůŽĨƚŚĂƚƐŽĐŝĂů͕ĚĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚĂů͕ĐŽŐŶŝƟǀĞĂŶĚŶĞƵƌŽƉƐLJĐŚŽůŽŐLJůĞĐƚƵƌĞŵĂƚĞƌŝĂůŝŶƚŽƉƌĂĐƟĐĞǁŝƚŚƚŚĞƐƵƉƉŽƌƚĂŶĚƚƌĂŝŶŝŶŐ ŽĨĂǁĞůůͲĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚĞĚWƐLJĐŚŽůŽŐLJƚĞĂŵ͘ ,/ŐŚĮĞůĚWĂƌŬ͕>ůĂŶĚLJƌŶŽŐŝƐĂƉƉƌŽdžŝŵĂƚĞůLJϯϬŵŝůĞƐĨƌŽŵŚĞƐƚĞƌ͕ƐĞƚǁŝƚŚŝŶŽƵƚƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐŶĂƚƵƌĂůďĞĂƵƚLJĂŶĚǁŝƚŚĞdžĐĞůůĞŶƚ ĂĐĐĞƐƐƚŽƚŚĞϱϱ͘tĞĂƌĞĂůƐŽĂďůĞƚŽďƌŽŬĞƌĂĐĐŽŵŵŽĚĂƟŽŶŝŶƚŚĞůŽĐĂůĂƌĞĂŝĨLJŽƵǁŝƐŚƚŽƌĞůŽĐĂƚĞ͘ /ŶƌĞƚƵƌŶ͕LJŽƵĐĂŶůŽŽŬĨŽƌǁĂƌĚƚŽĂŶĞdžĐĞůůĞŶƚďĞŶĞĮƚƐƉĂĐŬĂŐĞŝŶĐůƵĚŝŶŐĨƌĞĞĞLJĞĐĂƌĞǀŽƵĐŚĞƌƐ͕ĐŚŝůĚĐĂƌĞǀŽƵĐŚĞƌƐĐŚĞŵĞ͕ĨƌĞĞŽŶƐŝƚĞƉĂƌŬŝŶŐ͕ ǁŽƌŬƉůĂĐĞƉĞŶƐŝŽŶĂŶĚĐŽŵƉĂŶLJƉĂŝĚ^ĐŚĞĐŬ͘ &ŽƌĨƵůůŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶĂŶĚƚŽĂƉƉůLJ͕ƉůĞĂƐĞǀŝƐŝƚŚƩƉ͗ͬͬũŽďƐ͘ŵĞŶƚĂůŚĞĂůƚŚĐĂƌĞͲƵŬ͘ĐŽŵͬŽƌĐŽŶƚĂĐƚŽƵƌZĞĐƌƵŝƚŵĞŶƚĚŵŝŶƚĞĂŵŽŶϬϭϴϮϰϳϵϬϲϬϬ ůŽƐŝŶŐĚĂƚĞ͗ϯϬƚŚĞĐĞŵďĞƌϮϬϭϲ͘

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South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust This is an exciting opportunity to become part of a team (SEPT) has been voted one of the top 100 places to work where patient care is always at the forefront. As part in the NHS and we have an overall CQC rating of 'Good'. of the team you will be supported and encouraged to We are one of the most successful NHS Foundation develop your skills whilst working for an organization that Trusts in the country providing integrated care including values their staff. mental health, learning disability, social care and community services to culturally and economically diverse We offer excellent working conditions and a range communities across Bedfordshire and Essex. We employ of benefits, including support from our psychology approximately 4,500 people and work with a wide range department, excellent training opportunities, a of partners to 'provide services that are in tune with you'. contributory pension scheme, competitive salary and career development and support. We are looking for psychology graduates who have an interest in working in Mental Health Services. Successful For an informal discussion please contact Lynn McGhee candidates will support and assist registered staff in the on 07773 043049 or email [email protected] assessment, planning and implementation of patient care, the provision of practical support and responsive To apply for the post please visit www.jobs.nhs.uk care to patients who require assistance with personal and quoting job reference 364-6006JO Migration and mental illness

Marjory Harper delves into archives for tales of alien environments and unfulfilled expectations

76 the psychologist january 2017 looking back

The images of traumatised refugees that dominate the media remind us of the psychological dislocation are also relevant, for both his initial breakdown and his that can accompany the subsequent disappearance may have been provoked partly by his failure to strike it lucky in either the physical displacement American or Australian goldfields. This illustration of migration. But such therefore highlights the central question of whether dislocation is not only the problems were attributable to an inherent restlessness that had spawned the decision to migrate in the first fate of enforced exiles. place, or were triggered by the traumatic repercussions of relocation. Such questions lie at the heart of an ongoing multidisciplinary evaluation of migrant alienation islocation has been a recurring and rootlessness which seeks to integrate historical thread in the testimony of those studies and psychiatric research with the scholarship whose quest for adventure or of a variety of other specialisms. That objective was advancement in new locations initially pursued through two symposia, held in Canada has unravelled, when positive and Scotland. The second event has given rise to the expectations of settlement imminent publication of a collection I have edited have turned into negative which explores migration and mental health in historical nightmares of unsettlement. It is and contemporary contexts, and evaluates triggers also a phenomenon that has been pathologised within and treatments through a variety of complementary Da variety of psychiatric categories in hospital admission disciplinary lenses. registers and case books. My own interest – which developed from a wider Some of the key issues are exemplified in the case study of migration within the British Empire (Harper & of M., who was admitted to Gartnavel Royal Asylum Constantine, 2010) – is in the causes and consequences in Glasgow in 1859. Aged 31, M’s of insanity among 19th-century previous occupations were listed immigrants in Canada. The reports as ‘seaman, gold-digger, merchant, “Migrant diaries, letters of immigration officials in the host and clerk’. He was declared to be and memoirs are dotted lands, and the gatekeeping policies ‘of unsound mind, and suffering with recollections of they adopted, tended to emphasise under a severe attack of brain the former, while the case notes of disorder’ which manifested itself traumatic transitions asylums incorporated pre-migration in incoherence and delusions. He from old to new worlds: background factors within a much was also ‘very dangerous’. Eight the dilemmas of wider analysis of environment and months later, however, he was experiences in the new country. discharged, ‘recovered’, and left decision-making, the Sub-themes to ponder in addressing almost immediately for Australia, pain of parting, and causation include the relevance of ‘with the intent of advancing himself the discomforts gender, occupation and religion, in life, but without any settled plan’ as well as ethnicity. How did the (NRS, CS46, 1883). It was not his of the journey” proportions of different ethnicities first experience overseas, as it was in Canadian asylums relate to their during an earlier sojourn in America presence in the population as a that he had first received private psychiatric treatment, whole? Did the proportions of English, Welsh, Scottish before returning to Glasgow to the care of his family and and Irish patients reflect their distribution across the subsequently to hospital custody. Shortly after arriving British Isles? How did perceptions of mental illness in Melbourne in 1860, M. corresponded briefly with his among migrants to Canada compare with diagnoses and brother, and the two arranged to meet. That rendezvous aetiologies in other parts of the British world? (McCarthy did not take place, and M. was never heard of again. & Coleborne, 2012). M’s incomplete history demonstrates the difficulty Migrant diaries, letters and memoirs are dotted with of determining causation. Heredity possibly played a recollections of traumatic transitions from old to new part, since three close relatives were detained in the worlds: the dilemmas of decision-making, the pain of Royal Edinburgh Asylum. Yet disappointed expectations parting, and the discomforts of the journey. In most cases the difficulties were short-lived or manageable, but extreme climate of the Klondike, but environmental institutional records occasionally indicate that they were disillusionment was not the preserve of prospectors catalysts for mental breakdown. Mrs C. from Edinburgh, who moiled in the extractive industries of the BC who was admitted to the British Columbia Asylum frontier. Many prairie settlers bewailed the featureless for the Insane in 1890, fell ill, according to her case monotony of their surroundings, and when the Countess notes, because of ‘indisposition and the long trip from of Aberdeen visited the infant Hebridean settlement at Scotland to BC’, during which she had taken opium and Killarney in Manitoba in 1890, she was repelled by the attempted suicide (PABC no. 371). ‘inexpressible dreariness of these everlasting prairies’ Disappointed expectations feature particularly where ‘the struggle to live has swallowed up all the prominently in migrant testimony and asylum records energy’ (unpublished journal, 1890). Across the border, alike. While these setbacks were the Norwegian novelist Ole Rølvaag charted the descent often related to work, wages or into insanity of a pioneer settler’s wife as the family’s Key sources living standards, they sometimes wagon train moved westwards ‘beyond the outposts of involved more inflated notions. civilization’ across the infinite, formless prairie which Some of the most disillusioned ‘had no heart that beat, no waves that sang, no soul that Harper, M. (Ed.) (2016). Migration migrants on earth in the 19th could be touched – or cared’ (Rølvaag, 1929, p.37). and mental health: Past and present. century must have been the restless Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, ‘secluded London: Palgrave Macmillan. prospectors who – like M. – life on a station’ was blamed for the illness of a Scottish Harper, M. & Constantine, S. (2010), crossed continents in a vain quest shepherd who became a long-term patient at the Migration and Empire. Oxford: Oxford University Press. for gold. Many were attracted to Sunnyside Asylum in Christchurch, New Zealand in McCarthy, A.H. (2010). A difficult the Cariboo in the 1860s or the 1851 (ANZ Christchurch 1872–81). voyage. History Scotland, 10(4), 26–31. Klondike stampede three decades Of course, none of these factors operated unilaterally. McCarthy, A.H. & Coleborne, C. (Eds.) later. Just over 6 per cent of the Unfulfilled expectations, loneliness, and an alien (2012). Migration, ethnicity and mental 1110 patients admitted to the BC environment could trigger or exacerbate homesickness, health: International perspectives, Provincial Asylum between 1872 which, in extreme cases, could lead to mental illness. 1840–2010. New York and London: Routledge. and 1900 were described as ‘miners’ Although admission registers did not articulate the Roberts, B. (1988). Whence they came: or ‘prospectors’, many of whom problem in those terms, it was clearly evident in Deportation from Canada 1900–1935. had delusions about being robbed correspondence, which highlights another theme and Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press. of their claims. One Scottish miner provides a bridge to the second part of the research Rølvaag, O. (1929). Giants in the earth: claimed to have made over $40,000 agenda – for relatives, doctors and politicians did not A saga of the prairie (translated from from prospecting in the Cariboo, speak with one voice about either the causes or the the Norwegian by Lincoln Colcord and the author). New York and London: and a Welsh patient was described treatment of mental illness. Harper & Brothers. as a ‘monomaniac on the subject of Heredity was the main bone of contention, and gold’ (PABC, nos 525, 838). was cited in over 6 per cent of admissions to the BC Full list available online Disappointed expectations were Asylum. Britain was accused of exporting migrants 78 exacerbated by the isolation and who were already of unsound mind, and doctors and ‘I’ve spent much of my career psychologist looking back studying the january 2017 aspects of policy-makers across the dominions emigration The second part of the research collected evidence of previous and diaspora agenda shifts the focus to policy- hospitalisation or hereditary insanity. in the 19th and 20th centuries. making and involves an exploration But some families hotly disputed Source material tends to be of the ways in which the Canadian such stigmatisation, as we see in slanted towards adventure and authorities – federal and provincial the case of R., who was sent from success, but that’s only one – responded to the problem of the Klondike to the BC Provincial side of the coin. I have always insanity in the half-century after Hospital in 1900. A diagnosis of been aware of a more negative Confederation. Reports, investigative paranoia elicited an indignant letter dimension, demonstrated commissions and legislation reflect from his father in Hertfordshire, in the personal testimony contemporary debates about care, who challenged the Medical or external observation of custody and treatment, as well as Superintendent: ‘What were the disappointed migrants who policies and practices of denial, circumstances that caused the failed to adapt, integrate or detention and removal. Deportation authorities to charge him with assimilate. was the favoured sanction against all insanity? … I may say for your A sharp-eyed archivist types of unacceptable immigrants, guidance there has never been friend at the National Records and Canada’s record in deporting any insanity in our family … I am of Scotland introduced me to them was allegedly ‘by far the worst much inclined to judge he has been petitions and correspondence in the entire British Commonwealth’ the victim of an outrage’ (PABC, filed under the Presumption of (Roberts 1988, p.ix). Immigrants no. 1052). Life Limitation (Scotland) Acts deemed to be mentally or physically In 1894 J., a nursemaid, was of 1881 and 1891 – the dry label defective were always at the top of admitted to the same hospital, masks heart-breaking stories the list, and as well as investigating suffering – according to the of blighted hopes before the the emphasis on deportation of the accompanying medical certificates – letter-writers fell silent. And ‘insane’ and ‘feeble-minded’ per se, from ‘religious mania’. She was upset some of the most extreme we need to consider whether such about a recent schism in the Free cases of misfortune were definitions may sometimes have Church of Scotland and maintained articulated in the case notes of been deployed disingenuously, to that ‘until one of her own people patients who were detained in justify decisions that were made on from her own country comes to talk hospitals and asylums across the grounds of immigrants’ political to her in Gaelic to her nothing will the empire of settlement. I or social unacceptability. be right’ (PABC no. 569). When K. have consulted the records of These questions are rendered was admitted to the same institution asylums in Scotland, Canada particularly challenging, however, 13 years later, one of the medical and New Zealand. My focus because of the destruction of a key certificates reported that he ‘talks has been the British Columbia source that would have allowed us and shrieks in Gaelic continuously. Provincial Hospital, whose to trace the experiences of specific Will not answer any questions, General Register of Admissions migrants from hospitalisation to nor talk in English, merely yells in and case notes form the basis deportation. Some years ago Library Gaelic’ (PABC no. 2003). With these for the article. Colleagues and and Archives Canada disposed of exceptions, the BC asylum records I are now framing comparative, virtually all nominal deportation examined to date did not discuss multi-disciplinary research into records that predated the 1940s. It patients’ maladies with reference migration and health in both is therefore impossible to conduct to their ethnicity. This is notably historical and contemporary rigorous quantitative analysis different from documentation in contexts.’ or to correlate references to the New Zealand, where there was a very deportation of patients found in clear thread of ethnic stereotyping provincial asylum case files with in both medical reports and Marjory Harper federal deportation orders for those official returns from the same era is Chair in History at the same individuals. (McCarthy, 2010). The absence of University of Aberdeen. Any scrutiny of responses, ethnic labelling in the BC records This piece is adapted from an however, must also consider the is surprising, particularly in the article that originally appeared attitudes of patients and families, eugenics-dominated decade before in Wellcome History. who – as already hinted – often 1914, when Canadian commentators [email protected] had a different perspective from frequently asserted that weak- the gatekeeping and fire-fighting minded immigrants from Britain priorities of administrators and were polluting their society and draining their economy: doctors. Correspondence in case files can offer significant an article in the University Monthly, for instance, insights, and these sources, alongside a variety of official asserted that a preponderance of ‘English defectives’ paper trails, provide us with sufficient evidence for a in the admission registers of Toronto’s asylums was a meaningful exploration of the causes and consequences consequence of ‘the wholesale cleaning out of the slums of insanity among Canada’s immigrant population of English cities’ (Clarke, 1907–8, pp.273–278). between Confederation and the First World War. the psychologist Ato Z A ...is for Altruism

Suggested by Martin Milton, Professor of Counselling Psychology at Regent’s University London (Twitter: @swlondonpsych) ‘Our egocentrism has made us

one of the most successful species Karla Novak on the planet, but it is central coming soon… in the challenges we are facing: The downsides of positivity; building those such as a massively growing spatial skills in preschool; the pain of population, stress on water and youth; and much more... food, and terrorism. We need an understanding of altruism – towards contribute... help an adult pick up some to those we deem friends, the Other A Z reach 50,000 colleagues, with and those that share our planetary dropped sticks. That’s something to suit all. See home – more than ever if we are according to research led Tweet your www.thepsychologist.org.uk/ going to foster relationships and thoughts on contribute or talk to the editor, enhance quality of life in all our by Harriet Over. this topic, and Dr Jon Sutton human and bio diversity.’ suggestions for [email protected] any letter, to +44 116 252 9573 Psychologist Barbara @psychmag Among people who feel Oakley has put forward using the hashtag comment... they have low status, the concept of ‘pathological #PsychAtoZ or email the editor, write to us or call increased neural markers email the editor at the Leicester office, or tweet us altruism’: ‘in which on jon.sutton@ @psychmag of empathy are actually attempts to promote the bps.org.uk related to reduced welfare of others instead to advertise... altruism. A team led Reach a large and professional result in unanticipated audience at bargain rates: see details by Yina Ma at Peking harm’. on inside front cover University surmised that any feelings of empathy Evolutionary psychologist are quashed by a grudging Geoffrey Miller argues that sense of low status. ‘We have the capacity for moral behaviour and moral Subtle exposure to the judgments today because sight of two apparently our ancestors favoured companionable dolls, stood sexual partners who were side by side, is enough to kind, generous, helpful and Search for more on this topic increase the likelihood fair’. Is that still the case and any other via www.bps.org.uk/thepsychologist 80 that an 18-month-old will in modern society? and www.bps.org.uk/digest President Find out more online at Professor Peter Kinderman President Elect www.bps.org.uk Nicola Gale Vice President Professor Jamie Hacker Hughes

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The Society has offi ces in Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow and London, as well as the main society notices society offi ce in Leicester. All enquiries vacancies should be addressed to the BPS conferences and events See p.18 Leicester offi ce (see inside Psychology in the Pub (SW of England Branch) BPS President front cover). Plymouth, 19 January 2017 See p.26 2018/19 See p.19 BPS Annual Conference Professional Brighton, 3–5 May 2017 See p.27 Practice Board Division of Clinical Psychology Annual Conference Members Liverpool, 18–20 January 2017 See p.33 See p.19 CPD workshops 2017 See p.39 Education and Public Engagement The British Psychological Society Board Members was founded in 1901, and See p.19 incorporated by Royal Charter in 1965. Its object is ‘to promote the advancement and diffusion of a knowledge of psychology pure and applied and especially to promote the effi ciency and usefulness of Members of the Society by setting up a high standard of professional education and knowledge’. Extract from The Charter Supporting your steps towards effective DBT

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