Psychology, Science

People are frequently surprised when I refer to psychology as science. This surprise reveals some common misconceptions about what “science” and “psychology” mean. I am piecing together this post out of snippets of two old rants in order to address those misconceptions for future reference.

Marriage is not Assimilation

Marriage is not assimilation, and even if it was, it would still be a right worth fighting for.

Some inflexible activists have resisted the push for marriage equality by arguing that marriage itself is patriarchal and not worth fighting for. I noticed such arguments especially in response to the battle over Proposition 8 in California, first running across the idea in print on Facebook and a sparsely-formatted website. It always pains me when folks with their hearts in the right places adopt such warped, narrow ways of expressing legitimate criticisms.

A Hellish Chorus: Social Criticism in Thick as a Brick

December 8th, 2008

At first exposure, Jethro Tull’s 44-minute song Thick as a Brick may seem to be filled with nothing more than a bizarre and incomprehensible string of lyrics. Ian Anderson called it a “spoof” of other concept albums, and the album insert is a mock newspaper whose articles make ridiculous, seemingly accidental references to the song. The fictional back-story of the lyrics—that they were written for a contest by an eight-year-old boy named Gerald Bostock—further downplay their significance. According to the newspaper insert, Bostock’s poem actually won the contest at first, before a “hastily reconvened panel of Judges accepted the decision by four leading child psychiatrists that the boy’s mind was seriously unbalanced and that his work was a product of an ‘extremely unwholesome attitude towards life, his God and Country’” (1).[*] The comically severe traditionalism of their assessment highlights the poem’s atmosphere of satire and self-ridicule. The same article indicates that some who were exposed to Bostock’s work “felt that it was not one poem but a series of separate poems put together merely to appear impressive” (1). Their complaint feels superficial, as does most of the article, because disjointedness is precisely the point. Thick as a Brick expresses generalized social alienation: the semblance of a unified narrative is elusive because Bostock’s disaffection has no monolithic source.

High School Policy Changes to Improve the Experiences of Sexual Minorities: An Educational and Psychological Analysis

April 16th, 2009

High school can be a challenging time for students who deviate (or are perceived as deviating) from the heterosexual norm. As with many other culturally marginalized groups, non-heterosexual kids often feel isolated from and rejected by their high school peers, an experience which can have serious implications for their health and success in school (Morrison & L’Heureux, 2001). They are disproportionately likely to experience depressive or suicidal thoughts (Espelage, Aragon, Birkett & Koenig, 2008), and to actually attempt suicide (Morrison & L’Heureux, 2001; Mufioz-Plaza, Quinn & Rounds, 2002; Uribe & Harbeck, 1991). They are at higher risk for drug and alcohol abuse as well as homelessness (Espelage et al., 2008; Mufioz-Plaza et al., 2002). More specific to school outcomes, they are more likely than heterosexual students to exhibit declining school performance over time (Mufioz-Plaza et al., 2002). Educators who are concerned about the health and performance of all students must pay attention to these negative outcomes, their causes, and their possible solutions.

Framing Partition: Empire and Violence in 1947 India

December 18th, 2007

The competing nationalist accounts of India’s partition, each trying to present its own party as an innocent victim, fail to explain the intense and complex violence of the event (Bose & Jalal, 135). The division of communities and the violence itself were inextricably linked—animosity contributed to both, and both contributed to animosity—so one cannot understand either in isolation. The first portion of this essay (which addresses division) must therefore be read with the understanding that the splitting of the land and of the communities bound religion to identity, making possible the framework for later ‘cleansing’ and group-based retribution. The emergent picture among the manifold causes of partition violence reveals that the British rhetorical construction of stark community divisions was a critical driving force behind the slaughter.

God’s “Boss’ Life”: Humor in the Book of Job

April 15th, 2008

Job is a tale of power. It features numerous hierarchical relationships amongst God, Satan, Job, and Job’s friends, and it is dominated by long, repetitive discourses about these relationships. God’s culminating speech is an acerbic rant about how mighty he is—one which parallels some modern rap performances, such as Snoop Dogg’s narration of his supposed “Boss’ Life.”[*] God is undoubtedly the divine boss of Job’s world, but the tale portrays him as humanlike in his mannerisms to frame his seemingly senseless disregard for Job’s well-being in terms that a human audience can comprehend. For example, the audience might conceptualize this God’s apparent need to prove himself to Satan as rooted in self-consciousness. Even if such a view is an oversimplification, it gives the audience a “motive” to imagine while considering the other issues raised by the story. The juxtaposition of omnipotence and human traits thus serves a pragmatic purpose in driving the narrative forward, and an essential tool in producing the appearance of humanness is humor.

The Self and Society in Becoming a Visible Man

September 26th, 2007

Personal experience informs everyone’s ideas about gender so powerfully that it can seem nearly impossible to develop a posture approaching holism. An important route to progressive awareness is exposure to a diverse array of views and life experiences, so narratives in which gender is addressed rationally and emotionally are valuable on face—even ignoring any other purposes they might serve. Jamison Green’s Becoming a Visible Man is one such narrative: it provides meaningful descriptions of Green’s personal experiences of gender and of transition. But it also goes a step farther, incorporating descriptive views of gender which form a persuasive sociopolitical argument. There are a few instances where this argument becomes inconsistent, but they should not be allowed to completely devalue the work as a whole. Its overarching philosophy of tolerance and self-determination is valuable. Still, readers might wish to address the particular inconsistencies, which generally seem to arise from Green’s predictable instinct to define groups based on his individual experience—an instinct against which Green himself cautions.

Finding Reality: Science, Knowledge, and the “World Out There”

October 3rd, 2009

Descartes began his metaphysical analysis from a standpoint of universal doubt, and this starting point is as far as pure logic can take us. There is no a priori way of knowing anything beyond the first clause of his famous statement: “I think.” The continuation, “…therefore I am,” is a conclusion drawn from the experience of thinking. All knowledge, including metaphysical beliefs, must be the product of some knowledge-making paradigm. Logic, the simplest such paradigm, can produce endless tautologies filled with “if” statements,[1] but more interesting concepts cannot be known without a more complex epistemology.

Upcoming Series of Posts

Before writing anything new, I am going to post a few existing essays, because I like them and/or so that I can easily reference them later. Old essays will be identifiable by their unbloggish length and by the fact that each begins with an italicized date, representing approximately when it was originally written.

Just explaining why today and tomorrow are so post-heavy.

What? Who? Why?

Obscurity of the title aside, this is a post of practicalities, not a series of “deep” and ultimately meaningless musings. What follows is a list of questions written by me but phrased as though they are being asked by some entity out there, presumably “you.” I chose this format to rebel against the discursive prison of individual subjectivity.

That was sarcasm.

I chose it simply because it feels comfortable.

What is this blog about?

This blog is not about me. This blog is entirely about me.

I won’t be writing about my trip to the mall or the library, or what I’m wearing today, or how I do my hair — unless those anecdotes become relevant to more broadly meaningful issues. A crucial word, issues: I write about them; I have them. I try to write about “meaningful” issues, but the things I write may not be meaningful: if you want to extract meaning from them, that’s your prerogative.

Today I have come up with five words which describe some of the issues I often think about. Listed in alphabetical order because I’m a dork and a pedant, they are philosophy, politics, rhetoric, science, and society. These topic areas lack clear boundaries. They overlap almost completely. I’ll probably replace them soon — almost certainly with equally vague and overlapping categories.

This blog is not about me because I write about broad issues — but this blog is entirely about me for the same reason that any piece of writing is entirely about its author. The thoughts are mine.

What does the title mean?

Analysis of variance is a statistical process used, for example, in social research. The phrase, interpreted less technically, also hints at a way of thinking.

Analysis
“The separation of an intellectual or material whole into its constituent parts for individual study.” (American Heritage Dictionary, 4th edition, 2009)
“an investigation of the component parts of a whole and their relations in making up the whole” (WordNet 3.0, Princeton University, 2006)

Variance
“the state, quality, or fact of being variable, divergent, different, or anomalous.” (Dictionary.com Unabridged, 2009)
“The fact or state of undergoing change or alteration; tendency to vary or become different; variation.” (Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, 1996)

I chose the title through the rigorous process of typing the first thing that entered my mind which wasn’t either extremely vague or extremely stupid. Needless to say, many atrocious titles entered my mind before that happened, including the word “Thoughts.”

What is the capital of Assyria?

I don’t know that.

Referencing Monty Python reveals at least two things about me: first, I am sometimes unoriginal; second, I am a big fan of satire and sarcasm. There will be satirical posts.

Who are you?

I am Emily, a student: institutionally, I’m a social psychology student, but I also study many other types of ideas, from epistemology to English grammar to political ethics. I am a scientist, a feminist, a writer, a musician. I live in the United States, and as such my discussions of particular political issues will sometimes (but not always) focus on this country.

Why are you doing this?

I need to write. I like to discuss controversial topics. The internet is a great place to do both.

Why should I care?

You probably need to justify to yourself the questionable decision to read (or skim) over 500 of my words. Here are some examples of how to do that.

Maybe you think I’m silly, and you enjoy making fun of me. Have a blast.

Maybe you’re interested in what I have to say. Maybe you disagree, and want to express that disagreement. I welcome extensive discussion and debate in the comments. I will participate. I will even admit when I have been wrong.

Maybe you hope I make arguments which support your existing views. Maybe I will. Feel free to employ them strategically.

Maybe you care about some of the same issues I care about, and you just want to see what a few other people think about them. Give others the same opportunity: comment.