Media Analysis #4-Charlie Brown June 9, 2008
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Charlie Brown seems as though he might be showing signs of depression. He frequently feels discouraged and is always picked on by Lucy.
The Peanuts comic strip was produced by Charles Shultz in order to entertain people reading the newspaper. In the daily comic strips, Charlie Brown is frequently picked on by Lucy, his ideas are shut down, and consequently he feels discouraged or unhappy. Linus is also made fun of for carrying his blanket everywhere. “Why do you always carry that stupid blanket?!” Lucy often screams at Linus.
Stigmas are created. Charlie Brown’s “depression” becomes a fact of life, something everyone has to deal with. The depression and constant name-calling is turned into a part of growing up. Furthermore, when Lucy plays the part of a psychologist, she is unhelpful, which creates a stigma for those real-life doctors who are actually trying to help mental health patients. Hopefully, readers will see that this is only a comic strip, and they will realize that getting endlessly bullied to the point where depression sets in is not normal. Stigmas can have lasting effects, however, and some readers might just assume that “this is how it is.”
Media Analysis #3-Van Gogh June 9, 2008
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There is an entire article on “Vincent van Gogh’s Medical Condition.” This article focuses primarily on Van Gogh’s poor mental state. Among many physical disorders, the article also states that Van Gogh had both bipolar disorder and epilepsy. (I’m not entirely sure iff epilepsy is considered a mental disorder)
This article has been produced by common Wikipedia editors like myself in order to inform readers. The article is written as an encyclopedia article, so there is very little stigmatizing. The article says that the bipolar disorder diagnosis ”fits well with the well documented periods of intense activity interspersed with periods of exhaustion and possible depression.” There is no sort of propaganda in the article.
On another note, the song “Vincent” by Don McLean creates a strong stigma supporting Van Gogh’s talent, despite the disibilaties the painter had to overcome. Mclean wrote the song all about Van Gogh and his works. Praise is given in the song for many of Van Gogh’s paintings. The song was produced for Don McLean as a form of personal expression. Stigmas are created that actually praise the works of Van Gogh, noting how beautiful the paintings are that came from Van Gogh’s positive periods of bipolar disorder. The lyrics “The world was never meant for one as beautiful as you” certainly suggest how wonderful Van Gogh was as a painter. This stigma and similar references praising Van Gogh’s works throught the song are likely to have a positive effect on the listener. People who hear this song will hopefully realize that something positive and beautiful can come out of a mental disorder, despite the obvious negative aspects.
Media Analysis #2: Stranger than Fiction June 8, 2008
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Yeah, my first blogpost ever was on Stranger than Fiction. But it fits well here, too. The trailer to the movie is found here, for those of you who haven’t seen this great movie….
Harold Crick hears voices-someone narrating his life. He begins to worry about the voices, and seeks help from a psychologist. The psychologist tells Harold that he has schizophrenia since she has never heard of someone with a narrator telling a patient about his life, but Harold is convinced that he does not have schizophrenia, and that this something else.
Though this movie has been also been produced by Sony Pictures for entertainment, it takes a more serious approach than the last Media Analysis topic did. This movie scene, however, does dismiss the idea of psychologists. Harold is convinced that the psychologist in the movie is wrong, and so are the movie viewers. “It’s not schizophrenia,” Harold repeats throughout his visit to the psychologists’ office.
I don’t think this movie stigmatizes mental disorders much at all. Though it does make psychologists seem a bit less credible, no jokes are made directly attacking those affected by schizophrenia or any other mental disorder. This movie scene will probably not have too much of an effect on its audience because there are no stigmatizing references. If it has any effect at all, it will cause viewers to be less trusting of their psychologists.
Media Analysis #1: the away message June 8, 2008
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Media Analysis #1: The Away Message
There is an away message (Which is basically an answering machine recording for online chat) that reads as follows: “I am not currently available right now. However, if you would like to be transferred to another correspondent, please press the number that best fits your personality:
-If you are obsessive compulsive, please press “1″ repeatedly. -If you are codependant, please ask someone to press “2″.
-If you have multiple personalities, please press “3″, “4″, and “5″.
-If you are paranoid delusional, we know who you are and what you want. Just stay on the line so we can trace your call.
-If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and the little voice will tell you which number to press.
-If you are manic-depressive, it doesn’t matter what number you press, no one will answer.”
This away message was probably created by a common person (possibly one who spends way too much time online, like myself). It has clearly been created as a form of entertainment, a humerous tidbit of text floating around on the Internet. The language used in this message, however, turns something serious-psychological disorders-into something funny. Although it makes for a good laugh, this away message should not be taken seriously. The entire concept of the message is to take psychological disorders and stigmatizing them. This away message probably does not affect the viewers’ way of seeing psychological disorders too much, seeing as it is clearly meant to be a joke. Hopefully people know not to take things like this too seriously. Even a joke such as this, however, can have a subliminal effect on the viewer’s mind.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Part III May 28, 2008
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Although the trip might initially seem like it was about fishing, it was actually about lowering the prisoners’ self-esteem. Before the trip, McMurphy and the others were being their usual selves, but when they were standing on the dock with the stripper, however, they are too ashamed to stand up for Candy. When the men return to the hospital, McMurphy is exhausted, which is exactly as Ratched would have liked it.
This part of the book drew heavily on memories. As the car drives past McMurphy’s old house, he sees the dress. McMurphy is quiet as he stares at this dress, a reminder of the first time he had sex. Also, Bromden remembers the people that came in to buy his father’s land. These memories remind the reader that each of the people involved in this story have a past, and are more than just prison inmates.
I’ll bet you’ll yawn when you read this April 22, 2008
Posted by fs2004 in Uncategorized.Tags: psychology, The Bell Jar, Wikipedia, yawn
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When I was reading The Bell Jar this evening, I came across the sentence “She yawned then, and her pale orange mouth opened on a large darkness,” found on page 100. Shortly after reading that sentence, I yawned. Are people psychologically conditioned to yawn when they see others yawning or read about yawning? Wikipedia indirectly argues that yes, people do indeed yawn because of “empathy” caused by others yawning. Though I did not take the SATs in the May session last year and the College Board makes all test-takers sign an agreement that they will not discuss the test with others, I remember talking with my friends last year just after the May SATs, when there was a reading comprehension passage about yawning. My friends complained of the agony of yawning through the entire passage, and beeing interrupted by everyone elses’ yawn in the room. A psychologist might argue that yawning is caused by conditioning.
A hoax most cruel April 2, 2008
Posted by fs2004 in Uncategorized.Tags: conformity, Stanley Milgram
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I remember seeing a 20/20 special on this McDonalds incident after it was first deeply investigated a few years ago. After refreshing my memory on the case, I realized that the girls must have followed the instructions given because they had a false sense that the person claiming to be “Officer Scott” actually had power over them. From the minute we are able to speak and comprehend a language, we are told to respect our elders and follow the instructions given from those with authority. This early conformity becomes all too natural, to the point where we like to be told what to do. The article even states that McDonalds employees are told to be “appendages of the machine.” (Which further justifies my theory that within the next 15 years we will see the first fully automated McDonalds, but that’s besides the point.) What really matters here is that as much as we are free, individual thinkers with our own ideas and likes and dislikes, we also are trained to take orders from others and obey authority figures.
Colorado teacher accused of in-class abuse April 1, 2008
Posted by fs2004 in Uncategorized.Tags: hitting, school, Stanley Milgram, teacher
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Today in the news I read about a teacher who had instructed his students to hit a classmate when he came late to class. This reminded me of the Milgram experiment-to what extent will people cause harm to others when instructed to do so, even when they know it is bad? In my opinion, the case described in this article seems like just another situation blown out of proportion by crazy parents, but that certainly doesn’t justify the teacher’s actions. This story just goes to show that people will conform when instructed to do so by someone with real or percieved authority.
(This post is to be the first one graded in quarter 4)
Rationalization March 31, 2008
Posted by fs2004 in Uncategorized.Tags: i just lost the game, Nothing, procrastination, rationalization, speeding
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This makes post #10! I couldn’t think of anything to write about, though, besides the rationalization coping method. It’s okay that this post is about nothing for two reasons.
1. I have this theory that you can’t get caught speeding on the highway as long as there’s someone in front of you is going the same speed or faster than you are. The same applies to these blog posts. I have more posts than many of the blogs I’ve looked at in Mr. Kurtz’s “blogroll.” Usually, I use this “You-can’t-fail-all-of-us” reasoning too often and wind up with low grades, but we’re closing in on second semester senior year here.
2. I have nine perfectly good posts on here so far. These posts will probably get me an 85 or better. An 85 is a perfectly good grade. Again, it’s second semester senior year.
2.5 I just thought of something good to write on that conformity stuff we discussed last class, but if I don’t hit the “publish” button soon, I won’t have time to do the reading and consequently fail tomorrow’s quiz, if we have one.
Courant Psychology March 30, 2008
Posted by fs2004 in Uncategorized.Tags: courant, inkblot, Jim Shea, Rorschach
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I love Jim Shea’s weekly column in the Hartford Courant. This week’s column made references to some of the psychology topics we have talked about in class. Shea says that “One of the legitimate problems you do have after combing through cornflakes for a few hours is that you begin to see these weird Rorschach inkblot shapes, which can conjure up all kinds of psychological stuff like long-repressed images of nuns, crime scenes, your parents making out.” He is discussing the recent phenomonon in which people make national headlines because they found celebrity faces or biblical figures in toast or corn flakes or other food items. These people later sell the food on ebay for thousands of dollars. This is similar to the Rorschach inkblot test. Maybe Mr. Rorschach could have used toast, and gotten more accurate results than he could have with the inkblots.
Article found here
