Doing ill for ‘the greater good’: Understanding what really went on in the Stanford Prison Experiment
Doing ill for ‘the greater good’: Understanding what really went on in the Stanford Prison Experiment
Just about every highschool and college psychology textbook offers extensive coverage of Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE). The meaning of the SPE seemed obvious — that when given roles with power , people naturally become brutal tyrants. This message has had lasting influence, not only in psychology but in the world at large. However, after researchers have recently gained access to the SPE archives, it has come to light that much of what we thought we knew about the study... / more
Empowering cartoonists, deterring killers, protecting bystanders: Can psychology contribute?
keywords:
Charlie Hebdo, terrorism, anti-terror, Islam
Empowering cartoonists, deterring killers, protecting bystanders: Can psychology contribute?
We respond on many levels, like our readers, to the 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo staff in France. The human tragedy makes us sad and angry. The moral atrocity screams for outraged condemnation. The sense of threat calls out community determination, courage, and sacrifice. The counter-mobilisation of millions, and of world leaders, evokes pride and grim satisfaction. / more
Foul-weather friends: Social psychology and school aggression
keywords:
school, Aggression, bullying, peer group, social identity
Foul-weather friends: Social psychology and school aggression
In my last post, I discussed a striking observational study why peer only help infrequently, but I focused my discussion on the point of view of those who are bullying. In this post, I'll look at the perspective of the bullied victims. When it comes to the social psychology of aggression in schools, it seems that groups can both be a part of the problem and the solution, and I will discuss ways on how to attain this. / more
Why Are We Still Spanking Our Kids?
keywords:
spanking, physical punishment, corporal punishment, Aggression, violence
Why Are We Still Spanking Our Kids?
In this blog post we discuss legal, attitudinal and motivational factors that explain why we use physical punishment with children, specifically: (1) the United States, unlike most other countries, does not legislate against it, (2) attitudes condoning corporal punishment remain strong, particularly in some U.S. regions and cultures, (3) situational precipitating factors, impulsive appraisal, and cognitive scripts for aggressive punishment can interact to result in a spanking episode. / more
Coping with being bullied
keywords:
bullying, Aggression, coping, interventions
Coping with being bullied
In this blog post, I discuss recent research suggesting that being the victim of bullying can have a long-lasting impact on mental and physical health. But there’s a ray of hope in this literature as well: the lasting impact may depend on the ways that victims cope with being bullied. / more
Sticks and stones and breaking bones: Social psychology and school aggression
keywords:
school, Aggression, bullying, peer group, social identity
Sticks and stones and breaking bones: Social psychology and school aggression
Bullying is a pervasive issue in schools today. This is one of two blog posts that will look at school aggression from the perspective of contemporary social psychology. In this post, I'll examine the role of groups in encouraging bullying. In my next post, I'll look at the perspective of the bullied victims. When it comes to bullying, it seems that groups can both be a part of the problem and the solution. / more
Fifty Shades of arousal misattribution and cognitive associations: How Christian Grey is making us believe that women find BDSM “hot”
keywords:
BDSM, Fifty Shades of Grey, sexual aggression, rape, sexual arousal
Fifty Shades of arousal misattribution and cognitive associations: How Christian Grey is making us believe that women find BDSM “hot”
Does Fifty Shades of Grey make you wonder if BDSM is arousing? If women secretly want to be spanked? This post explains how Fifty Shades readers may develop this belief, how it may affect their behavior, and how it may increase sexual aggression against women. / more
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