All in Your Mind

We began this inquiry of culture yesterday with the question of whether or not society today has put their racial and cultural differences aside and made a great leap forward in terms of cultural awareness and understanding.  We’ve already seen that while our chosen field is very self-aware when it comes to issues of culture, we still have much to learn and much to do.

I suggested previously that society may be supressing or sublimating the issues inherent in cultural difference.  I based that idea on my own personal encounters with others of different races, religions, and cultures than my own.  My wife and I come from very different cultural reference groups.  I come from a lower-middle class Caucasian American family, and am myself Caucasian.  My wife comes from a lower-middle class Chinese family, and is herself Asian, or more specifically, Han Chinese.  Studies have seperated culture into two main types: individualistic cultures, and collectivist cultures.  Individualistic cultures tend to represent the “Western” perspective, while Collectivistic cultures tend to make up the “Eastern” perspective.  So for me and my family, we could literally say that our pairing is “East meets West.” 

Let me give you an example that we’ve shared in our lives of the difference between our cultures.  My wife worked before at a King Buffet as a waitress.  While we were dating, I learned that the tip that I would leave on the table did not go directly to her.  All the tips that the waitresses received were collected into a “Tip Jar” and then divided evenly at the end of the month.  As someone from an individualistic culture, this was very shocking to me.  I was always raised to believe that tips were related to a waitress or waiter’s ability to serve you.  Leaving a substantial tip on the table was an indication of how well they did.  Their sharing of the tip though was a prime example of the value of a collectivist culture, a valuing of the group over the individual.  What is interesting though is that my wife had an opportunity to work as a waitress at a restaurant where they did things differently.  At this other Chinese restaurant, the tips were not shared, since the other waitresses were all natural born Americans.  During this time, my wife came to appreciate the fact that she could make more or less money based on how hard she worked!  Later she found it impossible to go back to the old way of sharing her earnings with other members of the group.  This isn’t to say that she had converted from collectivism to individualism.  In this particular case though, her cultural value system was refined and adjusted to handle the situation at hand.  Her reasoning behind not wanting to go back to the old system was that she would be able to make more money the “indivdualistic” way, and therefore be better able to support her family.  So in the end, the collectivistic idea of valuing the group reminded, even if which group that was had changed.

I’ll continue with Part 3 of the Exploration of Humanity next week.  Check back in then to learn how these ideas fit together, and why it is I consider this an exploration of humanity rather than an exploration of culture!

It’s far more common today to see people of different races and different cultures, but just how culturally in tune are we?  Many people would like to think that the time when a person was treated differently based on their race or ethnicity is long gone.  Have we truly moved forward, or are we as a society employing the classical defense mechanisms of suppression and sublimation? 

Since my very first years of undergraduate study, I’ve found the idea of cross-cultureal psychology very fascinating.  What intrigues me most is the tendency of reports to indicate that many of our counseling methods are less effective when used with those of other cultures, particularly those from the major collectivist cultures of Asia.  I’m reminded of the cultural awareness activity that many mental health organizations employ entitled “If the World Were a Village of 100 People.”  As it breaks it down there are “60 Asians, 14 Africans, 12 Europeans, 8 Latin Americans, 5 from the USA and Canada, and 1 from the South Pacific.”  ( see http://www.familycare.org/news/if_the_world.htm for the rest of the breakdowns). 

What does that say for our methods and techniques, if so many of them are tailored to western culture?  What would the world be like if this were the case for the entire field of medicine?  What if the physicians and surgeons of the world were only able to help that 12-17percent of the world that is Caucasian?  Many people who have suffered a mental illness would tell you that a difficulty in the mind can be just as painful, if not more so, than a difficulty with the body.  Psychiatrists and Psychotherapists have helped a great many people, but still yet, there is litterally a world full of people out there in need of help.  Even though it may seem at times all the “thinks” have been “thunk” when it comes to ideas for helping better society, there’s still a lot of ground to cover and a vast ocean to cross before we get there.

This idea that our discipline still has much to develop when it comes to cultural differences is just the beginning of our exploration of humanity.  Look for Part 2 of this exploration of culture on Friday, when I’ll start to discuss the aforementioned idea that we may or may not be as culturally aware as we think we are.  Feel free to comment here on the page, or e-mail a personal story of your own that you would like me to share with others on the blog!

The psychology community today mourned the passing of a giant in the field.  Albert B., affectionately known throughout the psychology community as “Little Albert” passed away yesterday at the age of 89.  The Los Angeles county coroner’s office has listed his cause of death as myocardial infarction.

Reporters spoke with Dr. Hammill at St. Sebastian’s Hospital in Los Angeles, California about Little Albert’s last days.  “He had been coming to see me the last few weeks for chest pains.”  Dr. Hammill explained.  “Albert had become a recluse and had only recently, due to his ailing condition, found the courage to get out to see a doctor.  We originally thought his chest pains were due to his anxiety, but Albert refused to see a psychologist or any other mental health professional.” 

A friend of Little Albert’s had went to check on him just this morning.  “I usually drop by to see how he’s doing and take him a few things since he never gets out.” his friend explained.  His friend went on to tell how he had found Little Albert lying there on the kitchen floor with an aspirin bottle by his side, cotton ball still in place. 

“It was only after his death,” Dr. Hammill explained, “that we learned who Albert really was.  Had I known who he was and his history when he first came to see me, I would have been more careful.”  When asked about what caused Little Albert’s death, Dr. Hammill had a firm response.  “It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes, or Dr. Watson for that matter, to see what happened here.  He opened the bottle of aspirin, saw the cotton ball, and had a heart attack.  He was literally scared to death.  It’s baffling really.  This is the first time we’ve ever had anything like this happen.  This is the first time I can think of where prescribing aspirin actually served to exacerbate the patient’s condition.” 

The psychology community had long wondered what had became of their beloved teacher of behaviorism.  In the brief time he was with us, he answered so many questions and yet left us with so many more.  Little Alberts soon grow into Big Alberts, and Big Alberts into Old Alberts and before we know it they’re gone.  You taught us much about our lives and our behavior, Albert.  We pray that wherever you go now, it’s a better place than this.  A place devoid of white rats, fuzzy bunnies, cotton balls, and old men that get their kicks from scaring babies.  We’ll miss you.

And as the saying goes, “If you bought that, I’d love to sell you a bridge in New York.” 

This was, if you haven’t guessed by now, an April Fool’s joke.  This in no way reflects the real life Little Albert and is purely a work of fiction.  To the best of my knowledge, no one knows what became of Little Albert after the experiments were over.  It’s quite possible that he overcame his fears later in life and became a well-adjusted individual.  It’s also possible that he was incarcerated for shooting an obnoxiously loud man in white fur coat. 

If you’d like to read a bit more about Little Albert, there are two resources to check out.  First is where I got the picture from,   http://www.phschool.com/science/science_news/articles/fear_not.html.  This article talks about steps that are being taken to help uncondition those fear responses that Little Albert developed (a step that Watson himself had planned to do had Little Albert not been removed before the completion of the study).  Also, there is a very interesting paper prepared by Ben Harris from Vasser College entitled, “Whatever happened to Little Albert?” that can be found here: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/psychology/documents/harris_-1979.pdf  The paper debunks some of the myths that have began to develop over the years about Watson’s study and the effects it had on Little Albert.

Much like the trees outside, the blog has seen plenty of new growth in the past week.  We’re seeing regular posts by a couple of our favorite teachers, Professor Hammersley and Dr. Keefe, and there are more new faces on the way!  We have two students from the department, one from the undergraduate program and one from the graduate program, that will be added as authors to the blog in the coming days.  They both have some fantastic ideas to discuss, and I can’t wait for you all to hear them!

We’re also working to change the theme to make it a little more vibrant and user friendly.  Our plan is to make the different posts easier to see at a glance, add some pictures, a little color, and more information about Union College, its programs, and the fine women and men that work there.  The deliberation on the new theme is still under way, so if you have any thoughts on the matter feel free to post them in the comments section or send me an e-mail. 

Lot’s of great stuff going on here, so keeping checking back regularly!

– by Kristy Keefe and Jonathan Hammersley

Many students ask what it takes to obtain a clinical doctorate degree. Especially around this time of year and toward the end of an undergraduate education, students are wondering “What next?” Sometimes, the question of “How will I pay for it?” can be as important as “What can I do to get in?”

No matter how you look at it or measure it, it is VERY expensive to become a clinical psychologist. I (Jonathan) have been enrolled in a clinical psychology Ph.D. program for approximately 9 years, which is somewhat atypical but not -that- far outside the norm. One nice feature of many Ph.D. programs is that there is often funding available to pay for the cost of tuition, as well as a small stipend to cover a few small living expenses such as rent and groceries. My program guaranteed 3 years of tuition as well as a graduate assistantship stipend, which was appreciated but did not come close to covering all rent, food, entertainment, and other costs of living. On top of that, it was strictly prohibited for graduate students in my doctoral program to obtain ANY outside employment. Once, a fellow student was able to get a part-time job as a waitress in order to help pay for her expenses, and this was considered fairly risky and scandalous behavior.

In many Ph.D. clinical psychology programs, neither the cost of tuition nor assistantship funding is guaranteed, meaning that students are often competing amongst themselves in order to try to obtain the funding. This, in my informal consultations with colleagues from other programs, can lead to resentment if not outright hostility toward fellow students, which is unfortunate because in my experience some of the very fondest memories of graduate school were the relationships and social interactions with my fellow grad students. In my program, it was fairly common practice to take between 2 to 3 years to complete a research-based master’s thesis, at which point students were eligible to take preliminary exams in order to become a doctoral candidate. At that point, another 2 to 3 years was common in order to complete a dissertation while preparing to apply to and go on a clinical internship. All of this is to explain the fact that in my program, the average time to be enrolled in on-campus coursework tended to be about 5 years, pre-internship. My Ph.D. program ranked about a “3.5” on a scale of 1 to 5, with “1” being very little emphasis on research and “5” being very heavily research-focused. In schools with even heavier emphasis on research, common time before going on internship probably tended to be closer to 6 or 8 years. I have also noticed that in contrast to medical school, many psychology graduate programs seem to have a “weed out” model, in which only those students with the fortitude to survive this long, strenuous, frustrating process are rewarded with a degree in the end.

I (Kristy), on the other hand, was enrolled in a clinical psychology Psy.D. for 4 years, with 3 of the years involving on-campus pre-doctoral coursework. Completing doctoral coursework within 4 total years is somewhat less than the norm for PsyD. Programs, with the average time in total for a Psy.D. degree being about 5 to 6 years. The unfortunate thing about my program at U Indy, and most PsyD programs in general, is that absolutely no funding was provided outside of menial stipend amounts for temporary graduate assistantships. The majority of PsyD students, then, take out full student loans to cover all tuition plus all living expenses. Another feature of PsyD programs is that these schools tend to be located in and near larger urban areas, making the cost of rent and living much higher than in major universities located in more rural regions. Much like in Jonathan’s program, we were VERY strongly discouraged and all but prohibited from obtaining any outside employment in order to earn extra income. On a similar research scale in comparison to Jonathan’s program, my school ranked at about a “2” in research emphasis, in which our dissertation but not Master’s thesis were required to involve a research study. I chose to use a single-subject design study for my Master’s thesis, and an empirical, research-based study for my dissertation, making me more trained in research principles and well-versed in empirical research compared to most PsyD degrees and even some Ph.D’s. Although my program did not necessarily emphasize research, it did heavily emphasize clinical skill development, requiring heavy practicum training and often involving commuting around Indianapolis and other nearby cities. This practicum training entailed, on average, about 25 hours per week of full-time clinical work for 3 straight years (52 weeks a year) prior to going on internship.

The point of describing our lengthy training procedures: it was unavoidable to rack up large student loan amounts in order to complete doctoral-level clinical training, without previously being independently wealthy. In fact, in the spirit of full disclosure, it cost us as a couple more than $200K in combined student loans, even with some small stipends as well as Ph.D tuition waivers. According to a recent survey by APA (2007), the AVERAGE debt for a clinical psychology doctoral graduate is $150K, with a range of 0-$10K all the way up to to $250K per degree.

For those not as familiar with clinical psychology, on top of coursework, research, and practicum experiences, doctoral internship training requires a full-time, year-long, supervised clinical experience to get the final doctoral degree. This is well before licensure as a psychologist can occur, which is a separate experience. This process is an extraordinarily competitive process, where 1 in 4 students are not matched to an internship upon application. When you think about it, at this point in training, everyone is in competition with the very “best of the best,” who have made it thus far through all doctoral training. If one is not matched the first year, the student must wait an entire year to reapply, which only adds to the expense of the clinical degree. If one actually does get matched, that person is required to attend the internship to which he or she was matched, and at this point it typically requires a move to another state, if not across the entire country. Predoctoral internships at least pay a salary, but the bad news is that the average intern’s salary is $19K per year, which is hardly sufficient if one is matched to an internship program in a major city such as Chicago, San Francisco, NYC, or even Indianapolis. This means – you probably guessed it – even MORE student loans to be taken out in order to simply live and pay rent.

Once the internship process is complete, and you have completed a dissertation along the way, you may graduate and begin thinking about licensure as a psychologist. Depending upon the state, at this point one is often forced to take a low-paying, 1 or 2-year postdoctoral position in order to complete the hours required for a psychology license, and to specialize in a particular field. A $20 to $25K salary at this point can frequently be expected, and a good chunk of this is eaten up by the fees to apply for licensure, to buy study materials, and to take various licensing tests such as the EPPP, ranging from $2 to $3K just to study and take the tests.

None of this is meant to discourage anyone from applying to, trying to get into, and attending graduate school for clinical psychology training. Rather, take it from 2 individuals who have gone through the entire process – it is MUCH better to know beforehand the total cost involved and what you are getting into exactly, in order to plan accordingly. It can most definitely be done, but as they say, knowing is much of the battle. But it is also very important to realize that a great number of sacrifices along the way are necessary, which is why clinical psychologists are often in demand. The lengthy, demanding, and specialized training is also why psychologists fiercely protect their territory and qualifications. In Indiana, for example, it was a crime punishable by the state’s attorney to practice or advertise as a psychologist without a license. As a result of the intensive training required, clinical psychology is therefore among the most expensive of professional training, comparable to law school and medicine. It would be nice if, since the same amount of intensive, specialized training approximately equals that of a physician, the pay was more equivalent. Some of the most frequently asked questions by psychology students is, “How can I get a doctorate degree in clinical psychology?” and “how much money do psychologists make?” When it comes time for repayment of student loans, there is often a great struggle between altruism (providing free or inexpensive services) and earning enough income to support one’s family. Of course, clinical practice can have many other intrinsic rewards, such as helping others, autonomous functioning, and working for oneself, but none of this is possible without supporting oneself financially.

It’s also a very pertinent topic during these times of economic turmoil in our country. The topic of how to give back to one’s community, and move back to where one grew up after graduate training, even came up during the minority day student panel when discussing the problem of “abandoning” one’s community after obtaining higher education. Unfortunately, it’s often not so much a choice, as having to go where the jobs are and where you will make enough to repay student loans, because Uncle Sam does NOT like to take no for an answer.

Ah, the dreaded mid-terms!  I trust you all fared well and survived with passing grades and new found vigor to see yourselves through to the end of the semester.  If you didn’t do as well as you hoped, now’s the perfect time to place your nose to ther proverbial grindstone and bring it up!  If you’re struggling in class there are a multitude of options at your disposal.  Seek out a classmate, talk to your advisor, see someone in the counseling center, or post a cry for help in the comments section here!  Whatever you do though, don’t lose hope. 

As a quick message to all the procrastinators out there, now is also the time to get started on those term papers!  Don’t know where to start?  Setting up your tital page, your formatting and  your references is a great place to start.  You may even start on your abstract or introduction, just to give yourself some direction.  Who knows?  You may enjoy it so much you forego all else until it’s finished!  Despite the popular belief amongst the masses, I’m fairly certain that finishing your paper early will not bring about the cataclysmic doom of mankind.  In the event it does though, you can proudly say “I told you so!” and I will sullenly hang my head in shame. 

Before I go, here’s a little humor to help you relax.  The following was found at the University of Pennsylvania Department of Psychology website, and you’re sure to find plenty more bits of Psychology humor on their site at http://www.psych.upenn.edu/humor.html#ring.  Enjoy!

The following list of phrases and their definitions might help you understand the mysterious language of science (including psychology) and medicine. These special phrases are also applicable to anyone reading a PhD dissertation or academic paper.

“IT HAS LONG BEEN KNOWN”… I didn’t look up the original reference.

“A DEFINITE TREND IS EVIDENT”… These data are practically meaningless.

“WHILE IT HAS NOT BEEN POSSIBLE TO PROVIDE DEFINITE ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS”… An unsuccessful experiment, but I still hope to get it published.

“THREE OF THE SAMPLES WERE CHOSEN FOR DETAILED STUDY”… The other results didn’t make any sense.

“TYPICAL RESULTS ARE SHOWN”… This is the prettiest graph.

“THESE RESULTS WILL BE IN A SUBSEQUENT REPORT”… I might get around to this sometime, if pushed/funded.

“IN MY EXPERIENCE”… Once

“IN CASE AFTER CASE”… Twice

“IN A SERIES OF CASES”… Thrice

“IT IS BELIEVED THAT”… I think.

“IT IS GENERALLY BELIEVED THAT”… A couple of others think so, too.

“IT MIGHT BE ARGUED THAT” … I have such a good answer for this objection that I now raise it. [Thanks to Brendan Keefe.]

“CORRECT WITHIN AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE”… Wrong.

“ACCORD1NG TO STATISTICAL ANALYSIS”… Rumour has it.

“A STATISTICALLY-ORIENTED PROJECTION OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THESE FINDINGS”… A wild guess.

“A CAREFUL ANALYSIS OF OBTAINABLE DATA”… Three pages of notes were obliterated when I knocked over a glass of beer.

“IT IS CLEAR THAT MUCH ADDITIONAL WORK WILL BE REQUIRED BEFORE A COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF THIS PHENOMENON OCCURS”… I don’t understand it

“AFTER ADDITIONAL STUDY BY MY COLLEAGUES”… They don’t understand it either.

“THANKS ARE DUE TO JOE BLOGGS FOR ASSISTANCE WITH THE EXPERIMENT AND TO CINDY ADAMS FOR VALUABLE DISCUSSIONS”… Mr. Bloggs did the work and Ms. Adams explained to me what it meant.

“A HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT AREA FOR EXPLORATORY STUDY”… A totally useless topic selected by my committee.

“IN AN IMPORTANT PAPER BY SMITH AND JONES, …” This obscure paper by Smith and Jones agrees supports my theory.

“IT IS HOPED THAT THIS WILL STIMULATE FURTHER WORK IN THIS FIELD” … This paper isn’t very good, but neither are any others on this miserable subject. [Thanks to Brendan Keefe.]

“IT IS HOPED THAT THIS STUDY WILL STIMULATE FURTHER 1NVESTIGATION IN THIS FIELD”… I quit.

So many things changing, so many things staying the same.  One thing that’s changed since Obama has entered office is the way that the war in Iraq is being handled.  Browsing MSN today, I happened across this article:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29410258?GT1=43001#storyContinued

I wasn’t aware of the ban in 1991 on photographing our fallen soldiers as they returned home.  I found the image of the flag covered coffins and the men tending to them to be deeply moving.  As I looked through those images, and read through the article, I couldn’t help but feel that allowing the decision for our deceased’s homecoming to be photographed being left up to their families was a very good thing.  

Another thing that’s come from Obama’s presidency, and a thing I think we could label as a good thing, is the ban on torture.  Following is another article from MSN, Obama’s declaration that the U.S. will no longer torture prisoners of war:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28574408/ . 

I believe that the APA would be in agreeance with Obama when he said, “We must adhere to our values as diligently as we protect our safety with no exceptions.”  If you’re unfamiliar with their stance on torture, you can find it here:

 http://www.apa.org/monitor/2008/04/torture.html

It’s not uncommon for a new president to be met with some opposition, but being ever the optomist, I prefer to keep in consideration the good things that have come from the situation.  This is in no way an intention to sway your political beliefs, or an attempt to give you a glimpse into my own thoughts on politics.  This isn’t about whether you’re a republican or a democrat, a liberal or a conservative.  This is about putting all that aside for a moment and focusing on some of the positives that are happening in our world today.  Perhaps it’s just the particular environment I find myself in day to day, but it seems that environment is focused on all the negative aspects of our country and our economy.  In light of that, I felt that it was important to mention a few of the positives I’ve found.  Looking at the pictures of all those men, symbols of freedom lying under our symbol of freedom, I forgot all about the cost of the stimulus bill and was reminded of the cost of war.

Just a friendly announcement to let you know that we’re still looking for contributors to the blog, and looking for more people to send feedback with what they like, dislike, and what they want to read about here.  Until we get more bloggers, you can plan to see at least one fresh new post every Thursday by yours truly.  Keep an eye out for a post from your favorite professor (or professors!) coming within the next few weeks!   

Don’t be afraid to make yourself heard, click the comment section and say hello!  If you don’t feel like setting up a new account, don’t worry about it–you should be able to say hello without being a user.  All you have to do is fill out the name and the e-mail section and you’re good to go!

Lately, I’ve found myself watching the Joaquin Phoenix interview on Letterman over and over again.  If you haven’t had the chance to see the clip, check it out here:

 http://www.cbs.com/late_show/video/video.php?cid=446418043&pid=TOnYWLFIAq4k8vA0Me2lpEWu5ovWrJzB&play=true&cc=1

There’s been a lot of debate as to what exactly was going on with him during that appearance.  There’s been theories that it was all just a hoax, that he was method acting for a new role, that he was on drugs, or that he’s possibly in the middle of a breakdown.  As budding psychologists, we should have a little insight into what’s going on, right?  My first impression watching the video was that he was having some mental or emotional difficulties, or possibly a drug problem (glasses to hide the tell-tale signs in his eyes perhaps?).  It was very uncomfortable listening to the laughter and watching as Dave tried to prod answers out of him.  After reading some of the comments others have made on the video, and watching it again, I really can’t say I know for sure what’s going on.  I do think though that, as someone deeply interested in Psychology, this is a fascinating video.  This would make an excellent vignette for a counseling class.  What do you think?  Is it just a big joke, or is he in role for another movie he’s working on?  Could it simply be a drug problem, or is it something deeper than that?  If you haven’t already done so, sign up for an account and post your thoughts.  I’m eager to hear what others think about this.  I will say though that if it is a mental health issue, I hope the best for him.

No doubt you’ve spent countless hours waiting in anticipation of this very moment.  You spoke of this day in hushed whispers, plotting and planning with your friends and loved ones.  You braved the bitter cold to camp for what seemed like days in front of the ticket booths.  You persevered as each awkward glance from the guy dressed as Princess Leia stole away a little piece of your soul.  Wait…maybe I’m thinking of something else…  At any rate, here it is!  The inaugural post for the Union College Psychology Department’s official blog! 

While it may not be as memorable as that special day you spent in line waiting to watch the newest Star Wars film, this is nevertheless an important day for faculty and students alike.  We finally have a place where we can come together for casual conversation, discussions on current events, and information about the goings-on of the Psychology department and the field of Psychology in general.  As you may have already inferred from the mendacious yarn above, this isn’t simply another informational source that requires checking in order to keep up to speed on the happenings around campus.  This is also a place to relax and take things just a little less seriously.  Think of this blog as the recess of college—except without the cooties!  Make no mistake though, you can expect to find informational posts, serious discussions about current events, and the latest departmental news here as well.

Feel free to leave a comment and say hello!  Those of you out there that aren’t psychology majors, or don’t even have the first clue about where Union College or Barbourville, Kentucky is–you’re welcome to comment too!  All we ask is that you keep your comments clean and respectful.  Aside from that, comment however you like.  If there’s a topic you’d like to hear us blog about, or if you have any relevant campus news or happenings you’d like plugged, send an e-mail my way.  I’ll see what I can do.  Send it to dorian.asher@unionky.edu with BLOG in all caps in the subject line, so I’ll know what you’re talking about.  If you have any suggestions for the blog, comment away!  Don’t forget to check back in with us on a regular basis to see what’s new!