D821: Investigating the psychological world

The latest Psychology in the Pub event will take place at 7.30pm on 16 August 2012 at The Showroom in Sheffield, entitled Weird Science: An Introduction to Anomalistic Psychology and presented by Professor Chris French, Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths College, University of London.

Ever since records began, in every known society, a substantial proportion of the population has reported unusual experiences many of which we would today label as “paranormal”. Opinion polls show that the majority of the general public accepts that paranormal phenomena do occur.

Such widespread experience of and belief in the paranormal can only mean one of two things. Either the paranormal is real, in which case this should be accepted by the wider scientific community which currently rejects such claims; or else belief in and experience of ostensibly paranormal phenomena can be fully explained in terms of psychological factors.

This presentation will provide an introduction to the sub-discipline of anomalistic psychology, which may be defined as the study of extraordinary phenomena of behaviour and experience, in an attempt to provide non-paranormal explanations in terms of known psychological and physical factors. This approach will be illustrated with examples relating to a range of ostensibly paranormal phenomena.
 
Professor Chris French is the Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths College, University of London. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, as well as being a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the British False Memory Society. He has published over 100 articles and chapters covering a wide range of topics within psychology. His main current area of research is the psychology of paranormal beliefs and anomalous experiences. He frequently appears on radio and television casting a sceptical eye over paranormal claims. He writes for The Skeptic and for the Guardian’s online science pages. Follow him on Twitter: @chriscfrench

For more information see the Psychology in the Pub website.
 

 

Psychology in the Pub in Sheffield returns on Thursday 21 June with Dr Gail Coleman on racicm in the mental health.

Does racism continue to play a role in our mental health system today and what is the impact of racism on the individual? Clinical
Psychologist Gail Coleman will explore these questions in a presentation looking at the historical roots and reality of racism in psychology and in British society today.

Dr Coleman will consider the way BME people have been pathologised by psychiatric/psychological professions. She will also reflect upon the impact on children, given that nearly 88,000 racist incidents were recorded in Britain's schools between 2007 and 2011. In conclusion, Dr Coleman will discuss what can we do to promote change in the NHS, in our education systems,in our families and in our communities today.

• Find out more about Psychology in the Pub
   

Positive psychology is the scientific study of the positive aspects of human life, such as happiness, confidence and achievement; it focuses on understanding and promoting what makes life worth living rather than on treating mental illness.

Bridget is one of the first qualified positive psychologists to practice in Europe and her latest book is full of straightforward advice, case studies and step-by-step instructions to making your life even better.

Speaking to Platform at a time when many of us are thinking about New Year’s resolutions and developing good habits, Bridget offers readers some helpful pointers, based on some of the latest research in positive psychology:

Beyond SMART: 3 Top Tips for Successful Goal-Setting and Achievement
 

Focus on creating approach goals

According to psychology research, avoidance goals (those with negative outcomes which we work to avoid) are stressful because constantly monitoring negative possibilities drains our energy and enjoyment, eventually taking its toll on our well-being. On the other hand if we set approach goals i.e. those with positive outcomes which we work towards, our focus is on achieving the presence of something positive, which is more energizing and enjoyable. According to psychologists this ultimately leads to greater well-being too.

Increase your intrinsic motivation

Being intrinsically motivated (i.e. doing something because you want to, not because you have to) is an essential part of goal achievement. Intrinsic motivation can be increased by ensuring that, in identifying and pursuing your goal, three basic psychological needs are met:  i) control, ii) competence and iii) connection. If your goal is not freely chosen, how might you change it so that you increase the amount of control that you have?  To increase your level of competence, why not seek regular and constructive feedback on your performance from a trusted friend, colleague or mentor? And how might you ensure that you have positive support from those around you in achieving your goal?

Develop your self-control and commitment

Fortunately for us, self-control is like a muscle – the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets. This means that being more disciplined in one domain of your life can help you develop greater self-control in other areas. The key to self-control is to try to create new habits which simply become part of your day-to-day routine; after a while you don’t need much self-control at all.

Research into goal commitment suggests that it makes a difference to your self-motivation whether you focus on the progress you’ve already made, or whether you focus on the things that you have left to achieve. If you are fully committed to your goal, you can maintain your self-motivation by focusing on what you have left to do. But if your commitment is less than 10 out of 10, you can increase your self-motivation by focusing on what you have already accomplished.

Finally, remember that not all goals are equal in the well-being stakes: make sure yours are intrinsic, congruent and in harmony with each other.

To find out more about Bridget’s work or to order her book, visit her website.

For your chance to win a copy of Bridget's book, see our competition. Share your goal for 2012 and be in with a chance of winning...

Organisations that have the trust of their workforce have a competitive advantage over their rivals, suggests a new book co-edited by Open University lecturer Dr Rosalind Searle.

Trust and Human Resource Management, co-edited by Dr Searle and Professor Denise Skinner of Coventry University is a well-timed look, given recent events in certain sections of the newspaper industry, at what has previously been a neglected area of human resource management (HRM).

The book brings together the most current thinking by key scholars into how organisations can build, develop and maintain the trust of their employees.

Studies have demonstrated that such employees put greater effort into their roles and work more co-operatively with others while those who do not trust their organisation work less effectively, engage in devious and counter-productive behaviours, or simply leave.

Dr Searle, Senior Lecturer in Organisational Psychology and Director Research Degrees Programme of the Faculty of Social Science said the effects of mistrust or misplaced trust were corrosive, particularly in cases of harassment or bullying where staff can be reluctant to report cases and organisations can be protective of bad managers.

Failure to deal effectively with bullying at work, the book concludes, can threaten an organisation’s on-going viability and sustainability.

Employees looked to an organisation for reassurance about behaviour but the old maxim ‘do as I say not what I do’ is still all too common said Dr Searle.

Organisations have mission statements and codes of practice, “But too often they are just pieces of paper,” she said.

The book looks at key areas of HRM where trust plays a pivotal role including recruitment, training, career progression, promotion and exit, including redundancy.

The book concludes that building, developing and maintaining trust has positive commercial benefits to an organisation and need not require an increased investment in HRM, “just increased transparency,” said Dr Searle.

But can a major shift in how organisations deal with the issue of trust find a place in the current climate when managers are often occupied with ‘fighting fires’?

“There has never been a better time,” said Dr Searle.

“Much of it is common sense and in the book we show why it works.

“And with trust, organisations will be better equipped to fight those fires,” she said.

• The Organisational Trust website

"Back when I first started with the OU with D821 (Exploring the Psychological World), I studied on the sofa with my laptop toasting my knees, and my books spread around me like some sort of nightmarish lily-pad.

"I knew, even as I wrote my first TMA, that this wasn't to last. By the time I was writing my ECA, I had at least graduated to the dining room table. My knees were safe, but everyone I lived with was fed up of having nowhere to eat. I knew I had to make a proper OU space somewhere, complete with desk, lamp, conveniently located power outlet and whatever other mod-cons I thought I would need."

Read the full blog post and find out how James, a 24-year-old MSc OU student - who is doubling up on courses with D844 and D849 - has created a perfect study place help him focus.