Psychology

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Posted: 08 Feb 2010 07:57 PM PST

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Seymour B. Sarason, a psychologist whose groundbreaking work on social settings and their influence on individual problems helped establish the field of community psychology, died on Jan. 28 in New Haven. He was 91 and lived in Hamden, Conn.

His death was confirmed by his daughter, Julie.

The author of more than 40 books, Dr. Sarason applied his insights on social psychology to a wide variety of issues that included the treatment of the mentally ill and retarded, educational reform, teacher training and care for the aged.

He started out as a clinical psychologist but quickly became disenchanted with the idea, then dominant in the field, that individual problems could be analyzed and treated individually. While working at a state institution for the retarded in Massachusetts, he became convinced that many psychological problems stemmed from social settings and institutional cultures.

At Yale, where he taught for more than 40 years, he founded the Psycho-Educational Institute, a clinic for developing new approaches to treating the problems of children and adolescents. The clinic's psychologists and students, instead of doing laboratory work, went into schools, day care centers and correctional institutions to work with administrators on improving their surrounding environments.

Dr. Sarason's work at the clinic, which he directed from 1961 to 1970, led to several seminal works, including "Psychology in Community Settings" (1966), written with several co-authors; "The Culture of the School and the Problem of Change" (1971); "The Creation of Settings and the Future Societies"(1972); and "The Psychological Sense of Community: Prospects for a Community Psychology" (1974).

"He founded the field of community psychology," said Andy Hargreaves, holder of the Thomas More Brennan chair in education at the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. "It did not really exist before him. And he was one of the very first people to write in an explicit way about educational reform and the culture of the school from the perspective of the people who experience the change — teachers and students."

Seymour Bernard Sarason was born on Jan. 12, 1919, in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn and grew up in Newark. The family was poor, and when he contracted polio in high school, his mother encouraged her son to write to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who himself had polio, asking for help.

To the family's astonishment, a letter arrived from Missy LeHand, Roosevelt's secretary, announcing that arrangements were being made for the boy to get treatment. He eventually made an almost complete recovery from the illness.

He attended the University of Newark (now part of Rutgers), where he received a bachelor's degree in 1939. At Clark University in Worcester, Mass, he earned a master's degree in 1940 and a doctorate in clinical psychology in 1942.

While working as a clinical psychologist at a new institution for the mentally retarded in Southbury, Conn., Dr. Sarason began to entertain the idea that institutions might do more harm than good. He was particularly disturbed by the way psychological tests measured deficits rather than the potential he saw in students taking art classes from Henry Schaefer-Simmern, an important influence on his thinking.

Dr. Sarason explored these issues in his first book, "Psychological Problems in Mental Deficiency" (1949), which examined social and cultural factors that affected subnormal behavior.

In 1945 he began teaching at Yale, where he remained until retiring in 1989. His community approach to psychological problems lent itself to a variety of fields, and he wrote extensively on many of them, particularly education. He regarded traditional schools and what he called the "encapsulated classroom" as enemies of learning and human potential, sealed off from the larger society around them and crippled by a lack of collaboration among teachers.

Although deeply pessimistic about the possibilities of school reform, he nevertheless published many books on the subject, including "The Preparation of Teachers: An Unstudied Problem in Education" (1962), with Kenneth S. Davidson and Burton Blatt; "How Schools Might be Governed and Why" (1997); and "Educational Reform: A Self-Scrutinizing Memoir" (2002).

In addition to his daughter, Julie, of Lowell, Mass., he is survived by a brother, Irwin, of Seattle; a grandchild; and his companion, Irma Miller of Stratford, Conn.

In 1988 Dr. Sarason published an autobiography, "The Making of an American Psychologist." At his death, he had completed "Centers for Endings: The Coming Crisis in the Care of Aged People," to be published later this year by Springer.

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Moral psychology study sheds light on the origin of religion (New Kerala)

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 03:07 AM PST

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Washington, Feb 9 : A new moral psychology research has offered more insight into the origins of religion.

Study co-author Dr. Ilkka Pyysiainen from the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies said: "Some scholars claim that religion evolved as an adaptation to solve the problem of cooperation among genetically unrelated individuals, while others propose that religion emerged as a by-product of pre-existing cognitive capacities."

While there is some support for both, these alternative theories have been difficult to investigate.

Dr. Pyysiainen and co-author Dr. Marc Hauser, from the Departments of Psychology and Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, used a fresh perspective based in experimental moral psychology to review these two competing theories.

Dr. Hauser said: "We were interested in making use of this perspective because religion is linked to morality in different ways...For some, there is no morality without religion, while others see religion as merely one way of expressing one''s moral intuitions."

Refering to several studies in moral psychology, the authors draw attention to the finding that despite differences in, or even an absence of, religious backgrounds, individuals show no difference in moral judgments for unfamiliar moral dilemmas. The research found that intuitive judgments of right and wrong seem to operate independently of explicit religious commitments.

Dr. Pyysiainen said: "This supports the theory that religion did not originally emerge as a biological adaptation for cooperation, but evolved as a separate by-product of pre-existing cognitive functions that evolved from non-religious functions.

"However, although it appears as if cooperation is made possible by mental mechanisms that are not specific to religion, religion can play a role in facilitating and stabilizing cooperation between groups."

Dr. Hauser concluded: "It seems that in many cultures religious concepts and beliefs have become the standard way of conceptualizing moral intuitions. Although, as we discuss in our paper, this link is not a necessary one, many people have become so accustomed to using it, that criticism targeted at religion is experienced as a fundamental threat to our moral existence."

The study has appeared in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences on February 8.

--ANI

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Psychology Professor Says Love at First Sight More Likely Attraction at First Sight (PhysOrg)

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 03:12 PM PST

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Psychology Professor Says Love at First Sight More Likely Attraction at First Sight

February 8, 2010

If you're hoping that cupid's arrow finds you on Valentine's Day, don't expect it to be a case of "love at first sight," according to a Kansas State University psychology professor.

"Love at first sight" is better stated as "attraction at first sight," said K-State's Gary Brase, associate professor of psychology.

"I think that the word love can be an awfully heavy burden to put on the phrase 'at first sight,'" he said.

Brase said when it comes to love at first sight, he refers to psychologist Robert Sternberg's model of love, which consists of three components: passion or physical attraction, intimacy or confiding in another person, and commitment or intent to remain in the relationship.

According to Brase, commitment and intimacy would be unlikely to occur upon first sight of another person.

However, someone may experience a strong "attraction at first sight," indicating that they have met a person who is a very good potential partner, Brase said.

This attraction may be based on features such as physical attributes, shared cultural aspects, psychological characteristics evident from the person's actions, or a combination of all three, Brase said.

Separate from attraction, Brase said a person also may feel "lust at first sight," which involves similar factors -- especially physical factors -- but that lust is still a distinct emotion.

"The difference between lust and attraction for a more serious relationship probably also depends on the mindset of the person experiencing that feeling," Brase said.

Provided by Kansas State University (news : web)

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Friends mourn psychology junior's death (The Shorthorn)

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 08:56 PM PST

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More than a hundred prayers fill Gladys Barrientos' Facebook fan page to honor a life cut short when a man struck her vehicle in an attempt to evade police Thursday evening.

The psychology junior was on her way home when 22-year-old Tyrone Lee Sims II collided with her vehicle as she was turning east onto Wintergreen Road in Duncanville, according to the police report.

Police said Sims fled after being pulled over for a broken headlight.

Sims did not have a driver's license at the time of the incident. He has been charged with murder for causing the death of another in the act of a felony.

Friends said Barrientos' life was marked with a great sense of humor and a love of sports. She excelled in sports, participating in everything from soccer to cross country.

Most notably, her passion was wrestling.

"She played volleyball freshman year of high school," longtime friend Kelli Fischer said. "When our coach suggested we practice with the wrestling team for extra conditioning, that's where Gladys found her passion."

Barrientos also found her best friend Lauren Danielle Birks through wrestling at Bishop Dunne Catholic School.

"We spent four to six days a week with each other," Lauren Birks said. "Even after she graduated, she helped coach my senior year of high school, so it was almost like she was still with me all four years."

Barrientos' friends remember her as someone who never put her needs before others.

Lauren Birks said she remembers a time when Barrientos took care of her while they were cutting weight for a wrestling tournament.

"There was a heat wave in Fargo, and we were dehydrated, training three days a week, and just suffering," she said. "At 3 a.m. she gets up and goes to get me a wet towel to put on my head. I have no idea how she got the strength to get up. That was Gladys, always putting others first before herself."

Barrientos' selflessness carried with her even when she started at UTA, Fischer said.

In their freshman year, Barrientos gave her friend a ride to school every morning.

"I didn't have a car, so every morning I'd ride with Gladys and we talked about everything from family to boyfriend issues, and we reminisced about high school," Fischer said.

Many of her friends remember her for her sense of humor.

Candice Houston Birks, who said she met Barrientos through her sister, Lauren, said Gladys earned the nickname "Dory" for her impression of the fish in the movie, Finding Nemo.

"A part of me will always long for those humorous moments, but I will cherish the ones we shared forever," Candice Birks said.

In the wake of tragedy, Barrientos' friends and family are still struggling with the harsh reality of losing someone so dear to them, Lauren Birks said.

"I seriously thought we were going to grow old together," she said. "I thought she was going to be my maid of honor. I thought she was going to be my kids' godmother. I thought I was going to see her Friday."

Thursday evening Barrientos was driving home from a Bible study when Sims' vehicle collided hers.

"Gladys' walk with Christ had grown so much this past year," Lauren Birks said. "She was attending Hillcrest [Baptist Church] on Cedar Hill, and through Hillcrest she had the Bible study. She had been approved about two weeks ago to go on a six-week mission trip in Laos. She was so excited about going."

Barrientos' vigil will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, and her funeral will be Thursday at 10 a.m. Both will take place at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church on 4019 South Hampton Road in Dallas.

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Psychology

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

“Seymour B. Sarason, Leader in Community Psychology, Dies at 91 (New York Times)” plus 3 more

“Seymour B. Sarason, Leader in Community Psychology, Dies at 91 (New York Times)” plus 3 more

Psychology Professor Says Love at First Sight More Likely Attraction at First Sight

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