PSYCHOLOGY NEWSLETTER #2

VOL. 2 / FEB 2018

Issue #

PSYCHOLOGY ENTHUSIAST CIRCLE

newsletter THE LGBT COMMUNITY HOW THE WORLD SEES THEM, AND THE PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND STOCKHOLM SYNDROME THE STRANGEST FORM OF AFFECTION

THIS MONTH’S THEME: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY LOVE IS IN THE AIR WHAT IS THE TRUE MEANING OF LOVE? LABELLING THEORY CATEGORIZING WITHOUT REASONING

THE BRAIN IS WIDER THAN THE SKY. Emily Dickinson

Table of Contents Message from the Cores ------------------------Embrace An Unconventional Aspect Of Love On Valentine’s Day ---------------LGBT Psychology ---------------------Love is in the Air, and So is Psychology ----------------Labelling Effect -------------------- Past and Upcoming Activities ---------------------Recommended Reading -------------------------

2 4 10 16 22 25 27

1

Message from the Cores 4B Chloe Yeung , 4G Justin Lam, 4G Kinsey Yuen , 4G Angel Au

Happy Valentine’s Day! Love and attraction are hot topics in social psychology, and on this special occasion, we are going to introduce social psychology to you. To many of us, social psychology is a term that is at once familiar and ambiguous.

Social psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on how individuals’ thoughts, feelings or behaviour are influenced by others’ physical or imaginary presence.

Social psychology has been an major area of study since the 18th century. The first social psychology experiment was conducted in 1898 by Norman Triplett on the audience effect (the tendency for people to perform differently when others are present). In the 1940s and 1950s, Kurt Lewin, a pioneer in social psychology, developed principles for social psychology with other psychologists. Lewin also studied group dynamics, which is about the interaction within or between social groups, with the changing circumstances. Due to his many accomplishments, Lewin is often recognized as the founder of social psychology.

During World War II, social psychologists studied war tactics like persuasion and propaganda. After the war, social issues like racial prejudice and gender inequality became more popular. In the 1970s, the more well-known Stanford prison experiment was 2

conducted, which focused on the psychological influence of perceived power. Volunteers were split into “guards” and “prisoners”, acting out their roles and subsequently acting as if they really were guards or prisoners.

In this issue, we are going to introduce some theories or conditions in social psychology, such as the Stockholm syndrome and the labelling effect. The effect of social pressure on minorities such as the LGBT community will also be addressed. Last but not least, we will discuss the psychology behind Valentine’s Day. Love is in the air, and so is psychology!

So no matter if you’re a single pringle or a taken bacon, be sure to read the articles. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even learn something.

3

Embrace an Unconventional Aspect of Love on Valentine’s Day 3G Christy Ng, 4D Kyle Leung, 4G Joshua Liu

A VIVID NIGHTMARE Imagine having your hands stiffly tied, trapped in a secluded bank vault, facing two violent repeat offenders donned with bulletproof vests and holding semi-automatic firearms. Little do you know the terrors of the hundred and thirty one hours to come.

Food and resources can barely be smuggled through a hole in the wall. The room is in complete disarray - the floor is littered with used paper, broken shards of bits and pieces, and overturned machines. Escape is futile, and struggling only makes it worse.

4

The men holding you hostage are fickle and unstable: one moment, they lash out violently; another moment, they hand out warm wool jackets. Beside you, Birgitta tries in vain to reach her family by phone. All of a sudden, you heard a soft, whispery, rhythmic voice from the criminal, breaking the eerie silence, “Try again. Don’t give up,” he murmurs to Birgitta.

A ROBBERY BROADCASTED AROUND THE WORLD What you just experienced is a detailed account of the infamous Norrmalmstorg robbery. On August 23, 1973, escaped prisoners Jan Erik Olsson and Clark Olofsson went to Kreditbanken at Norrmalmstorg, Stockholm, where they attempted to rob a bank.

Being holed up inside a cramped bank vault, the captives quickly formed a strange bond with their abductors. “I fully trust Clark and the robber,” a victim said. “I am not desperate. They haven’t done a thing to us. On the contrary, they have been very nice. But, you know, Olof, what I am scared of is that the police will attack and cause us to die.”

This seemingly bizarre phenomenon is exemplified by their sentimental reactions towards the arrest of their captors.

According to reports, two female hostages cried, “Don’t hurt them—they didn’t harm us.” When Enmark was wheeled away in a stretcher, she shouted to the handcuffed Olofsson, “Clark, I will see you again.”

5

HERE COMES STOCKHOLM SYNDROME Later, the term Stockholm syndrome was coined by Swedish psychiatrist Nils Bejerot. This term is an interpretation of abnormalities surrounding the Norrmalmstorg robbery in Stockholm. It describes a psychological state in which the abductees sympathize and develop positive feelings towards the captors, sometimes accompanied by negative feelings towards the police or authorities.

Stockholm syndrome can also be identified in other types of abuse which do not involve kidnapping, such as sexual and domestic abuse.

CAUSES It remains unclear why exactly this phenomenon occurs, but here are some possible explanations.

One widely-accepted theory suggests that the victims’ survival instinct drove them to form alliances with captors as a survival strategy during captivity. Captives being faced with the possibility of severe injuries or even death, leading them to go for desperate measures in hopes of increasing 6

their chances of survival. The victim’s need to survive is stronger than his impulse to hate the person who has created the dilemma. Isolation and dehumanization also heighten their survival instincts, tapping fear and pain into the victims’ minds.

When the victims display sentimental feelings for the captors, they fear that their feelings may be perceived as fake, eventually believing that their feelings are genuine, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Another explanation would be that the positive bond is formed as a defense mechanism of the ego under stress. Being suddenly having your life put at risk, some people cope with this immense stress by refusing to accept reality. In this case, the victims ignore the aggression and abuse committed by the perpetrators but to accept them as friends. The victims may also hold the same values with the abductors, sympathizing with their cause thus not perceiving them as a threat.

The victims might also perceive their captors having shown occasional generosity, acts of “kindness” such as the permission to eat, drink and the right to live. The captors usually engage in a face-to-face contact when terrorizing their captives, making them feel hopeless and powerless, submissive to the perpetrators’ dominance. The captors then appear to be merciful and kind when the captors fail to attack or abuse the victims.

FOUR MAIN PROCESSES THE VICTIMS GO THROUGH 1. FRIGHT: Sudden threats and coercion by the captors.

7

2. FEAR: Being put in a vulnerable situation and threatened both physically and mentally.

3. SYMPATHY: Believing that the captor is being forced to act this way and the captor did not cause direct harm on the victim.

4. HELP: The victim might help the captor in different ways such as not escaping, offering comfort, or even help the captor to escape and defending the captor in court.

NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON THE VICTIMS The most obvious sequelae would be the trauma the victims face after the ordeal, or posttraumatic stress.

Victims would have recurring flashbacks of the event but being confused as they have mixed feelings for the abuser, being sympathetic and intimidated at the same time. Being broken by the abuse, victims may also have an increased irritability and distrust in others. Other symptoms of PTSD may also be found in victims of Stockholm syndrome such as a disinterest in activities.

Abuse may not be reported due to positive bond of Stockholm Syndrome. This further encourages perpetrators to commit 8

similar or other crimes in the future and leads to the victim not getting the immediate help they need.

COMMON TREATMENT Stockholm syndrome is a complex condition and victims usually need to go through psychological counselling to help them realize their abnormal affection as well as to overcome the trauma of the abusive behaviour. This is absolutely necessary to help them overcome the stress and fear resulting from the incident; without counselling, many such victims never quite get over the trauma they experienced.

Every day, countless victims are subjected to abuse, whether it be sexual, domestic, or another nature. The Stockholm Syndrome is surprisingly common among those trauma victims. We must acknowledge the existence of this condition and avoid stigmatizing the victims. Understanding is crucial to their reintegration into society. If everyone can extend compassion and sympathy towards them, we can mitigate the effects of this syndrome.

9

LGBT Psychology 3F Jade Duong, 4E Ronny Or, 4G Ryan Baum, 4G Jonathan Cheng

Our oceans. Vast, deep and mysterious. For perhaps the entirety of our existence we have been drawn to them, and found through livelihoods, in adventures, and by homes. Still, though passed by is human perpetuity, our seaward voyages have seen us understand a meek 5% of our oceans.

5%. Not much, that is for sure, but not to be discounted. And such is about how many of our vast, broad and diverse people identify themselves as LGBT, a newly minted name for an concept eternal in our existence. Yet, new too are the struggles, the pains, the conflicts growing in our society for both those steward-like of its tradition, and those flag-bearer of its progress, struggles we hereby try to portray.

The LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community stands as a representation of different sexual orientations and gender identities. Generally symbolised by a rainbow, each colour of the rainbow represents different values and meanings supporting LGBT rights. In the past few years, the struggle of the LGBT community has been brought about by globalization.

However, not all people who match the criteria above consider themselves as a part of the LGBT community, due to a series of complicated problems ranging from internal shame, psychological self-loathing; to externally, family, religion and 10

even social norms. With such divided opinions in the already small community, rights for LGBT individuals were not well strived for in the modern world, and they continue to face numerous challenges even nowadays.

BEHIND THE ANTI-LGBT MINDSETS: RELIGION ‘Transgender people will no longer be considered mentally ill after the World Health Organization reclassified gender incongruence.’ According to an article published on the World Economic Forum, there has been a rising tide of acceptance of LGBT individuals recently. Yet, in any case of dissension, there ought to be opposition against the issue, and this is precisely what many pursue to explain: the mentalities behind the disapproval.

Religion perhaps plays the biggest role in the formation of anti-LGBT mindsets. To name a few, Evangelical Christianity, Orthodox Judaism and Islam are all notable examples of beliefs fuelling the disagreement. LGBT ideologies have long been declared as acts of sin, and in the Middle Ages when Christianity prospered as the official Europe-wide religion, prosecution and burning at the stake were common for LGBT individuals. The strict enforcement of punishments, much akin to ‘hard policies’ nowadays, was in fact a type of ‘operant conditioning’ in the psychology field, where distinct types of 11

behaviours are paired with positive or negative consequences.

In the above case, if one fails to possess ‘normal’ sexual orientation, he or she suffers from torture or possibly death.

(Hanging, decapitation and stoning to death) Hence, people develop tendencies for ‘escape learning’ and ‘avoidance learning’, and it is only natural that devout worshippers nowadays still retain adversity to the aforementioned ideas, provided their prolonged exposure to fears of punishments for inappropriate ideas, much reinforced by and stemming from religion.

Given that anti-LGBT ideas have sprouted among the people, a group norm revolving around these exist, which ultimately results in people unconsciously conforming to it. As people who abide by group norms are most positively evaluated, in contrast to their counterparts whose group identities are undermined due to their inability or unwillingness to accept the norms, the reasons for the popular notion of suppressing LGBT movements can be illustrated.

WHY NOT JUST STAY HIDDEN? Based on research by YouGov, 35% of all LGBT individuals hide their identities at work, fearing that unfair treatment towards them would be given if they were to openly admit this. They are afraid of discrimination, in the forms of not receiving equal opportunities welfare, salary and promotion prospects, etc.

Having colleagues and employers see them differently may lead to detrimental effects on their future, largely due to the general discrimination of such LGBT people by society.

12

If ‘coming out’ is so troublesome, then why don’t they just stay hidden? The answer is quite simple: there is immense pressure in keeping great secrets. Surely, you all have had the experience of keeping any secrets to yourself, of which you find yourselves unable or unwilling to tell others. It looms over your mind constantly -- you get a nagging sense to tell a friend, and it doesn’t seem to leave anytime soon. It only resolves when either you decide the secret isn’t such a big deal, or if you spill the beans. This, in fact, is quite similar to the case for LGBT people and “coming out”. It is neurologically proven that keeping secrets stresses out the cingulate cortex, which is wired to tell the truth; to be logical. Keeping such a big secret to themselves, in fear of discrimination and unequal treatment, severely harms their brains and thus their bodies and lifestyles, if kept secret for a prolonged period of time. Hence, ‘coming out’ is a strong method of releasing stress for LGBT individuals, and as such, is viewed as an important stage of opening up and accepting oneself which many of the aforementioned group aspire to take.

LOOKING FORWARD: A PATH TO INCLUSION In view of the troubles faced by the LGBT community in finding a foothold in the global village, the great extent of immense support required by them to courageously step up is apparent.

The incorporation of health psychology, a branch in the field, into treatment for LGBT individuals unwilling to open up has been greatly enhanced recently, resolving to tear down the barriers inhibiting health professionals from providing effective care to such people. According to Chris Noone, a famed health psychologist and a bisexual, it is ‘a lack of knowledge and 13

cultural competence concerning the lives and healthcare needs of LGBT people, lack of awareness of the sexual orientation, gender identities and/or sex characteristics of their patients, lack of specialist resources to offer or refer to, and lack of protocols in their practice which are inclusive’ which cause the LGBT individuals difficulty in receiving proper care and integrating into the society. Through participating in the workshops held by Health4LGBTI team, which aim to raise awareness of health disparities between LGBT individuals and others, in addition to communication and trans or intersex health, it is hoped that health professionals will tone down on their level of discrimination against such people, while simultaneously, the latter can step out of their comfort zones and establish stable doctor-patient relationships. By enhancing the medical experiences received, the LGBT community would be able to assimilate with the rest of the world.

Furthermore, the virtual world plays a vital role in gathering social support, especially for teenagers with LGBT identities.

With reference to a research conducted by the Center for Innovative Public Health, not only are LGBT youth using the Internet more adventurously, but also using it as a type of safety net. On the internet, LGBT youth can easily meet friends with the same issue and acquire health information, allowing them to certify their identities and solidify their intent to ‘come out’. However, if online privacy and boundaries are not properly negotiated between teens and parents, it is very likely that the 14

youth may become more reserved and attempt to conceal their orientations, fearing exposure by the public due to the continued discrimination over the past centuries. This is one thing the world would have to improve on, so as to ensure the LGBT community possesses a secure platform to ‘come out’ and bravely face the world. As long as this can be achieved, their integration into the rest of the world should not be proved challenging, and we do sincerely hope that equality and freedom can be obtained for all in the foreseeable future.

15

Love is in the Air, and So is Psychology 3A Katrin Chow, 3C Isaac Yu, 3G Amelia Lau, 4B Chloe Yeung

What comes to your mind when you see the phrase “Valentine’s Day”? Love? Wonderful moments spent with your loved ones? Or simply a day in February? In this issue of our newsletter, we will try to let you have a deeper insight into Valentine’s Day and let you see love from a brand new perspective.

THE STORY BEHIND VALENTINE’S DAY This may come as a surprise to you - Valentine’s Day had nothing to do with love in the early days. In the ancient times, from February 13 to 15, the Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia. The men sacrificed a goat and a dog, then whipped women with the hides of the animals they had just slain. Later in history, Roman Emperor Claudius II executed two men — both named Valentine — on February 14 of two different years in the 3rd century A.D. Their martyrdom was honoured by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine's Day. In the early 17th century, William Shakespeare romanticized this religious day in his work, and it gained popularity throughout Britain and 16

the rest of Europe, gradually transforming into the romantic festival we know.

WHAT IS LOVE? To many people, the idea that love is an emotion is so obvious as to be ordinary. However, this idea is disputed among scientists and philosophers. Aristotle thought of love as a union, saying, “Love is a composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.”

Love exists just so soon as all distinction between one’s interests and another one’s interests is overcome. Therefore, love itself is not an emotion, but an emotion complex consisting of the emotions of two or more people, existing as a special form of emotional interdependence.

Most people get their ideas of love from popular culture. It is believed that love is something that sweeps us off our feet. But the pop-culture ideal of love consists of unrealistic images created for entertainment, which is one reason so many people are set up to be depressed. When people come across love in real life, they become upset and disappointed because it does not fit the cultural ideal.

17

In general, love is a force of nature. Much as we may want to, we cannot command, demand, or take away love, any more than we can command the moon and the stars and the wind and the rain to come and go according to our whims. We may have some limited ability to change the weather, but we do so at the risk of upsetting an ecological balance we don't fully understand. Similarly, we can stage a seduction or mount a courtship, but the result is more likely to be infatuation, or two illusions dancing together, than love.

HOW CAN A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP BE MAINTAINED? There are many kinds of love but most people seek its expression in a romantic relationship with a compatible partner. For many, romantic relationships comprise the most meaningful aspect of life, providing a source of deep fulfilment.

The need of human connection appears to be innate, but the ability to form healthy, loving relationships should be learned.

People have to work consciously to master the skills necessary to make relationships endure and flourished. • Communication is important in love, as it builds strong bonding and understanding between one and another. Try to take the risk of sharing what it is going on in each other’s hearts and heads. This develops trust and intensifies connection.

18

• Anger is a relationship killer and also a waste of time. Take some fight breaks when needed. Give yourself some time to calm down and gently discuss what is going on if you are annoyed with your partner.

• Tolerance makes lives easier. If you would like to feel understood, try to be more understanding. Try to understand instead of agree, or conversations may quickly turn into arguments as one is intent on changing the other’s opinion. This sounds easy in concept, but difficult in application.

• Recognize the difference between love and possession.

Your other half does not belong to you as everyone is an individual.

• Honour each other in some way every day. Feeling respected and cherished by the one you love makes life much easier.

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE Unconditional love is, apart from true love, so different that it deserves a definition of its own. It is caring about the happiness of another person without any thought for what we might get for ourselves. It is not unconditional love when other people like us for doing what they want or 19

because we give them what they demand of us. Even when mistakes are made, goals are not met, unconditional love is still there, and it is that love that has the power to bind people together.

Humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers spoke of an unconditional positive regard and dedication towards one single support.

Rogers stated that an individual needed an environment that provided them with genuineness, authenticity, openness, selfdisclosure, acceptance, empathy, and approval. Unconditional love allows you to love yourself first, so that you have the strength of heart and mind to give the same to another person.

It is quite rare, as we are programmed to be conditional, to expect something in return for our love. Unconditional love is not a loan needing to be repaid, but a stringless gift of the heart.

So, how do we love unconditionally?

Unconditional love is a behaviour instead of a feeling. It is the belief that regardless of the outcome, we still want to benefit another person. There is a feeling of satisfaction when you act a certain way for them, not when someone else acts a certain way to you.

This becomes a pure act of generosity. Check whether you are truly acting with the most love you can for that person.

Convey sincerity with each person you extend that love so that it is real and unconditional.

Do not over-protect them from their growth.

Everyone has to face their own confusion and challenges and undoubtedly there is going to be pain 20

and some serious discomfort. However, keeping them in a greenhouse is equally harmful to your loved ones. Tell them the truth with gentle communication and see from their aspect. Support them but do not bear their responsibilities.

Do not be a ‘people-pleaser’. Giving too much of yourself without any boundaries means you are not being unconditional or loving yourself first. Recognise what is best for you, and define who you are as an individual. You can only give love when you have the value to be loved.

Forgive each other. Granting forgiveness unconditionally is not delivering a message that you will allow someone to be hurtful or discounting. The act of practising unconditional love will be tainted and not at all healing if you choose to hold onto negative things.

Life is tougher than we would like it to be. There are different conditions for humans to live. It is believed that there are good and bad behaviours. This is human nature. However, this expression of the kindest side of humanity is a part of growth and generosity we all can benefit from every moment of every day.

Love takes many different forms and it is all around us. May you experience love and joy from the people around you this Valentine’s Day.

21

Labelling Effect 3E Anson So, 4E Cyrus Chan, 4G Justin But, 4H Brittany Wong

Every time we meet a stranger, our brain rapidly places the person into one of many categories, generating a “first impression” of them. In effect, we place a label on these people.

The labelling effect arises from these “labels”. It refers to the way we are influenced by the labels that are placed upon us, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy where the misconceptions of other people cause those misconceptions to come true.

Take the experiment done in 1968 by Jane Elliot, an elementary school teacher. She divided her class into two categories: blueeyed students and brown-eyed students. The blue-eyed students were told that they were superior and were given privileges which the brown-eyed students did not have. She discovered that blue-eyed students became more arrogant and had higher grades, while the opposite was true for the brown-eyed students.

This experiment demonstrates the power of the labelling effect: a simple, arbitrary categorization of people based on random criteria can, and will, affect those same people’s perceptions of themselves, and thus their behaviour. This can have serious 22

negative impacts on the people that are placed under stereotypes by society.

For example, prejudice against minority groups or oppressed groups causes those minorities to feel inferior. As a result, they are less confident in their own abilities, are more likely to opt out of higher education, and generally have a lower quality of life.

By imposing discriminatory beliefs on those people, we create a self-sustaining prophecy that comes true not because they really are worse, but because we make them feel worse.

Labelling also reinforces social stereotypes, which disproportionately affects those who deviate from cultural norms. These socially constructed identities are built up over time, eventually becoming a person’s social and self-identity.

The expectations exerted by others onto the labelled will encourage them to act in alignment with the given identities, and failing to meet such expectations would be discouraged.

For example, high achievers are pressured to succeed and perform well, negatively affecting their results. The gender stereotype is a universal phenomenon across cultures, with each one having different sets of behaviour and expectations for each gender.

We must also consider the labelling effect’s influence on other people. When we perceive someone as inferior, we become inclined to dismiss their actions and write them off as less worthy of attention. As an example, black African graduates are twice as likely to work in low-skilled jobs compared to white and Asian graduates. This is highly damaging to victims of the 23

labelling effect, as they miss out on opportunities they might have otherwise gotten.

Labelling is a persistent social problem that is extremely difficult to eradicate. Not only is it difficult to detect, but it is also one of the most pervasive phenomena in our current society. It promotes stigma against individuals and encourages discrimination. Efforts are being made against this, such as promoting public awareness of discrimination through education and program designed to help minorities and free them from the mindset of being inferior. Let us look forward to a future free of labelling, free of stereotypes, and free of discrimination.

24

Past and Upcoming Activities 4B Chloe Yeung

Time flies, and believe it or not, the SPCC Psychology Enthusiast Circle is now over half a year old! Last term, we held activities which were all met with great enthusiasm. Let’s take a look at what we have done over the past few months.

In October the first issue of our newsletter was published. The theme was criminal psychology, and we focused on five different cases, studying the criminal intent of the offenders, as well as how crime might affect the society.

In November we held our first discussion forum, and participants had the opportunity to discuss personality psychology with likeminded people. It was a fun and well-spent lunch break for everyone who joined the activity.

In December we invited clinical psychologist Miss Chan Yawen to our school for our first lunchtime sharing. We covered topics such as Stockholm syndrome, antisocial and borderline personality disorders, different types of stress, the fight or flight response, as well as qualifications needed to become clinical psychologists or psychiatrists. Many students found this very informative. We might be inviting Miss Chan back to our school for another talk soon, so stay tuned.

Over the past few months we have been constantly posting on our Instagram @spccpsychology and raising awareness in 25

psychology. Our three social media campaigns, Mental Health Monday, Wonder Wednesday and Fun Fact Friday have reached many of our schoolmates and were a huge success.

So what’s coming next?

In March, we will be holding our second discussion forum, so don’t worry if you missed the previous one – this is your chance to interact and share your thoughts with other psychology enthusiasts. Also, we will be jointly organizing visits to psychiatry related organizations with the Community Service Group. Feel free to join us and learn more about psychology while giving back to the community.

In April we will publish the third issue of our newsletter and collaboratively hold the wellbeing week with the Student Union, Syzygy. We will be setting up game booths to advocate community outreach and public education of mental wellbeing, and help students reduce their stress before the examinations at the same time.

In May we will be holding our final activity of the year, a Q&A competition. If you are interested, feel free to form your own groups, or participate individually.

On behalf of the SPCC Psychology Enthusiast Circle and the cores, I would like to thank every one of you who have supported us in the first term. We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming activities!

26

Recommended Reading • Why It’s Dangerous to Label People - Psychology Today https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/alternativetruths/201005/why-its-dangerous-label-people • The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil - Philip G.Zimbardo

Newsletter design and layout by 4B Chloe Yeung.

27

spcc psych ec.

28