CITY PSYCH JOURNAL A STUDENT JOURNAL FOR STUDENT MINDS ISSUE 01
Founder’s Note Welcome to the first edition of City Psych, the City Psychology Society’s very own journal! City Psych is a student-led journal supported by the Department of Psychology, at City, University of London. As you flick through the pages, you will come across twelve articles covering a broad area of topics in psychology. Our mission is to make psychology accessible to all students and raise awareness around important topics in the field. Our purpose is to enhance the student experience at City and provide an opportunity for students to get involved in an exciting extracurricular project. I would like to express my utmost gratitude the Academic Reviewers, and Dr Lauren Knott especially, for their excellent guidance and ongoing support to our inspiring writers and to our Student Editors for taking on the responsibility of enhancing the quality of this project. I would also like to extend my appreciation to our sponsor Central Test who kindly collaborated with our society and the City Careers Service to provide the necessary support to this project, making it come to life. Moreover, I would like to thank Dr Philip Prescott for always assisting the Psychology Society with its development.
Academic Reviewers:
Finally, I would like to thank all of our student writers for their amazing efforts; they have worked with determination to submit the highest quality versions of their articles. This project would not have been possible without any of the above mentioned. It was an absolute pleasure to work with all of you. The City Psych Team has had much fun putting this journal together and I hope this is the start of something bigger. This journal is not only for Psychology students but also for all of you who have an interest in human mind and behaviour. I really hope you enjoy reading City Psych as much as we enjoyed producing it. We hope to produce more editions in the years to come!
Yours sincerely,
Naz Altinok
Founder City Psych Journal
Dr Beatriz Calvo-Merino, Dr Brenda Todd, Dr Danai Dima, Professor Dermot Bowler, Professor James Hampton, Dr Julianna Challenor, Dr Lauren Knott, Dr Marie Poirier, Dr Paula Corcoran, Dr Stian Reimers 2
Contents Horace and Pete Escape......................................................................4 Damien Aguirre: You Feel?...................................................................7 Have you chosen the right career?.................................................... 10 Book Suggestions ............................................................................. 13 Jokes Aside: Can Priming Different Identities Affect the Intellectual Performance of Blonde Female Students?................................................................. 15 Coaching in Leadership: The Conflict of Personality........................ 18 Is Ignorance Really Bliss: Can lack of information increase our misconceptions about Mental Health?....................................... 21 Health Psychology Stage 2: What’s it Really Like?............................ 26 Cultural Differences and the Need for Cultural Intelligence............. 29 Having an Anxiety Disorder at University.......................................... 34 Useful Mental Health Apps ............................................................... 37 Personal reflections on Loneliness ................................................... 38 Movies for the Mind ......................................................................... 41 What is it a Psychologist Does? ........................................................ 42 Art as an Escape from Mental Illness ................................................ 48 Advice from our resident experts ..................................................... 51 Contributors ..................................................................................... 53 City Psychology Society Events ........................................................ 55
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Horace and Pete Escape This past summer I devoted a fair bit of my time towards searching for a new television show to watch; it was about a two-week venture, all in all. I was high and dry for a while there, in an odd sort of TV limbo, watching a strange conflation of 90s sitcom reruns and early millennia detective thrillers, interspersed with day-old sports highlights. The effects were visible: melded workdays blurred together into what felt a little like a long stream of constant reality. I have never quite found a home watching primetime network programs – too inflexible, I think, both with the timing and the content – so I started to research some of my other options. I cursorily explored a few of the alternative content providers: cable networks like HBO or Showtime, and Netflix, with their abundance of unexplored content, but ended up resisting on all fronts for one reason or another. So, having seen little in the way of progress, I just sort of fell into this ambivalent apathy about the whole search. I ended up getting lucky, purely by happenchance really. There was a show – a web series – by Louis CK, great comedian of
stand-up, TV and movie acclaim. He had decided to try his hand at adopting a theatre setting for television and the result was a series – for me, more of an oasis in the middle of the summer – called Horace and Pete. The story almost exclusively took place in a tattered old Brooklyn bar run by the two main characters, Horace and Pete, along with their sister. The daily routine was fairly predictable – they’d serve a nearly identical group of barflies, complain about the minutia of their lives, and lean on one another as voiceless sounding boards. At about the third episode I came around to realizing that I was really watching an escape within an escape: each character was looking to depart somehow from their realities, while I vicariously departed through their storylines. There was an element of comfort in the show, watching the characters roll through explanation after explanation as to why they all struggled and failed. Along with that comfort also came a sort of distance, the more I watched, the farther I could remove myself and sink into their make-belief world.
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Which got me thinking about the construct of escape, and how vital it is to the fabric of storytelling. (To) “engage in activities to escape unpleasant realities and to distract themselves from unhappy events,” (Hirschman, 1983) has some sort of superficial appeal. There’s this buoyancy about just sliding away, or dropping off – like slipping through a problem. I decided to explore some of its manifestations in entertainment, which ostensibly serves the dual purpose of simultaneously stimulating and captivating the viewer.
Then I began to consider less likely venues for escapism in cultural staples – sports and art viewing – neither of which struck me as a potential vessels through which escapist behaviour might also manifest. In each instance however, escapist tendencies were readily observable. For the frequent sports viewer, the non-violent sport provided a sense of escape (Wann, 1995), while regular opera and orchestra attenders were drawn by similar motivations (Hager & Winkler, 2012). Maybe the most obvious modern form of escapism that I encountered was the Internet. “… We see the Web being used as a relaxant to relieve day-to-day boredom and stress… The loading of these statements designed to measure loneliness, with the entertainmentoriented statements, led us to label this fact Social Escapism” (Korgaonkar & Wolin, 1999). The Internet seems to provide the most readily accessible vessel for escape – an entire network suffused with lives, stories and ideas, potentially used as a complete diversion from day-to-day life.
The gaming world came to mind first. I was never particularly active in video games myself, but the more I considered the virtual world, the more I started to detect visible strands of escapism. The idea of a virtual world, or a virtual persona, quite literally presents the opportunity to occupy something or somebody else, which should appeal to the escapist. I found an abundance of literature on the topic, almost universally supporting my initial hypothesis that escapism is pervasive in modern culture. Li, Liau & Khoo (2011) determined that pathological gamers showed significant tendencies towards escapism. They went as far as to state that, “among all factors, escapism emerged as the best direct predictor of pathological gaming” (Li et al 2011).
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The repeated pattern of escapism within seemingly innocuous, everyday activities, led me to explore some of the root causes for escapism. Hirschman (1983) argued that escapism primarily originates in underlying anxiety or the inability to cope with emotional stress. Gordon Calleja (2010) echoed that sentiment by claiming that escapism arises as an attempt to temporarily break away from stagnation or boredom, with an eventual return to a reality.
It was through the lens of escapism that I retrospectively looked at Horace and Pete. Undoubtedly, there were escapist tendencies in nearly every character, grounded in a pervasive sense of mutual empathy. That connection, along with a realistic storyline and characters that I felt I could’ve easily known myself, managed to give my escapist instinct a home for the summer. I found my escape, through two weeks in the middle of June, in a ratty Brooklyn bar with lost patrons determined to keep on searching.
By Stephen Cantarutti
References Calleja, G., (2010): Digital Games and Escapism. Games and Culture, 5:4. 348 Hager, M.A., & Winkler, M.K.,(2012): Motivational and Demographic Factors for Performing Arts Attendance Across Place and Form. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 41:3. 490. Hirschman, E.C.,(1983): Predictors of Self-Projection, Fantasy Fulfillment, and Escapism. The Journal of Social Psychology, 120. Korgaonkar, P.K. & Wolin, L.D. (1999): A Multivariate Analysis of Web Usage. Journal of Advertising Research. Li, D., Liau, A., & Khoo, A., (2011): Examining the Influence of Actual-Ideal Self Discrepancies, Depression, and Escapism, on Pathological Gaming Among Massively Multiplayer Online Adolescent Gamers. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 14:9. Wann, D.L., (1995): Preliminary Validation of the Sport Fan Motivation Scale. Journal of Sport & Social Issues, 19:4.
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Damien Aguirre: You Feel Me?
When asked what empathy is, most people may give a rough answer or will have some vague idea. That is because the term rather difficult to describe. But what does that even mean? I have been trying to understand this for weeks now. I’ve read article upon article about empathy, about experiments on empathy, about theories on empathy. Much to my dismay, I was unable to come up with a simple definition for the ‘phenomena’ that had been haunting me for days on end.
but deviating from the ‘I’m feeling lucky’ button as at that moment in time, after all the articles on empathy, I was doubting whether I could actually ‘feel’ anything. Empathy: ‘The ability to understand and share the feelings of another’ ("empathy - definition of empathy in English | Oxford Dictionaries", 2017). We experience empathy all the time, everyone does. When I say ‘everyone’, I really do mean everyone: you, me, your parents, your dentist, that weird uncle that comes to every family event but you’re not sure how he’s related to you, etc. Everyone*. And yet, we cannot pinpoint exactly
That is until I decided to type: ‘define empathy’ on the Google search bar 7
what it is. As a third year psychology student, I decided to use this as the basis of my research, specifically looking at empathy in occupational therapists and their emotional fatigue when continuously being exposed to empathically expensive situations. Well that was the plan, until I was informed that my ethics form was not going to be approved in time for me to test, analyse results and write this out (#relatable). In light of the circumstances, I would like to divulge some of the research specifically relevant to my project thus keeping the details of my project a mystery. Perhaps I could inspire you to do more research on the topic, as it is incredibly interesting.
empathetic towards) four medical conditions: stroke, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and depression. Alarmingly, students did not prioritise substance abuse to the same level as they did the other conditions. This poses a very interesting finding. It is scary to think that these students viewed certain conditions differently than others, suggesting the stigma about mental health is somewhat still present here. It is a possibility that perhaps along the line in their careers, these results become less significant to the point where they view each patient equally, no matter their condition.
During a consultation using standardised patients (people who have been trained to portray a certain medical situation in a standardised manner), Schweller et al. (2014) carried out a study looking at the empathy levels of fourth and sixthyear medical students. Before and after said consultation, the medical student participants completed a version of an empathy test (Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy). The researchers found that participants showed an increase in empathy after the consultation with the standardised patients. Brown et al. (2010) conducted a study on occupational therapy undergraduate students and found generally, they showed an adequate level of empathy. Researchers discovered that students empathically prioritised (i.e. they were more
Another interesting study carried out by Wilson, Prescott and Becket (2012) looked at the empathy levels of pharmacy and nursing students compared to the empathy levels of law students. They found that pharmacy and nursing students had significantly higher empathy levels than law students. They also found that third year pharmacy students scored higher empathy levels than first year students. The conclusion derived from the research is that empathy is
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to someone strengthens the ability for empathy as if there was some sort of empathy muscle. Going forward, there needs to be more research on the field of empathy, something that I will be attempting to carry out once my ethics forms have been approved.
an important factor when we look at students and professionals that have to build some sort of rapport with their clients. There are of course some exceptions, and these are only but a few studies that one could read to be more informed on the topic. Empathy goes hand in hand with therapy. It is a fantastic tool therapists can use to understand their clients better, as well as to establish rapport with them. This bond is the reason clients go to therapists in the first place. Without this incredible tool, therapists would find their job nigh impossible; the ability that these occupational therapists have should be revered and celebrated because it is not something everyone can do at that level of professionalism. It seems from the research that the participants who had to establish any kind of rapport with their clients scored highly on empathy level scales. One hypothesis would be that repeated exposure to these types of situations i.e. delivering therapy or similar care
*For legal reasons, I am obliged to say that, I don’t particularly mean that everyone experiences empathy. Most people do, unless you suffer from being an affectionless psychopath (Bowlby 1952). One may also feel a lack of empathy if they suffer from depression or if one is suffering from a mental illness that is characterised but not limited to a lack of empathy as a symptom. Come to think of it, unless I back something with evidence in this article (or anywhere else for that matter), take it with a pinch of salt.
By Damien Aguirre
References Bowlby, J. (1952). Maternal care and mental health (Vol. 2). WHO Geneva. Brown, T., Williams, B., Boyle, M., Molloy, A., McKenna, L., Molloy, L., & Lewis, B. (2010). Levels of empathy in undergraduate occupational therapy students. Occupational Therapy International, 17(3), 135–141. Dictionary, O. E. (1989). Oxford: Oxford university press. Empathy - definition of empathy in English | Oxford Dictionaries. (2017). Oxford Dictionaries | English. Retrieved 29 January 2017, from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/empathy Schweller, M., Costa, F. O., Antônio, M. Â. R. G. M., Amaral, E. M., & de Carvalho-Filho, M. A. (2014). The impact of simulated medical consultations on the empathy levels of students at one medical school. Academic Medicine, 89(4), 632–637. Wilson, S. E., Prescott, J., & Becket, G. (2012). Empathy levels in first-and third-year students in health and non-health disciplines. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 76(2), 24.
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Have you chosen the right career? What are you doing after University? This is a recurrent question for students. Regardless of your current situation; looking for a job or not, this article will encourage you to think about your motivations when choosing a career. It will specifically focus on the research regarding learning agility and career success.
the job application process, most of us tend to disregard the longterm perspective, ignore our values and motivations and instead, focus on securing a job. Another factor that could account for this statistic is that companies tend to overlook the importance of developing their employees and therefore fail to provide a suitable environment to do so. Edmondson and Singer (2008) argue that it is an interaction of both psychological and organisational barriers that influence learning at work. This article will address the gap between the utility of continuously learning and the percentage of companies that allow their employees to learn. It will also highlight the importance of choosing the right company and what you can do in order to find the right match for you.
According to Forbes (2013, p. 1) “learning agility is a complex set of skills that allows us to learn something in one situation and apply it in a completely different situation”. In order to grow and succeed, continuous learning is vital throughout one's career. This is supported by a Korn Ferry (2014) study which showed that “individuals with high learning agility are promoted twice as fast as those with low learning agility”. So why is it that most of us stop trying to improve ourselves once we have landed a job?
The Centre for Creative Leadership in the US has carried out extensive research in order to discover what factors make an agile learner. Their research aligns with previous research showing no differences across gender, age or organisational level. Rather a correlational study between their Learning Agility Assessment Inventory and the WorkPlace Big Five Profile indicated that individuals who were more
A quarter of graduates leave their job within a year, this may be due to the alarming statistic illustrating that one in five graduates apply for jobs that do not match their interests (CEB, 2013). From my personal and professional experience, during 10
extroverted, original, resilient, and less accommodating were more likely to be agile learners (Mitchinson & Morris, 2014).
discussed suggests that there are also some personal factors that play a role in your success, such as your motivation and personality. There are certain services and tools you can access in order to get on track and better understand your strengths and weaknesses, which will prepare you for today's ever evolving competitive world (see Central Test - Testing Center).
Baer and Oldham (2006) argued that more curious individuals who also have strong intellectual curiosity and seek new experiences are more likely to be more receptive to change as well as more creative. This is an important factor to stress as we live in a changing and dynamic world, so it is imperative that we are able to adapt to organisational and market changes. These are key factors in order to increase your knowledge and your satisfaction in any organisation. It is important to illustrate that there are other individual differences that are important for learning agility and subsequent career success, such as the individual's self-awareness (De Meuse, Dai & Hallenbeck, 2010). This suggests that recognising your own motivation and values is important in order to better understand what you seek in a company.
The second factor briefly introduced is organisational fit or expectation. De Meuse et al. (2010) also argued that environmental moderators such as organisational culture affect the individual's learning agility. Kamarulzaman, Saleh, Hashim, Hashim and Abdul-Ghani (2011) found that physical office environments such as temperature, lighting and noisy conditions affect work concentration and productivity. Thomke (2003) also found that organisations that experiment are more likely to be more innovative, productive, and successful than those who do not take risks.
How does the research discussed relate to you, your job search, and career success? In a nutshell, there are certain behavioural factors that can be developed in order to better appeal to organisations such as interview skills, negotiation, which can be developed with help from entities such as the Careers Service at City. The research previously
It is important to note that it is a combination of these factors that will help you thrive both individually and professionally. In terms of personal development, learning fosters self-awareness and pushes many to attain a wider global perspective. On the professional side, continuous learning helps to advance in the workplace. 11
of your competence. In these cases you should try to be an agile learner and apply the lessons you have learnt in order to find the company that is right for you.
Individuals with high learning agility are likely to discover new facets of their job that will stimulate their development. The research on the matter is still young and more is needed, in particular looking at company and candidate match.
I would like to thank Polly Hodgkins and Sabina Socias for helping with the preliminary research.
The take-home message is that learning agility is the ability to make meaning of our experiences and transfer them. Sometimes a company will not be right for you, and this is not always a reflection
By Laura Brady
References Baer, M., & Oldham, G. R. (2006). The curvilinear relation between experienced creative time pressure and creativity: Moderating effects of openness to experience and support for creativity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(4), 963-970. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.91.4.963 CEB (2013). Driving New Success Strategies in Graduate Recruitment. Retrieved from Https://www.cebglobal.com/ content/dam/cebglobal/us/EN/regions/uk/tm/pdfs/Report/graduate-recruitment-report-uk.pdf De Meuse, K. P., Dai, G., & Hallenbeck, G. S. (2010). Learning agility: A construct whose time has come. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 62(2), 119-130. doi:10.1037/a0019988 Forbes (2013). The Five Dimensions of Learning-Agile Leaders. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/ kevincashman/2013/04/03/the-five-dimensions-of-learning-agile-leaders/#3b877dd07f9e Kamarulzaman, N., Saleh, A. A., Hashim, S. Z., Hashim, H., & Abdul-Ghani, A. A. (2011). An overview of the influence of physical office environments towards employee. Procedia Engineering, 20, 262-268. doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2011.11.164 Korn Ferry (2014). Developing Learning Agility. Retrieved from http://www.kornferry.com/developing-learning-agility Mitchinson, A., & Morris, R. (2014). Learning about Learning Agility. Retrieved from https://www.ccl.org/wp-content/ uploads/2015/04/LearningAgility.pdf Singer, S. J., & Edmonsdon, A. C. (2008). When learning and Performance are at Odds: Confronting the Tension. Unpublished manuscript. Retrieved from http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/07-032.pdf Thomke, S. (2003). Experimentation Matters. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
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Books are powerful; they can change our perception in so many ways.
Here are some suggestions...
Seeing Red by Nicholas Humphrey
Great Psychologists as Parents by David Cohen
Seeing red is a little book with a huge impact that goes on to explore the biggest of the big questions! It tackles an ongoing debate in regards to how science and soul can co-exist. A definite must read!
This is an interesting book in which the author interviews the children of notable psychologist and ventures into their upbringing, in attempt to study whether psychologists truly practice what they preach.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks
Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
This is an excellent book that discloses stories of individuals affected by perceptual and intellectual aberrations, and in particular focuses on those with visual agnosia. Each section of this book deals with different brain functions and deficits.
This inspiring book points out the stories of success by informing the reader about different people, referred to in this case as outliers, who have reached their peak and are deemed to be so superior that they define their own category of success.
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An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales by Oliver Sacks
When Nietzsche Wept by Irvin D. Yalom This intellectually stimulating book reviews the history of philosophy and psychoanalysis, with very interesting personalities of the 19th century. It is a richly evocative novel set in Vienna, on the eve of the birth of psychoanalysis.
This riveting book consists of seven neurological case studies, where the author seamlessly weaves captivating patient stories with lessons in neurology for lay readers. The book leads individuals on a captivating journey making stops at different regions of the brain and discussing patients who have experienced adversities in these regions.
Descartes’ Error by Antonio Damasio This is a fascinating book that explores the relationship between emotions and rationality. The author takes the reader on a journey of scientific discovery through the use of several case studies, including the one and only Phineas Gage, illustrating that emotions are not a luxury but are pivotal in rational thinking. The author too stipulates that mind and body cannot be separate.
Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely A very interesting behavioural economics based book, where the author challenges the common belief that individuals behave in rational ways and make decisions based on rational thought. Areily describes how a myriad of factors including expectations, social norms and other illogical forces may alter our reasoning abilities.
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Jokes Aside:
Can Priming Different Identities Affect the Intellectual Performance of Blonde Female Students? have higher levels of cognitive load than an individual who does not have to lend energy to these thoughts. Despite this often being a very subtle process, it can still prevent individuals from fully committing their attention to the task at hand and can in turn lead to a decreased level of performance. Steele and Aronson (1995) explored this by measuring how African American participants performed on intelligence tests after being primed with their African American identity. They hypothesised that making this identity salient to participants in this situation would remind them of a stereotype that was Steele and Aronson (1995) suggested present in USA at the time: ‘black people are less intelligent’. They that performance can be affected found that when participants were by a phenomenon known as stereotype threat whereby individuals primed with their African American experience anxiety on conforming to identity they performed worse than if a stereotype about their sociocultural no identity was primed. group. Situations where an individual It is important to remember however can potentially confirm a stereotype that individuals do not just associate can be self-threatening in that with one identity in their life. it can cause self-doubt and lead Social Identity Theory states that to a state of anxiety. Individuals an individual’s behaviour can be become distracted by this anxiety affected by group membership and which can take up resources in the identification with different groups individuals’ cognition. For instance, can result in an individual deriving a an individual who is attempting to different self-concept (Tajfel & Turner, suppress a stereotype that causes 1979). Individuals acquire multiple doubt about their ability is going to
How many blondes does it take to change a light bulb? Although this appears to be the start of a light hearted joke the underlying claim in jokes like these - that blonde females are not intelligent - is a negative stereotype that can have adverse consequences. An individual’s identity is incredibly important in terms of self-esteem, and research suggests that the targets of stereotypes can themselves be affected by the stereotype. This can affect not just how people feel about themselves, but how well they perform on certain types of tasks.
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social identities throughout their life and often stereotypes about these identities can contradict one another. Therefore the behaviour that they display depends on which specific identity is salient to them.
the most positive implications on performance. As a result, individuals would concentrate on the student identity as opposed to the female identity and negative stereotypes associated with it.
In order to explore how this can influence stereotype threat Rydell, McConnell, and Beilock (2009) conducted an experiment on female students. They primed participants by manipulating the salience of selfrelevant social identities and relevant stereotypes within the instructions section. For example, participants who were primed with their female identity read instructions which highlighted that males outperform females in maths. Individuals primed with their student identity were provided with instructions describing how students outperform nonstudents in maths tests. Finally, participants who were primed with both female and student identities received both sets of instructions. They found that participants in the female identity condition scored lower on the tests than the control group. Interestingly, when female students were primed to think about their gender and also primed with the positive stereotype of being college students, they then scored as well as controls did on the maths test. Rydell et al. (2009) explained this by suggesting that when two identities that contradict one another are present in a given situation, individuals are likely to associate themselves with the identity that has
Research that I conducted within Cardiff University looked at the stereotype ‘blonde females are not intelligent’ and whether it was strong enough to influence performance. Obviously this is a stereotype that is based on no evidence; therefore it is interesting exploring whether the self-perception of blonde female students is powerful enough to influence their intelligence scores. Being careful to control for baseline intelligence using A-level results, we found that participants that were primed with their blonde identity performed worse on intelligence tests than the control group. Interestingly when blonde and student identities were primed simultaneously the intelligence scores were equal to the control group. This suggests that concentrating on an identity that contradicts a negative stereotype is enough to prevent the negative effects of stereotype threat. Importantly all effects disappear when individuals are aware of the stereotype threat phenomenon. Therefore it is useful to educate individuals about these effects in order to counter the potential negative consequences they may have.
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Acknowledgements:
In the UK where prejudice is unacceptable, it is somewhat surprising that the blonde stereotype has seemingly been given a free pass. Stereotype threat can arise due to a variety of stereotypes; therefore it is important to consider the implications and effects that any stereotype may have. If simply being asked about one’s gender in a questionnaire can influence later responding, then psychometric tests that ask these questions at the start may be providing a platform for stereotype threat to take place.
The author wishes to thank Dr. Job Van Der Schalk for supervising this project and for his enthusiasm throughout, as well as Noura Mazouzi, Nupur Badhwar, James Roberts, and Cameron Dunlop for their contributions towards the preliminary research.
By Ethan Henry
References Rydell, R. J., McConnell, A. R., & Beilock, S. L. (2009). Multiple social identities and stereotype threat: imbalance, accessibility, and working memory. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96, 949 - 966. Steele, C. M., & Aronson, J. (1995). Stereotype threat and the intellectual test performance of African Americans. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 797 - 811. Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In W. G. Austin & S.Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33–47). Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.
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Coaching in Leadership: From the beginning of human history, the greatest leaders have always been held in high regard, touted as some of the most impactful individuals. And while remarkable leaders have been immortalised in the record books, we often remember the most disastrous leaders alongside them. There are various qualities that define leadership, but an overarching theme is that of enabling others to outperform the competition.
Hogan et al. (2010) calls the taxonomy of leadership. This categorises the main behaviours of a good leader into intrapersonal, interpersonal, business and leadership skills; all of which can be developed, but all of which can also be affected by personality. Leadership coaching has had a close relationship with psychometrics as a method to identify individuals who are predisposed to make a good leader, and more importantly aiding organisations to prevent hiring those who may derail as leaders (Lombardo, Ruderman & McCauley, 1988). The consequences of which are observable: for example, the collapse of Enron, courtesy of the mismanagement of their leaders (Free, Macintosh & Stein, 2007).
Psychology has played direct roles in research for businesses (Hogan, Hogan & Curphy, 1994), maximising the potential impact of individuals occupying leadership positions (Levenson, 2009). Coaching Psychology is at the forefront for leadership development programs or individual interventions that act within various contexts such as enhancing team effectiveness, improving leadership style, avoiding leadership derailment, etc. Because of the implications of the damage a bad leader can do, it is of utmost importance that we, as a society, prevent derailment in leaders; carrying out extensive psychological research in this field (e.g. Hogan et al., 2010).
The Hogan Development Survey (Hogan & Hogan, 1997) expands on the taxonomy of leadership with dark side personality traits (personality types in which scores of the extremes indicate risk), allowing the identification of specific leader behaviours that are most likely to lead to derailment. The Hogans' developments and widespread use of the Hogan Development Survey allow the identification of specific leader behaviours that are most likely to lead to derailment, which in turn has led to a plethora of studies on leadership derailment. This has allowed comparison of which dark side traits are most prevalent; which
Coaching Psychology is a lesser-known field of study (Mark, 2016), however, I believe that it has various benefits to the global economy when tackling issues regarding leadership. One of its focuses that can be overlooked is what 18
The Conflict of Personality organisational ladder. A solution that leadership coaches employ is to look at both extremes of people’s dark side personality traits, excluding those individuals who score highly on these measures from being hired. This also poses a problem for direct intervention with coaching when such people do become leaders as personality is suggested to be robust and stable (Caspi, Roberts & Shiner, 2005), which means that such people may not be receptive to interventions. On the other hand, what coaches do to improve performance and avoid derailment is employ methods such as 360 o Feedback (Atwater & Brett, 2001), increasing manager’s selfawareness of their dark side traits and outsider’s views of themselves. 360 o Feedback can also be supplemented by goal setting (Locke & Latham, 2006) and review feedback (Gregory, Levy & Jeffers, 2008). Coaches also
evidence points to the dark side personality traits of colourful and boldness (Winsborough & Sambath, 2013; Palaiou, Antonio & Furnham, 2016; Gøtzsche-Astrup, Jakobsen & Furnham, 2017) and which are directly linked to narcissistic and histrionic personality in the DSM IV. These aspects of personality are also singled out in characteristics associated with CEO derailment (Dotlich & Cairo, 2003). Taken together, this research can then be used to test managerial prospects psychometrically and to forestall the appointment to leadership positions of individuals who score highly on these specific dark side traits. However, one looming issue is that colourfulness and boldness are dark side traits commonly found in many leaders (Furnham, Crump & Ritchie, 2013), suggesting that they also enable people to climb the
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Coaching can also take a more preemptive stance against this leadership derailment by utilising psychometrics to predict their future risk for the organisation depending on their current characteristics and behaviours. Risk factors such as personality and relapse in the face of unsuccessful intervention also support the use of coaching, due to the risk that companies may face when hiring these individuals. Leadership dynamics are complex, however, with the ongoing study of coaching psychology it is to the benefit of all that we understand and can improve upon this relationship.
focus on improving intrapersonal skills of leaders examining unhelpful beliefs and developing them into more constructive behavioural options (Hogan, Hogan & Kaiser, 2010). Overall, Coaching Psychology can be viewed as an asset to organisations aiming to improve performance companywide since the effects of good or poor leadership can be extensive. Coaching Psychology targets the characteristics of good leadership and aims to identify and support clients to expand their potential. The resulting improvement of performance can directly affect whether or not leadership derailment occurs.
By Carlvin Quejado
References Adams, M. (2016). Coaching psychology: An approach to practice for educational psychologists. Educational Psychology in Practice, 32(3), 231-244. Brett, J. F., & Atwater, L. E. (2001). 360-degree feedback: Accuracy, reactions, and perceptions of usefulness. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(5), 930. Caspi, A., Roberts, B. W., & Shiner, R. L. (2005). Personality development: Stability and change. Annual Review of Psychology, 56(1), 453484. Free, C., Macintosh, N., & Stein, M., (2007), Management controls: The organizational fraud triangle of leadership, culture and control in Enron. Ivey Business Journal, 71(6), 1-10. Furnham, A., Crump, J., & Ritchie, W. (2013). What it takes: Ability, demographic, bright and dark side trait correlates of years to promotion. Personality and Individual Differences, 55(8), 952-956. Gøtzsche-Astrup, O., Jakobsen, J., & Furnham, A., (2017). The higher you climb: dark side personality and job level in a sample of executives, middle managers, and entry-level supervisors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, In Press. Gregory, J. B., Levy, P. E., & Jeffers, M. (2008). development of a model of the feedback process within executive coaching. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 60(1), 42-56. Hogan, R., & Hogan, J. (1997). Hogan Development Survey Manual. Tulsa, OK: Hogan Assessment Systems. Hogan, R., Hogan, J., & Curphy, J., (1994), What We Know About Leadership: Effectiveness and Personality. American Psychologist, 49(6), 493-504. Hogan, J., Hogan, R., & Kaiser, R. B. (2010). Management derailment. American Psychological Association handbook of industrial and organizational psychology, 3, 555-575. Levenson, A. (2009). Measuring and maximizing the business impact of executive coaching. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 61(2), 103-121. Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2006). New directions in goal-setting theory. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15(5), 265-268. Lombardo, M. M., Ruderman, M. N., & McCauley, C. D. (1988). Explanations of success and derailment in upper-level management positions. Journal of Business and Psychology, 2(3), 199-216. Palaiou, K., Zarola, A., & Furnham, A. (2016). The dark side of personality predicts positive and negative work attitudes. Personality and Individual Differences, 88, 12-16 Winsborough, D. L., & Sambath, V. (2013). not like us: An investigation into the personalities of New Zealand CEOs. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 65(2), 87-107.
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Is Ignorance Really Bliss: Can lack of
information increase our misconceptions about Mental Health?
Stigmas about mental health seem to be more severe in Western cultures in nations such as the U.S and E.U. In comparison stigma is less apparent in Asian and African cultures (Corrigan & Watson; 2002). However, this may be due to lack of awareness, resources and related taboos. In these cultures, individuals may avoid this issue all together - a hidden stigma. As mental illnesses are socially less desirable, families often abandon relatives who suffer from mental health issues making it almost mandatory to provide support and rehabilitate individuals (KhanHindustan Times newspaper; 2012).
In today’s digital era we have advanced dramatically in terms of technology and in some aspects as a more civilised society - solving one problem at a time, making life thoroughly more convenient. However, when it comes to the stigmatisation of mental health, we have not advanced very far, in spite of technological advances through which information about mental health could be disseminated to the public. I strongly believe that access to more public information can help people who are experiencing mental health problems. There have been some improvements and strategies to spread awareness and reduce stigma, however, a lot of developing countries are still in the dark and are in dire need of change. Individuals who suffer from mental health issues have two battles to fight; their symptoms and the stigma attached.
There are several developing countries in the world that that lack sufficient resources and provide little or no access to mental health care to their population. For example, India has only 5,000 psychiatrists, 250 clinical psychologists, 500 psychiatric nurses 21
and 150 occupational therapists (Dr. Ram Ghulam Razdan-2012). This works out to be one psychiatrist between approximately 2 – 400,000 individuals. There is not only a shortage of mental health practitioners but they are also inadequately equipped. In many parts of India, mental illnesses are still believed to be the work of evil spirits and demons. Prof. Dr. Sanjay Dixit (Khan- Hindustan Times newspaper; 2012) advises that it is imperative to provide both physical and social rehabilitation through increasing both parental and community awareness.
existed in early adolescence; boys were more negative and reluctant to look for help compared to girls. The research suggested that promoting greater mental health education could reduce gender differences and reduce stigma, through the involvement of parents and exposing them to mental health related issues. The media in today’s world plays a vital role in relaying up to date information about the world and has an incredulous impact on our thoughts and perceptions of the world. This influential power held by the media has unfortunately often been used to manipulate people’s views to continue negatively stigmatising mental health. The media has a reputation for inaccurate portrayal of mental health issues. All of this simply leads to more unnecessary oppression and intolerance towards individuals who suffer from a mental health related issue. For example, when Britney Spears had a mental breakdown in 2007, the media was cruel and used derogatory language. There are many such examples where the media have utilised language as a tool to paint a
Even in developed countries such as the U.S stigma is witnessed, in terms of gender disparity. We often see in statistic reports that men are less likely to seek help and get treatment for mental health issues. This is often seen due to the stigma imposed by traditional masculine norms. A study in the U.S (Chandra & Minkovitz; 2006) looked at gender differences in teens; to measure their willingness to use mental health services. They found that negative attitudes towards mental health and willingness to use services
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negative image of the mentally ill. In today’s modern world you would think that the misconceptions and stigma attached to mental health would have been left behind in the previous centuries, but we are still stuck with notions prevalent in the 19th century. There is a stigma attached to mental health issues, but none whatsoever for medical illnesses such as cancer. Whilst, Britney Spears was condemned for her mental breakdown, Kylie Minogue diagnosed with cancer was celebrated as a fighter and was actively supported by both the media and public. This difference in attitudes towards medical and mental illnesses could be improved through awareness. In a study by Poreddi, Thimmaiah and Math (2015) medical students’ attitudes towards mental health were assessed. Prior to psychiatric knowledge regarding mental health and exposure, participants held predominantly negative attitudes. Hence, demonstrating the significance of awareness and literacy about mental health issues.
when an individual wants to seek help or express themselves; they struggle and fear they will be stereotyped. From one human being to another – let us fight stigma by acknowledging the most important fact, that regardless of what we’ are going through mentally or even physically, we will always be human. I have faith in humanity, and surely one day, we will all be a part of change for the better. Let us work towards eradicating stigma.
By Sabrina Desai
There is much of the world I have been unable to cover in this brief article, I hope I have managed to bring to light how, when it comes down to stigmatisation, some aspects are still so archaic and negatively portrayed, that References Alexander, T. (2009, February). Stigma Matters: The Media’s Impact on Public Perceptions of Mental Illnesses Retrieved from http://ontario. cmha.ca/files/2012/07/olm_stigma_matters_200902.pdf Chandra, A., & Minkovitz, C. S. (2006). Stigma starts early: Gender differences in teen willingness to use mental health services. Journal of Adolescent Health, 38(6), 754.e1-754.e8. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2005.08.011 Corrigan, P. W., & Watson, A. C. (2002). Understanding the impact of stigma on people with mental illness. World Psychiatry: Official Journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), 1(1), 16-20. Khan, S. (2012). Indore first mental health. Hindustan Times Newspaper. Rubin, L. C. (2012). Mental illness in popular media: Essays on the representation of disorders. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Co. Poreddi, V., Thimmaiah, R., & Math, S. B. (2015). Attitudes toward people with mental illness among medical students. Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice, 6(3), 349–354.
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Health Psychology Stage 2: What’s it Really Like? In 2014, I applied for the professional
1) Behaviour change interventions – designing and implementing interventions to change behaviour
doctorate in Health Psychology at City, University of London. I had already been working in public health for two years. My role was to advise and support early years’ settings to incorporate health promotion into their work, centred on the borough's health priorities. One of the course requirements is to be employed (paid or voluntarily) in a health-related field that allows you to showcase your skills.
2) Consultancy – using your skills to support others 3) Teaching and training – teaching health psychology and training others to deliver psychological interventions 4) Research – conducting a research project and systematic review 5) General professional skills – workplace skills, including ethical considerations
I was offered an interview, part of which includes presenting an outline of how you will meet the five core competencies of health psychology practice:
(See http://www.bps.org.uk/careers-educationtraining/society-qualifications/health-psychology/ health-psychology)
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The outline must be presented with a timeline highlighting how you will compile your portfolio and include a presentation of your thesis research proposal. The proposal outlines how you will conduct your research, broken down into various stages. I presented my plan with an aim to complete it within two years as a fulltime student.
productivity.
I decided to start working on the competencies I could complete with the greatest ease in my first year. I started with consultancy and behaviour change interventions, alongside my thesis. Prior to the course, I was volunteering on a research project at the School of Health Sciences at City, University of London looking at insulin usage I began the course in October with a clear plan for how I was going address of people with diabetes. We agreed most of the competencies within I would analyse the results as part my current job role. I was excited of my consultancy competency. We to start the last stage of my training discussed and agreed terms for the and optimistic about completing progression of the project and I drew within two years. I had a clear idea of up a contract. I started developing my research project; an exploratory the behaviour change intervention study looking at the experiences of and was making notes as I went along people who chew khat (a leaf with for the case study. I also sought out psychoactive properties which was teaching and training opportunities banned in 2014). However, I soon and delivered various lectures to discovered how easy it was for time undergraduate and masters level to slip away from you. I was finding it students. difficult to stick to deadlines I had set myself. Working full time meant all my I completed the case studies, leaving work had to be done in the evenings me with my thesis and systematic and weekends. It was difficult to review and the general professional maintain a good work/life balance skills. The latter is usually compiled at and I found myself fluctuating in the end, demonstrating a culmination 27
of skills over the course. I am currently working on completing these competencies.
after completing your course.
Maintaining a good work-life balance is essential. There will be points when If, after reading this, anyone is still you feel completely overwhelmed by considering this course (or indeed any a huge to-do list and it can be very postgraduate study whilst working), tempting to spend every spare minute there are some factors to consider. My on your work. However, it is important main piece of advice is to plan, plan to take time to relax and unwind. and plan again. Be realistic about Finally, the most important piece how much time you can dedicate of advice I can give is to establish a each week to studying. Make a plan good working relationship with your for each area of work and think about supervisor. Balancing studying and where tasks can overlap. For example, working can be challenging and you you should prioritise obtaining ethical need to be able to seek advice and approval as this can take time but support. Having regular supervision what other work could you be doing meetings has been crucial in getting alongside it? Things always take much me to this point. longer than you think, so schedule in contingency time to avoid falling Studying at a postgraduate level behind. whilst working is a good way of getting higher level qualifications Let people know what you are doing alongside relevant work experience. and offer your skills. For example You will gain numerous transferrable conducting a robust evaluation for skills. But it also requires a project is really important, but is determination, good organisation and often seen as cumbersome or difficult. strong time management skills. Be You could offer to support them, prepared to work hard and expect to increasing your skills and experiences make some sacrifices along the way. in a new area. This could also form But the end result (and no doubt the your consultancy competency. journey itself) is very rewarding! It is important to connect with other projects and events going on within your university and the wider academic network. Look out for and attend conferences, meetings and other events. It is easy to solely concentrate on your work and block out everything else but this may mean missing out on important networking opportunities. This is also vital in establishing contacts for opportunities
By Suhana Begum
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Cultural Differences and the Need for Cultural Intelligence An American writer called Suzi Kassem said in one of her books that “to become a true citizen, one must abandon all notions of ‘otherness’ and instead embrace ‘togetherness.” She was also an artist with Egyptian origins…
This complexity is often led by the various challenges that cultural diversity can bring into our business environments, partnerships and working functions. In an article, Ray (2016) discusses some of the cultural differences in business, which consequently could encourage culture to pose certain difficulties in an international social environment. The standards, criteria and attitudes according to which physical space between professionals, context and relationships in business interactions are structred, are perceived in a different way when looking at particular cultural groups.
Although togetherness, cultural engagement and other buzz words have been circulating our society for a while, it seems that there is still, to some extent, a lack of understanding of their importance. As the world and our cities have become increasingly globalised and international in recent years, a necessity to cope with different cultures in business, and in our daily lives, has emerged.
For example, when it comes to relationships and negotiating, the main aim of Asian people during the process is to focus on building the actual relationship with the client, while North Americans usually tend to rush during negotiation in order to close a deal (Salacuse, 2005). Salacuse’s study (2005) also shows that for an American, calling someone by their first name is an act of friendship and enhances business partnerships. For a Japanese person, however, the use of first names at meetings is often seen as an act of disrespect. The latter supports the notion that there is a clear distinction between western and eastern cultures
But what is culture? There are numerous studies which highlight different aspects of culture as a definition. According to Roos (1986), culture is a system of lifestyles and is a common dominator for lifestyles. Adler (1997), on the other hand, connects culture with older and younger members of a certain group and its morals, laws and customs. LevoHenriksson (1994) identifies that culture covers the everyday way of life in combination with a society’s myths and value systems. From a business perspective, cultural differences can appear quite complex. 29
and the processes they use when doing business.
and ambiguous gestures the way that person’s compatriots would (Mosakowski, 2004). This could be an opportunity to learn more about the culture of an international client. What a better start of a new business partnership!
Different cultures lead to certain stereotypes (TEDx Talks & Smit, 2015). The way people undertand cultural differences is often a determining factor in success or failure in business. Could it be that we have hugely underestimated culture?
The cultural knowledge we could gain at schools would give us the opportunity to do business well and The mentioned above bring the establish partnerhips with nations we evident implication that culture takes would not otherwise be able to. It an immense proportion of our lives. It would also show a greater attention to not only appears as a part of our daily international partners and appreciation routines, but it also affects the way we of their culture. Saying that, you communicate and do business. Thus, it would certainly not want to be late is of utmost importance that there is a for a business meeting with a Chinese cultural awareness in place and societies partner as that would ruin a potential are trained to undertand it in order to deal in the first place! lead more successful professional and personal relations. There would be a plethora of implications on society and business if Some questions appear here: Would we cultural intelligence became a part of be able to start learning about these the educational modules at school. First differences at a very early stage of our and foremost, it would potentially bring lives? Shall we have more teachers from more adaptation to and acceptance different backgrounds in our schools in of people from different backgrounds, order to encourage acceptance? What colours, religion, ethnicity or minority. if cultural intelligence was part of our Cultural intelligence would also help educational system? individuals understand the various attitudes, traditions, body language Among the definitions for cultural signs and behaviour of people from intelligence is one which refers to an all walks of life. Moreover, that outsider’s seemingly natural ability could conceivably sustain people’s to interpret someone’s unfamiliar relationships for a longer period of time 30
To achieve the above, though, we would probably need teachers from different backgrounds who specialise in cultural intelligence or teach children what their own culture is about. It would certainly be difficult, but not impossible! Culture is a huge aspect of our lives and we will not be able to improve our personal and professional relationships, unless we start understanding it!
and enhance equality among many. From a business point of view, cultural intelligence will certainly improve partnerships and future international connections. Moreover, professionals will be able to successfully achieve their goals using professional interactions based on personal and cultural differences and attributes. On the other hand, cultural intelligence studied at school will allow professionals to have already developed cultural awareness and understanding from an early age, which will increase their cultural adaptation to international clients and potentially open new markets.
By Zornitsa Zdravkova
References Adler, N.J. (1997). International dimensions of organizational behavior. 3rd ed. United States: Shout-Western College Publishing Kassem, S. (2010). Rise up and salute the sun: The writings of Suzy Kassem. United States: Awakened Press Levo-Henriksson, R. (1994). Eyes upon wings - culture in Finnish and U.S. television news. Finland: Yleisradio Mosakowski, C. E. P. (2004, October 1). Cultural intelligence. Retrieved November 25, 2016, from Cross-cultural management, https://hbr. org/2004/10/cultural-intelligence Ray, L. (2016). Examples of cultural differences in business. Small Business Chron. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/ examples-cultural-differences-business-21958.html Roos, J. P. (1986). Lifestyle theories and the Finnish way of life: There are ten essays lifestyle. Finland: Broadcasting Salacuse, J. W. (2005). The top ten ways that culture can affect international negotiations. Ivey Business Journal TEDx Talks, & Smit, C. (2015, March 18). Humor and culture in international business | Chris Smit | TEDxLeuven Retrieved from https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB6NXzGKMKg
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Offered Psychology Masters at City Take the next step with your Psychology career and specialise in your favourite discipline.
City offers a range of postgraduate courses in Psychology, such as: MSc Organisational Psychology Graduate Certificate Counselling Psychology MSc Behavioural Economics MSc Clinical, Social and Cognitive Neuroscience MSc Research Methods with Psychology
To find out more about the courses and apply, visit: http://www.city.ac.uk/arts-socialsciences/psychology
As City alumni, you will be entitled to 10% off any of our
Masters programmes
Thinking of a PhD in Psychology? City is always looking for passionate students who wish to undertake research qualifications in any of its disciplines. If you want to broaden your research skills before undertaking a PhD or career in academia the MSc Research Methods for Psychology at City helps prepare you for just that.
http://www.city.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/research-methods-withpsychology
DPsych Counselling Psychology The Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology course is designed to equip you with a rigorous training in clinical practice, as well as professional research skills at doctoral level, to enable you to become an effective and competent Practitioner Psychologist. The programme is approved by the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC), the statutory regulator for practitioner psychologists in the UK, and is also accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS).
To find out more and apply, visit: http://www.city.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/counselling-psychology-dpsych
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Having an Anxiety Disorder at University Transitioning to university lifestyle can be a difficult process; new social situations, being independent for the first time, as well as adjusting to your new course. This can be a lot to take in and, not surprisingly, many students suffer because of it. According to a study by YouthSight, 75% of participating UK students reported experiencing psychological distress at some point during their time at University, with 43% reporting feelings of anxiety (Nightline, 2014).
As a student with GAD, I have experienced difficulties in my academic life, but I have also been successful in finding strategies to minimise the effect it has on my social life and academic performance. GAD was something I never knew about or understood. At 18, I began studying a maths course at University and I was troubled by a complete lack of motivation. All of the things I had been looking forward to getting involved in as I began university; societies, sports, socializing; the Though anxiety is a well-known thought now filled me with a sense of term, it is often used loosely, as overpowering fear to a point where a way to express nervousness or my body felt frozen, incapable of worry. However, ‘anxiety disorder’ physically doing the things I wanted is also a clinical umbrella-term for to do. During the second term, I several disorders, such as Social had lost all motivation to attend Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, lectures, and by exam time it felt Agoraphobia and Generalised like I no longer had control over my Anxiety Disorder (GAD) (DSM-V, life. Finally reaching out and finding 2013). GAD is one of the most out I had GAD was a turning point, common anxiety disorders and is as it made me realise that what was characterized by very intense and going on with me was not ‘laziness’, overwhelming feelings of unease, as I was convinced I had picked up; worry and fear in a variety of different it was an actual disorder that could situations (Mind: Anxiety and Panic be treated. It was important for me attacks, 2015). to understand the causes of this disorder and how I could explain to people in my life what was going on. 34
Current research proposes biological causes for anxiety disorders such as GAD. For example, Heisler et al. (2007) have shown that anxiety can be caused by serotonin deficiency in the brain, as serotonin receptors regulate anxiety-like behaviour. This suggests that individuals may be predisposed to having an anxiety disorder. Through this evidence, the majority of anxiety medication works to increase the levels of serotonin in the brain, relieving the symptoms. However, environmental factors, such as sleep deprivation, have also been shown to contribute to anxiety levels. Goldstein et al. (2013) found that those who are predisposed to or already have an anxiety disorders, are extremely vulnerable to sleep loss and suggest sleep therapy to relieve such symptoms.
Initially, I began taking a type of medication known as SSRIs, but I felt that this approach was not right for me, so I spent hours researching and found much evidence for the effects of meditation on anxiety. Mindfulness meditation in particular, aiming to focus one’s attention in the present moment, stood out to me. There is a well-documented effect of mindfulness-based therapies on depression and anxiety, and although I had never meditated before, I had to give it a try. Initially I felt ridiculous but over time and with practice, using several meditation apps and meditating in the morning before university, I soon felt a big difference! Of course, this didn’t get rid of my anxiety completely, but it showed me that small changes to lifestyle could really help.*
Classical treatment for anxiety disorders is a combination of medication and therapy. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is generally preferred, though some studies suggest the need for further investigation to identify the real effect of CBT (Otte, 2011).
Although there is no cure for psychological disorders such as anxiety, it is important to not neglect one’s mental health at university. If you are feeling distressed and concerned about your mental wellbeing, seeking help is the first step. This can be very hard, but there are many platforms of support as the University’s Mental Health and Counselling Centre**. It is also
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important to note that although there are physical symptoms of anxiety, it can be difficult to see how a person with an anxiety disorder is feeling. Therefore, it is of great importance to recognise these disorders as an illness and help not only individuals with anxiety, but also educate those around them to ensure that they know how to understand and offer support.
*The course I used and still use to this day is now available for free for City staff and students and is called the 10-minute mind: http://tiny.cc/ tenminutemind ** Contactable on +44 (0) 20 7040 8094 or via email coun@city.ac.uk
By Jessika Parmar
References Demirci, K., AkgĂśnĂźl, M., & Akpinar, A. (2015). Relationship of smartphone use severity with sleep quality, depression, and anxiety in university students. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 4(2), 85. Goldin, P. R., & Gross, J. J. (2010). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on emotion regulation in social anxiety disorder. Emotion, 10(1), 83-91. Goldstein, A. N., Greer, S. M., Saletin, J. M., Harvey, A. G., Nitschke, J. B., & Walker, M. P. (2013). Tired and apprehensive: Anxiety amplifies the impact of sleep loss on aversive brain anticipation. The Journal of Neuroscience : The Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 33(26), 10607-10615. Heisler, L. K., Zhou, L., Bajwa, P., Hsu, J., & Tecott, L. H. (2007). Serotonin 5-HT2C receptors regulate anxiety-like behavior. Genes, Brain and Behavior, 6(5), 491-496. Mind (2015). Anxiety and Panic Attacks. Retrieved from http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/ anxiety-and-panic-attacks/anxiety-disorders/#.WD8Adld1Tdk Date retrieved on: February, 2015. Nightline (2014). Psychological distress in the UK: prevalence, timing and accessing support: Nightline. Retrieved from http://nightline.ac.uk/ sites/default/files/Nightline-YouthSight%20Results.pdf Otte, C. (2011). Cognitive behavioral therapy in anxiety disorders: Current state of the evidence. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 13(4), 413-421.
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USEFUL MENTAL HEALTH
APPS
Pacifica
SAM
SAM is created by University of West England and aims to help you to understand and manage your anxiety. It offers many self-help methods to cope with your stress and anxiety. http://sam-app.org.uk/
Pacifica offers daily tools for stress and anxiety using mindfulness and relaxation techniques. The tools are based on CBT and Meditation. https://www.thinkpacifica.com/
Calm Harm
Beat Panic
This app aims to help resist and manage urges to self-harm. It provides various tasks to help distract from thoughts surrounding self-harm.
This app aims to help you calm down and control your breathing during times of panic. It provides guidance on how to handle anxiety and panic attacks.
http://www.stem4.org.uk/ calmharm/
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/ beat-panic/id452656397?mt=8
MindShift
Stay Alive
MindShift aims to help young adults cope with anxiety. It will help you to learn how to relax, develop more helpful ways of thinking as well as equip you with strategies to take control of your anxiety.
Stay Alive is a suicide prevention app which gives you access to national helplines and helps you create personalised safety plans.
https://www.anxietybc.com/ resources/mindshift-app
mobile_phone_application.html
http://www.prevent-suicide.org. uk/stay_alive_suicide_prevention_
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Personal reflections on Loneliness Back in my Norwegian hometown, I had a very wide circle of friends and acquaintances. Moving to London, I struggled to make new, close friends. I felt down, but it spurred a lot of productive reflection. During this period, I did a lot of reading. In this text, I will outline theories of loneliness that I have found the most interesting and those that I believe would help those who have experienced it.
n.d.). Furthermore, only 22% of us reported never feeling lonely, while 11% reported feeling lonely often (Griffin, 2010). As well as being a distressing state, research suggests that chronic loneliness is associated with cognitive decline (James et al., 2011), dementia (Holwerda et al., 2012) and depression (Cacioppo, 2006) in older age. A clear link is emerging between loneliness and morbidity, but what are the precursors of loneliness?
My attempts to understand loneliness have combined two approaches: a review of the key psychological theories and personal reflection. In this necessarily short and incomplete overview, I will attempt to intertwine the two to get to the bottom of the issue.
Different theoretical approaches attempt to discover the roots of loneliness. They differ along many of the same axes, such as whether loneliness is viewed as pathological or universal, as positive or negative and if the causes are personal, societal or both. These axes are useful to keep in mind while reading about the theories, and when reflecting on the subject with oneself.
Loneliness has been a common theme in literature for centuries (Mijuskovic, 2012), but recent alarming statistics suggest a surge in the UK. Despite most loneliness research focusing on the elderly, a 2014 study found that loneliness was most commonly experienced by young adults: with 31% reporting feelings of loneliness (Crouch,
Evolutionary psychology attempts to explain psychological mechanisms through our biological ancestry. The history of Homo sapiens indicates that survival of our 38
species is a result of interpersonal bonds. Despite our physical weakness, humans have emerged as the arguably most powerful creature on earth, and group interaction has been key by providing mutual aid, protection against dangerous predators and harsh climates as well as pooling resources and knowledge. Thus, loneliness may have developed to encourage social bonding and consequently ensure the continued proliferation of an individual’s genes (Cacioppo, 2014). Those who stayed within the group survived, those who left did not. As a motivational mechanism, we developed as a species to feel good when included and bad when excluded.
discrepancy approach proposes that cognition defines loneliness through labelling and attributing loneliness (Perlman & Peplau, 1981). Labelling refers to whether we label the feeling as loneliness or not. For instance whereas some cultures may lack a word for loneliness, western adolescents may label themselves lonely if they find themselves spending a Friday night alone. The way people attribute their loneliness to different causes can have a large effect on their wellbeing – if they attribute it to their disposition or nature (“I’m not person that others want to be around”) their self-esteem and emotional state are likely to take a hit. On the other hand, explaining aloneness situationally (“I’m in a From an individualistic perspective, new city and haven’t met many the cognitive discrepancy approach, people yet”) may alleviate the a contribution from cognitive consequences of loneliness (for a psychology (Peplau & Perlman, more comprehensive explanation, 1982), suggests that loneliness see Perlman & Peplau, 1981). is caused by a discrepancy between the desired level of Another account of loneliness social connections and number of comes from existential psychology actual connections, contrasting and psychotherapy, rooted in it to the evolutionary approach the study of external questions and painting loneliness as a of being and existence that social construct. Several factors was at the core of 19th century predispose loneliness, such as Existentialism. One facet of it is cultural values, individualistic versus our inescapable isolation. As the collectivistic; personality, extrovert existential psychotherapist Irvin versus introvert; social norms, such Yalom (1980) put it: “Existential as the norm that weekends should isolation refers to an unbridgeable be spent socialising, or immediate gulf between oneself and any circumstances, such as moving to other being. It refers, too, to an a new city. Moreover, the cognitive isolation even more fundamental – a 39
on our hyperconnected lives and unrealistic expectations; an inescapable part of the human condition. I feel that there are vast differences in people’s desire to be with others and distinguishing between aloneness and loneliness is key – pathologising aloneness is meaningless, and stigmatising loneliness is cruel. I never feel the detrimental effects of aloneness longer; rather, I cherish its introspective results. Finding one’s identity in others spreads the self out too thin – aloneness pulls it back together.
separation between the individual and the world.” (p. 335). What are the consequences of this view of loneliness? It suggests that we should accept it rather than trying to escape. According to Yalom, not realising that we are irredeemably alone makes us treat others as an “it”, a tool whose function is to deny our inherent aloneness. If, on the other hand, we accept this aloneness, our relationships will be characterised by love alone rather than as means to an end. Further, adopting Clarke Moustaka’s view, although painful, accepted loneliness is a source to creativeness (Perlman & Peplau, 1982).
By Sigurd Ruud
So, loneliness can be many things: A hangover from our evolutionary past; a social construct based References Cacioppo, J. T., Hughes, M. E., Waite, L. J., Hawkley, L. C., & Thisted, R. A. (2006). Loneliness as a specific risk factor for depressive symptoms: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Psychology and Aging, 21(1), 140–151. https://doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.21.1.140 Cacioppo, J. T., Cacioppo, S., & Boomsma, D. I. (2014). Evolutionary mechanisms for loneliness. Cognition & Emotion, 28(1), 3–21. https:// doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2013.837379 Crouch, J. (n.d.). Busy lives, but lonely Britain. Retrieved from http://opinium.co.uk/busy-lives-but-lonely-britain/ Duck, S., & Gilmour, R. (1981). Personal Relationships: Personal Relationships in Disorder. BOOK, Academic Press. Retrieved from https:// books.google.co.uk/books?id=DpLZAAAAMAAJ Griffin, J. (2010). The Lonely Society. Retrieved from http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publication-download/the-lonely-society Holwerda, T. J., Deeg, D. J. H., Beekman, A. T. F., van Tilburg, T. G., Stek, M. L., Jonker, C., & Schoevers, R. a. (2014). Feelings of loneliness, but not social isolation, predict dementia onset: results from the Amsterdam Study of the Elderly (AMSTEL). Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 85(2), 135–42. https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp-2012-302755 James, B. D., Wilson, R. S., Barnes, L. L., & Bennett, D. a. (2011). Late-life social activity and cognitive decline in old age. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society: JINS, 17(6), 998–1005. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355617711000531 Mijuskovic, B. L. (2012). Loneliness in Philosophy, Psychology, and Literature. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse Peplau, L. A., & Perlman, D. (1982). Loneliness: a sourcebook of current theory, research, and therapy. BOOK, Wiley. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=E_NGAAAAMAAJ Perlman, D., & Peplau, L. A. (1981). Toward a Social Psychology of Loneliness. In S. Duck & R. Gilmour (Eds), Personal Relationships: Personal Relationships in Disorder. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=DpLZAAAAMAAJ Vaughan, G. M., & Hogg, M. A. (2011). Social Psychology. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Pearson Australia Yalom, I. D. (1980). Existential Psychotherapy. New York, N.Y.: Basic Books.
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Movies for the Mind Girl, Interrupted (1999)
This movie takes place in the late 1960’s where a young woman in a psychiatric hospital is diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder.
Momento (2000)
Momento is about a man who develops anterograde amnesia after a trauma. His wife is killed and he is searching for his wife's murderer and tries to keep his short-term memory loss from being an obstacle.
A Dangerous Method (2011)
This movie is about the birth of psychoanalysis portraying the lives of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud. The movie also shows the interaction between Jung and his patient Sabina Spielrein who he treats for her conditions.
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
A Beautiful Mind, a biographical drama, is about John Forbes Nash Jr. who received a Nobel Laureate in Economics. The movie shows his life through Princeton University and later life where he suffers from hallucinations.
The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
This movie tells the famous story of Philip Zimbardo’s psychology Stanford prison experiment in 1971 where students from the university are asked to play the role of either prisoner or prison guard.
Split (2016)
Split is a psychological horror and sequel to ‘Unbreakable’. In the movie, three teenagers are kidnapped and held captive by a man with 23 different personalities. They need to figure out which personality can help them escape before a 24th personality emerges. 41
What is it a
Psychologist
Does? When we enrolled on a psychology course, most of our friends probably thought we were going to spend the rest of our lives sitting on a sofa, smoking a pipe, and asking people about their childhood traumas. Perhaps we even decided to become psychologists after frequently hearing that fancy word, doing only a little research on what it stood for (which probably made us more confused), yet being confident that it sounded sophisticated and important. But what is it a psychologist actually does?
but how? The common factor between human beings is that we have opinions and attitudes, but the difference between talking to a professional or non-professional is that when one seeks advice from a behavioural science professional, one probably does not need their private personal opinion. A scientific advice has to be based on valid referencing and testing, which can’t be the opinion of “a guy I met last night”, or our mom (I mean we all absolutely adore our mom and let’s admit it; she does have an opinion about everything, but that opinion is a really bad scientific reference).
Whether you are a psychologist or not, it all starts with observation. The environment is full of data that every single person with intact senses has access to. The signals perceived (data) given the same environment, are identical and objective, but interpretation transforms them into meaningful information, and this interpretation varies from one individual to another. The first point of difference between a behaviour specialist and a non-specialist is in where a common observer directs their attention, and where a psychologist is trained to direct it. After selecting the environmental data, you need to interpret them,
Now we have finally reached the important part of what distinguishes a science (which psychology defines itself as) from a friendly opinion. Let’s state the obvious; we need the math in order to test our hypotheses (Field, Miles, & Field, 2012). First, gathering data is a lot of hard work – cleaning outliers, coding – but that is not even half of the analysis. There is an extensive use of regressions, equations and computations. The aim here is not to use fancy math words to prove a point. Rather we want to present at least a vague picture of the procedure we need to 42
go through to be able to predict or interpret the environment. But that is still by far not all. Statistics comprise only the basic math that all scientists and all psychologists use.
to get the information the examiner needs and then to be coded back, run statistical correlations and give estimations about one’s skills, intelligence, or personality. Psychometrics are crucial for clinical psychology in order to help patients. When it comes to employers, they progressively ask for evaluations of potential new employees. A psychologist can work within the business industry, in private or public sector. Whether manipulating the environmental settings and policy making or creating predictions about behaviours, they are always following the same
Depending on one’s field of expertise, advanced mathematics or physics can be used to explain human behaviour. The latest most influential theory amongst behavioural sciences is actually a cooperation between psychology and economics, resulting in a Theory of Human Rationality, or irrationality according to Prospect Theory (Kahneman & Tversky, 1979). Another interesting application is that of Quantum Probability Theory (Summers & RÊdei, 2006), or pure economics applications, such as Game Theory (van Lange & Gallucci, 2003) in decision making and information processing. Psychology assessment tools are mainly used within clinical psychology, but also more frequently within human resources. The content of those tools can vary from IQ to Personality questionnaires, and are commonly recognized as psychometrics (Michael & Li, 2010; Rust & Golombok, 1989; Sijtsma, 2012). These tests are constructed
methods; testing repeatedly their assumptions of how behavioural mechanisms work. There are arguments that one can never predict exactly how individuals would behave, which is why psychology is recurrently not considered a classical science. The point is correct to the extent that there are no one hundred per cent predictions, but when it comes to definition of science in terms of 43
it might make sense to work with pieces of behaviour you can find systematic correlations in, because at the end, wouldn’t one prefer for scientific theories to be effective rather than just correct? In order to observe systematic variations and correlations, numbers can create that sense of certainty and stability within an unpredictable world. There is a two-way relationship; one can use psychology to understand math better (Skemp, 1962), and math to better understand human behaviour.
that percentage of accuracy, let’s take into account that there is no science that can eliminate all errors. There might be result consistency when adding two integer numbers, but when applying real numbers in phenomena you might encounter theories such as Heisenberg’s (Ozawa, 2015) where the more certain you are about a particle’s position, the less you know about its momentum. Recapitulating, numbers are important tools to generalize scientific theories, and behavioural sciences are not an exception to that rule. When it comes to psychology,
By Evridiki Dimitriadou
References Field, A. P., Miles, J. N. V., & Field, Z. C. (2012). The R environment. Discovering Statistics Using R: And Sex and Drugs and Rock “N” Roll, 62, 62–91. Retrieved from http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/38823/ Kahneman, D., & Tversky, A. (1979). Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision under Risk. Econometrica: Journal of the Econometric Society, 47(3), 263–291. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1536-7150.2011.00774.x Michael, P. G., & Li, S. T. (2010). Psychometrics. In Handbook of Clinical Psychology Competencies (pp. 343–365). https://doi. org/10.1007/978-0-387-09757-2_13 Ozawa, M. (2015). Heisenberg’s original derivation of the uncertainty principle and its universally valid reformulations. Current Science, 109(11), 2006–2016. Rust, J., & Golombok, S. (1989). Modern Psychometrics. The Science of Psychological Assessment. Sijtsma, K. (2012). Future of Psychometrics: Ask What Psychometrics Can Do for Psychology. Psychometrika, 77(1), 4–20. https://doi. org/10.1007/s11336-011-9242-4 Skemp, R. R. (1962). The psychology of learning and teaching mathematics. Summers, S. J., & Rédei, M. (2006). Quantum Probability Theory, 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107415324.004 van Lange, P. A. M., & Gallucci, M. (2003). Bridging Psychology and Game Theory Yields Interdependence Theory. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 26(2), 177–178. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X03470052
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Art as an Escape from Mental Illness “The purpose of art is washing the disturbing such as the “Black dust of daily life off our souls” - Pablo Paintings” and “Los Caprichos” Picasso. (Felisati & Sperati, 2010) while Virginia Woolf suffered from bipolar These words, spoken by the welldisorder and wrote some of her most known cubist painter illustrate what notable literature while experiencing many artists may have experienced manic episodes (Koutsantoni, 2012). when producing their biggest masterpieces. Indeed, if art is by It is easy when confronted with these definition a self-expressive activity, cases to associate suffering from it seems it can often be beneficial in mental illness with a more creative the case of mental illness. It can allow mind. Recent psychological research individuals to express what they are has been interested in this idea, with unable to put in words and helps findings indicating that high genetic uncover some deeper parts of their risks for schizophrenia and bipolar being. disorder are indeed linked to higher creativity (Power et al., 2015). With The idea of mental illness being this view, nevertheless, creativity and linked to creativity isn’t new and art could be considered more of a has been explored a lot through curse than a gift, with the sad truth the myth of the ‘tortured artist’, that these artists (including Van Gogh which promotes the idea that mental and Virginia Woolf) often end up illness somehow enhances creative taking their own lives. temperament and permits the creation of great artwork. Indeed, However, this should not over many well known artists have been shadow the true value of art. Art reported to suffer from mood should always be considered a gift. disorders. To cite only a few: Vincent It can trigger joy and emotion to van Gogh is known to have suffered the many who experience it in all from unstable moods and bipolar its forms. It might be judicious to disorder (Blumer, 2002), Fransisco wonder if the reason those suffering Goya suffered from severe depressive artists were attracted to art is due to episodes and reflected them in its healing power. And in that sense, paintings that were occasionally that art attracts people suffering 48
“Art Therapy is a mental health profession in which clients (…) use art media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts (…) reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem” (American Art Therapy Association, 2013). Therapists will thus use their art as a form of psychotherapy to let their patient express what they cannot in other ways. With mental illness or traumatic experiences especially, encouraging the individual to let go of their negative experiences can be truly liberating. Art provides a safe place to express emotions, and allows the switch to a more intuitive and unconscious form of expression.
how art helped her overcome the trauma of her breast cancer. “Using the arts is a way of accessing some of the process - to enable you to bring it outside of you and, like a suitcase, unpack what has been inside and ultimately putting it back together again” (Atwood, 2016). After her diagnosis, she decided to use art for herself as a way to cope, and created plaster casts of her breasts, allowing her to heal and grieve. In a recent study, art therapy has indeed been shown to reduce a broad spectrum of symptoms in cancer patients (Nainis et al., 2006). Although few studies actually reflect on the effectiveness of art therapy, many report patient improvements in well being, stress levels and self esteem. This type of therapy also seems to be especially effective for people experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One study showed that expressive art therapy significantly reduced symptoms of PTSD in comparison to regular treatment in adolescents (Lyshak-Stelzer, Singer, Patricia, & Chemtob, 2007).
Stephanie McLeod-Estevez, expressive arts therapist, explains
The fact that art therapy can potentially trigger physiological
from mental illness because it helps them fight their demons rather than feeding them. A recent study concerning art therapy supports that idea, with findings indicating that it helped improve depression levels in cancer patients on chemotherapy (Bar-Sela, Atid, Danos, Gabay, & Epelbaum, 2007).
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dates from around 40000 years ago (Cyranoski, 2014). It is likely that its use as a form of healing therapy was common far before the appearance of proper Art Therapy. No matter the purpose, art in all its forms has the power to enrich the soul and gives the freedom to express feelings and emotions. Using it when facing mental illness can be a powerful tool of well being and self-acceptance, as it allows something to be created for the sole purpose of creating.
effects on the body and ease negative symptoms also makes it a mind-body intervention where the mind has the capacity to influence functions of the body. One example of this comes from DeLue (1999); who measured a physiological relaxation response in school-age children while they were drawing mandalas. Famous psychoanalyst Dr Carl Jung was already known to use the colouring and drawing of mandalas to soothe and understand his patient’s psyche and firmly believed that those drawings were an open door to their unconscious (Jung & Hull, 1992).
By Anabelle Jeanrenaud
Humans appear to have exploited the use of art as a medium for communication and thoughts since the beginning of civilization. Indeed, the earliest form of art recorded References American Art Therapy Association (2013), what is art therapy? Retrieved January 29, 2017, from http://www.arttherapy.org/upload/ whatisarttherapy.pdf Atwood, D. (2016). How art therapy helps relieve some of the pain and suffering of a life altering illness. Retrieved November 26, 2016, from http://catchinghealth.bangordailynews.com/2016/10/14/blog/art-therapy/ Bar-Sela, G., Atid, L., Danos, S., Gabay, N., & Epelbaum, R. (2007). Art therapy improved depression and influenced fatigue levels in cancer patients on chemotherapy. Psycho-Oncology, 16(11) Blumer, D. (2002). The illness of Vincent van Gogh. American Journal of Psychiatry, 159(4), 519–526. Cyranoski, D. (2014). World’s oldest art found in Indonesian cave. Nature. Delue, C. (1999). Physiological effects of creating mandalas. In C. Malchiodi, Handbook of Art Therapy (pp. 17-18). New York: The Guilford Press. Felisati, D., & Sperati, G. (2010). Fransisco Goya and his illness. Acta Otorhinolaryngologica Italica, 30(5), 264–270. Jung, C. G. G., & Hull, R. F. C. (1992). Jung: Mandala symbolism (pr only). Princeton, NJ, United States: Princeton, N.J.] Princeton University Press [1972]. Koutsantoni, K. (2012). Manic depression in literature: The case of Virginia Woolf. Medical Humanities, 38(1), 7–14. Lyshak-Stelzer, F., Singer, P., Patricia, S. J., & Chemtob, C. M. (2007). Art Therapy for adolescents with Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: A pilot study. Art Therapy, 24(4), 163–169. Nainis, N., Paice, J. A., Ratner, J., Wirth, J. H., Lai, J., & Shott, S. (2006). Relieving symptoms in cancer: Innovative use of Art Therapy. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 31(2), 162–169. Power, R. A., Steinberg, S., Bjornsdottir, G., Rietveld, C. A., Abdellaoui, A., Nivard, M. M., Stefansson, K. (2015). Polygenic risk scores for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder predict creativity. Nature Neuroscience, 18(7), 953–955.
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How to make most of your student life: Advice from our resident experts Dr. Lauren Knott’s advice: “Come to University with expectations that you are going to need to get work experience or charity work; whatever it is you need to do. You have to think employability, and not just focusing on your studies. Academia and University degrees involve a lot of independent study.” Dr. Marie Poirier’s advice: “Go out there and knock on as many doors as you have to. I know it’s hard, but it can make such a difference. If you meet one person that just mentors you even a little bit. It can make a big difference for your own confidence and your opportunities later.” Dr. Danai Dima’s advice: “Support your peers, you will usually get the best advice from them. You are all in the same boat. Help each other with note taking. Be nice to each other.” Dr. Brenda Todd’s advice: “Make decisions early, be confident about what you’d like to do with your degree and not wait until the end. Think about which groups of people you’d like to work with, but also be open about where a psychology degree can take you.” Professor Dermot Bowler’s advice: “Read widely and deeply and not just in psychology and don’t see your reading just as a source of information, but also as a key to develop your own capacity for clear, accurate spoken and written communication. The resulting clarity of thought and expression will stand you in good stead in whatever career you choose to follow.” Dr. Katy Tapper’s advice: “Read a lot. Something that would definitely improve a student’s writing is to read as possibly as one can. Also, try to study things that you enjoy, and perhaps even if it is something that you don’t enjoy so much – try and find something about it that you can relate to your own life.” Professor James Hampton’s advice: “Use the opportunities to meet with your tutor regularly. You are likely to want them to provide you with references in the future, and if they know your face and who you are they can do a better job of it. Also, use all the resources available to you, particularly on line. Don’t be passive – seek out the information you need.”
You can have a look at our City Psychology Society Blog which consists of many interviews with our valuable Academic Staff: https://citypsychsocblog.wordpress.com/ 51
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Contributors Sigurd Ruud, Journal Coordinator and Writer
Naz Altinok, Founder Naz is a final year psychology student hoping to become a successful Counselling Psychologist working with children and young people. She has a passion about making a positive change in people’s lives. She also has a cat named Leo whom she adores.
Sigurd is a second year Psychology student interested in clinical psychology, philosophy, politics, music and football. He spends most of his time reading or at the pub, often playing chess.
Zain Ismail, Advisor
Suhana Begum, Writer and Editor
Zain is Vice-President Education at City Students’ Union leading on student representation and academic satisfaction. He completed a degree in Law at The City Law School and shares a passion for extra-curricular and charity work.
Suhana is a third year DPsych Health Psychology student. Alongside her studies, she also works as a qualitative researcher in Public Health. She enjoys travelling and discovering new places.
Abtar Miah, Senior Editor
Laura Brady, Writer and Senior Editor
Abtar is on the MSc Adult and Mental Health Nursing course with a first degree in BSc Psychology with Criminology. His ambitions are to specialise in CBT and general practice nursing and work for the Department of Health.
Laura is a final year Psychology student and works as a psychometrician. She loves studying decision-making and through her research she hopes to fix the bad decisions she makes!
Zornitsa Zdravkova, Writer and Editor
Anabelle Jeanrenaud, Writer and Editor
Zori is a Bulgarian in London, a market consultant by experience and MSc organizational psychology student by interest. She loves everything about human behaviour, nature and travelling.
Anabelle is a final year Psychology student, passionate about travels and life’s big mysteries. She hopes to uncover them all one day but if it doesn’t work out, she’ll simply adopt 20 dogs and live happily ever after.
Jenny Lisshammar, Senior Editor
Farah Abdelbary, Editor
Jenny is a final year psychology student with a passion for clinical neuroscience and aims to become an academic researcher at some fancy university.
Farah is a final year psychology student with a love for photography. She is particularly interested in the clinical side of psychology.
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Maja Olsen, Editor
Mahya Agorlou, Editor
Maja is a PG Creative Writing and Publishing student interested in both academic and fiction writing. She hopes to work in publishing while writing novel and film scripts in the future.
Mahya is a final year Psychology student with a passion for reading and hopes to have house with a library She aspires to pursue neuroscience at a higher educational level.
Jessika Parmar, Writer
Damien Aguirre, Writer
Jessika is a second year psychology student, a tea enthusiast and enjoys volunteer work.
Damien is a final year psychology student born in Mexico and has done well to get used to the English weather. He likes sports, is an avid reader and has a fascination for all things related to psychology, and is hoping to gain a career within counselling.
Carlvin Quejado, Writer Carlvin is a final year psychology student looking to specialise in Organisational and Coaching Psychology. He is also the Media Officer for the Psychology Society, gracing us with his energetic presence and creative input.
Evridiki Dimitriadou, Writer Evridiki is a Behavioural Economics MSc student. She wanted to be a psychologist because she was fascinated by the complexity of human behaviour. She decided to study further in order to understand how behaviour and people’s decisions can change the world.
Stephen Cantarutti, Writer Steve is an MSc student in Behavioural Economics from Canada, adjusting to temperate winters. He loves the outdoors and is becoming quite fond of London too.
Ethan Henry, Writer Ethan is studying an MSc in Organisational Psychology. He is currently working with Work Psychology Group and has previously been employed as an assistant researcher within the Centre of Occupational and Health Psychology department at Cardiff University.
Sabrina Desai, Writer Sabrina is a second year Psychology student, an avid reader, a globe wanderer and she loves to travel. She is passionate about making a difference in the world by helping people.
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CITY PSYCHOLOGY SOCIETY EVENTS
2016-2017
FRESHERS FAIR Sept ‘16
KARAOKE NIGHT Sept ‘16
Psychology Quiz Night Nov ‘16
GUEST SPEAKER EVENT
FREUD MUSEUM TRIP Nov ‘16
PLACEMENT EXPERIENCES PANEL Nov ‘16
DR LASANA HARRIS
Nov ‘16
WEAR IT PINK NIGHT Nov ‘16
MIND FUNDRAISER BAKE SALE Dec ‘16 55
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