Description: Imagine, just for a moment, that we have just now decided to take seriously and to do something about physical child abuse. With any ‘from scratch’ effort to design an intervention a first step is to see what you can find out about both risk and protective factors in relation to whatever it is… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Aggression
Overconfidence: Where is the Line Between Enough and Too Much?
Description: Are you a confident person? It is not really a simple yes or no question is it, as how you answer it will depend on the task you are considering or the situation you are in. However, what if there is a trait of confidence? You likely know people or have read about people,… Read more »
What is Digital Self-Harm?
Description: Have you heard discussion of rising concerns over the rates of self-harm among early teens? Some teens who feel trapped in life situations that cause them significant stress and anxiety may engage in self-harm behaviors such as cutting as a means of managing their troubling emotions. There is some additional questions regarding how recent… Read more »
Human Basics: The Silent Treatment
Description: Have you ever had another person give you the silent treatment as in ignore you and not respond to or interact with you even when you were in the same room as them? Oh, and I should add, if this HAS happened to you was the person giving you the silent treatment over 5… Read more »
This is Your Brain on Revenge
Description: I have been re-watching Game of Thrones recently and as a result have seen a great many depictions of acts of revenge (if you have not watched the series, you can trust me on this). Now it is a bit of a leap to jump from Game of Thrones to the “real world” but… Read more »
The Psychology of Blame
Description: I do not know if you have been tracking it but my friends and family in and around Ottawa have drawn my attention to the protest/occupation on central Ottawa by the Truckers’ Convoy. The group is comprised of people opposed to the recent vaccination requirements for cross border passage by truckers and demanding an… Read more »
What Are We to Make of Spite?
Description: When social psychologists and other psychologists set up laboratory-based study to try and capture some aspects of a real-world situation or experience they are aiming to try and capture its essence or to set up a situation in the lab that contains the phenomenon of interest (they hope) but within a simplified context so… Read more »
No Bystander Intervention? Think Again!
Description: Do people who witness acts of aggression or violence against other in their town or cities typically intervene to stop or diffuse the situation? When attacks against Indigenous, Asian, or other identifiable member of minority groups occur as they have recently, how likely is it that you, when hearing of the incidents, wondered why… Read more »
The Psychology of Incitement to Violence: It is Not New
Description: Discussion and debate about the factors that lead up to the violent actions taken by supporters of Donald Trump in Washington on January 6, 2021 are often wrapped in political stances and loyalties. As the Senate trial of Donald Trump on the single article of impeachment of encouraging insurrection approaches it is useful to… Read more »
Black Friday: The Psychology of Retail Rage?
Description: Even if you are not in the United States you have certainly heard about the Black Friday sales. We have them up in Canada as well though they are not quite as big a deal as are our Boxing Day sales. Things are a bit different this year, to say the least, but predicting… Read more »