Happiness

It seems so frivolous a topic, and yet there it is: happiness. If you think of the mysteries of the mind, especially the "twisted" mind, as psychology's primary area of interest, you need to think again. William James, author of the first psychology text book (at least in America) and brother to Henry James (in case you need that information for Jeopardy) said, "how to gain, how to keep, how to recover happiness is in fact for most men at all times the secret motive of all they do." Aristotle would agree. So would the Dalai Lama.

What do you think? Is the desire for happiness behind all of our strivings and yearnings? What are some characteristics of happy people? Are they healthy and wealthy? Are they all in relationships with soul mates? Are they religious? Is happiness something everyone can actively pursue and gain?

A current human growth topic is the changing American family. Single parents, gay parents, and blended families are examples of some of the lifestyles that are becoming more common. The question we most often address is: How do certain family configurations affect the developing child? However, when it comes to definitive answers, there are few. Plus, it seems that (in my class at least) we tend to skirt the issues and candy coat the consequences so as not to offend anyone. Is this the right approach?

When reading The State today, I came across a straightforward message from Senator Barack Obama. Warren Bolton, associate editor, quotes Obama as saying “There are a lot of men out there who need to stop acting like boys; who need to realize that responsibility does not end at conception; who need to know that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child but the courage to raise one.”

Bolton states that Obama is bringing attention to one of the “biggest impediments to strong families and productive stable children” and goes on to say that children growing up without fathers have a tougher time succeeding and becoming well-rounded. They’re more likely “to become pregnant at an early age, be high school dropouts, use drugs or become juvenile delinquents.” Fatherhood is important because it’s related to employment, education, poverty and other key issues America faces.



Fatherhood is related to tomorrow. Do single parents understand this? I appreciate the Senator's hard-hitting honesty and Bolton's invitation to absent fathers to "do something they aren't known for doing--man up."

We’re beginning our discussion of middle childhood in Human Growth and Development this week, and in addition to the usual topics of average weight and height gains of school-age children, SCHOOLING is an important topic. While re-reading the importance of learning to read, the advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling, and the incidence of ADHD, I began thinking about these children and how their school experiences might impact their futures.

According to a report from Education Week, SC has the nation’s worst graduation rate. Huh? Utah has the highest. What’s going on? Why does SC continue to be rated at the bottom of the list, especially since the state has funded so much money towards public education? Is it because SC requires an exit exam, something only half of the other states require? Or could it be because SC requires 24 credits to graduate, four hours more than the national average and 11 more than California? In other words, the graduation standards are higher. Is there something else going on that parents, educators, and students need to know?

Sometimes a daily newspaper contains information pertinent to Human Growth and Development. In The State (June 12), there are a couple of articles of interest right on the front page, the first dealing with children and the second with retirees.

The article about children caught my interest because it brought up (in an indirect way) SES and all of its many ramifications. In class, we OFTEN discuss how money or the lack thereof affects one’s development all through life. From the schools we attend, the neighborhoods we live in, the food we eat, and the health care we have, SES affects us from the cradle to the grave. The article about children deals with the fact that “hunger doesn’t take a summer vacation” and goes on to explain that at least two SC school districts plan to serve children in summer feeding programs. This is great news! More than once, a student has shrugged off the problem of hungry children and malnutrition with comments such as, “They can get free or reduced lunches at school.” True, but don’t children get hungry in June, July, and early August as well?

The second article discussed that many baby boomers are putting off retirement for various reasons—primarily financial challenges, decreasing health benefits, and collapsing pension plans. As a boomer approaching retirement, I’m wondering if being “forced” to continue working might be a good thing. Involvement and a feeling of being needed and productive are good, right?

The Shrink Has Shrunk?

Wow.....It just seems there are many good psychology articles being published lately. Here's one from Newsweek regarding the possible problems with psychotherapy. Maybe we aren't helping as many people as we think.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19121639/site/newsweek/

Trouble With Day Care?

Although Psychology Today isn't a publication I often read, I found this interesting article about day care: http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20050504-000004.html . Students in my summer classes (PSY 201 and PSY 203) will be submitting their views on the topic as a written assignment.

Personally I am very interested in bias in research and wonder if we are seeing some here. Do you think we are inclined to report results that are favorable to our hypothesis? And maybe aviod results that are not supportive?

M. Williams

An Overheard Conversation

Monday afternoon found three of us chatting about our various experiences and observations of the past few days. One of the English instructors told of a weird and interesting situation that had occurred while she was visiting an ENT the week before. Knowing that she’d have to wait to see the doctor, the teacher came armed with a book, When Things Fall Apart. Interestingly, the chapter she was reading dealt with letting go of the importance of self-image. As she pondered this wise philosophy, she became aware of a conversation between two other patients, one of whom was ultra-concerned about her underarm hair. Even after shaving, there was still faint evidence of hair! Horrors! Something akin to the so-called five o’clock shadow, I suppose. To heighten the “weirdness” of the situation, the other woman began talking about Botox treatments. The young instructor was struck by the stark contrast between the Buddhist philosophy of self-image and that of the two patients, both of whom appeared to be focused on external appearance. Ordinarily, she might have found this conversation amusing; today she found it especially interesting because of what she was reading.

In psychology, a positive self-image is linked to other important “self” words like self-concept, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. In a recent class discussion, the students agreed that while many people define themselves in terms of their possessions, their careers, their money, and their appearance, those things can be very fleeting. People lose fortunes everyday. Jobs are lost through downsizing, mergers, and plain old incompetence. Looks…well, looks fade. What happens then? We agreed that our internal value system and emotional makeup were better sources of a positive self-image and self-esteem than tangible things or outward appearances.

Behavioral Genetics

The topic under discussion on this morning's discussion board was behavioral genetics, and I was interested to see what the students had written about the topic. I expected to read the usual comments about alcoholism or schizophrenia, so I was surprised to read one about OCD in a two-year old who had been demonstrating obsessive-compulsive behaviors since he was six months old! The child's father has OCD tendencies, but since he and the mother live apart, the mother (the student in this case) feels that her baby's behavior is more nature than nurture.

I was a little skeptical until I read some great examples. According to his mother, he loves to carry dice around (usually several at the time), and they all must display rows of five or six; none of them can show a different number or he becomes quite upset. Another example is that he hoards everything and will not put anything down. On the surface this sounds like a typical two year old who simply doesn't want to share, and yet this isn't the case. He's quite generous and sharing AS LONG AS HIS HANDS REMAIN FULL OF THINGS.

His mother feels that the child's behavior couldn't possibly be learned since neither parent displays such behavior. She wonders if it could be hereditary, and if so, whether or not his behavior can be changed. She adds, "If a person is born with a behavior such as OCD, ADD, or even Schizophrenia, it may be something that cannot be changed or if it can be changed, it would pose a real challenge for that person."

I don't have my DSM handy, so I'm hoping someone out there can shed some light on this issue. Does OCD have a genetic component?