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Table of Contents

Letter from the Editor ……. page 2

Credits …………………...….page 3

Table of Contents

Graduate Corner Choosing a Graduate School

By: Sara Babad.…………………...………...page 35

So You Want to be a Clinical Researcher?

By: Samuel Salomon…………………..….page 37

Interview with a Graduate Student: Kevonte M. Mitchell

By: Irena Pergjika………………………......page 39

Poetry Corner Saddest Reflection

By: Rodshel Ustayev……………...……….page 56

Therapist’s Corner A Neuropsychological Case Study: Test Your Diag-

nostic Skills………………………………………………..page 42

Diagnose a TV Character: Michael Scott from The Office

By: Zaki Akam…………………………….….page 43

Movie Review A Beautiful Mind: A Plot Analysis through the Lens

of Schizophrenia

By: Miriam Feintuch……………………….page 45

Personal Reflections Meltdown on the Subway Train

By: Yaakov Bressler…………………...…..page 48

Achy Breaky Heart

By: Albert A. Mitta……………………..….page 51

Diary of a Sufferer

By: Rivkah Rosenberger…………...…...page 52

Articles Psychological Trauma

Bullying: The Cruel and Dangerous Harassment

By: Amanda Lanter …………………………..page 4

The Psychoanalysis of a Tyrant

By: Rodshel Ustayev ………………………..page 9

War and Its Psychological Impact on Children

By: Isabella Poloes ……………………...…….page 11

Hurricane Sandy: A Social psychologist’s Point of

View

By: George Abadeer ………………………...page 13

Depression

By: Irena Pergjika ………………………...….page 15

Self in Society

Effect of Sibling Relationship on Childhood Develop-

ment

By: Amanda Stavruch………………….…...page 17

Introverts VS. Extroverts

By: Judy Tan………………………………….….page 23

The Psyche of Being a Bulldog

By: Geena Bell…………………………………..page 25

Experimental Research

Effects of Alcohol Withdrawal on Brain Reward

Function and Anxiety-Like Behavior in Rats

By: Joey Bukai……………………………..…..page 27

Letter from the Editor

Dear Readers,

Trauma, a blow to the psyche—a shattering of what we thought we knew with the painful realization that we

are human and therefore vulnerable. A realization that life is unfair and that people can be cruel.

In this issue, some of our articles explore the different forms of trauma—from bullying to Hurricane Sandy—

to the trauma children who are raised amidst armed conflict experience—our writers inform us of the psycho-

logical, social, and political effects of trauma.

While no one should ever have to undergo trauma of any kind, it is often the resulting pain and brokenness

that serves as the impetus for growth. A renewed strength, a deeper awareness about life and an increased

empathy for others emerges.

If you are ever broken, rebuild; if wounded, heal. The scars are there to remind you that no matter what you

have been through, you are alive. So, dream big, love, and be kind.

This is the third issue of Lying on the Couch. The threefold growth over the past year is beautiful. We are

glad students are taking to these pages as we thought they should. We have many more writers from different

disciplines and backgrounds who offer a unique and interdisciplinary perspective to psychology—from an

article on the psychology of sports to an article exploring the psychoanalytic underpinnings of politics—we

marvel at how psychology underlies everything.

Eclectic submissions line these pages such as a neuropsychological case study, the diary of a young man who

suffers from a mental illness and an article where a student diagnoses a popular TV character, Michael Scott,

from The Office.

Featured in this issue is "the Graduate Corner” which gives you inside information regarding graduate pro-

grams, the application process, and the ins and outs of graduate school.

Lastly, our cover addresses the different paths one can take in psychology. It is difficult to make a decision

with all the different pros and cons; but, again, follow your dreams, follow your passion. As Steve Jobs said,

"Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to

become. Everything else is secondary”.

To rebuilding and following your dreams,

Batya Weinstein Editor-in-Chief

Editorial Board:

Editor in Chief: Batya Weinstein

Managing Editor: Sara Babad

Assistant Editors: Deborah Borlam, Ronit Deutsch, Joey Bukai

Layout and Design: Sarah Babad, Ariella Nagel, Lauren Fink, Geena Bell

Marketing: Albert Abraham Mitta

Contributing Writers:

Yaacov Bressler, Adina Stavrach, Geena Bell, Judy Tan, Joey Bukai, Rodshel Ustayev, Amanda Lanter, Isa-

bella Poloes, Zaki Azam, Miriam Feintuch, Irena Pergjika, Rivkah Rosenberger, Samuel Salamon, Sarah Ba-

bad, George Abadeer, Albert Abraham Mitta

Contributing Artwork: Jessie Siobahn Lamprecht & Rivkah Rosenberger

Cover: Rivkah Rosenberger

Faculty Advisor: Aaron Kozbelt

Club Liaison: Michelle Vargas

Executive Board:

President: Batya Weinstein

Vice President: Sarah Babad

Secretary: Deborah Borlam

Treasurer: Yaacov Y Weinstein

Contact us: [email protected]

Check us out on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LyingontheCouchBC

Brooklyn College Psychology Magazine

Fall 2013

Volume 2, Issue 1

Lying on the Couch

Magazine Credits

https://www.facebook.com/LyingontheCouchBC

Bullying is an extremely challenging and

important issue facing our nation today. Bullying is

defined as an aggressive behavior caused by an im-

balance of power. At first

glance, the signs of being bul-

lied may not be apparent. They

can happen to all types of indi-

viduals in all different stages

of life. Bullying even occurs

on our own college campus.

There are different types of

bullying: verbal, physical, and

mental abuse that occurs either

in person or via technology.

Many people neglect to see the

importance of ending this

problem and often overlook

outstanding signs of bully-

ing. An effective first step is

to alter peoples’ perception on

bullying by enlightening them

on the horrific psychological

effects and demonstrating that

these effects caused by the

trauma are everlasting. Not

only should people be aware,

they should also become active

in the anti-bullying cause and

try to significantly reduce the

problem.

Bullying is a major issue that appears in several

different forms such as physical, emotional, verbal,

social, and cyber bullying. Each form of bullying

has its own unique characteristics. While in

school, on the playgrounds, or in the hallways,

some people use physical

bullying tactics to harass

those that they feel are in-

ferior to them. Physical

bullying causes pain to the

victim through human

contact. Hitting, kicking,

biting, and taking

someone’s belongings are

different types of physical

bullying. Another aspect

of physical bullying is sex-

ual harassment. Nancy

DeLaney, author of Ag-

gressive Behaviors, writes,

“Pubertal changes that oc-

cur as students enter the

middle school years bring

changes in aggressive be-

havior with the emergence

of various forms of bully-

ing, including sexual har-

assment” (271). In young

children, physical bullying

may consist of biting and

pulling each other’s

hair. However, as children mature and reach pu-

berty the physical bullying becomes more aggres-

sive.

Bullying: The Cruel and Dangerous Harassment

Lying on the Couch

“Not only should people be aware, they should also become

active in the anti-bullying cause and try to significantly reduce the

problem..”

By: Amanda Lanter

Artwork by: Jessie Siobahn Lamprecht

Emotional, social, and verbal bullying, other-

wise known as psychological bullying, is a problem

starting from a very young age, but can continue

throughout someone’s life. Verbal abuse can take

the form of teasing, nasty remarks, and gossip. Psy-

chological bullying is very popular in high school

and may continue in college. Students make fun of

other students’ fashion styles, school grades, and

family values. Since these forms of bullying are not

physical, they are harder to detect. This form of

bullying crosses different ages as it may also occur

between adults in the work place. Emotional, so-

cial, and verbal bullying usually takes place face to

face. There is also indirect bullying that involves

spreading rumors and not letting individuals be part

of their desired clique/ club in school. Each type of

bullying causes pain and suffering in its own way to

the victim.

Cyber bullying, the newest form of bullying,

does not require any contact between the bully and

the person being bullied. The Internet is an essential

source of information needed for everyone especial-

ly college students. The bully can use various

means such as the Internet or cell phones to harass

the victim. The bully can post nasty and insulting

comments on social media sites for the public to

see. Once something goes on the Internet, it has the

potential to go viral. These victims are suffering,

sometimes without even knowing who is causing

them this pain. Some studies suggest that

“Perpetrators may feel reduced responsibility and

accountability when online compared with face-to-

face situations. These features suggest that youths

who may not be vulnerable to school bullying

could, in fact, be targeted online through covert

methods” (Coulter). All the advances in technolo-

gy make it possible for more people to become

victims, even those who you may not ex-

pect. Bullies may feel less guilty about bullying

when they use cyber bullying. With the growth of

technology, comes an increase in problems and

the creation of more sources of trouble.

In order to correct the problem we must

first discover the basis of the bullying epidemic—

why do people bully? Although the answer to this

question is not clear, psychologists have suggested

that a possible reason for bullying is the need for

the bullies to feel better about themselves. Most

people say that bullying occurs when the bully is

insecure and feel the need to hurt some-

one. However, it may be the case that some bul-

lies have very high self-esteem and think that they

are better than other people. People, especially

teens and college students, feel a strong need to be

accepted. Many psychological studies indicate

that people conform to their friends. This means

that people change their behavior and attitude to

follow with what others are doing. Normative in-

fluence is based on a person’s desires to fulfill

other people’s expectations, usually to gain ac-

ceptance (Myers 683). These bullies do not know

how to deal with their issues so instead of request-

ing help, they cast their aggression onto someone

else. None of these reasons go far enough to justi-

fy bullying as acceptable behavior.

As adults, victims of bullying feel that

they do not belong and that they are outcasts. This

insecurity underlies many of the other psychologi-

cal effects caused by the bullying. One of the

most severe psychological effects that bullying

All the advances in technology

make it possible for more people

to become victims, even those who

you may not expect.

Volume 2, Issue 1

“Why do people bully?”

can cause is depression. Several factors can affect the

chances of becoming depressed such as gender and

family social support (Stansfeld). The European

Journal Of Public Health published a study of Dan-

ish men in 1953. The researchers were trying to

measure the correlation between bullying at school

and depression in adulthood. The study shows that

bullied victims have a higher frequency of develop-

ing depression later in life. It is also proven that men

who are bullied at higher frequencies and for longer

periods of time developed more severe cases of de-

pression (Christensen). The stress of being bullied as

a child is credited with causing some of the emotion-

al traumas of adulthood.

One of the most severe effects of being

bullied is suicide. Bullying has been linked to sui-

cides in both children, as well as adults. There are a

number of news stories about teenagers who were

bullied and felt that taking their own lives was the

only solution. An incident that made the news in

2010 was concerning Tyler Clementi’s Sui-

cide. Clementi was a freshman at Rutgers College.

He decided to jump off of the George Washington

Bridge after his roommate “outed him” for being gay

and videotaping intimate mo-

ments of his private life

(Michaelson). Suicide is

one of the effects that not

only hurts the victims, but

also their friends and fami-

lies. Several researchers have

studied the correlation be-

tween having been bullied

and suicidal thoughts and

behaviors. Some have found

that bullying is not the direct

cause of suicide; rather it just

aggravates the already existing problem. Doctor

Klomek, in her article “Bullying and Suicide,” dis-

cusses various aspects of suicide including its

prevalence in a specific gender. The doctor

writes, “Among girls, victimization at any fre-

quency increased the risk of depression, suicidal

ideation, and suicide attempts.” Suicide and de-

pression are cries for help. This should be a wake

up call for people get involved to reduce the bully-

ing problem.

Even though we cannot prevent bullying,

there are some ways to handle the situa-

tion. Since bullying has been on the news, cam-

paigns have been started to reduce the epidemic. It

is difficult to help the victims since no one can

understand what it is like for them. Bystanders

who watch the bullying take place are responsible

to take action. According to the Journal of Adoles-

cence:

Bullying is a group phenomenon; by-

standers can have an important impact

on the trajectory that the bullying takes

by either assisting the bully, not getting

involved or by intervening. In most cas-

“Suicide is one of the effects that not only hurts the victims, but

also their friends and families.”

Lying on the Couch

es bystanders will remain uninvolved, which

enables the bully to continue. It has been

shown, however, that if bystanders do try to

stop the bullying, it usually ceases.

(Stansfeld 581)

Just like with professors, when people who watch the

bullying take place do not take action, it empowers the

bully to harass more people, more often. The first step

in reducing the bullying epidemic is to teach people

about bullying and what it means to be bullied. No

person should feel like he or she does not belong or is

an outcast just because bullies get away with teasing

their targets. People and organizations have recently

been trying to reduce the bullying epidemic and help

victims who are suffering from bullying. Susan Bu-

chanan, a certified life skills coach with a counseling

certificate from Dalhousie University, travels from

school to school trying to promote her Anti-

Bullying and Social Education Skills curriculum. She

feels that bullying occurs because people are not

taught the social skills that that they need for life.

She does not only work with the students, but has

a "whole community approach" (Lee). Buchanan

has a list of seventy-two social skills that can be

taught to students by parents and teachers. The

results from Buchanan’s workshop at Sister Glo-

ria School were impressive. Janice Franklin,

principle of Sister Gloria School, said, “I saw a 75

percent decrease in teasing, hitting, and bully-

ing within the first week, and most of our teachers

now follow the program, so the children have

maintained the social skills they learned during

their workshops" (Lee). This proves that a suc-

cessful step to reducing the amount of bullying

taking place is to teach parents, teachers, and chil-

dren important skills needed for life. This is proof

that involvement of the whole community is a key

step in reducing the bullying problem.

In order to prevent the victims of bullying

Volume 2, Issue 1

from suffering long-term effects from the trauma, the

victims should be screened for psychiatric prob-

lems. These screenings consist of visiting a psychia-

trist and undergoing psychological tests and observa-

tion. If the psychiatrist observes that the victims are

suffering from any psychological or physical effects,

they are likely to suggest a course of treatment in-

cluding therapy. Even if bullying is not a hundred

percent preventable, we should try to minimize the

long-term effects caused by the trauma.

It is very important when dealing with victims

of bullying that they receive the maximum amount of

support. It is equally essential that the bullies receive

attention since one of the reasons that people bully is

because they are seeking power and attention. It does

not matter which form of harassment the bully choos-

es to use, whether physical, verbal, or indirect, the

victims always suffer. Parents, professors, and the

public must work together to reduce the bullying

problem. The effects of being bullied have reached

extremes like suicide and long-term depression. It is

time for the bullies’ actions to stop being justified

and finally be treated for what it is, cruel and danger-

ous harassment.

Work Cited

Brunstein Klomek, Anat. "Bullying and Suicide." Psychiatric Times. UBM

Medica LLC, 10 Feb. 2011. Web. 04 May 2012

Lee, Tanya. "Anti-Bullying Workshops Teach Vital Social Skills." Indian

Country Today: C1. Ethnic NewsWatch. Oct 04 2006. Web. 11 May 2012.

Michaelson, Jay. "Can Suicide Be A Hate Crime?." Newsweek 159.12

(2012): 17. Academic Search Complete.Web. 11 May 2012.

Myers, David G. Psychology. New York: Worth Publishers, 2010. Print. 3

May 2012.

Nancy DeLaney, et al. "The Relationship Between Self-Perception Of Phys-

ical Attractiveness And Sexual Bullying In Early Adolescence." Aggressive

Behavior 36.5 (2010): 271-281. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 May

2012.

Robert W. S. Coulter, et al. "Cyberbullying, School Bullying, And Psy

Psychological Distress: A Regional Census Of High School Students."

American Journal Of Public Health 102.1 (2012): 171-177. Academic

Search Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2012.

Stephen Stansfeld, et al. "Can Social Support Protect Bullied Adolescents

From Adverse Outcomes? A Prospective Study On The Effects Of Bullying

On The Educational Achievement And Mental Health Of Adolescents At

Secondary Schools In East London." Journal Of Adolescence 34.3 (2011):

579-588. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2012.

Ulla Christensen, et al. "Exposure To Bullying At School And Depression

In Adulthood: A Study Of Danish Men Born In 1953." European Journal

Of Public Health 19.1 (2009): 111-116. Academic Search Complete. Web.

12 Apr. 2012.

It is very important when

dealing with victims of bullying

that they receive the maximum

amount of support.

Lying on the Couch

Currently, over eighteen million children and

adolescents are being raised amidst armed conflict.

Children account for the majority of casualties in

some conflict areas. Humanitarian aid usually comes

in the form of tangible things like shelter, medica-

tions, food, and more. However, the psychological

impact of war and its detrimental effects on a child’s

psyche are intangible, yet influence much of a child’s

course of development and overall adulthood. It is

important to provide psychosocial treatment in order

to begin the process of emotional healing as well as

rehabilitation that is much needed for these young-

sters.

War’s Impact

War can affect a child both directly and indi-

rectly. It directly affects a child through traumatizing

events such as the loss of a loved one or displace-

ment. Indirectly, armed conflict could affect a

parent’s capacity for caring for their children either

economically or emotionally (Gibbs, 1989; Jensen &

Shaw, 1993). This loss of fundamental protective fac-

tors could seriously affect a child’s manner of coping

and have detrimental effects further on in the child’s

trajectory. "When parents are emotionally affected

“Children are dropping out of childhood.

We must envision a society free of conflict where chil-

by war, that alters their ability to care for their chil-

dren properly," explains Mike Wessells, PhD, a

Randolph-Macon College psychology professor,

"War stresses increase family violence, creating a

pattern that then gets passed on when the children

become parents" (APA, 2001). Continued exposure

to violence is also a great worry, as it may desensi-

tize and cause a normalization of violence in sug-

gestible children. Perceiving violent acts as a nor-

mal part of life can cause children to turn to vio-

lence as a solution to mundane problems when they

are adults.

Psychologically, children can suffer from a

myriad of symptoms that characterize depression

and anxiety disorders, most commonly post-

traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, PTSD

is only one part of the spectrum; fear of recurrence,

guilt, worry, grief, speech delays and behavior prob-

lems are also extremely common in children who

have had to live through armed conflict. Feelings of

hopelessness can cause social withdrawal and little

motivation to survive.

Resiliency and Rehabilitation

The path to recovery and rehabilitation in-

volves providing children with a protective environ-

ment in which they are able to thrive and rebuild

social relationships. Psychosocial treatment empha-

sizes the interaction between the child’s psychologi-

cal development and the social world in which they

develop in order to “form attachments, acquire a

sense of belonging, and learn codes of pro-social

behavior” (Muller, 2013).

Conclusion

Children who experience prolonged events

War and its Psychological Impact on Children

“Currently, over eighteen

million children and adolescents

are being raised amidst armed

conflict.”

Lying on the Couch

By: Isabella Poloes

of conflict and violence are highly susceptible to the

adverse effects of it, including multiple psycho-

pathological disorders and a destruction of the so-

cial and moral support previously held by the child

and family. These effects can last many years and

could influence future development and adulthood

course of life. Treatments are promising however,

with a majority of children gaining back the resili-

ency and empowerment that was taken from them

during the war. Psychosocial intervention is also

beneficial to the child and allows for a well-rounded

approach to the problem.

Finally, it is important to emphasize and rec-

ognize that although there is treatment, very few ac-

tually receive it. War in itself is devastating and ex-

posing it to children only magnifies the problem.

Therefore, it is urgent that we seek out a better

course of actions that guarantees children the oppor-

tunity to receive treatment, and increase the number

of kids with positive outlooks on life, even after liv-

ing through a war.

Sources

Gibbs, M. S. (1989). Factors within the victim that mediate between disaster

and psychopathology: A review. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 2.

Jensen, P.S & Shaw, J (1993), Children as Victims of War: Current Knowledge

and Future Research Needs. Journal of the American Academy of Child and

Adolescent Psychiatry, 32.

Muller, T. Robert (2013). The Invisible Trauma of War Affected Children.

Psychology Today, 1.

Smith, Deborah (2001). Children in the Heat of War. American Psychological

Association. 29.

“Continued exposure to violence

is also a great worry, as it may

desensitize and cause a

normalization of violence in

suggestible children.”

Lying on the Couch

Over the course of history we can see how

a leader can control people through fear and death.

Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin are perhaps the

most prominent, egotistical, self-centered tyrants

of the 20th century. It is no secret that people in

general can be manipulated by a strong, loud, and

confident voice. Those are the precise skills both

Hitler and Stalin possessed which proved to be a

vulnerability of the masses. However, the psycho-

analytic components that worked on the people

were the media, propaganda, purges, and death.

Both of these tyrants were in power through psy-

chological means.

The interesting thing about Hitler and Sta-

lin is that they were nobodies and yet got the pow-

er they desired. They both come from a poor back-

ground. The relationships they had with their par-

ents were very negative and that may have played

a role in their rule. Both of them used one weapon

that was a key to their domination of power –

youth. Everyone says the youth is our future. That

statement is 100% true. Thus the youth were brain-

washed to serve them and die for them. The youth

began to rebel against parental authority. In the

case of Nazi Germany, there was an organization

called, Hitler Youth. Hitler Youth took children

from ages 10-18 and taught them how to fight and

how to get girls pregnant so they could pass along

the Nazi agenda. Hitler succeeded in his plans. He

literally had millions of youth at his feet. They

would die for him and only serve him.

Stalin used the same tactic, but with a fun-

damental difference. It is no secret that Stalin was

a very paranoid man. He killed people left and

right. He had no regard for family life. The only

important thing to him was his throne. When his

son shot himself and missed an inch of his heart

Stalin laughed and said, “My boy cant even do

that right.” The difference between Hitler and Sta-

lin was that Stalin started by isolating the parents

from the children. He sent special services to peo-

ple’s houses in order to capture the man of the

house in a “lie.” The man is presumably a traitor

to the USSR. Sometimes those men were generals

who were faithful to Stalin and USSR. Those men

would be publicly executed by way of firing

squad. The mother would be relocated to Siberia

to hard labor for life. The child, however, would

publicly denounce his parents and change his/her

name. Stalin would then be called their grandfa-

ther. By separating the children from the parents,

Stalin’s agenda sunk into the children and they

started to serve “grandfather” Stalin.

What strikes me the most about Stalin, is

the fact that he had power without having real

power over the military. Lavrentiy Beriya was the

The Psychoanalysis of a Tyrant

“The interesting thing about Hitler and Stalin

is that they were nobodies and yet got the

power they desired.”

Lying on the Couch

By: Rodshel Ustayev

Marshal, state security ad-

ministrator, and the leader

of the secret police under

Stalin. Many conspiracies

say that he was the one who

drugged and killed Stalin,

because he had the means to

do it. Either way the fact

remains that Stalin was the

true leader without any

means to military or the se-

cret police. This shows how

much people really feared

him.

In hindsight, it is

hard to imagine the pain

people must have gone

through. I am Russian and

not at all proud of what Sta-

lin did. Because of his stupidity, millions of Rus-

sians died in WW2. He would kill his own just to

keep his throne. Hitler on the other hand was very

clever, but did not expect such resistance from the

Russians. The Russians were not fighting for Stalin.

They were fighting for their mother country. But at

that time the purge was at an all time high. People

were afraid to breathe, yet alone talk. Even after

Stalin’s death, people were still afraid to speak up.

The amount of bloodshed, tears, and broken families

these monsters created his hard to accept. This was

the darkest part of world history. They were mental-

ly deranged individuals who were relentless in keep-

ing their throne. They did not care for their people.

In conclusion, the

key to a successful tyrant

reign is the people. The

people have to be psycho-

logically dismantled in

order for a particular

agenda to work. For ex-

ample, Anatoly Mikhailo-

vich Kashpirovsky the, so

-called Russian psycho-

therapist, was a controver-

sial figure in the collapse

of the USSR. Conspira-

cies state that his televised

hypnotic sessions affected

the people on such a level

that made the youth go

crazy. Murders and cor-

ruption was at an all time

high. This is all very well documented. Whether the

conspiracy is true or not, it does not change the fact

that people are easily hypnotized and their psycholo-

gy can be easily shattered. Psychology is behind the

everyday life of a normal person. We do things be-

cause of our psychological makeup. We learn from

each other during communications and leaders use

that tool in their arsenal to expose us in order to get a

vote. However, Hitler and Stalin took this psychoana-

lytical knowledge to a different level. I just hope that

monsters like them will never get to power.

“The key to a successful tyrant is the people. The people have to

be psychologically dismantled in order for a particular agenda to

work.”

Lying on the Couch

In late October of 2012, a major hurricane

named Sandy hit the east coast of the United States

of America. As the media publicized and dramatized

its arrival, people started to develop negative

thoughts about it - the lives of hundreds to thousands

of people were suddenly in danger. Sandy impacted

society in many different areas, socially, economi-

cally and politically. An example representing these

effects of the hurricane is that those who lost their

homes – in addition to losing the value of the home

and a center for social activity - could not go to the

polls to vote for the new president in those states

where the hurricane hit.

From a social psychologist’s perspective, the

hurricane was the environmental stressor that caused

negative cognitive thoughts, aggression towards oth-

ers, and anxiety. However, since it hit at almost the

same time as the presidential elections, social psy-

chologists were more concerned with the political

impacts of the hurricane on the election process. In

the article, “How the Stress of Disaster Translates to

“I voted” " by Amy Hale, Hale suggests that in such

a disaster, the voting turnout depends less on the vot-

er’s rational evaluation of the President's manage-

ment of the crisis as it does on the emotional impact

of this acutely stressful event.

As a result of the emotionality exhibited by

people during a disaster, there was a tendency to in-

terpret different actions of officials in almost the

same way. When President Obama visited the people

who lost their properties in .

New Jersey, he cried and showed sympathy. People

in turn revealed their appreciation by giving him

their votes and thus boosted up the amount of votes

he would have originally had if a disaster didn’t hap-

pened.

The main concern of social psychologists is

to focus on the social effects of such a catastrophic

event. As such, they worked together with state and

federal governments to create therapy sessions

aimed at relieving the stress that people experienced

before and after the storm. As stated in the article,

“Super Storm Sandy’s Enduring Damage” by Rose-

mary K.M. Sword, a group of psychologists created

what they called TPT, or Time Perspective Therapy.

The main objective of this therapy was to focus on

remembering the positive aspects of the past rather

than only the negative. The therapy also aimed at

working with communities of the present to create a

brighter tomorrow.

TPT does not ignore or white-wash traumatic

memories by any means; psychologists in-

stead try avoiding entrapment in a traumatic,

negative past which may amplify its already

horrendous effects. In order to achieve this

goal with high efficiency, psychologists

gather other patients who are suffering from

a similar post- or pre- traumatic stress and

put them together with the people who were

affected by Sandy. Based on research done

by those psychologists, TPT turned out to be

the best method for treating them. This was a

result of the self-confidence that was gained

from sharing their stresses and experiences.

They felt that they were not the only ones

suffering from this trauma, and even saw are

other people around them who were in far

worse situations.

“The lives of hundreds to

thousands of people were

suddenly in danger.”

Lying on the Couch

Hurricane Sandy: A Social Psychologist’s Point of View By: George Abadeer

http://www.psychologytoday.com/experts/rosemary-km-sword

http://www.psychologytoday.com/experts/rosemary-km-sword

http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/memory

Every patient

struggling with stress

dramatizes his/her cases

and thus may lie about

symptoms. In the post-

Sandy relief sessions, psy-

chologists found that the

people who thought that

this disaster would kill

them - a dramatization -

were in fact expressing

their feelings or symp-

toms in an extreme way.

For example, some of

them said that they

thought the water would

go inside their homes and

drown them. Those pa-

tients were less likely re-

ceiving effective treatment and thus did not com-

pletely recover. On the other hand, those patients

who expressed reasonably understandable feelings

were being treated effectively and as a result recov-

ered completely within a short time.

According to the article “Psychiatrists Scram-

ble Post-Sandy to Connect with Patients”, the hurri-

cane left psychiatrists struggling to connect with pa-

tients. In New Jersey, power and landline phones re-

mained out for several days and that affected com-

munications between patients and their doctors. Doc-

tor Charles Ciolino, chair of the New Jersey Psychi-

atric Association's Disaster Preparedness Committee,

said that due to this service blockage, there would be

people suffering from extreme PTSD who might be

in danger if they did not get help. He suggested that

psychiatrists should volunteer their time for educa-

tional talks in the community.

In conclusion, an environmental stressor such

as hurricane Sandy can cause much psychological

damage to the people it affects. Besides that, Sandy

also disturbed the political and social climate of those

states where it hit. As a consequence of that, doctors

and patients were isolated and that affected the

psychological health of those patients.

Work Cited:

Hale, A. (2012, 06). Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness +

Find a Therapist. How the Stress of Disaster Translates to “I Vot-

ed. Retrieved March 28, 2013

Rosemary , S., & Philip , Z. (2012, 03). Psychology Today: Health,

Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. Super Storm Sandy’s Enduring

Damage | Psychology Today. Retrieved March 29, 2013

Sederer, L. (2012, 05). The 2×2 project. Mental Health and Hurri-

cane Sandy | the 2×2 project. Retrieved March 29, 2013

(2012, 01). Psychiatric News Alert. Psychiatric News Alert: Psy-

chiatrists Scramble Post-Sandy to Connect With Patients. Re-

trieved March 29, 2013

Lying on the Couch

“An environmental stressor such

as hurricane Sandy can cause

much psychological damage to the

people it affects.”

Artwork by: Rivkah Rosenberger

http://alert.psychiatricnews.org/2012/11/psychiatrists-scramble-post-sandy-to_1.html

http://alert.psychiatricnews.org/2012/11/psychiatrists-scramble-post-sandy-to_1.html

http://citationproducer.com/apa-citation/cite/website.html







We all have been happy and sad at some point

in our lives but it is important to realize the differ-

ence between mood changes that are normal and

those that are extreme. The list of disorders is a

lengthy one, with depression ranking as one of the

most common. I am sure you have heard more than

once someone saying that they are depressed, and

usually what they are describing are their current

emotions, not necessarily depression as defined from

a clinical standpoint. Sadness, anxiety and any other

negative emotion can cause a person to enter a de-

pressive state. Such feelings are most likely followed

after a traumatic event such as death in the family,

the end of a relationship, and/or the loss of a job. Alt-

hough it is normal to feel sadness after an occurrence

of a painful event, over time those feelings work

themselves out and mood stability is restored. Unfor-

tunately, that is just not the case for everyone. De-

pression comes in several forms and the DSM-IV-TR

(diagnostic manual) recognizes two categories: Major

depression and Dysthymic disorder.

Depression is a very sad state to be in. Not

only because the person feels constantly sad but also

because everything around them falls apart. Relation-

ships get destroyed, families fall apart and the world

is constantly moving but the individual with depres-

sion feels stuck in one place unable to do anything

but sit and wonder what's

next. The inability to function normally and the frus-

tration inside leads many people to have suicidal

thoughts, which many pursue. One of my close

friends after ending her four year relationship with

her boyfriend became very depressed. She had diffi-

culty sleeping, ate very little, lost interest in every-

thing around her, lost her job and eventually began

taking sleeping pills because she could not fall

asleep. After a year with continuous therapy sessions,

she was able to finally get her life on track and catch

up with the rest of the world. If you feel depressed

and unable to function after a very sad event, that is

normal, but if your depression last more than 3

months that’s when action should be taken.

Major depression VS Dysthymic Disorder

The diagnosis for major depression requires

that an individual experiences either a depressed

mood or loss of interest in daily activities, work,

friendships, and relationships. Also, aside from the

above listed, the individual must experience at least

four other symptoms of depression. In order to be

qualified as legitimate symptoms, they have to be se-

vere enough to interfere with the person’s ability to

function in everyday life. Dysthymic disorder is a

less severe form of depression, the only difference

being that it is chronic. To be diagnosed with dysthy-

mic disorder an individual has to experience at least

two other symptoms of depression, while at the same

time experiencing a depressed mood. As I mentioned

before, dysthymic disorder is chronic, and because of

that, in order to be diagnosed you must experience

the aforementioned symptoms for at least two years.

During those two years the person must have ongoing

symptoms of depression, and never have been with-

out them for more than two months.

An interesting case arises when both disorders

are diagnosed in the same patient at the same time.

Although the individual will be in the dysthymic

mood most of the time, they will also have times

when they fall into a major depression. However,

even if the major depression episodes will eventually

Lying on the Couch

Depression By: Irena Pergjika

fade away, the individual will still continue to have

mild depression, which falls into the category of dys-

thymia. Moreover, the individual will never return

into a normal/stable state of mood.

Symptoms of a major depression & Dysthymic disorder:

1. Feeling intense hopelessness

2. Low self esteem

3. Worthlessness

4. Extreme fatigue

5. Dramatic changes in sleeping and eating

6. Loss of interest

7. Suicidal thoughts

The science The communication system is essential to all

of the brain's functions as the neurons are constantly

communicating with each other by exchanging neu-

rotransmitters. Depression is characterized by the im-

balance between three neurotransmitters: dopamine,

serotonin and norepinephrine. Serotonin and norepi-

nephrine regulate many important physiological

functions such as mood, sleep, eating, and sexual be-

havior. When these chemicals decrease and the com-

munication between the neurons is disrupted, the

message is not “passed on” properly which makes

people prone to depression. Think of this as a tele-

phone signal; when the signal is weak, you cannot

hear the other person well and when the signal is

strong, you can hear them perfectly fine.

Getting better There are two major types of therapy, bio-

chemical and psychological. Biochemical treatments

involve drugs that will help stabilize the neurotrans-

mitter imbalance, primarily with serotonin and nore-

pinephrine activity. Antidepressants are the most

common medication used to treat depression as they

help ease these imbalances. Psychological therapy

involves psychoanalysis, or what we call today the

“talk therapies”. A licensed psychologist has sessions

with the person who suffers from the disorder and

they discuss the problem and ways of overcoming it.

Uses of biochemical and psychological treatments

have proven to be more effective when combined to-

gether. While the patient takes medication to restore

the chemical balance in their brain, they can see a

therapist to talk things out so the patient is not over-

whelmed with different emotions thereby insuring

that the mind equilibrium is kept.

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and sta-

tistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). Washing-

ton, DC: Author.

Ward, J. (2009). The student's guide to cognitive neuroscience. (2nd ed.). Psychology Press.

Lying on the Couch

“Think of it as a telephone signal;

when the signal is weak, you

cannot hear the other person well

and when the signal is strong, you

can hear them perfectly fine.”

The study of siblings has been thoroughly

documented throughout the span of psychological

history. Many researchers have found that having a

sibling can increase the likelihood that a child will be

more developmentally well-off than a child who

doesn’t have any siblings. Research has proven that

growing up with siblings can heavily effect a child’s

emotional, social, cognitive, and mental develop-

ment. There has been research to prove that having a

sibling can be an advantage in terms of the develop-

ment of theory of mind and mental cognitions

(Lagatutta & Wellman, 2002; Lewis, Freeman, Kyri-

akidou, Maridaki-Kassataki, & Berridge, 1996;

McAlister &Peterson, 2006; Jenkins, J., Rasbash, J.,

Gass, K., & Dunn, J., 2009; Perner, Ruffman, &

Leekam, 1994), obtaining skills for peer relationships

(Youngblade & Dunn, 1995; Kitzmann, Cohen, &

Lockwood, 2002), and the development of emotional

situation knowledge (Garner, Jones, & Palmer,

1994). Sibling relationships can also provide comfort

during distressing circumstances and can have a posi-

tive impact on an aggressive child (Stormshak, Bel-

lanti, &Bierman, 1996).

My observations of my two nieces have al-

lowed me to see that the findings of those researchers

were correct. They are both around the age of 2-

years old, Caucasian, female, and have the same soci-

oeconomic status. They only differ from one another

in the fact that child A has an older brother, around 4

years of age, and child B is an only child. This differ-

ence had a great impact in the children’s lives and

has proven to be a developmental advantage to one of

the children. Child A had more intelligible and legi-

ble conversations with adults than child B and I have

also noticed that child B was much more aggressive

and troublesome to her parents than child A. I also

found that in the case of a distressing event, child A

would be comforted by her older brother, in order for

her to be mollified. Furthermore, my observations of

my two nieces and my research have allowed me to

see that sibling relationships can heavily impact a

child’s development.

How Siblings Can Provide Comfort in Dis-

tressing Circumstances

During early childhood, children spend more

time with their siblings than with their parents (Dunn,

1993). During these early stages of life or during any

stage for that matter, children typically face emotion-

ally distressing events that can cause a stage of dis-

comfort to the child. Having a sibling relationship

can lessen a child’s state of discomfort and act as a

protective barrier against emotionally distressing cir-

cumstances. For example, siblings can provide sup-

port in the face of a major life event such as the di-

vorce of their parents. There has been a study by

Deater-Deckard, Dunn, and Lussier (2002) which

proved that during the transition period of their par-

ents’ divorce, siblings’ warmth may operate as a pro-

tective factor for having a better adjustment to the

changes. It has also been found that a child, who has

a positive relationship with their older sibling, was

able to better adjust to living in a single mother

household or a complex stepfamily structure. In the

case of my two nieces, I have found that child A

would be comforted by her older brother when she

was distressed. The comfort that she received was

important in it’s own way since it can prove that the

sibling relationship is beneficial to both the child and

their older sibling.

Lying on the Couch

The Effect of Sibling Relationships in Child Development By: Adina Stavrach

The Correlation Between Emotional Situa-

tion Knowledge and Positive Sibling Care-

giving

However, in order for the older sibling to be

able to provide support for the younger child, it has

to be assumed that the older sibling is able to pick

up on emotional cues. It is crucial for older siblings

to have the ability to focus on the emotional states of

others for their sibling caregiving behaviors to exist

(Garner, Jones, & Palmer, 1994). In order to be able

to test if emotional situation knowledge was corre-

lated to positive sibling caregiving, Garner et al.

(1994) mimicked a Strange Situation between a

mother and a sibling pair. Before the Strange Situa-

tion event started, they first had tested the older

child’s cognitive perspective-taking ability and their

emotional situation knowledge in order to prove

that there can be a correlation.

The Strange Situation session started with

the mother interacting with her children and then

having an interaction with each child separately.

Between the sessions, a stranger would walk into

the room while the mother was playing with her

children. The stranger would play with the sibling

pair while the mother was in the room. Then, the

mother would be instructed to leave the room and

the stranger would stay with her children. Before

the mother left, she would then instruct the older

child to “take care” of the younger sibling. The old-

er siblings’ “knowledge about how to care for a

younger child and emotional role-taking skills were

characteristics that [they] had to bring to the situa-

tion in order to enhance their responsiveness to the

Lying on the Couch

“This study has proved that there is, indeed,

a correlation between a younger sibling’s

distress, emotional role taking, and sibling

caregiving.”

distress of [their] younger sibling” (pg. 909). They

were able to measure the scores of the older sib-

ling’s positive caregiving by how often they provid-

ed physical comfort to the younger child and the

amount of time that the younger child was dis-

tressed. This study has proved that there is, indeed, a

correlation between a younger sibling’s distress,

emotional role taking, and sibling caregiving.

Having Older Siblings Can Advance a

Child’s Theory of Mind Development

Having an older sibling that is in tune with

emotional cues can greatly benefit the development

of the younger sibling’s understanding of emotional

and social cues as well. Through the frequent con-

text of shared pretend play, younger children with

older siblings are found to be more aware of other’s

feelings and inner states. It is also highly imperative

to note that such talk of inner states is much more

frequent between a sibling pair than between parent

and an only child (Brown, Donelan-McCall, &

Dunn, 1996). Talking about mental states can be one

of the reasons that children with older siblings show

an earlier advancement of theory of mind develop-

ment (Lewis, Freeman, Kyriakidou, Maridaki-

Kassataki, & Berridge, 1996). Theory of mind, a

theory of Piaget’s cognitive development, explains

how young children understand that

“human behavior is guided by mental

states of belief, knowledge, memory,

and imagination that may conflict with

overt reality” (McAlister & Peterson,

2007, pg. 258). If a sibling pair were

to talk about their mental states to one

another, then the younger child would

be given the capability to understand

other’s emotional states that are differ-

ent from their own at an earlier age.

According to Piaget’s cogni-

tive development theory, most chil-

dren do not develop theory of mind

until they reach the age of 3.5-4 years

old (Shaffer, 2009, pg. 176). In order

to test if a child has theory of mind,

researchers have conducted the false belief test,

which would instruct the child to predict the behav-

ior of a protagonist in a story who have incorrect

thoughts that the other character might not have. A

study by Perner, Ruffman, and Leekam (1994) has

proven that the likelihood of passing the false belief

test can be doubled if the child has two or more sib-

lings. Another study by McAlister and Peterson

(2006) was correctly able to identify that there was

a significant correlation between children’s scores

on theory of mind tasks and the number of child-

aged siblings in their families. In addition to their

findings, they have found that “the absence of any

child siblings at all in the household is particularly

disadvantageous for theory of mind perfor-

mance” (pg. 265). Since only children do not have a

similar-aged sibling at home with them, their main

“Through sibling interactions, children

develop a sense of understanding about

themselves and relationships with others.”

Volume 2, Issue 1

locus of interaction would be with their parents.

However, they would be missing many instances of

false belief that could occur in sibling interactions

like fantasies, ignorance, disputes, and deception

(pg. 267) and the exposure to talk about feelings

and thoughts is much reduced (Jenkins et al., 2009).

Even in the event of conflict with a sibling, a young

child will still be at a developmental advantage

since conflicts call forth instructive mentalistic ex-

planations for the other’s mindset (Lagatutta &

Wellman, 2002).

How Sibling Relationships Have an Impact

on Children’s Peer Relationships

Through sibling interactions, children devel-

op a sense of understanding about themselves and

relationships with others (Brody, 1988). Through

the interactions with their siblings, these children

can gain practice of having peer relationships by

being able to gain perspective-taking skills and have

consideration of others’ feelings (Youngblade &

Dunn, 1995). There was a study conducted by Kitz-

mann, Cohen, and Lockwood (2002) to test if only

children differed from children with siblings in rela-

tion to group acceptance and friendship quality.

They measured their results by having all of the

children in the study provide information about their

siblings, group social preferences, acceptance rat-

ings amongst peers, number of friendships, friend-

ship quality, peer nominations for social behaviors,

their own self-concept, and if they considered them-

selves to be lonely. In their results, they found that

only children had significantly lower social prefer-

ence scores, lower social standing, as well as having

lower acceptance in the peer group than children

with siblings. They also found that only children’s

scores for aggressive-disruptive behaviors and pas-

sive-withdrawal were significantly higher than the

scores of children with siblings (pg. 308). To em-

phasize their point, they noted that warmth, engage-

ment, and conflict are all equally practice skills

which are relevant for being in a peer relationship.

How Sibling Relationships Have an Impact

on Aggressive Children

Once it is acknowledged that having a sibling

can heavily impact a child’s development, it should

also be noted that the type of sibling relationship

that one has matters tremendously. There can be a

wide array of relationships which can be catego-

rized as conflictual, disinterested, supporting, or

warm. A study conducted by Stormshak, Bellanti,

and Bierman (1996) was able to pinpoint the effect

of several types of sibling relationships on aggres-

sive children. Their research brings to light that in

the case of isolated children, sibling relationships

can compensate for the decreased peer involvement.

They also have recognized that having a supportive

relationship with your sibling may increase those

children’s self-esteem, which can lead to more ef-

fective coping strategies, thus enhancing the child’s

behavioral and social competence.

They also have found that an aggressive

child in a positive sibling relationship may be able

to compensate for the lack of support from other

social stimuli, which is a significant finding because

it shows how important sibling relationships are for

those children. It should also be noted that even in a

conflictual but supportive sibling relationship, chil-

Lying on the Couch

dren are able to learn skills such as conflict negotia-

tion and pro-social skills that can be utilized in their

peer relationships. Whereas on the other hand, chil-

dren with warmer but non-conflictual relationships

with their siblings report lower levels of involve-

ment and fewer opportunities to learn negotiation

skills. They have concluded that any type of sup-

portive sibling relationship can provide “social skill

learning opportunities” which are similar to those

posited for friends (pg. 87).

How Older Siblings Can Act as Models for

Learning

In order for such pro-social skills to be ob-

tained, it is necessary for the older sibling to “teach”

their younger sibling by serving as a model for such

behavior (Whiteman et al., 2007). According to the

social learning theory, this notion of teaching is re-

ferred to as modeling and imitation. Imitation will

most likely happen when a role model possesses the

following three characteristics: power, support, and

similarity to the subject. It can be noted that an older

sibling possesses all three of those characteristics.

First, being chronologically older than a younger

sibling gives the older child a hierarchical advantage

to provide instructions for the younger child to fol-

low. Second, the older sibling is usually also sup-

portive of the younger child’s actions. Lastly, the

older sibling shares the similarity to the learner by

sharing the same environment and parents. This

theory can explain why infants usually have learned

to carry out a simple action just by observation

without needing further instruction by their older

sibling (Barr et al., 2001). Instead of being told to

do a certain action, they learned how to imitate their

older sibling. Since younger children are able to

imitate the functions of their older siblings, they are

given a greater advantage of being successful and

better equipped for circumstances on their first try. I

have learned during my observations that the child

that grew up with an older brother, child A, appears

to be advanced in the fields of learning how to talk

and walk by the age of one whereas the child that

did not have a sibling, child B started to learn how

to talk and walk much later. It is possible to assume

that child A had learned through observation of her

older brother of how to walk and talk and by doing

so, she was able to learn through imitation; whereas

child B did not grow up with any siblings and so she

learned how to walk and talk much later.

During my observations of watching the sib-

ling pair (child A and her sibling) play, I have no-

ticed that child A would often follow what my

nephew did. She would watch him and then she

would join him. The reason why she watched him

first and then played could be that she was used to

watching him and he was used to being the older

and more dominant one. In fact, older siblings are

comfortable assuming the role of the teacher and the

younger ones are more comfortable to take on the

role as learner (Brody et al., 1982). This shows that

the two children reacted differently to the situation

because one was raised with a sibling. Even in the

situation where the teaching roles were reversed,

both first-born and second-born children found the

situation to be difficult (Recchia, Howe, & Alexan-

der, 2009).

Conclusion

It is given that many things can potentially

affect child development. When one is young, it is

easy to mold their behaviors and observations of the

“An older sibling can also

provide more opportunities for

the younger child to talk about

their mental states, thus giving

the younger child a better ad-

vantage to develop theory of

mind at an earlier age.”

Volume 2, Issue 1

world to the liking of other’s needs. If a child grew

up with a sibling, the younger sibling will most cer-

tainly follow the older sibling’s actions and doing

so will give them a greater advantage of being de-

velopmentally advanced. I have even been able to

use my observations of both a child that has sib-

lings and an only-child to determine the underlying

cause between the two different behaviors that each

child displays. It should be noted that sibling rela-

tionships have an impact on both the older child

and the younger child in the way that the older

child can strengthen their emotional cues so they

can demonstrate better caregiving skills. An older

sibling can also provide more opportunities for the

younger child to talk about his mental states, thus

giving the younger child a better advantage to de-

velop theory of mind at an earlier age. An older sib-

ling can also provide support during distressing cir-

cumstances and give the younger child a better op-

portunity to become resilient towards the upsetting

event and even subdue an aggressive child to be-

come submissive and peaceful. My observations

and what I learned from my research allowed me to

see that sibling relationships can heavily impact a

child’s development.

_________________________________________

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opment, 11, 571-590.

Garner, P., Jones, D., & Palmer, D. (1994). Social Cognitive Correlates of

Preschool Children’s Sibling Caregiving Behavior. Developmental Psycholo-

gy, 30, 905-911.

Brown, J., Donelan-McCall, N., & Dunn, J. (1996). Why talk about mental

states? The significance of children’s conversations with friends, siblings, and

mothers. Child Development, 67, 836-849.

Lewis, C., Freeman, N. H., Kyriakidou, C., Maridaki-Kassataki, K., & Ber-

ridge, M. D. (1996). Social influences on false belief access: Specific sibling

influences or general apprenticeship. Child Development, 67, 2930-2947.

McAlister, A., & Peterson, C. (2007). A longitudinal study of child siblings

and theory of mind development. Cognitive Development, 22, 258-270.

Shaffer, D. (2009). Social and Personality Development: Sixth Edition. Bel-

mont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Perner, J., Ruffman, T., & Leekam, S. R. (1994). Theory of mind is conta-

gious: You catch it from your sibs. Cognitive Development, 65, 1228-1238.

Jenkins, J., Rasbash, J., Gass, K., & Dunn, J. (2009). The multilevel dynamics

of sibling relationships: Influences over time. Manuscript submitted for publi-

cation.

Lagatutta, K., & Wellman, H. M. (2002). Differences in early parent-child

conversations about negative versus positive emotions. Developmental Psy-

chology, 32, 70-78.

Brody, G. (1988). Sibling relationship quality: Its causes and consequences.

Annual Review of Psychology, 49, 1-24.

Youngblade, L. M., & Dunn, J. (1995). Individual differences in young chil-

dren’s pretend play with mother and sibling: Links to relationships and under-

standing of other people’s feelings and beliefs. Child Development, 66, 1472-

1492.

Kitzmann, K. M., Cohen, R., & Lockwood, R. L. (2002). Are only children

missing out?: Comparison of the peer-related social competence of only chil-

dren and siblings. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 19, 299-316.

Stormshak, E. A., Bellanti, C. J., & Bierman, K. L. (1996). The quality of

sibling relationships and the development of social competence and behavioral

control in aggressive children. Developmental Psychology, 32, 79-89.

Whiteman, S., McHale, S., & Crouter, A. (2007). Competing processes of

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fants learn from their siblings. Poster session presented at the Biennial Meet-

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showed me”: Variations in sibling teaching strategies in early and middle

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Pictures:

Arbesman, Samuel. "Accidental Siblings." Wired Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 22

Nov. 2013. <http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/04/ accidental-

siblings/>. Nicole O’Neil Photography

Shutterstock. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. <http://www.shutterstock.com/

pic-56667106/stock-photo-aggression-concept-as-a-grunge-background-

art.html>.kentoh

“It should be noted that sibling

relationships have an impact on both

the older child and the younger

child...”

Lying on the Couch

Introverts Vs. Extroverts By: Judy Tan

Personality is the core foundation defining

how one is perceived by others. Shy, outgoing,

quiet, and sociable are traits commonly used in de-

scribing others. One’s perception of another, how-

ever, may not be fully accurate, and may diverge

from the latter’s self-perception. One can predict

his or her own behavior later in life based on his or

her past behavior and reactions, which are, in part,

a product of personality. One of the more challeng-

ing personality dimensions for others to predict is

introversion vs. extroversion.

Differentiating between an introvert and an

extrovert is far more complicated than it appears.

Many do not grasp the conceptual meaning of these

opposite traits. While it is true that some demonstrate

behaviors of both introverts and extroverts, the an-

swer lies in determining which side of the spectrum

one leans more towards. Just because someone may

enjoy going to clubs or parties, he or she is not neces-

sarily an extrovert. A holistic perspective is necessary

in order to judge not only by one’s actions, but also

by how one behaves in other situations.

Extroverts enjoy social life. When meeting

new people or going out, they tend to be more interac-

tive and unafraid of communication. They are usually

the center of attention, and usually take the role of

being a leader.

Introverts, on the other hand, are on the oppo-

site end of the spectrum, at times appearing enigmatic

or extremely shy. Because introverts tend to keep to

themselves, their aura can be hard to crack. They pre-

fer being alone or with a group of close friends, and

“Some may find this rather sad, and feel

that introverts are lonely, but the reality is

that they are happier spending time by

themselves.”

Volume 2, Issue 1

Lying on the Couch

enjoy privacy. Hanging out with a large group of

people or going out to a party will usually tire an

introvert out; he or she will eventually succumb

to the urge to be alone. Some may find this ra-

ther sad, and feel that introverts are lonely, but

the reality is that they are happier spending time

by themselves. In daily interaction, introverts

stand back and observe rather than freely ex-

pressing their ideas, and usually think and re-

evaluate matters as a whole before acting.

From my own experiences speaking with

others, I know that many make the mistake of

automatically assuming they are introverts,

simply because they enjoy being alone. However,

that is not necessarily the case, and that is where

many get it wrong. Interacting with large groups of

people does not automatically make one an extro-

vert. In fact, many singers, actors, and teachers are

introverts, yet they seem to possess a grand power

performing and communicating in front of a large

audience. One may ask, how? Perhaps practice em-

powered these individuals to overcome their fear

of public speaking. I’ve heard stories from some of

my professors where they have declined a spouse’s

wish to travel simply because they

prefer staying home.

By now, I have perhaps sparked your curi-

osity; perhaps you would like to find out where

you fall on the introversion vs. extroversion spec-

trum?

If so, is a great resource to consider is the My-

ers Briggs Type Indicator, a well-known and com-

monly-used personality test.

—————————————————————--

References:

http://careergirlnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/

extrovert-v-introvert1.jpg

"My MBTI Personality Type - MBTI Basics - Extraversion or

Introversion." My MBTI Personality Type - MBTI Basics - Ex-

traversion or Introversion. The Myers Briggs Foundation, n.d.

Web. 17 Nov. 2013.

“Interacting with large groups of people does not automatically

make one an extrovert. .”

Yogi Berra once said, “Baseball is ninety

percent mental. The other half is physical." For

those who don’t know, Yogi Berra was a major

league baseball player for the New York Yankees.

I think the famous aforementioned “Yogi-issm” is

applicable to every sport one can think of.

Now of course a major leaguer doesn’t

have to worry about such things as writing papers,

taking tests, or giving presentations like college

students. Imagine having to be preoccupied about

these things as well as playing a sport for one’s

college. A major league player just has to do one

thing, and that one thing is to perform well.

As a member of the Women’s Brooklyn Col-

lege Softball Team and as a liberal arts major, I can

attest to the fact that there’s a large psychological fac-

tor in playing a sport at a college level.

When a non-athlete observes a sporting event

such as a tennis match or a basketball game at a higher

level, it is difficult for them to truly appreciate the

physiological and psychological components that are

involved within an athlete performing a sport. Analo-

gous to Chess, an athlete must be two to three steps

literally and figuratively, ahead of their opponent. One

has to anticipate where to throw the ball to them or

how fast the runner is and which base to throw to. It’s

safe to say (pun intended) that athletes are dependent

on their ability to react to a stimulus in a minimal

Volume 2, Issue 1

The Psyche of Being a Bulldog

By: Geena Bell

Lying on the Couch

amount of time (also known as reaction time).

Multitasking is an important element while playing

any sport. An athlete must be cognizant of what is

occurring at all times. Being able to do these things

simultaneously is vital and we have our frontal

lobe, specifically our orbitofrontal cortex to thank

for this.

Playing a sport is of a dual nature, having a

physical aspect (such as eye and hand coordina-

tion) and a psychological (mental) aspect. This

psychological aspect is just as, if not more im-

portant than it’s physical counterpart. Without our

parietal lobe (or “dorsal lobe”) we would have no

sense of sensory perception. Not only would our

judgments be impaired, an athlete would have no

awareness of their bodies. (Not to mention our oc-

cipital lobe, which allows us to see the actual ball!)

One would think that the mindset of an ath-

lete who plays on a team sport can be considered

somewhat different that that of an athlete who

plays an individual sport. Obviously, a more col-

lectivist approach exists within a team sport. Put-

ting on the same uninform as nine other people and

looking as part of a team makes a person feel im-

portant and have a sense of belonging. Not to men-

tion the fact that looking uniform and organized

can be intimidating to the other team. Appearance

plays a major role in athletics as well. Putting on

our uniforms with “Brooklyn” written across our

chest makes one feel proud of their school and

confident. As we know from Gestalt Psychology,

“the whole is greater than its parts.” A team is the

sum of its athletes, be it talent-wise or even person-

ality-wise. Likewise, a team is greater than just

each of its individual players. The strength of one

player is another player’s weakness. Each player

“The mind of an athlete at

the college level is constantly

in motion.”

on a team complements the next.

Although it may sound cliché, we must realize

that as college athletes, scholastics takes priority

over sports (as much as I hate to admit it). Sadly, I

know that my years of competitive fastpitch softball

are winding down. However, the competitive psyche

that I have retained from playing sports has helped me

in various ways. I feel that an athlete learns to be dis-

ciplined and to work hard, and eat right, and knows

that nothing comes easily. “You reap what you sow.”

For a college athlete, practice at 6:30 at night is

something to look forward to after a long day of

school. It’s nice to be able to give one’s “mind” a rest

and just forget about tomorrow's psychology test for

several hours. Don’t forget about those endorphins

too! Adrenaline (epinephrine) is secreted by the adren-

al medulla gland into the bloodstream , making an ath-

lete feel excited as they play.

In psychology, we are often taught about

memory, be it short term or long term memory. In

sports, when an athlete makes a mistake they are en-

couraged to let it go, or shake it off. Of course, making

a mistake that results in giving up the game winning

point, I would say, is a little hard to forget.

The mind of an athlete at the college level (or

higher) is constantly in motion. Being an athlete, play-

ing a sport entails much more than just being physical-

ly fit (although that is tremendously important as

well). I think athletes, especially young college ath-

letes, can learn a great deal from past players such as

Yogi Berra. This Yankee great was a real athlete who

had not only brawn, but brains as well.

In September of 2012, Brooklyn College

opened their new athletic field. Come watch your

Brooklyn Bulldogs compete on their brand new field!

See you there!

GO BULLDOGS!!

Lying on the Couch

By: Joey Bukai

Introduction:

Alcohol addiction is a chronic disorder

characterized by the recurrent, uncontrollable con-

sumption of alcohol, development of tolerance,

symptoms of withdrawal, and relapse after periods

of withdrawal. Withdrawal from chronic and ex-

cessive alcohol consumption in humans is marked

by physical symptoms that include sweating, in-

creased heart rate, tremors, and fever, as well as by

emotional symptoms, including anxiety and de-

pression. Most symptoms are caused by an in-

creased presence of excitatory Glutamate neuro-

transmitters in the brain. The increased presence of

these excitatory neurotransmitters causes sensitivi-

ty in neurons relative to GABA neurotransmitters,

which inhibit the firing of neurons. The brain pro-

duces more Glutamate during alcohol withdrawal

in an effort to lessen the inhibitory effect of GABA

neurotransmitters, an effect consistently enhanced

during chronic alcohol consumption.

Rogers et al (1979) have utilized animal

models to more closely examine the negative ef-

fects associated with alcohol withdrawal. Findings

reveal that discontinuing exposure to addictive al-

cohol vapor causes elevations in brain-reward

thresholds in a discrete-trial intracranial self-

stimulation conducted on rats. In Intracranial self-

stimulation (ICSS), electrodes are implanted into

or near the nucleus accumbens, the area of the

brain responsible for initiating feelings of pleasure.

The rats in the study were able to activate the elec-

trodes through operation of an apparatus. The ap-

proximate number of Microamperes required to

induce responses which activate the electrodes is

called the brain-reward threshold. Elevations in the

brain-reward-threshold indicate a deficit in brain-

reward function. This deficit can be attributed to the

chronic stimulation of Dopamine receptors in the

brain activated by alcohol, known for producing feel-

ings of euphoria, as the brain develops a tolerance to

stimulation of the receptors.

The aforementioned study, however, only pro-

vides information about rats exposed to a vapor diet

of alcohol, and this study sought to examine the ef-

fects of withdrawal from a chronic liquid alcohol diet

on brain-reward function. Beside the neurobiological

effects illustrated, the emotional symptoms of with-

drawal have been shown to persist for as long as 10

years. Therefore the current study also sought to in-

vestigate this effect in rats exposed to a liquid alcohol

diet.

Materials and Methods:

Male Winstar rats were used in this experi-

ment in accordance with the NIH guidelines regarding

the principles of animal care. They were pair-matched

by weight to control for differences in weight, and

The Effects of Alcohol Withdrawal on Brain-Reward Function and

Anxiety-Like Behavior in Rats

Daria Rylkova, Hina P. Shah, Elysia Small and Adrie W. Bruinzeel

Lying on the Couch

were fed equal amounts of calories whether they

were on the alcohol or the control diet in order to

control for variations in calorie consumption.

Brain-reward thresholds were tested for in

the experiment through the discrete-trial ICSS

threshold procedure. The procedure consisted of a

series of stimulations of varying current intensities

that were issued to test for responses by rats to re-

activate similar shocks. Thresholds for the proce-

dure were defined as the current intensity at which

the rat responded approximately 50% of the time.

Above this threshold intensity the rat would re-

spond and reactivate the stimulus more frequently,

and below it the rat would respond less frequently.

Response latencies were defined as the amount of

time it took a rat to respond, when it did.

The emotional symptoms of alcohol with-

drawal as exhibited by anxiety were examined us-

ing an elevated plus maze, an apparatus that con-

sisted of 4 “arms” produced by intersecting two

platforms just wide enough for a rat to walk on.

Two arms were walled and two arms were “open”.

The tested rat would be placed in the center, and

the number of entries - along with length of stay -

were recorded. “Anxious” rats would spend less

time on the open arms because rats feel more com-

fortable in walled spaces while less anxious rats

would stay longer.

In the first experiment, after all the rats

were trained on the ICSS procedure, the control

rats received the liquid control diet for 12 weeks

and the alcohol rats were gradually introduced to a

liquid alcohol diet of 6.2% (v/v) for the same

amount of time. However, at the end of weeks 3, 4,

5, and 12, all of the rats were put on the control diet

and ICSS thresholds with response latencies were as-

sessed. All rats were then tested on the ICSS proce-

dure again after the 12 week diet and response laten-

cies were recorded.

In the second experiment, the liquid diets were

maintained the same way, but there were no with-

drawal periods during the 12 weeks. Additionally,

ICSS thresholds and response latencies were tested

for after the 12 weeks from 6-72 hours when all rats

were on the control diet. All rats were tested in the

elevated plus maze during this period.

In the third experiment, the control rats re-

ceived the liquid control diet for 12 weeks and the

alcohol rats were gradually introduced to a liquid al-

cohol diet of 10.0% (v/v) for the same amount of

time. ICSS thresholds and response latencies were

assessed throughout the 12 weeks in order to monitor

changes in brain-reward function, and also after the

weeks from 6-72 hours when all rats were on the con-

trol diet. All rats were tested in the elevated plus maze

during this period. In order to investigate the effects

of history of alcohol addiction on the sensitivity to a

stressor, half of each group of rats was confined to a

small container and half wasn’t. After the restraint

stress was administered, all rats were tested in the ele-

vated plus maze. Following the elevated plus maze

tests, the alcohol liquid diet was reintroduced for

eight more weeks, after which it was withdrawn and

ICSS thresholds with response latencies were as-

sessed.

Results:

Experiment 1:

The first figure illustrates the average ICSS thresholds

for both the alcohol group and the control group.

. “Withdrawal from chronic and excessive alcohol consumption in humans is

marked by physical symptoms that include sweating, increased heart rate, tremors,

and fever, as well as by emotional symptoms, including anxiety and depression.”

These thresholds, as the title indicates, mark the

“baseline” from which the brain-reward function of

the rats was examined in the following ICSS tests.

Elevated ICSS thresholds are indicative of de-

creased brain-reward function, as higher current

intensities are required to activate the reward path-

way in the rats’ brains in a pleasurable manner. In

this figure, it is apparent that the introduction of

liquid diets caused a slight but significant increase

in brain-reward thresholds. Overall, however, there

was no significant difference between the thresh-

olds of the two groups.

The second figure illustrates that there was

no significant difference between the response la-

tencies of the 2 groups as well. The third & fourth

figures respectively show after the withdrawal pe-

riod that brain-reward thresholds weren’t even

slightly different except for the last withdrawal pe-

riod and that response latencies remained similar.

Experiment #2:

The first figure shows that 12 hours after

withdrawal from the 12 weeks sustained liquid al-

cohol diet (6.2%), brain-reward thresholds of the

alcohol rats were nearly 20% higher than they were

the day before, as opposed to the control rats

whose thresholds stayed the same. This effect how-

ever, lessened with time. The second figures

demonstrates no difference in latencies (in %).

Experiment #3:

The first figure of this experiment depicts

the descent of brain reward-thresholds over the 12

week liquid diet (10.0%) period, yet shows that the

alcohol rats had significantly higher thresholds rel-

ative to the control rats. The second figure illus-

trates a similar trend with the response latencies.

The third and fourth figures respectively show that

reward thresholds and response latencies for the

alcohol rats were nearly 30% than those of the con-

trol rats. It is also apparent that the effect lasted

longer than it did in the first experiment. The fifth

histogram depicts the percentage of open arm entries,

time spent there, and number of unprotected/protected

head dips during the elevated plus maze test. The al-

cohol rats had a significantly lower percentage of all

The first figure illustrates the average ICSS thresholds for both the alcohol group and the control group. These thresholds, as the title indicates, mark the “baseline” from which the brain-reward function of the rats was examined in the following ICSS tests. Elevated ICSS thresholds are indicative of decreased brain-reward function, as higher current intensities are required to activate the reward pathway in the

rats’ brains in a pleasurable manner. In this figure, it is apparent that the introduction of liquid diets caused a slight but significant increase in brain-

reward thresholds Overall, however, there was no significant difference between the thresholds of the

Volume 2, Issue 1

Lying on the Couch

variables, especially when exposed to restraint

stress as illustrated in the sixth histogram. The fi-

nal figure shows an extreme, 40% difference be-

tween the thresholds of the alcohol rats after the 20

weeks of 10.0 % alcohol diet and a smaller differ-

ence when it came to response latencies.

Discussion:

The aim of the three experiments was to

investigate the effect of alcohol concentration in a

liquid diet and its duration of exposure on brain-

reward function and anxiety-like behavior. It was

found that withdrawal from the alcohol diets

caused a deficit in brain-reward function. Yet, this

result was present in relation to alcohol concentra-

tion and duration of administration. It is also wor-

thy to note that continual withdrawals may potenti-

ate anxiety-like behavior as demonstrated by Over-

street and colleagues, but apparently not in brain-

reward function as evidenced by figure three of the

first experiment.

In the first experiment, the alcohol group rats

were ultimately exposed to an intermittent 6.2% alco-

hol diet, and their ICSS thresholds were only margin-

ally (<10%) higher after the last withdrawal period,

indicating that a deficit in brain-reward function starts

to become apparent after prolonged exposure to an

alcohol liquid diet.

In the second experiment, the alcohol rats

were fed the same diet, but this time consistently for

the full 12-week period. As a result, the alcohol-fed

rats displayed a nearly twofold increase (<19%) in

percent elevation of brain-reward thresholds over the

control group 12 hours after withdrawal. However,

this deficit in brain-reward function almost disap-

peared over the following days, which suggests that

even with prolonged exposure to alcohol, brain-

The second figure illustrates that there was no significant difference between the re-

sponse latencies of the 2 groups as well.

The third & fourth figures respectively show after the withdrawal peri-

od that brain-reward thresholds weren’t even slightly different except for the

last withdrawal period and that response latencies remained similar.

Volume 2, Issue 1

1. The first figure shows that 12 hours after

withdrawal from the 12 weeks sustained

liquid alcohol diet (6.2%), brain-reward

thresholds of the alcohol rats were nearly

20% higher than they were the day be-

fore, as opposed to the control rats whose

thresholds stayed the same. This effect

however, lessened with time.

2. The second figures demonstrates no dif-

ference in latencies (in %).

The first figure of this experiment depicts the de-

scent of brain reward-thresholds over the 12

week liquid diet (10.0%) period, yet shows that

the alcohol rats had significantly higher thresh-

olds relative to the control.

The second figure illustrates a similar trend with

the response latencies.

The fifth histogram depicts the percentage of open arm entries, time spent there, and num-ber of unprotected/protected head dips during the elevated plus maze test. The alcohol rats had a significant-ly lower percentage of all variables, especially when exposed to restraint stress as illustrated in the sixth histo-gram.

Figure 6

The third and fourth figures respectively show that reward thresholds and response latencies for the alcohol rats

were nearly 30% than those of the control rats. It is also apparent that the effect lasted longer than it did in the first

experiment.

Volume 2, Issue 1

Lying on the Couch

reward function returns to normalcy over a short

amount of time. Response latencies and anxiety

levels were measured, but no real differences be-

tween the groups were observed.

The third experiment sought to examine the

effect of alcohol concentration on brain-reward

deficit through the administration of a 10.0% alco-

hol liquid diet, and it was found that severe deficits

developed in the alcohol-fed rats as opposed to the

control rats (Figure 1 in Exp. 3). Also, the differ-

ence between the two groups became markedly

steeper the longer the diet lasted, with the alcohol

rats exhibiting thresholds nearly 30% higher than

the control rats after 12 weeks, and almost 40%

higher after 20. These two findings indicate that

both duration of exposure and concentration of al-

cohol content in a liquid diet contribute to deficits

in brain-reward function, which can be explained

due to the constant and excessive stimulation of

Dopamine receptors in the brain. The alcohol rats

also displayed increased anxiety-lie behavior, and

even after they were withdrawn from the alcohol

diet for a while, showed increased sensitivity to

stressors. This can be explained by brain memory

which links stress to addiction in order to maintain

the addiction. Lastly, although the response laten-

cies did change markedly in the third experiment,

they weren’t related to reward thresholds, as some-

times thresholds were elevated while latencies were

not. The elevated latencies might also be due to the

sedative effects of constant alcohol consumption.

Conclusion:

The findings indicate that withdrawal from

prolonged exposure to an increased concentration of

10.0% (v/v) alcohol in a liquid diet leads to signifi-

cant deficit in brain-reward function, and immediate

and protracted anxiety-like behavior in rats. When the

concentration was lower (6.2%), the deficit in reward

was less pronounced and anxiety was barely in-

creased.

Works Cited:

Adrie Bruijnzeel, et al. "Deficit In Brain Reward Function And Acute And Protracted Anxiety-Like Behavior After Discontinuation Of A Chronic Alcohol Liquid Diet In Rats." Psychopharmacology 203.3

(2009): 629-640. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 May 2013.

Overstreet, David H., Darin J. Knapp, and George R. Breese. "Pharmacological Modulation Of Repeated Ethanol Withdrawal-Induced Anxiety-Like Behavior Differs In Alcohol-Preferring P And Sprague–Dawley Rats." Pharmacology, Biochemistry & Behavior 81.1

(2005): 122-130. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 May 2013.

Rogers J, Wiener SG, Bloom FE (1979) Long-term ethanol ad-

ministration methods for rats: advantages of inhalation over intu-

bation or liquid diets. Behav Neural Biol 27:466–486

Introductory Thoughts: For those of you who are interested in a ca-

reer in psychology, the following brief overview

might be helpful. It’s heavily based on Professor

Miles’ bi-annual talk on graduate school options,

but I’ve noticed that even people who attended the

talk are still in need of clarification concerning the

graduate application process.

There are two aspects to the

field of psychology: research and appli-

cation. Put differently, it’s both the pro-

gressive research and the clinical aspect

of applying that research to patient care,

which constitutes the discipline. Within

the research domain, the topics of re-

search are extensive and varied. Some

that come to mind are creativity, cogni-

tion, behavior, emotion, memory, pathology, per-

ception, and many more. If you’re interested in the

research aspect, you would be spending your career

in a lab, generating and testing hypotheses. The

clinical component has many options as well; you

can work in a hospital, prison, school, or in a pri-

vate practice. Some graduate programs focus exclu-

sively on one aspect and some on both, to varying

degrees.

A Breakdown of the Broad Categories of Schooling Available:

What follows is a spectrum of programs

ranging from pure research to pure clinical work:

PhD Programs

PhD Programs are research-based and mul-

tifaceted. PhD students are expected to work in a

research lab, doing their own independent projects

that culminate in a dissertation which is presented

to a board. Only after

properly defending one’s dissertation can a student

“graduate” a PhD program. PhD programs also in-

clude a clinical component, but to varying degrees.

Some are equally focused on both research and pa-

tient care, but others hardly focus on the latter at

all. If you’re interested in attending a PhD pro-

gram, you will need to do a lot of research to find

the one that’s best for you. These pro-

grams typically take between 6 and 7

years to complete. Upon completion,

you are a Doctor of Psychology.

This does not mean that you are

a licensed psychologist who can see pa-

tients; it means you are qualified to con-

duct research. In order to become a psy-

chologist who can own a private prac-

tice, you would have to sit for the licens-

ing exam. If you passed, you would then be a psy-

chologist and a researcher. People often do not re-

alize that these are two entirely separate things.

So, what if you want to sit for the licensing

exam, but are not interested in the research aspect

at all. Can you just take the exam?

The simple answer is, no. The test is only

administered to those who are deemed to have had

adequate exposure to and possess knowledge of

practical psychology. So what can you do to quali-

fy and prepare yourself for the exam without hav-

ing to get a PhD? Fear not, for you have many op-

tions!

.PsyD Programs

The PsyD program was created to put a

stronger emphasis on clinical work than most PhD

programs have. To this end, PsyD programs are

shorter than PhD programs (only 5 years) and are

Lying on the Couch

Choosing a Graduate School By: Sara Babad

heavily research-based, although there is some re-

search component. You are required to do an exten-

sive amount of supervised clinical work, but you do

not need to defend a dissertation on original re-

search if you get a PsyD. Additionally, you can sit

for the licensing exam and become a licensed psy-

chologist. If you’re interested in working with peo-

ple and not research, this is an excellent option. You

won’t get to have the title of doctor, but that’s the

only difference between PhD and PsyD when it

comes to being a psychologist. This option does in-

clude some research, so if you absolutely hate the

idea of research, read on because there are options

for you too!

MHC Programs

A Masters in Mental Health Counseling

(MHC) is a 2 year (roughly 60 credits) program that

focuses only on clinical work. You graduate with a

Masters in Mental Health Counseling, but are then

required to do 1-2 years of supervised work. After

that, you can prepare for the licensing exam that

would allow you to be a clinician who can own a

private practice and see patients. Clinically, there is

nothing a PhD or PsyD can do that a MHC can’t.

The drawback to this program is that you are not a

doctor of psychology. Also, you are not as well

trained to work with severely pathological popula-

tions as you would be if you were in a PsyD or PhD

program. Instead, you would mostly work with pa-

tients who have anxiety or depression.

MSW Programs

The third option for those interested in a ca-

reer in psychology is to become a licensed Social

Worker (LSW). It is comprised of a 2 year (45 cred-

its) Masters program, plus 1 year of supervised

work. After completion of courses, you sit for an

exam and can become a licensed social worker.

These programs are much easier to get into that

PhD, PsyD, or MHC programs. The drawbacks to

this kind of program are that you’re not a doctor, and

you aren’t going to be working with people who have

serious mental disorders. You will probably not even

be working with people with anxiety and depression.

You would be a caseworker dealing mostly with so-

cial issues, like foster care, adoption, and poverty.

However, this is only a technicality. If you’re very

good at what you do, people won’t really notice the

alphabet soup after your name (but don’t quote me on

that).

Concluding Thoughts: I hope this has been helpful in informing you

of your options. I’m an undergraduate student just

like you and therefore don’t know everything, but

this information has been helpful to me. It’s not all

there is to know though, so be sure to do more re-

search of your own.

There’s just one thing you need to keep in

mind. Before you start applying to graduate schools,

be it one with masters, PsyD, PhD, or social work

programs, it’s important to know what you are look-

ing to do after graduate school. Students often forget

that graduate school is only a means to an end, not an

end unto itself. The goal of graduate school is not to

be in graduate school for the rest of your life. The

goal is to prepare yourself for a career that will inter-

est and excite you. When you’re looking into pro-

grams, you need to ask yourself what you want to do

and if that particular program will help get you there.

To conclude, it’s important to consider where you

want to go after graduate school before you even ap-

ply.

—————————————————————

Special thanks to Professor Miles for her bi-annual

discussion on graduate school options and to Profes-

sor Hainline for her guidance.

Volume 2, Issue 1

Hello, my name is Samuel Salamon. I’m a

first-time contributor to Lying on the Couch, and a

long time (in student years) affiliate of our beloved

Brooklyn College. I graduated from Brooklyn Col-

lege in the February of 2013, with a Bachelor of Arts

in psychology. I have gone through the trials and

tribulations that are specially afforded to us students,

with the aim of attaining a doctoral degree in clinical

psychology. Now that I am closer to the end of the

application process, I have decided to reflect on the

admissions process as a whole in an effort to better

guide those who wish to pursue this particular spe-

cialization in the near future.

Before delving into the details of the process,

it is important to reflect on several important mat-

ters: 1) Do you really want to pursue a doctoral de-

gree in clinical psychology? I know that sounds

basic and trivial, but I think everyone would benefit

from giving a matter of such magnitude the courtesy

of serious thought. 2) Okay, so you want to pursue a

doctoral degree in psychology, but which sort of de-

gree is best suited for you? Are you strictly interest-

ed in applied clinical psychology, in which case a

PsyD may be more fitting? Or perhaps you are inter-

ested in both the research and applied components of

clinical psychology, in which

case the PhD route may be your best option? This

question too is important to reflect upon. 3) Lastly,

do you know which areas of practice and/or re-

search you are interested in pursuing? While this

question may be less pressing than the previous

two, it nonetheless needs to be determined before

the application process begins (for reasons that will

be specified later).

Okay, it’s time to take a breather. I perfectly

understand what it’s like to face these questions

head-on, and I also know of the anxiety that may

follow from the mere thought of these questions

alone. Hang in there. You’ll be fine.

Are you ready?

Let’s continue. Assuming that you are now

settled in which type of clinical program you would

like to attend (if any), you now have to consider the

supplementary materials that are necessary to have

on-hand for the application process. First and fore-

most, you must set aside for yourself a sizable

amount of time to study for the GRE general test,

and if applicable, the subject test as well (testing

requirements vary from program to program, so be

sure to ascertain this information as soon as you

know which programs you are interested in attend-

ing). The GRE’s should not be taken lightly, so

please plan accordingly.

The next annoyance that is critical to the ap-

plication process is the crafting of a well thought-

out and refined personal statement. One of the de-

tails that is not very well known before constructing

a personal statement is the necessity to research the

faculty profiles of the faculty members of the pro-

gram you would like to attend. This is especially

important when applying to PhD programs, as most

of them function on a mentorship model with a fac-

Lying on the Couch

So You Want to Be a Clinical Researcher/Psychologist? By: Samuel Salamon

ulty member who has similar clinical interests (PsyD

programs are far less oriented toward mentorship

models of training, so this bit is not very important if

that is your chosen route). It is also a prospective stu-

dent pro-tip to contact faculty members via email di-

rectly before writing your personal statement. This

way, you can determine as to whether your desired

mentor is accepting any students for your incoming

semester (again, a point more relevant for PhD pro-

grams than PsyD programs). If a professor that you

would like to work with is accepting students, then

be sure mention their names in your personal state-

ment. However, if it so happens that there are no fac-

ulty members who share your interests (or if there

are, but they are not accepting new students), then

you may want to seriously consider looking into oth-

er programs.

The final annoyance is finding three profes-

sors/research advisors/clinical supervisors to write

letters of recommendation for you. This should be

done as soon as possible, since the last thing you

want is a pissed-off professor who is pressed for time

to write a letter of recommendation on your behalf.

Be cordial. Provide your recommenders with all the

proper materials they may need, such as pre-

addressed envelopes (if the institution you are apply-

ing to still requires physical submissions, **cough**,

Yeshiva University), your CV, and even an unofficial

copy of your transcript(s). Also, be sure that the per-

sons you choose to request these letters from know

you in a relatively personal capacity, and can attest to

your ability to become a good clinician, researcher,

or both (program pending).

Okay, now for the easy (-ier) stuff. The final

component of the application process is to always

keep on top of your transcripts, online applications

(don’t forget your usernames and passwords!), and

GRE scores. Unfortunately, sending transcripts and

GRE scores can be costly, especially on top of appli-

cation fees. But alas, this is a necessary evil … or so

we’re told. This pretty much summarizes a large por-

tion of the process, but be sure to be wary of the

quirky requirements of some programs. On occasion,

you will encounter a program that requires infor-

mation or materials that aren’t required by others,

such as the need for two transcripts from every at-

tended institution (I don’t really understand this poli-

cy – perhaps they anticipate losing at least one copy

somewhere down the line), or the submission of other

program-specific documentation.

I do hope that this article serves to help my

fellow aspiring researchers and clinicians. If you

have any questions, or are interested in a template for

a CV, please feel free to contact me at:

[email protected]

_______________________________________ Sources:

Kaplan. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. <http://gre.kaptest.com/2013/09/27/ gre

-social-media-round-up-what-you-might-be-missing/>.

Lying on the Couch

“One of the details that is not very well

known before constructing a personal

statement is the necessity to research the

faculty profiles of the faculty members of

the program you would like to attend. “

How did you prepare for graduate school? (Internships, volunteering, ex-aminations, etc.)

I took a fairly atypical path to Psychology

graduate school. My background, at first, was not in

Psychology, but rather in International Studies and

Public Relations. After working in the communica-

tions industry for three years, I came to the graduate

application process lacking the appropriate qualifica-

tions for the PhD programs of my choice. So, I en-

rolled in the necessary pre-requisites for the Masters

in Experimental Psychology program at Brooklyn

College. While I would caution anyone against jump-

ing into a Master’s degree just for the sake of staying

in school, I made the program work for me. The key

was to use the two-year period to update my GPA,

build relationships (read: recommendations) with

professors, refocus myself academically, and get re-

search experience, which is utterly necessary for

most PhD programs. Without having research experi-

ence your application is lightweight—traditional PhD

training is research training, so they want to know

that you at least know what it is you are getting your-

self into before they offer you free schooling and a

stipend for five years.

Reaching out to possible advisors and profes-

sors cannot be underestimated. Most of the time,

when you apply to PhD programs you are actually

applying to work with a professor who will serve as

your advisor. Having been told this fact, I reached

out via emails to the professors with whom I wanted

to work, asking them about their research, possible

future work, and whether or not they were actually

accepting graduate students for the year in which I

was applying. Their responses were helpful. I found

out that two professors were going on sabbatical that

year and that one already had his maximum of grad-

uate students. Knowing this information meant that I

could update my expectations about being accepted

into those programs: the professors you apply to lob-

by to get students when the acceptance committees

meet, so if they are away on sabbatical or have never

heard of you your chances of being considered grow

dimmer.

I also learned a few more pragmatic lessons

from my experience. First, I applied to too few

schools—only six—and was fortunate to gain admit-

tance to one of them; do not make my mistake. Sec-

ond, I found out how expensive the process was. Ap-

plications average around $75, and sending out 12-

15 of them plus transcripts, GREs, and visiting cam-

puses meant that the entire process could cost sever-

al thousand dollars. I have known people to take out

loans to afford this process; this is a steep initial in-

vestment so it is crucial to do it right the first time.

What is graduate school like? Graduate school is different for different peo-

ple, and I can only really speak about the experi-

mental PhD route; but on the whole, graduate school

requires you to manage yourself. Without a doubt

Lying on the Couch

Interview with a Graduate Student: Kevonte M. Mitchell in the

Doctoral Program: Cognition, Brain and Behavior at

The Graduate Center - CUNY By: Irena Pergjika

The CUNY Graduate Center is located at 365 Fifth Av-

enue, between 34th and 35th Streets.

Lying on the Couch

advisors will vary, some are more overbearing, while

some more lax. But the work only gets done when

you do it, and unlike many 9-5 jobs, you really do not

have a manager hovering over you. So you could find

yourself wasting a whole semester without achieving

anything of substance if you are not vigilant.

There are three main components of a re-

search graduate program: academics, research, and

teaching. The academic part involves taking the re-

quired program courses. This part is challenging as

good graduate courses demand different skills from

those you may have thought were important in under-

grad. In undergrad many students drive themselves

insane devising ways to memorize facts and beat

tests and exams in a way that guarantees the holy

“A.” Good graduate programs are not about memo-

rizing facts, but about getting you to become a criti-

cal thinker. In science, that means understanding that

there are no right answers, only well-supported and

less-supported ideas. Learning how to think about the

world as a bundle of questions with uncertain an-

swers gets you in the correct mindset to be a scientist.

Graduate school course content matters for technical

classes such as statistics, but it is the practice in criti-

cal thinking that matters for all other classes. That is

to say, you will not learn how to be a cognitive psy-

chologist from a graduate Cognitive Psychology

course. You must do that on your own. That course

will, however, give you the opportunity to practice

your critical thinking skills using the topics of cogni-

tive psychology. The implication is nuanced, but in-

structive.

A passed down saying among professors is:

My advisor in grad school told me that if I was mak-

ing straight “A’s,” then I wasn’t doing enough re-

search. This saying illustrates the break from under-

graduate’s fixation on GPA and the graduate school

focus on research skills. Academic research training

sets the PhD apart from other degrees and is the foun-

dation of traditional programs. That means, in the

words of my advisor, if you did not do any research

this week, then what did you do?

Here is a hint, there is no acceptable answer;

you should always be doing research. Whether you

are improving your scholarly skills by reading fifty

papers in a topic, improving your writing skills by

typing up the method section of a possible publica-

tion, or brainstorming experiments for a theory that

you would like to test, you need to always be doing

research. Research gives you results. Results give

you something to interpret. Interpretations lead to

publications. Publications are the currency of aca-

demia..

However, an often overlooked and unappreci-

ated part of graduate school is teaching. My opinion

on the subject may jibe with others, but I find the

pedagogy aspect of graduate school as central to be-

ing a proper scholar. Different programs offer differ-

ent teaching requirements, but I suggest that every-

one experience teaching. Understanding how others

understand can not only teach you about yourself, but

can also contribute to the quality of intellectual de-

bate in any community. Doing research in your own

little corner of the world is nice, but if that

knowledge is not passed on to the next generations,

then it has done little to advance mankind. But do not

have any illusions about it, teaching is difficult, a lot

of work, and you will most likely be awful at it when

you start.

In the end, graduate school becomes a balance

between checking the administrative boxes (i.e., re-

quired courses, minimum GPA, theses), actually

learning how to do good science and maintaining the

“Learning how to think about the world as a bundle of questions with

uncertain answers gets you in the correct mindset to be a scientist.”

pedagogical practice that built the higher learning

system.

What are your goals after your com-pletion of graduate school?

My professional goals after competing grad-

uate school are typical: gain employment using the

skills that I have acquired and making a difference

in both the academic and public communities.

Do you have any advice to pass on to undergraduate students? My advice would be to always keep in mind

the reality of life after graduate school. Graduate

school is not an end unto itself. It is training in skills

that are central to a few career paths. Getting a PhD

just so that you can call yourself a doctor, or simply

to avoid the workforce may turn out to be an expen-

sive decision. Getting a PhD usually means that you

have aims to join a specific work sector: academia

or research. If you are not interested in becoming a

professor or a full-time researcher, then you should

reconsider the PhD route. If you want to do psycho-

therapy, then understand that there are other, less

expensive and quicker routes to that practice. The

costs of obtaining a PhD should not be overlooked.

Most experimental PhD programs are covered by

your fellowship, but limited funds at public univer-

sities may mean that you are forced to take out

loans to supplement your stipend and maintain your

lifestyle. There are also opportunity costs. The five

to seven year period you spend attaining a PhD

means that many years fewer of professional-world

experience, earnings, and savings. You may very

well find yourself emerging from your program in

your mid- to late-twenties with increased education-

al debt, little savings, and no professional industry

experience.

Volume 2, Issue 1

This point about earnings flows directly into

another pragmatic point: keep in mind the difficulty

of making a PhD “pay off.” If you want to be a pro-

fessor, you should know that post-doctorate experi-

ence is usually required and that full-time professor

positions are in short supply. A post-doc is employ-

ment that you arrange after you have received your

PhD. These arrangements are contractual. They may

last for one year or just a few. The pay is competi-

tive with some mid-level jobs in industry and they

may provide health insurance, but they do not pay

into retirement plans. Key to understanding the func-

tion of the post-doc is knowing why most graduate

students need to do it—they do not have enough re-

search publications or experience to warrant a full-

time professorship. Some new graduates spend two

years at post-docs and then secure a position, others

may spend up to ten years hopping around between

contracts. Another common path to becoming a pro-

fessor is through adjunct work. Out of 1.5 million

higher education faculty in the United States, 1 mil-

lion of them are adjuncts. Adjuncts, as opposed to

full-time professors, are employed under short-term

contracts, usually with no retirement benefits and no

employer healthcare. These positions are teaching

posts where you may find that the work load makes it

difficult to do enough research to get enough publi-

cations to look competitive for full-time professor-

ships.

I do not want to sound bleak, but it is im-

portant that those considering graduate school—

especially a PhD—to do so with a clearer under-

standing of the decision they undertake.

_________________________________________

Sources:

Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

File:Graduate_Center,_June_2013.jpg>.

“Understanding how others understand can not only teach you about yourself,

but can also contribute to the quality of intellectual debate in any community.”

Lying on the Couch

Patient Description: Right handed; 55 year old

man; overweight; history of smoking; no regular

exercise.

Case History: Following a major snow storm, pa-

tient was shoveling his driveway while alone at

home on a Saturday morning. After an hour of

shoveling, he felt light-headed and fell to the

ground. The patient then stood up and walked to-

wards his house. His right leg was weak and he

had a difficult time walking. He realized that he

could not control his right leg or his right arm. The

patient made his way into the house, looked down,

and realized he was still gripping the shovel with

his right hand. The patient could not release the

shovel. He pulled the shovel out of his right hand

with his left hand, which he could control.

The patient fell to the ground again, and

then crawled to the bathroom. He lay on the floor

until his high school age son came home. He

could look up at his son, but he could not speak.

His son called for an ambulance and the patient

was taken to the hospital.

What neurological condition caused the problem?

What areas of his brain were affected and which

were not affected?

Hints:

- problems with right side of his body

- tried to move (conscious intention) but couldn't

voluntarily control movement

- still had strong grip strength with right hand

- couldn't talk

Answer:

Neurological condition: Stroke (reduced

blood supply to brain area, resulted in neural damage,

resulted in sudden onset of symptoms)

Affected brain areas:

- frontal lobe (execution and control of voluntary

movements).

- left side of brain (problems with right side of body,

problems with speech production)

- primary motor cortex not affected (still able to send

signals to hand to grip shovel)

- damage to the Supplementary Motor Area which

disrupts processing for internally generated move-

ment, and sequences of movements.

- Disrupted system for initiation of voluntary move-

ment: signals to striatum (caudate nucleus and puta-

men), to globus pallidus, to ventral lateral nucleus pars

oralis of thalamus (VLo), and back to frontal lobe.

To learn more about neuropsychology, take Human

Neuropsychology (PSYC 3680)

A Neuropsychological Case Study: Test your Diagnostic Skills

“What neurological condition

caused the problem?”

Lying on the Couch

Diagnose a TV Character: Michael Scott from The Office By: Zaki Akam

Many of us know Steve Carrel as the one

and only Michael Scott of the television show,

“The Office.” In the show, Michael is the Regional

Manager at the Scranton Branch of a paper distri-

bution company called Dunder Mifflin. Michael

Scott comes from a childhood defined by loneli-

ness, exemplified at one point when he tells his ex-

lover’s child that she will be able to live without a

father figure because he did so as a child. At the

end of his stint on the show, Scott proposes to Hol-

ly Flax, a co-worker. His blend of bounce and spir-

it makes him one of the most entertaining and in-

teresting characters to follow on television. Yet,

what most people do not consider is the possibility

that Michael Scott suffers from an Axis II diagno-

sis of Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical

Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR), Narcis-

sistic Personality Disorder is characterized by a re-

peated pattern of grandiosity in fantasy or in behavior,

a constant need for appreciation, and a lack of empa-

thy that has its onset early in adulthood and is present

in various contexts.

More specifically, to be diagnosed with Nar-

cissistic Personality Disorder, a person must exhibit

five or more of the following symptoms:

1) A grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g. exag-

gerates achievements and talents or expects to be

recognized as superior without commensurate

achievements).

2) Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success,

power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love.

3) A belief that he or she is “special” or unique and

can only be understood by, or should only associ-

ate with, other special or high-status people (or

institutions).

4) A need for excessive admiration.

5) A sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expecta-

tions of especially favorable treatment or automat-

ic compliance with his or her expectations.

6) Interpersonal exploitation (e.g. when one takes

advantage of others to achieve his or her own

ends).

7) A lack of empathy, i.e., the unwillingness to rec-

ognize or identify with the feelings and needs of

others.

“...what most people do not consider is the

possibility that Michael Scott suffers from an Axis

II diagnosis of Narcissistic Personality Disorder.”

Lying on the Couch

8) An envy of others or the belief that others are

envious of him or her.

9) Arrogant or haughty behavior.

Examining these criteria closely, it is not

hard to see that the case of Michael Scott meets at

least five of these symptoms. His grandiose per-

sonality is made explicit in everything from his

“World’s Best Boss” coffee mug to his general

manner around the office. Further, it is not difficult

to see Michael Scott persistently caught up in

thoughts of fantasy - whether they are about suc-

cess or having a perfect love for whomever his

love interest is at that time, most notably Holly

whom he leaves the show with. Next, Michael

Scott always looks for uncalled admiration from

others. A great example is when Angela’s cat,

Sprinkles, passes away and Scott pretends to cry

just to divert the office’s attention away from her

and towards him.

This example of behavior exhibits two ad-

ditional criteria. Scott pretends to cry to attract at-

tention to himself primarily because he cannot feel

others’ pain, or in other words, he lacks empathy. At

the same time, he makes it seem as if he is empathetic

towards Angela, thus displaying interpersonal exploi-

tation. Since the description of Narcissistic Personali-

ty Disorder is so relevant to him, Michael Scott may

be a candidate for the diagnosis of this Axis II disor-

der.

Relative to Axis I, which lists clinical disor-

ders rather than personality disorders or intellectual

disabilities as in Axis II, Michael Scott would be di-

agnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disor-

der. This disorder is characterized by his impulsive

inattention to detail, difficulty organizing tasks, for-

getfulness, careless blundering, and frequent distrac-

tion by external cues. Based on Axis II, however,

Narcissistic Personality Disorder would be diagnosed,

as described earlier. Relative to Axis III, Michael

Scott does not have any apparent medical conditions

that are potentially relevant. When it comes to Axis

IV, which lists environmental factors, stresses relating

to work with co-workers, such as Dwight, and the

stress of turning out successful earning reports to the

CEO are sometimes evident. Additionally, relation-

ship stress is apparent, such as when Scott has to do a

testimony for Jan, his boss. Looking at Axis V, Mi-

chael Scott’s Global Assessment of Functioning rat-

ing would be high, possibly around 85-90 out of 100,

since his everyday functioning is still relatively good.

—————————————————————--

Image References:

http://www.supercoloring.com/wp-content/main/2010_04/

looking-in-the-mirror-coloring-page.jpg

http://www-deadline-com.vimg.net/wp-content/

uploads/2011/08/steve-carell110825211915-275x275.jpg

“Scott pretends to cry to attract attention to himself primarily because he

cannot feel others’ pain, or in other words, lacks empathy.”

Lying on the Couch

The film A Beautiful Mind (2001) is

a drama portraying the life of the American mathe-

matical genius, John Nash Junior, who was born in

1938. The film is loosely based on his biography

and focuses on John’s mathematical genius togeth-

er with his schizophrenia. At the start, John’s

struggles to come up with a truly original idea lead

him to discover many concepts regarding game

theory, or strategic decision making, as well as no-

tions involving other mathematical disciplines.

Later in his life, a chance code-breaking opportuni-

ty from the government engenders a developing

madness in John, leading him to become obsessive,

paranoid, and ultimately schizophrenic. The film

touches on John’s struggle to maintain dignity and

a sound logical mind throughout the battle with his

degenerative mental illness. His efforts are later

recognized when he wins the 1994 Nobel Memori-

al Prize in Economic Sciences.

The film begins as John, played by Russell

Crowe, attends a reception where it is revealed that

he is one of the two students who have won a pres-

tigious scholarship to Princeton University. At the re-

ception, he meets many fellow students, two of whom

are Martin Hansen (who also won the scholarship) and

Richard Sol. John later goes to his room and makes

acquaintance with his eccentric roommate, Charles

Herman.

John’s problems begin when he becomes

stressed over publishing a paper. Despite the urgency

of coming up with something, he is adamant about on-

ly publishing a truly original idea. He admits to

Charles that he does not have any close relationships

with anybody because people do not like him, claim-

ing that he would only feel like he mattered if he were

to distinguish himself by thinking up something origi-

nal. This was why, he explained, he had focused all of

his energy on his work instead of on building interper-

sonal relationships. While working tirelessly, he ob-

served and analyzed the movements of many different

things from a flock of birds to a mugging. After his

original idea got rejected, he reacted by hitting his

head on the glass window in a fit of rage and self-

loathing. Charles then helps John feel better by throw-

ing John’s desk out the window, letting the work pa-

pers fly and freeing him of the burden.

John finally came across an original idea while

at a bar. Martin Hansen had quoted Adam Smith’s,

“every man for himself”, while strategizing about how

to beat his friends in a competition to win over a

blonde girl. Inspiration then struck John while he was

arguing. He suddenly realized that a cooperative ap-

A Beautiful Mind: A Plot Analysis Through the Lens of

Schizophrenia

By: Miriam Feintuch

“Richard. Sol peeks his head out of

his door wondering whom John is

yelling at.. ”

Lying on the Couch

proach would increase the chances of success. The

camera then shows the viewer that whenever John

would recognize mathematical patterns, as in this

instance, the patterns would light up. As a result of

his findings, he is offered a position at MIT. At

MIT, John is not stimulated and considers his

teaching job a waste of his own time as well as the

students’. He seems apathetic towards his students,

which is characterized by his missing classes and

giving his students unsolvable problems.

A few years later, John is invited to The

Pentagon to crack an encrypted enemy telecommu-

nication. He cracks the code mentally, with the

correct pattern illuminating in a huge board of

numbers. He notices a man standing above the

group and asks who “big brother” is, but nobody

answers because they do not see anyone there.

John later meets the man and is pleased to take on

assignments from “big brother” William Parcher.

His assignments include looking at magazines and

recognizing secret enemy codes hidden within

them. John saw random patterns that stood out to

him. He would map out the patterns in a disarray

of papers strewn around his office.

As John’s life progresses, he meets and

falls in love with his wife, Alicia, played by Jen-

nifer Connelly. He also meets Marcee, Charles’s

niece. Charles and Marcee never seem to interact

with anyone except John. On a night out with

Parcher, John becomes increasingly paranoid after

witnessing a shootout between Parcher and Soviet

agents. John experiences stress from this, but does

not open up to his wife, creating distance between

them. The next day, Parcher visits John and ex-

plains to him how it is normal to feel some fear of

everyday loud noises after a traumatic event like

that. John wants to quit but Parcher blackmails

him, threatening to rat him out to the Soviets. John

then calls out for Parcher, while Richard Sol peeks his

head out of his door, wondering whom John is yelling

at. The camera also shows that the security guard was

not aware that Parcher was there.

While giving a guest lecture at Harvard, a

group of foreign agents begin to chase him. John tries

to run away and punches Dr. Rosen, the psychiatrist

who is the leader of the group. John does this because

he is convinced that Dr. Rosen is a Soviet enemy. Dr.

Rosen then decides that John has schizophrenia.

The diagnosis of schizophrenia in this instance

makes sense because of a combination of different

characteristics John exhibited. The criteria for schizo-

phrenia in the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Sta-

tistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) requires

two or more of the following symptoms persisting for

at least one month: “delusions, hallucinations, disor-

ganized speech, grossly disorganized or catatonic be-

havior, and or negative symptoms, with one of them

having to be of the first three.” The first signs of

John’s schizophrenia included his social withdrawal,

and his admission that he did not like people. He also

experienced the visual and auditory hallucinations of

Charles, Parcher, and Marcee. His lit-up visualization

of patterns could possibly be labeled as a hallucina-

tion, but it may also be a symptom of an attention defi-

ciency, as is demonstrated when he finds irrelevant

patters in the magazines for his assignments. John also

experiences aberrant thinking, with delusions of either

persecution or paranoia, when he thinks the Soviets

are out to get him. He does not seem to have episodes

of depression or mania, which consequently rules out

the diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, bipolar dis-

order with psychotic features, and major depression.

“The diagnosis of schizophrenia in this instance makes sense because of a

combination of different characteristics John exhibited.”

For a diagnosis of schizophrenia, there has

to be a significant decrease in daily functioning

after its onset. This is especially demonstrated by

the events that happen after John is hospitalized. It

takes a lot of effort, but Alicia confronts John

about the unopened and unmoved confidential let-

ters that he sends the government for Parcher’s as-

signments. He is given a course of insulin shock

therapy and then released. He cannot go back to

work while the medications are keeping his hallu-

cinations at bay, because his mind is dulled and he

is not able to work on math. As a result of his in-

creasing unhappiness with the negative side effects

of the medication, he secretly stops taking them

and has a relapse. He is still convinced that Parch-

er, Charles, and Marcee are real. John believes that

his decrease in function at work was due to his

medication and not directly due to his schizophre-

nia. Unbeknownst to him, his schizophrenia would

cause far worse problems in the future.

After John accidentally endangers his son

and wife because of his hallucinations, Alicia be-

gins to drive away from him. This was his lowest

point, where he could not even function as a hus-

band or father. However, John runs outside and stops

her by saying,, “she never gets old”- referring to Mar-

cee, one of his delusions. This marks the first time that

John realizes that although he experiences Charles,

Marcee, and Parcher, they are not real. As a result of

his breakthrough, John decides against Dr. Rosen’s

advice to him that he be medicated. He does this in

order try to combat his schizophrenia through rational-

ization - by convincing himself that the hallucinations

are not real.

John attempts to integrate back into society

through library work and class auditing. He gets these

positions with the help of his old friend and rival,

Martin Hansen - the head of the Princeton Mathemat-

ics Department. As the years pass, John learns to ig-

nore the hallucinations and becomes a teacher, this

time enjoying the privilege after his humbling experi-

ences.

In 1994, John is honored by his fellow profes-

sors for his mathematical achievements and goes on to

win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics. The

movie ends as John and Alicia leave the auditorium

while he sees Charles, Marcee, and Parcher watching

him.

“The first signs of John’s schizophrenia included his social

withdrawal, and his admission that he did not like people.”

“John learns to ignore the

hallucinations and becomes a

teacher, this time enjoying the

privilege after his humbling

experiences.”

Volume 2, Issue 1

Lying on the Couch

New York

City’s A subway-line is

not unfamiliar to me. I

grew up commuting via

the “A” from Brooklyn

to my high school in

the Bronx, and nowa-

days I take the train up

to the Columbia Uni-

versity Medical Center,

where I am a research

assistant. I always keep

my eyes half-focused

on passengers traveling

with me, as subway-

riders in New York

City are full of uninten-

tional idiosyncrasies.

It was 10:00am on a Monday morning, and

I crossed my right leg over my left knee, bringing

the book I was reading closer to my face; the light-

ing of the train was grimy – this train was one of

the old ones. The doors rang with their familiar

ding as they closed. A young African-American

man- he couldn’t be older than 23- entered the

train and immediately caught my attention. He re-

minded me of a party goer returning from an all-

night excursion in a downtown warehouse rave on

an early Sunday morning. He was dressed in a

flimsy Michael Jackson military-jacket which was

a size too small for him (the sleeves weren’t quite

long enough). His shabby wool pants and tattered

black dress shoes looked like he had found his “get

up” in a church choir’s dumpster. I caught a whiff

of stale body odor as he swept passed me.

I didn’t bother to raise my eyebrows, as he

was no more peculiar that the attractive, overtired

Mediterranean woman sleeping several seats from

where he sat. He began rummaging furiously

through a plastic bag

for (I listened closely

to his mumbled curs-

ing) his batteries. He

slid the low voltage D

batteries into a small

boom box and loos-

ened his shoulders. He

stood up and spun

around at us train rid-

ers.

“What time is it?” he

called out with luke-

warm enthusiasm.

“Show time.”

The A train is

not the best place to perform in the hopes of earning

cash: the weary travelers are interested only in exiting

the train as soon as possible. A performer, to them, is

as interesting as the “Gold for Cash” advertisements

that adorn the train-cars’ walls.

“Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough,” by Mi-

chael Jackson rang out from the boom box at an ambi-

ent volume. While most performers have a mixtape

with the exciting parts of the songs they want to

groove to, this guy began his song from 0:00. For

those who are unfamiliar with this MJ tune, the excit-

ing part of the song begins at 1:12. I raised my eye-

brows and gave a peculiar glare at the performer who

Melt Down on the Subway Train

By: Yaakov Bressler

“He began rummaging furiously

through a plastic bag for (I listened

closely to his mumbled cursing) his

batteries.”

was violating the sanctity of my public space with-

out regarding the unwritten bylaws of train danc-

ing.

In addition to the previous violation, as

soon as his dance was done, he shut his music off.

This infraction left his performance in an awkward

silence, a poor approach to an audience of critical

judges.

His poor dancing and lack of enthusiasm

further detracted from his performance. MJ’s

famed moonwalk was also absent from his act.

Needless to say, the unimpressed audience be-

stowed him no cash. I searched my wallet, feeling

both guilty and empathetic; to my dismay, I had

only a $20 bill – and there was no way I would ask

this guy for change. He sulked his way around the

car, upset about his act’s poor earnings. Once he

returned to his start point, he slammed his foot

down dangerously close to his music machine. He

angrily cursed aloud. Twice.

“What a terrible performance,” he spat out

as he grabbed his belongings and dashed from the

train car. This was odd. How often did one see a

train performer so bad? One who realizes this dur-

ing his performance? How about one that gets an-

gry about it? Equipped with a cool subway story, I

reopened my book and carried on.

After a few minutes of uneventful travel-

ing, the familiar unpleasant smell of body odor was

upon me. “What time is it?!” asked a hyped up

train performer, a boom box held close in hand.

“Show time!” he cried out, a smile adorned his

face. MJ’s familiar tune rang out from the music

machine as he took a stand in the center of the train

car.

This was interesting! How often would a bad

performer, enraged with poor earnings, return for a

second shot? Would he redeem himself and earn a

spot in the unwelcoming hearts of his audience?

He danced energetically, but something was

off. His moves were lethargic, as if he were forcing

himself to dance. His act was slightly longer than be-

fore, a possible new approach to the hearts of his audi-

ence. But again, his act ended suddenly with sharp si-

lence – his music had been shut off. He may have

done a good job with his, now rehearsed, dance act.

But New Yorkers are not known for their gracing of

second chances and the performer was rewarded,

again, with nothing. Forced to the brink of humility,

he sat down and propped his head in his hands, a mel-

ancholic mood emanating from his seat, opposite

mine.

Within the next fifteen seconds, everything

changed. The performer sat up straight with tense rig-

idness. He clenched his teeth with angry despair, his

face contorted into a grimace, clawing the air with his

fingers.

I immediately snapped to attention, my New

York awareness a step ahead of my consciousness. A

slow hiss emerged from his lips; it was an infuriated

groan. Once his lungs were empty, he inhaled deeply

and yelled at the top of his lungs:

“RWOOAAAAWRHH!!” His body stiffened into a

rod as his voice bellowed throughout the subway car. I

blinked my eyes, and stared. This was becoming

frightening. He cursed again, his infuriation filling the

subway car with an unspoken threat. He roared again

“A ripple of fear resonated throughout the train – the man was on track for a

battery-induced attack at one of us!”

Volume 2, Issue 1

Lying on the Couch

and jumped to his feet! He swiveled a horrific glare

at a terrified audience, the veins on his neck bulging

with poisonous rage. He yelled as he jumped a full

vertical foot into the air and landed with a smash

atop his treasured music machine (which contained

his precious batteries)! His batteries – released from

their imprisoned device, rolled freely around the

floor of the subway train. “GIVE! MEEE! MYY!

BHAAA-TER-RIES!!”

A ripple of fear resonated throughout the train – the

man was on track for a battery-induced attack at one

of us! He shouted again and clawed his head with

his fingers; harsh red scratches formed on his face.

Goodness! He then bit down on his lip and spat,

smearing saliva and blood on his grimacing face. He

sneered and cursed as he dove with an outstretched

arm beneath the seat where the Mediterranean wom-

an was seating, and viciously grabbed his lost bat-

tery. Alarmed, she jumped to her feet to the other

side of the car, distancing herself from the man as

the crazed performer continued bellowing and claw-

ing his skin.

Before I knew it, the train doors opened with

an all-too-pleasant ding. I, along with the 25 other

passengers on the train car, fled the scene into neigh-

boring cars, calling out warnings to future travelers

as we made our ways. The Mediterranean woman

gave me a nod and said in her foreign voice, “He is

crazy – I am worried.” I nodded silently, my nerves

still shocked from the scene I had just witnessed.

A blink later, I found myself retelling this

episode to a friend, mentor, and boss of mine who

has a master’s degree in social work and has spent

several years working with the addict-population of

the South Bronx. After I had finished my story with

a note of distress, she assured me that leaving the

scene was the best course of action. “You have to

stay away from the crazy people. There’s nothing

you can do.” In response to my persistent demand-

ing as to what the public is doing to help such indi-

viduals, she replied in a perturbed tone, “On that

subway ride, between the stops he melted down on,

you passed over a dozen public assistant agencies

that are FREE that this guy could’ve gone to and re-

ceived immunization, HIV testing, help with his ad-

diction [his diagnoses was complete], a free meal, a

bed to sleep in AND a metro card with two free

rides! There is plenty of help he could’ve gotten!”

Feeling humbled, I asked, “So there’s nothing I

should’ve done?” This led into a detailed discussion

of the responsibilities of a license-holder.

I feel like the episode I witnessed needs to be

shared. Not for amusement purposes, because after

his second performance, the episode became violent-

ly horrid. Rather, it should be shared for the ethical

question it raises. Should I not have given the drug

crazed performer $5 once his fury subsided (or if I

knew it would begin – before he melted down) or

should I let him deal with the crushing reality of his

addiction?

“Alarmed, she jumped to her feet to

the other side of the car, distancing

herself from the man as the crazed

performer continued bellowing and

clawing his skin.”

Picture from: www.railfanwindow.com

Lying on the Couch

Every drive alone in my car is an oppor-

tunity for a personal Karaoke session. I immediate-

ly turn on the radio, tune into my favorite station,

and sing along as if I

were a contestant on

American Idol about

to take home the

winning prize. Dur-

ing one October day

drive, “Give Your

Heart a Break” by

Demi Lovato began

to play. I immediate-

ly closed the win-

dows, turned the ra-

dio up, and began to

belt out the lyrics. I

was alone in my own

personal Karaoke

room and was the

only one who could

hear myself sing –

this gave me the utmost of confidence to sing my

heart out. In her song, Demi sings, “I don’t want to

break your heart.” I noticed, however, that instead

of singing the original lyrics as they were intended

to be, I sang, “I don’t want to ache your heart.”

Analyzing Demi’s lyrics carefully, one can-

not literally “break” another’s heart. Therefore in

the context of this song, Demi is using figurative

language when she specifically refers to the

“breaking” of ones heart. As I have learned in

PSYC 3540 (Psychology of Language), in the

“Non-Literal Language Processing” chapter, Demi

is in fact stating her point using an idiom– an ex-

pression, which exists in a certain language or cul-

ture, that one simply needs to have learned in order

to understand. It is stated by Psycholinguists that

idioms can either be learned in a decomposable or

non-decomposable manner. If an idiom is decom-

posable, one can learn it’s meaning by simply

breaking down the expression into its component

words and figuring it out from there. In contrast, if an

idiom is non-decomposable, breaking down the ex-

pression into its component words cannot learn the

meaning. Rather, this

meaning must be explic-

itly told to you. To

“break” a heart, as Demi

states, is an example of a

decomposable idiom

because anybody who

speaks the English lan-

guage can derive the

meaning just by break-

ing down the expression.

By imagining the non-

literal concept of a

“broken” heart, one can

assume the expression

has something to do

with emotional distress.

It is also stated by Psy-

cholinguists that unlike

non-decomposable idioms, decomposable idioms con-

tain an element of syntactic and lexical flexibility –

meaning that you can change the word order of the

idiom or substitute a certain word with its synonym,

respectively, and the meaning will still be understood

the same exact way as it was before.

When I said “I don’t want to ache your heart”

rather than “I don’t want to break your heart” when I

was belting out to Demi’s # 1 hit shows that I substi-

tuted the word “break” with a synonym, “ache.” In

this idiom, both words have a somewhat similar mean-

ing when combined with the word heart.

Whether you state, “I don’t want to ache your

heart” or I “don’t want to break your heart”, they both

mean that you don’t want to cause anybody any sad-

ness. This not only proves that Demi is using a decom-

posable idiom in her music but furthermore, my ut-

tered error reinforces the idea that decomposable idi-

oms are indeed lexically flexible..

By: Albert A. Mitta

Achy Breaky Heart:

A Psycholinguistic Interpretation

Lying on the Couch

Disclaimer to reader: Everything in this piece is

verbatim to the writer’s diary. The subject wishes

to remain anonymous.

Patient was eighteen years old when these

entries were documented. Patient’s treating diagno-

ses in 2002 were, according to the DSM IV-TR:

Dysthymic Disorder (300.4), Social Phobia (Social

Anxiety Disorder) (300.23), Obsessive-

Compulsive Disorder (300.3) in a Borderline Per-

sonality Disorder (301.83) with a Learning Disa-

bility (Not otherwise Specified) (315.9)

(Generalized Anxiety Disorder).

Re Dysthymia: Depressed mood for 2+

years, irregular sleep, episodic anhedonia, and dif-

ficulty concentrating.

Re Anxiety: Obsessional pre-occupations,

and psychogenic headaches and pains.

Re BPD: Pre-occupied with death, suicidal

threatening, risk-taking behavior, poor affect toler-

ance, impaired reality testing under stress.

The purpose of this article is to present the

point of view of the patient in regards to psychothera-

py and life. Much of the time, articles are written by

researchers and the data collected somehow loses its

authenticity, caused by a gap created between suffer-

ers and researchers.

March, 2000 (Age 18) I am really ready to stab myself with that sharp

metal piece. I don’t care if I die right now. This is a

sick life I have. Why do I have to be different? No one

can accept that I am different.

Dr. M. and I talked about the time I listened to

a Metallica song, and I got a headache. Dr. M. said it’s

because I’m angry at the people who caused me to be

created and have required me to do the impossible

with keeping the religion.

I felt like blaming my mother and reminding

her that she shouldn’t have had such a big family. I

felt like taking it out on my mother, but my mother has

been working so hard in buying a new house. So then I

didn’t feel like blaming it on her.

Dr. M. said that I perpetuate my own depres-

sion by programming my mind to be that way. I mag-

nify my issues by obsessing about them and make

them a bigger deal than they are. The depression

comes as a result of my sickness, which is also why I

obsess. Dr. M. said that sometimes I use the depres-

sion as a cop-out to not do anything, besides for the

fact that when you’re depressed, you don’t feel like

doing anything. When I come to the point of killing

myself, during a depressed state, it’s because I allow

myself to become absorbed in the depression. If I

wouldn’t allow the depression to take over me, maybe

I wouldn’t come to want to kill myself.

Beyond the Mind: Diary of a Sufferer

By: Rivkah Rosenberger

Picture by: Rivkah Rosenberger

There are three things that bring on my pri-

mary depression, said Dr. M. One: I get headaches

when I become absorbed in learning or excited

about something. Two: I can’t get control over my

sex life. I don’t have a girl and I don’t feel I could

have a relationship with a girl. Dr. M. suggested

this is because I am too scared that I won’t be able

to satisfy her and that she’s pretty and better than

me. Three: I can’t think clearly about religion.

Four: I obsess a lot because of my OCD, and when

I doubt things, my doubts make me frustrated and

hopeless because they take control of me. Five: I

start to doubt whether I am going through anything

at all and if I am sick.

All of these things cause me frustration

and feelings of helplessness and hopelessness; I

start to feel depressed. When I dwell on the depres-

sion by thinking about it, it’s secondary depression

that I bring on myself for self-pity. Whenever I

take it out on my mother- that’s secondary.

(Presently, I don’t think it’s profound of Dr. M. to

say these things.)

Is the reason I am so angry with my mother

because she goes around as if there’s nothing

wrong with me, and that I picked up on that kind of

behavior? All I want is for her to accept me and

respect me. I try to earn her respect. She keeps on

avoiding the negativity because it’s too painful for

her. She told me that she feels it’s too painful to

consider me sick. I keep feeling that she doesn’t

respect me. I guess it’s because she’s expecting me

to be like everyone else, like a normal person. I

was on the subway and I saw some people I knew.

They asked me what I was doing. I told them that I

have a learning disability that makes it hard for me

to process information. They said I didn’t seem to

have that problem when I spoke with them, since I

didn’t have that problem processing what they were

saying at the moment. They said everyone has trouble

processing info. So I saw that these people probably

have the same or similar problem as me, and they are

doing fine with their work in computer school. I start-

ed to obsess: Maybe I don’t really have these prob-

lems? Maybe I am slowing myself down with learning

in believing I have a learning disability and requiring

less of myself? Maybe I should require more of my-

self. (It’s hard to determine what I have because it’s

not like a strep test where it comes out positive or neg-

ative.)

Dr. M. said I do get more nervous than the av-

erage person. I think about the GED, and I worry I

might not pass it and might forget the material. So I

feel like I have to keep going over it or I’ll forget it.

It’s one thing to go over it, but to constantly feel I

must to go over it isn’t normal. My teacher tells me

that I should go over the material so that I won’t forget

it, because the test is three weeks away. But I can’t go

over everything. Thinking that I have to go over eve-

rything stresses me out and then I don’t know what to

do with myself. There are times I feel calm after feel-

ing nervous, and I don’t accept feeling calm because I

don’t feel like it’s the real me….so I revert to the

stressful thought process of worrying. Sometimes I

feel like I don’t feel like worrying, but I think it’s the

medication.

April, 2000 (Age 18) Today I felt like killing myself. I started pictur-

ing myself bleeding, and then imagined my father

found me. I was depressed because I am worrying so

“Compared to all of his patients and

friends, I have a really bad case of

anxiety disorder.”

“Psychotherapy has made me focus

too much on my problems and they

feel even harder to deal with, even

impossible.”

Volume 2, Issue 1

Lying on the Couch

great.

I read a book called “Obsessive Compulsive

Disorders”. It talks about how there are some people

for whom behavioral therapy might not work. For ex-

ample, someone who has low tolerance for frustration

and doesn’t have patience for the hard work involved

in the process of behavioral therapy, which can take

up to six to eight months. I don’t have the patience for

that, especially since I don’t see any progress. After a

week, if my anxiety has not decreased, I want to go

further. If I felt I could get some quicker relief, then I

would have the motivation to continue.

I can’t stand when a man loves a woman. They

want to have a family. Before you can blink they have

kids. The kids have to take responsibility for their

lives. Problem is: The kids didn’t ask for the responsi-

bility. Nobody asked them. It’s not a fair deal. I am

stuck because I don’t feel it’s fair that just because my

parents had me come into this world, I have to take

much about school and tests. I realize that the exer-

cises that Dr. M. gave me only help when I have

something else for my mind to focus on. In school,

I could ask myself: what does it matter if I fail the

test? Then I focus back on the work. But when I’m

bored, this cognitive exercise just doesn’t work.

I’m through with life. I get so frustrated

that I go crazy. When I start obsessing, I can’t take

it. Life is too freakin’ hard. It really is confusing

because Dr. M. said I have OCD and severe anxie-

ty disorder. All my friends don’t think it’s a big

deal, as my learning disability teacher said, “Take

your stress and put it on a shelf and forget about

it”. It seems as though I’m easily persuaded—I

start doubting my problem is real even though my

doctor said it is. When I start to believe I have a

problem, I get so angry about it, that I escape my

anger by doubting whether I have OCD at all.

September, 2000 (Age 18)

I went to Dr. M today. He clarified some-

thing about my OCD. Compared to all of his pa-

tients and friends, I have a really bad case of anxie-

ty disorder. My doubting results from my anger

over having OCD. I protect myself by doubting

whether I have this problem or not.

January, 2001 (Age 18) I feel that psychotherapy has really screwed

me over. My OCD is worse. My depression is

much worse. I’m even worrying that my suicidal

thinking was caused by psychotherapy. I think it

was. I didn’t have it before. Before, all I had was

depression. I don’t think I have been helped. If an-

ything, I am more into the anxiety and depression.

Psychotherapy has made me focus too much on my

problems and they feel even harder to deal with,

even impossible. I don’t know what to do. Now I

have a new worry. That’s freakin’

“When I come to the point of killing myself, during a depressed state, it’s

because I allow myself to become absorbed in the depression.”

Image by: Joyce Vincent

responsibility. I don’t want to because I didn’t ask

for it, and nobody asked me. And I am angry that I

have it against my will. I refuse to take responsibil-

ity for my life, but I won’t kill myself because I

don’t want my family to suffer. So instead, I will

start smoking and taking drugs to cut my life short.

I will get my money from my savings and I will

not go ahead and get myself a job or get all crazy

about it. I am in a big mess. I don’t want responsi-

bility and I have no tolerance for stress and will

never have, because I hate stress. I like to just re-

lax. Besides, I didn’t create the problem of me be-

ing in this world. I want to die now and nobody

has the right to stop me. I am miserable. I think I

will cut down my visits to Dr. M. to once a week

because I don’t want to work on myself at all.

I like the anger. It feels good. It gives me

pleasure. I guess that is its nature. It just makes you

feel good, and when you’re happy, you’d rather be

happy than sad. And when I’m upset, I’d rather

remain upset than happy. Whenever I’m feeling

happy, I realize it isn’t that great, because then I

have to worry about whether my pot smoking in-

terferes with my medication. I start to get anxious

whether it does. I’d rather not worry about it and

continue to enjoy myself.

If I decided to live life instead of being self

-destructive, it doesn’t mean I have to be involved

in a way that I have a job and decide to go through the

stress of getting a job. I could choose living without

stress. I could kill time by drumming, smoking and

bicycle-riding, all the things I enjoy doing besides for

working—which I don’t like. I wouldn’t enjoy the

benefits of working because I’d be too overwhelmed

with the associated stress. In general, I am reluctant to

relax. It’s as if I feel comfortable being anxious, so

that I could be excused from responsibility. But the

reason I want to be excused in the first place, was be-

cause it really was overwhelming when I considered

taking a job.

I feel it’s possible that there is a god in the

world but he’s out to get us to make our lives as miser-

able as possible. He must get a kick out of making our

existence hell on Earth. Not for everyone though.

Some people have it good. But a lot of people suffer.

All of my emotions skyrocket: anger, fear. All

my emotions reach a point where my mind cannot

handle it anymore. It gets too intense. I get a headache

or I wind up not feeling or being aware of these emo-

tional responses. I get too involved. I guess it’s the

OCD that renders me unable to regulate the intensity

of my emotions, overwhelming my mind. Whatever it

is that prevents emotions swinging to extremes seem

to not be functioning. My emotions are exaggerated to

a degree that I just can’t handle them.

I may not look like I’m overreacting, but I sure

do feel it.

“I can’t stand when a man loves

a woman. They want to have a

family. Before you can blink they

have kids. The kids have to take

responsibility for their lives. Prob-

lem is: The kids didn’t ask for the

responsibility.” “So instead, I will start smoking

and taking drugs to cut my life

short. I will get my money from my

savings and I will not go ahead and

get myself a job or get all crazy

about it..”

Volume 2, Issue 1

Lying on the Couch

I have diminished the light inside of myself

Through all I have been through

Years of torture which kept my heart pris-

oner

Merely for hope and a brighter future

I have taken out the love from underneath

my feet

I am now an empty shell

Who forgot how to feel

As I look at my reflection I only see my

former humanity

The psychology behind fear is thin and

shallow

No body really understands where it comes

from

I just have a feeling that time is all it takes

To get back the one thing you will always

miss

Now, something has changed in me

I think I am starting to remember how to be

human again

Maybe one day I will find my way back

But that's the day I don't want to be apart

of, cause being human is the saddest reflec-

tion you can ever have

Saddest Reflection

By: Rodshel Ustayev

“I just have a feeling that time is all it

takes

To get back the one thing you

will always miss”

Picture by: Rivkah Rosenberger

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