Recently in Fear Category

We discussed in class yesterday some examples of how characters in the movie (namely Robert DeNiro's character, Michael) lacked emotion in certain circumstances where we would have expected to see some. I think we referenced when Michael, Nick, and Steven were being held captive how Michael really didn't express fear like we saw from Nick and Steven (Michael remained calm and coached both of them on). I found a couple of articles that might explain (partially at least) what was going on with Michael.

Strange calm in a sea of danger
What's the scariest part of a frightening experience

The first link discusses how people sometimes fail to exhibit fear in extremely threatening situations (a bear attack is described). We hear many stories like this where people take control of the situation rather than being immobilized by fear. The article explains that this may be due to noradrenaline in our brains. Noradrenaline is believed to be linked to filtering out information that isn't relevant to the threat and decision making. Thus, when Michael explains to Nick that they are going to have to leave Steven behind, the fact that they were friends was filtered out of the situation and the decision was made based only on the threat.

The second article is related to fearful situations and discusses skydiving. It explains how novice skydivers will experience the peak of anxiety/fear right before they are about to jump out of the plane whereas experienced skydivers will experience their peak hours before the jump and it slowly decreases as the jump nears. It is possible that Michael had  more experience with Russian Roulette, which allowed him to be calm while in the situation, as he readied himself for it hours before.
I had a similar experience today. While going downstairs to take a shower this morning I ran into a squirrel in my house! I instantly yelled "Oh F***" and proceeded to return to my room. It was an intense startle moment (definitely a flight response-some adrenaline was flowing). After collecting myself I went downstairs to get the thing out of my house-it had crashed through some ceiling tiles in our bathroom. After successfully getting it out by leaving the doors open and chasing it, I had to clean up the mess. While cleaning up the mess, another squirrel runs by me!  This gave me another startle response, but this time I just opened the doors and chased it out without avoiding it and collecting myself. Not quite a life or death situation, but you can see how my prior experience decreased the reaction and allowed me to deal with the situation much more effectively. 

Anyone else live in a crappy house where animals break in? Have an experience that relates to one of these articles?

http://www.robertpetersonlaw.com/Family%20Law%20Issues/No%20Contact%20Order.aspx

The other day I went to the Waterloo courthouse to sit on a "order hour" and there were two women who wanted their no contact orders dropped. One lady was not able to because she had not gone through the organization "seeds of hope." The second women wanted to drop the order because she was due with the man's baby soon, but the judge had to remind her that while it is being "processed" she cannot see them else they both can go to jail.

The article I found states that A No Contact Order remains in effect until modified or terminated by further order of the court, until the criminal case is dismissed (in a criminal No Contact Order), or until sentencing in a criminal proceeding (when a further order is entered). Only the court can change the order, a protected party can not change the order.

Furthermore, even thought the second women only had a no contact order against the neighbor for bulgary this article mainly talks about  no contact orders due to domestic violence which related the the first women, which she never stated why she wanted it dropped.

In addition to the article, Violation of a No Contact Order (Iowa Code 664A.7) is treated as Contempt of Court and can result in punishment of up to 6 months in jail, up to $500 fine, or both. If convicted or held in contempt of a no-contact order, a jail sentence must be imposed by Iowa Code 664A.7 (2009).  A minimum of 7 days, served on consecutive days is imposed.  The sentence cannot be deferred or suspended and a fine may not be imposed if the no-contact is issued for a public offense. If the no-contact order was issued for domestic abuse assault the conviction is for a simple misdemeanor or treated as a violation of a no-contact in violation of a public offense.

Reeve (2009) states that self-efficacy is the individual's belief that he/she has what it takes to marshal together the resources needed to cope effectively with the potentially overwhelming demands of a situation. In getting a no contact order women are usually able to cope better with their daily lives, but a no contact order only is in effect for a year unless re-instated.

Do you know anyone who has ever had a no contact order against someone or them? or decided to drop it period?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070725152040.htm

After seeing a preview for the new Nightmare on Elm street movie I thought of two things.  One, Hollywood is hard up for new and creative ideas, and two, why do people sit through 2 hours of being on the edge of their seat scared? 

The authors of the article state "horror movie viewers are happy to be unhappy. This novel approach to emotion reveals that people experience both negative and positive emotions simultaneously -- people may actually enjoy being scared, not just relief when the threat is removed and that the most pleasant moments of a particular event may also be the most fearful.

Reeve writes "fear motivates defense" and states that fear "serves as a warning signal for physical or psychological harm that manifests itself in autonomic vervous system arousal."  Fear is also an emotional reaction that comes from a person's way of interpreting a situation they may face and see as a danger or threat to their well being. 

While I'm not a big fan of scary movies (I'm not a bed-wetter, I just prefer comedies or dramas) I'll probably see this movie just for the heck of it.  I've seen most of the other Nightmare films and know the concept but if I get too scared, or if the movie is just too stupid, I can do what Reeve describes as "fleeing is putting physical distance between the self and that which is feared"...see you in the lobby.   

After watching Manic yesterday I couldn't help but think about how controlling one's environment and actions is so crucial to leading a functional life. And, since the movie revolved around the lives of a couple suicidal manic depressives, I decided to look up some more information on that. I stumbled upon this article via Psychology Today discussing the illusions of control and suicide. Ira Rosofsky, PhD, has had years of experience working with the elderly (nursing homes/assisted living), and his article talks about systemic policies that address this issue with suicide, control and the elderly. Rosofsky first highlights some normal thought processes of suicidal individuals, and how committing suicide is the last successful and controllable act in which one can engage. He writes, "If I were to develop a theory of self-esteem, I'd put control or mastery on the top of the list." Exerting control over any situation determines that individual has gained some sense self-esteem, because that controlled behavior encourages high self-efficacy.

In the article, Rosofsky describes a piece of legislature that the state of Oregon enacted back in 1997: the Death with Dignity Act. Basically, this law gives physicians the legal rights to prescribe a patient with a lethal dose of medication to be taken privately in his or her home. This law, however, is only limited to those who are terminally ill. With the indirect assistance of a physician, terminally ill individuals have a choice to commit suicide if they so choose. Fortunately, people aren't necessarily abusing this "privilege". From when the law passed in 1997 up until 2009 - when this article was published - 292 patients have jumped on the assisted suicide bandwagon. Roughly 24 people each year have taken that route. According to U.S. suicide statistics from suicide.org, a grand total of 30,622 individuals committed suicide in 2001 alone. Among that total, 5,393 of those suicides were from the elderly (65+ years old). That 292-suicide rate over a 12-year period pales in comparison to that one-year statistic of over 5,000 elderly suicides. What's even more paradoxically reassuring is that those who decided upon the physician assisted suicide died in a stable, controlled environment, many times with their loved ones around and aware of the situation.

Rosofsky later posits, "People like the reassurance of knowing they can do it, even if they never pull the trigger." For many terminally ill patients, their living conditions are much less than comfortable and satisfactory (in terms of constant pain), so being dead is the next successive step toward happiness. I know that sounds incredibly morbid, but the large corpora of suicide research suggests that notion. Finally, Reeve (2009, p. 242) states, "Mastery beliefs reflect the extent of perceived control one has over attaining desirable outcomes and preventing aversive ones." In the case of terminally ill or irreparably depressed persons, suicide is his or her desired outcome, and living such a painful life is clearly the aversive one.

I am going to pull a question directly from the article that Rosofsky poses as food for thought: "People who have had every treatment imaginable - pills, psychotherapy, electric shock therapy - and want to end their suffering. Who am I to say no to them? To request them to spend some weeks, months, years talking to me instead?"

With the economy the way that it is and many of us graduating this May and hopefully finding jobs, it may be tought to get the job you want.  I found an article that talks about keeping your chin up when the time of losing a job and needing to find another one turns into weeks and then into months.  I believe we can apply the same concepts when the struggles of finding a job can take a tole on us.  People who have lost a job or are just trying to find a job need to stay positive and not just dwell on "I cannot find a job"  There are many things you can do according to this article that I never thought of doing that would help with getting your mind out of the dumps and do something else in the off time of finding a job.  Going out with friends, taking some time for yourself, or even learn a new skill that could eventually help you with your job.  Maybe take up some extra college classes to amp up that resume.  Another thing that would be good and rewarding for someone would be to volunteer.  It not only looks good on a resume, but after having yet no luck in the job search, volunteering might be a good way to cope with things and make someone feel good about themselves.

It is very stressful to find a job after losing a job or just finding one out of college, especially in the economy that we are in now.  It is no wonder why an article like this could help someone out.  I wouldn't have thought of volunteering as a way to help with the stress of finding a job, but it could definitely be rewarding.

 

article: http://careerplanning.about.com/cs/jobloss/a/chin_up.htm

http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2010/03/11/hundreds-of-students-rally-lawmakers-save-our-schools/

My roommates love watching horror/suspense movies. It almost seems like every time we have a movie night, a horror flick is on the list to watch. For my roommates, their top favorites include the Saw movies, the recent hit Paranormal Activity, and the Haunting in Connecticut. Myself on the other hand, I'm not a super huge fan like my roommates. I would actually prefer a comedy over a horror flick, yet I still enjoy watching horror movies sometimes. I'm the wuss that covers my face though when something too scary comes on the screen. Thinking about all this, I was wondering what would motivate people to endure the feelings of fear and suspense, especially for the very popular horror flicks. I came across several different theories on reasons why people enjoy feeling fear and suspense.

On Psychology Today, Why are there Horror Movies?, this article talked about the reason behind it is the fact that because it is fiction we are able to enjoy it rather than it being reality where we have to make a choice. This article didn't satisfy me however, so I kept searching.

On ScienceDaily.com, Why do People Love Horror Movies?, it argued that people enjoy being scared because they feel both negative and positive emotions at the same time. The sense of relief is not the only positive of the outcome of watching a scary movie, its more the the happiness of being scared.

On Live Science, Horror Movies: Why People Love Them., it talks about severaly different topics. First it talks about how people don't watch movies just like the Saw movies for the blood and gore, but because they experience a thrill of assessing threat levels. Next it talks about how people have the ability to control what effects their emotions and what does not while watching horror films. Lastly it talks about fear being more than just an emotion, and that it is a biological factor that starts with our amygdala.

As far as these three articles go, I'm not sure if my question was answered as to why people enjoy fear while watching horror/suspense films. Why do you like or dislike these types of movies? What are other factors that could be involved in developing the liking of horror films?

I ran across this article on the Psychology Today website and it seemed like an interesting topic
Why We Fear The Unknown

In class we began discussing other movies that may be a good fit for understanding different types of motivation and emotion.  This weekend I caught the movie "Enough" on TV.  I have seen this movie many times before, and each time I see it becomes more and more interesting.  There are many different things from the text that are shown in this movie.  I won't go too much into depth so that I won't spoil the movie for those of you who have not seen it, but it can be watched on youtube, if you're interested:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNAdBSxZ9XQ

The most obvious example of motivators in this movie is fear and need for survival.  The first time we see true fear from Slim is when she catches Mitch cheating on her.  She eventually stands up for herself, only to get pushed back down after he punches her in the face.  This is when she really sees that Mitch is not the man who she thought he was.  The violence progresses throughout the movie, escalading to the point where Slim feels that her life is in danger. Slim is terrified that her husband is going to kill her, so she is forced to find a way to get away and survive.  Slim is forced through many obstacles to avoid her abusive husband.  These situations alone are examples of physiological need for survival.  A need is something that is necessary for life (Reeve, 77).  In this case, getting away from her husband is necessary for life.  She also has to save her daughter, Grace.  This is another example of a physiological need to protect her offspring.  Reeve also discusses how "damage can be to the body, so motives arise from physiological needs to avoid tissue damage and to maintain bodily resources...Damage can also be done to one's relationship to the social world, so motives arise from social needs to preserve our identities, beliefs, values and interpersonal relationships" (Reeve, 77). Both of these factors take place while Slim is fighting for her life.  Throughout the movie, Slim has her friend reminder her that it is her primal right to protect herself and her offspring.  This is the same bases that are discussed in the text book.  Slim has perceived that her life is in danger, and this motivates her to make big changes in her life.   We see how strong her drive to save her life is when she moves across the country, changes her hair, and attempts a new life. In the end, her drive to save her life and her daughter is so strong that it causes her to do the unthinkable.

Mitch, the husband, has an intense need for power.  His ongoing violent tendencies and actions show how his need for power overrides all of his other needs.  He thrives on power, which is why he needs to control Slim, as well as all of the people around him.  The first example of this is when he approaches the stranger and asks to buy his house.  Mitch threatens the man, saying that if he doesn't sell the house Mitch will make his life miserable. These same situations continue to happen and get increasingly violent throughout the movie. Mitch goes through the stages of power (impact, control, and influence) many times throughout the movie (Reeve, 195).  Mitch creates impact the first time he hits Slim.  He shows her that he has power over her through force and violence.  He creates control when he continues to abuse her without any sense of guilt or regret. When she escapes, he attempts influence when he tries to transfer his power over those involved with Slim (her friends who help her escape and the man who she confides in and hides at his house).  He influences these people by threatening them and sending men after them to scare them.  He is extending his power over them even when he is not there, by instilling a sense of fear in both Slim, and the people who she comes in contact with.

 

I have always wondered why people lie, and today I had someone Facebook message me with a lie/rumor about someone I know. I know research says that everyone lies, even white lies count! And It is also stated that we learn to lie from a young age, yet when does this become a problem?

In this article Why Do People Lie? it mentions why people lie, what they lie about, and how to tell if someone is lying. It also talks about how it is easier to lie to a loved one, then someone they are just an acquaintance with. Now this didn't fit my situation, so I kept reading, and found this article Reasons People Lie had several reasons as to why people lie. One reason is to spare humiliation of ourselves or someone else. They used the example of telling someone that they did look good in a dress, when really they did not. Another reason is to be in good standing with friends or even to gain control. There is always the reason for a person to lie in order to avoid punishment, anger or fear, and some even lie to achieve recognition. Now I don't know if any of these reasons technically fit my situation, however they are quite interesting. I know that I have given some white lies in order to avoid hurting someone, however I do believe that the truth is better than any lie, but like it says above, everyone lies.

As I was thinking more about my situation, I feel like this person who lied is lacking in some social needs. According to our textbook it states that social needs arise and activate emotional and behavioral potential when need-satisfying incentives appear. Maybe its possible that in this particular social situation, their anger gave them incentive to behave by spreading lies, in hopes to change their current social situation, and thus to satisfy their social needs. In this case their social needs may include having power over the situation, or achievement. I feel like achievement would be a social need, because they are trying to achieve a certain role in their social atmosphere.

What are other reasons that people would lie? What are reasons that you have lied for in the past?

A few summers ago, I had the opportunity to intern in Denver, Colorado at an organization called TASC.  TASC is a diversionary program for juvenile delinquents.  Here, I came into contact with numerous individuals - the majority of whom were involved in gangs.  This is also when I became more interested in gang involvement, especially among adolescents.

Some people in the world around me have had friends of friends, or just friends experience some sort of dating violence recently. For me this is a really touchy subject and something that I care deeply about, and am still trying to learn more about as well. I am Vice-President of the student organization here at UNI called Students Against A Violent Environment (S.A.V.E.) and we strive to educate others on violence, including dating violence. Now, of course when these situations occur I know all the "right" things to say like "You should not stay in this relationship" "You need to leave the home/apartment" "Here are the hotlines you can call for help" "It will happen again" and the list seems to get longer. However, these phrases all seem so empty, since I don't fully understand reasons as to WHY a person would want to stay in an abusive relationship. So, I decided to look this up. I was looking for more research-based evidence, however, every article I wished to look at, the Rod Library did not have access to, and so I became frustrated. So, I went a different route and looked at advocacy websites, and others.  The one website I found to be the most clear is Advocacy Center: Domestic and Dating Violence.

This website not only reassured me that it was alright that I did not understand why a victim stays in an abusive relationship, it also went on to explain some reasons as to why victims stay. Fear is a motivator to stay because victims are so often threatened that they are scared to see what will happen when they do leave. This could not only be fear for themselves, but for others they care about such as children, family, pets, or friends. Victims could have low self-esteem due to various mind games and "put downs" for lack of a better term that would make the victims feel as though the abuse was actually their fault. Financial issues always arise, and the victims may depend on the abuser for income, and if the victim decide to leave, then the victim will fear they will not be able to support themselves. This fear of not being able to leave because of financial reasons escalates when there are children involved. The website makes a point to state that when chidlren are involved in the situation is different from an abusive environment without children.
The website continues to state that victims may believe that if they do what the abuser wants then they will be able to control the situation, or victims even hope the abuser will change themselves. It is also hard when victims do not have the support they need from friends or families, and don't know that help is available.
This website helped me to understand a little more about WHY a person would stay in an abusive relationship. However I would be interested in finding out more scientific based research. For instance, is there biological factor that plays a role, or is it purely psychological? Also, from an advocate standpoint, is their enough news, or advertisement on these issues?


So, being the advocate myself, I will add some links that are available here in our community for anyone who may be in an abusive relationship, or for those of you who may know someone who is and are wanting to help them get some assistance.

Seeds of Hope Iowa
http://www.seedsofhopeiowa.com/

UNI's Violence and Intervention Services
http://www.uni.edu/wellrec/wellness/sexualabuse/

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/10/hallucinations/

Do you find yourself continually consumed by the daily pressures and constant distractions? Do you just want to get away from it all and see where your mind takes you? To fully be able to confine yourself to just your thoughts, and have no other external stimuli infiltrating your mind is basically impossible. However, there are ways to circumvent that impossibility. Psychologist Oliver Mason, from University College London, accepts such a challenge by devising a study to deprive a sample of participants all their external stimuli. Based on preliminary mental health screenings, Mason gathered 19 individuals and placed them in a sensory-deprivation room for a 15-minute period. All outside light and sound was completely terminated while in the room. The main findings reported from the study include the deep psychological thread associated with the powerful functions of the brain and how those functions can often lead to some degree of psychosis. Researchers suggest because when our sensory input is totally deprived from us, "we have a natural tendency to superimpose our own thoughts." These thoughts, especially in a dark, soundproof room, often become negative by nature, as reported by some of the participants in the study. Many participants experienced visual hallucinations, depressed moods, and even paranoia. Among the hallucinations some of the participants reported visualizing, five claimed to see faces, and six reported seeing objects in the room that were clearly were non-existent. This area in psychology is definitely understudied, but the ultimate goal of this study will help enable further investigation about the effects of sensory deprivation among clinically diagnosed individuals with schizophrenia and recreational substance users.

            In chapter four of the textbook the author addresses the fundamental properties of psychological and physiological regulation. The above study indirectly relates to the motivational drive theory. Drive theory is the process of the body responding to physiological deprivations and deficits. Maybe in some utopian bubble this sensory deprivation study is somehow indicative of animals' (including humans, or course) need to mentally visualize the world, even if all sensory inputs are removed. It is interesting to note that most of the participants in the experienced some form of dark, or lurking presence; everything was related to a negative sensation while in the room. This could be evolutionarily reliable, because when one thinks about all the negative outcomes of a situation or event, he or she is priming his/her outcome possibilities in hopes of avoiding each outcome. As the book describes drive theory more related to behavioral components, this mental aspect of drive should not be underestimated.

I have talked to my younger cousin about off the wall text messaging that younger teens are spreading through text messages within her school.  She says everyone knows who you have a crush on, or if you are mad at a friend, and with everyone knowing those kind of things; uncalled words are being said and the texting is getting out of hand.  I read one of her text messages that someone said to her and it said "____ said that you are too skinny and you should eat lol"  Now for a young girl in middle school that could harm her self-esteem and feel as thought no one likes her, and the way she is isn't good enough, even though she is a beautiful petite young girl who is only in 7th garde. 

When watching T.V. the commercial of teens getting abused by other teens via text messaging comes up a lot, especially on MTV. When is it becoming too of athinline for young teens with their text messaging?  The website (athinline.org) helps teens cope with abused text messaging, such as sexting, constant messaging, spying, digital disprespect, and cruelty.  This website definitely is taking a step to help out teens who feel as though they can't say anything to anyone, because if they do they will be called a nark or taddle tail.

It's very alarming how many teens are getting abused or are doing the abuse over text messaging.  When I was in middle school I was'nt allowed a cell phone, unless I went to a movie and needed to call for my parents to pick me up.  Now a days all I see is young kids with cell phones in their hands walking in the mall or down the street.  It's no wonder why the text messaging abuse is becoming so popular. 

Athinline.org is definitely a big step for helping teens with this abusive problem via text messaging.  Pass it along to friends and family who you know that have been abused or are the abuser. 

The recent down turn in the economy has placed a negative effect on many people's emotions, often causing anxiety and depression. Julie Cohen who is a licensed marriage and family therapist gives some helpful hints to overcome the some of the emotional problems that can arise due to the economy. Julie encourages you to think positively, remember the positive things in your life, thinking about what you value can be very comforting. She also realizes that just thinking positively is not always going to be enough to get you through these hard times. She also offers some small steps you can take to help ease the financial stress you may be feeling, such as clipping coupons, and she gives you a link to a coupon site, as well as just making more economically appreciate choices for the situation you are in. And last but not least she tells you to take an honest look at your own financial situation and to consider getting help or guidance if needed.

http://www.dailystrength.org/experts/julie-cohen/article/as-the-economy-suffers-so-do-our-emotions