Cognitive Shift: An Expert's Take

Dr. Sherry Hamby is a Research Professor of Psychology at Sewanee, and is the founding editor of the APA journal, Psychology of Violence. I was fortunate enough to take some classes with her while I was at Sewanee, and absolutely loved them. I reached out to her to ask her to write guest blog from her angle about an article I posted a while ago:

Cognitive Shift

Here's what Dr. Hamby has to say:

Roshni's blog has many good insights about the challenges of emotional regulation and learning to focus on the positive.  These are challenges that all of face.  There are three main areas that help us deal with adversity and achieve the sort of well-being and happiness that everyone wants:  self-regulation, interpersonal relationships, and meaning making, which can be spiritual or religious but does not have to be. 

We've identified some key skills in each of these areas.  Some of them are the same ones that Roshni has identified too—emotional awareness and emotional regulation are two of the most important strengths for mental health and well-being.  It is ok to feel upset and angry—we all do sometimes—but it is also important to recognize those feelings and make conscious choices about when and how to act on them.  Endurance is another important regulatory skill—the ability to keep going even when things are tough.  In the interpersonal domain it is important to develop compassion and empathy, to figure out ways to give back to others, and to find a supportive community. In the meaning making domain, the optimism that Roshni describes is important.  So is finding a purpose in life and getting involved in something bigger than yourself, whether through church or elsewhere. 

How do you get better at these strengths?  We recommend expressive writing—even a few sessions writing about your experiences can help you better understand them.  This helps with purpose and emotional regulation.  Learning a few skills in meditation and mindfulness can also help with emotional awareness and compassion.  Volunteering helps the volunteers probably as much as it helps the recipients of volunteer efforts.  Even basic things like regular exercise can help strengthen many of these characteristics.  Recent data suggests exercise is about as effective as many other treatments for depression.

So, take Roshni's advice to heart.  We all have difficult experiences but we can still work toward greater well-being and happiness. 

Violence is popular?

Recently, we were rocked with the news of yet another violent event that occurred in the USA. There was a lot of shock, horror, and outrage, and amongst some people with extreme views, a number of extreme reactions. People gave theories for why the attack occurred, were quick to point a finger at international agencies, but I feel that the question that should be asked is; is it right to sensationalize such an event?

In the hours (and indeed minutes) after the attack, the news went crazy. Even in a relatively isolated place like Sewanee, we were not spared. Phones, laptops, and news feeds of popular social networking sites all blew up with alarming intensity. The news did not just update us on what was going on, and the responses, but showed us rather disturbing pictures of limbs, blood, and fear. Is it any wonder that with a news culture like this, violence is such a problem?

By constantly feeding us with images of violence and fear and insecurity, the media actually cultivates an atmosphere of fear. I feel that this could actually even increase the violence that happens; people are so scared that the slightest event may provoke even the mildest-mannered person to be violent.

The perpetrators of such violence are sensationalized and almost celebrated. Everyone knows the name of one such perpetrator, but would be hard pressed to name even one victim. For people who commit acts of violence in order to draw attention, knowing that acts such as these will get them widespread and even international attention could actually be an incentive. The Columbine school shooting of a couple of years ago was done by some youth who wanted to emulate another violent character, and become popular for this. Thanks to the news, this popularization, while definitely not in a positive sense, was achieved.

Victims are not given as much attention in the news; why focus on the wounded party, right? However, by doing so, are we victimizing the victims? Are we telling them that it is unacceptable to be a victim?

The day after the Boston Marathon incident, I was prowling the Internet as distracted college students are oft prone to do. I came across an interesting article that covered a side of the story that most news agencies did not. This article focused more on the positive events that happened after the bombing. It showed the people who selflessly helped victims, talked about those who freely opened their homes to those inconvenienced, and borrowing from a modern day cliché, was an article capable of ‘restoring our faith in humanity.’ I strongly believe that after a crisis, if news reporters and journalists focused more on these aspects, on the ways in which humanity bands together after a disaster, this would go a long way in helping dissipate the culture of fear we live in.

Should we completely move away from focusing on the sheer violence and the perpetrators of these acts? No, as I think to a certain degree this is necessary. However, I do feel that the degree to which we do this right now is extremely unhealthy.