Is There a Difference in Being a TARGET or a VICTIM of Bullying?



Bullying has received much more attention in the past few years than ever before. Many people are realizing how important it is to try to stop bullying because of its harmful effects on those who are being constantly bullied. Author, Carl Pickhardt, PhD, wrote a book called “Why Good Kids Act Cruel” where he talks about the different kinds of mistreatment among 9 to 13 year olds. Carl says that there are five types of social mistreatment which include teasing, exclusion, rumoring, ganging up, and of course, bullying. Bullying can be done offline, online and through cell phones nowadays which makes its scope even greater than before.  While all forms of social mistreatment can cause harm to young adolescents, bullying is the most recognized because of how it can affect home life as well as the school environment. Dr. Pickhardt has realized while working with bullied adolescents that the way they see themselves, as a victim or target, creates a difference in how the child is affected. These are the main differences between victim and target:

VICTIM: Those who see themselves as victims many times believe that they are in a way deserving of the treatment they are getting from the bully. They believe that there is something wrong with them which is causing them to be picked on. They usually feel powerless in the situation because they do not believe anything will stop the mistreatment. Because of this belief, they give up and learn, in a way, to accept the bullying. This causes the child to become especially vulnerable as they feel helpless. Also, the victim does not believe that they should tell any adults of their bullying because, like previously mentioned, they believe nothing can be done. If they were to go to an adult, they would feel even more powerless because they were not able to help themselves and are now seeking help. They usually start to believe that nobody at all likes them and everyone is against them which could make a child become isolated. Many times the ones who see themselves as the victim are inclined to punish themselves because of the fact that their apparent personal inadequacies brought on the bullying. We have seen this turn into depression, self-mutilation and suicidal thoughts.

TARGET: Those who see themselves as the target of bullying believe that the bullying is not their fault. They understand that there is nothing wrong with them personally to cause the bullying but that it is a reflection of the bully instead.  The targets know that reaching out to others who may be able to help is essential in dealing with bullies and that isolating yourself is not going to help. Instead of beating themselves up for being mistreated, a target commends themselves for remaining strong while dealing with adversary. One of the most important things the target does is to remember that they have choices in their situation. They know that they are not powerless and that they are able to speak up and do something about the bullying even though previous attempts might not have worked. They recognize their support system in their parents, teachers, other peers and school administrators and will use them.

- By: Stephanie Lopez

Source: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/surviving-your-childs-adolescence/201309/being-target-or-victim-adolescent-bullying

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Unhealthy School Lunch, Televeision, and Video Games Contribute to Childhood Obesity

By Kellie McClain

With obesity becoming a rising issue in the United States, especially with our youngest generation, many parents wonder what might put their child at risk for obesity. According to recent findings on the increase in childhood obesity, the two main factors contributing to weight gain in middle-school children are the consumption of unhealthy foods during their school lunch and spending two or more hours per day watching television. Differences in diet and physical activity also effected the probability of weight loss and varied slightly according to gender. While girls who drank milk everyday were shown to be less likely to become obese because they would drink milk as a replacement for sugary beverages. Boys were at a lower risk when they were a part of an active sports team. 

Many researches believe that physical activity is more often replaced with time spent watching television or playing video games. General findings on common foods served in school cafeterias have discovered that such foods are low in nutrition and high in calories. Further research is currently being conducted on the likelihood of childhood obesity in order to better identify risk factors early on that may lead to obesity later in life and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

There are existing programs that work towards decreasing childhood obesity through awareness. Project Healthy Schools aims to accomplish this by teaching sixth grade children to engage in at least 150 minutes of exercise per week, eat more fruits and vegetables, eat fewer sugary drinks, and replace time spend in front of the computer or television with physical activity.

SOURCE: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130812103006.htm

The Relationship Between Coffee and Personality: Coffee Drinks Could Show Personality Traits

By Kellie McClain

More than half of U.S. population over the age of 18 drink coffee everyday and each of us enjoy it with particular preferences, but have you ever thought what your preference has to say about your personality? Recent studies have shown patterns on common personality traits across different coffee drink preferences. Below is a list of popular coffee drinks and the personality traits that are typically linked  to specific coffee drink orders. While these results may be likely to relate to you, they are not always accurate for everyone and simply show statistical relationships.

Black Coffee: Personality traits associated with this drink often include keeping things simple and pure, being patient and efficient as well as moody, dismissive, and often resilient and resistant in their ways.

Lattes (milk, cream, sugar): These coffee drinkers show signs of being on open book that like to please others and seek comfort. They are generous with time, but also can be over-extended and don't always take great care of themselves.

Frozen/Blended Coffee Drinks: If you prefer this drink you are likely to try know things and set trends for others. You can be childlike, spontaneous and imaginative, but also drawn to quick fixes, unhealthy choices, and recklessness.

Instant Coffee: Instant coffee drinkers are usually traditional and laid back. They take life as it comes and are not concerned with details, but also tend to procrastinate and have poor planning skills.

Decaf/Soy Milk/Specific Orders: People with these drink preferences are typically controlling, obsessive, and focused on perfection as well as being oversensitive and worrisome. They also are known to monitor their health and bodies and make healthy choices.

SOURCE: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/09/11/what-does-your-coffee-reveal-about-you/

Is Your Teenager Moody? Depressed? Defiant?: Sings Your Teenager Needs Mental Health Treatment

By Kellie McClain

It is nowhere beyond the norm to witness teenagers occasionally acting out, becoming anxious, feeling depressed, or exhibiting any otherwise hormonally influenced behavior. However, differentiating between developmentally-bound mental illnesses that are normal and expected based on hormonal changes and disorders that go beyond hormonal influence can be difficult. In these instances it is important to base your child's behaviors and actions on how you know them to act. There will be slight behavioral changes that hormones will inevitably bring forth, but if your child begins to stray away from themselves and seems to take on entirely different personality traits and mannerisms, then your child may be experiencing a serious mental disorder that can effect all aspects of their life and make an already tumultuous time in their lives even more difficult and beyond their control. The most effective way to treat illnesses to this extent would be to seek mental treatment from a professional who will be able to identify the necessary steps to take.

Some hormone-related actions and behaviors that could possibly escalate into a mental illness necessary for treatment include:

1. Mood swings: Especially during the beginning of their teenage years, children are likely to become more sensitive with their moods and susceptible to spontaneous and dramatized mood changes. If these changes are constant, extreme, or dysfunctional your child may need need psychological treatment.
2. Behavioral changes: With hormones driving teenagers to experience different needs and desires, it is normal to see slight changes in behavior that reflect these hormonal influences, but if the behaviors begin to negatively effect or alter the child's lifestyle it may be influenced by more than just their hormones.
3. Consequences in school and among friends: These changes are natural and expected and would only need treatment seeking if the consequences become detrimental to child's well being and future.
4. Physical symptoms: Hormones bring about physical changes as well that are accompanied with growth spurts. However, any significant change in the eating habits, hygiene, or energy level may signify a mental imbalance.
5. Self-medication: As all of these changes come about, the child may feel overwhelmed, lost, or confused. In these instances they may seek ways the deal with their mental issues using dysfunctional methods of self-medication such as drinking, drugs, or gangs. If your child engages in any of these activities in an attempt to escape an existing mental illness, treatment should be sought as soon as possible.

SOURCE: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/09/21/5-signs-your-teen-needs-mental-health-treatment/

Are you a Dreamer? A conscious glance into the unconscious

Study
Two Psychology Today columnists wrote two respective articles, within a month, that worked to completely counter each other.

The subject matter: dreams. 

David Bedrick's thoughts on dreams were provoked by a lifelong fascination. He talks about approaching dreams and analyzing them to further understand oneself and one's motives. According to Bedrick, "everyone dreams," and that "not having" dreams is simply not the case. We tend to get bogged down in reality and in our consciousness that not remembering every part of a dream is very common. He advises taking down your dreams in a journal when you can, and preparing mentally for a night full of dreams. He goes on to analyze two dreams and follows with personal suggestions. For example, one dreamer was at an old friend's new furnished house with an Olympic sized pool in the backyard. The dreamer's dog was struggling in the pool and the dreamer grabbed a ladder and tried to reel her pet back to land. Bedrick's advice to this dreamer would be to "dive in," don't be afraid of something too big or too challenging. Having this old friend implies having lost her, and her drowning dog needs rescue. 

Reading this next article, after having gone through Bedrick's analysis, made me burst into mental laughter, mainly because it refutes almost everything Bedrick aims to prove. Dr. Patrick McNamara is a professor of neurology at Boston University and his article is entitled "The Folly of Dream Interpretation." From the get go, it is clear Dr. McNamara disagrees with the "dream interpretation sites" that provide "peddle nonsense, mostly along the lines of new age 'spiritualities' and ideologies." There can be basic meanings behind common dream themes (showing up to work in your underwear for example), but it is relatively trivial to scrutinize every subtle symbol in a dream to detect some hidden truth in one's life. Listening to these "experts" lecture on the complexity of the unconscious is an exercise in futility; it is all proposed! There is no science behind the "dream code," and until the dream code is cracked, long winded dream explanations should be taken with several grains of salt.  


Reflection
I, personally, am a believer. I try to jot my dreams down when I can, and try to improve my dream memory by reading and reducing electronic stimulation before I sleep. Dr. McNamara clearly is a non believer. There apparently isn't a reason for everything, even in the unconscious world. He feels some things are meant to be unsolved. 



To introduce a third text, Children's Dreams, by Carl Jung (a sure fire bust on psychology's Mount Rushmore), offers an interesting take to say the least. Jung, a Freudian product, emphasizes the unconscious as a construct that "remains beside the passing of time and perceives things that do not yet exist." Dreams can either represent moments in our conscious previously experienced or moments we haven't yet experienced. The perplexing notion that our dreams sometimes predict situations that occur in the future is what Jung taps into. For example, this would explain why I had a dream last night about my friend and I visiting a local Burger King (a totally possible instance) and then would have that same scenario play out a week later. This would mean that I had true access to my unconscious. Our unconscious is something that exists before we live and after we die; it has no time constrains and we tap into it ourselves through sleep and any other medium that would force our conscious to take a back seat. The conscious is reality, it's what we know. Things that we can observe, with subject to time, make up our conscious reality. Perhaps our unconscious is slowly revealed to us in the form of the conscious (resurfacing) or merely just in dream form. 

The idea Jung proposes of "two different states" is quite difficult to grasp, but then again, so are dreams.  

-Ryan Scanlon


Works Used:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/is-psychology-making-us-sick/201308/understanding-your-dreams


http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/dream-catcher/201307/the-folly-dream-interpretation

Jung, Carl (1987). Children's Dreams

How to Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem

By Pamela O'Connor

Children need encouragement and positive feedback, but they need strictness as well. Raising children is of course never easy, but parents need to mold their children into well behaved and humble people. Parents and teachers mainly feel that a lot of affirmation and care will bring about good self-esteem and make their children better. Unfortunately, this can backfire and change them into selfish, spoiled children that feel entitled to things they shouldn't. This mainly breeds narcissism in our children and students. Studies have been done since the 1970’s and recent results are showing that narcissism is climbing; parents are doting over their children now more than ever and doing almost everything for them.

What was found is a better way to boost self-esteem and keep your child or student feeling the right amount consistently. This is strengthened when adults are responsive by being encouraging and supportive and understanding. It also helps when adults are demanding by setting standards for the child to meet and making them accountable for them. Having this genuine self-esteem stems from accomplishments rather than just affirmation, and by achieving goals children will feel better about themselves and continue to do well.

 If adults are constantly doing tasks for them, it can send the message of saying “I must do this, you are unable”. This will discourage the child from being able to do things on their own and eventually lower their self-esteem. Children need loving and caring adults to nurture and guide them, but they also need people to pull the best out of them so they can grow into happy healthy people. 

Source: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/artificial-maturity/201309/what-really-cultivates-self-esteem-in-students

The Psychology of Facebook: What Draws Users In

By Kellie McClain

As society becomes increasingly technologically inclined, the dependency on constant social connection through internet usage continues to rise. Everyday millions of Americans rely on the internet to help them stay in contact with the rest of the world. Facebook, attracted over 500 million users each day, is the most used social networking site (SNS) in the world. Researches have concluded that SNSs such as Facebook are visited to give users three main capabilities; (1) to create a personal profile accessible to others, (2) to establish a connection with a particular list of individuals, and (3) to keep track of connection made with and between others. In order to understand psychologically what attracts so many users to SNSs such as Facebook there are two major psychological needs to consider that are satisfied through Facebook use.  These include the need to belong and the need to for self-preservation.

With Facebook's high amount of daily users, it is likely that most, if not all, of an individuals social circle of family and friends have an account with Facebook and are using it frequently. This gives motivation for that individual to become a frequent user themselves in order to avoid the feeling of being ostracized and out of the social loop. It is very important for one to feel a satisfactory amount of inclusion with others since recent research has shown that a lack of social connection negatively correlates with levels of self-esteem and self-worth. A study was conducted in 2010 to show how self-esteem is effects by Facebook, specifically the viewing and editing of one's own profile. Results concluded that such tasks significantly increase levels of self-esteem and self-assessment which further strengthens the idea of Facebook use in relation to self-esteem.

Recent surveys conducted of Facebook profiles of undergraduate students shows that the image the individuals portray of themselves is closely related to their profile picture, Those with seemingly sexual, wild, or offensive profile pictures have been shown to make posts and descriptions that are consistent with their picture as well as those with proper or otherwise conservative profile pictures. It has also been shown that those who portray a desirable and well-liked persona through their Facebook profiles are equally as desired in face-to-face interaction. It is suggested that the profile an individual displays to the Facebook community direct reflects that individuals public persona.

Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3335399/

Eating Mindfully: More Than Just A Diet

By Kellie McClain

The term "mindful eating" has become quite a trendy topic in today's culture, but is it's meaning being misinterpreted? With all the recent hype of dieting and healthy eating, many people have come to apply mindful eating to their lifestyle without having full knowledge of what the term entails. When executed properly, mindful eating can improve one's overall health and even help to treat certain addictions and other mental illnesses. Before considering applying mindful eating to your daily lifestyle, make sure to be aware of popular stigmas and what eating mindfully really means.

First and foremost it is important to recognize that mindful eating is NOT a diet. Diet's often restrict one's food intake and are targeted at weight loss. In contrast, mindful eating stresses awareness of both your surrounding environment and your internal needs. It is important to make each meal a separate part of your day that is given sufficient thought and consideration in order to be more in tune with what your body needs. Individuals with eating disorder often see their body as the enemy and let emotions take over when choosing what and when to eat. Those who eat mindfully put focus into feeding their true self and do not put unhealthy restriction on what they eat or how much. Mindful eating also contrasts with diets in the sense that there are no restrictions in terms of who can participate and how long it applies to one's diet. This type of eating is not temporary and should be applied throughout one's life. This is the healthiest way, physically and emotionally, to maintain a healthy, stabilized diet.

Ignoring Mental Illnesses Can Lead to Tragedy

By Pamela O'Connor

 Lt. William Fitzgerald of the Newport police has disclosed to the media that the former Navy reservist gunman, Aaron Alexis, was apparently suffering from hallucinations. In August he had called the Newport Police Department in response to what he thought to be people following him and keeping him awake at night through “vibration messages” being sent through his body. Alexis shot and killed 12 people in the Washington Navy Yard on Monday morning. He was wielding a shotgun, and carved strange phrases into the stock, such as “better off this way” or “my ELF weapon”. 

Alexis did not hide his problems. He left his issues in multiple police reports but no one took notice or decided to get him real help. There were many red flags and although he was prescribed medication, a generic antidepressant that is prescribed for insomnia, his illness was not taken as seriously as it should have been. The mental health professionals seeing him should have taken into account his hallucinations and delusions and known he was worse off and a danger to others. 

Too many times are mentally ill patients neglected and become worse and worse until they snap and tragedy strikes. We have seen this in multiple school shootings, where the child was mentally disturbed but they were ignored and it ended in a murder spree. This is a large problem in our society today, and unless we give these patients the attention they really need, it will only get worse.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/navy-yard-gunman-aaron-alexis-told-va-doctors-he-was-not-thinking-of-harming-others/2013/09/18/aee01b22-20a6-11e3-b73c-aab60bf735d0_story.html 

Can you tell the difference? ADHD vs Bipolar in Children

Coupled with ADHD, bipolar disorder has been growing as a very prevalent diagnosis in children as well, evidenced by the fact that the of diagnosis in children and teens has risen by 40% in the last decade. Bipolar symptoms are both manic and depressive. There are some conflicting schools of thought on whether bipolar disorder should be examined this closely in children. For many adolescents, mood swings and episodes of theatric angst are common, making it very difficult to really determine which teens are disordered and which are merely acting out. Another argument that could be presented is since many believe the symptoms differ slightly for bipolar disorder when diagnosing children, why not make a separate category within the illness? Perhaps an “adult bipolar disorder” and a “child bipolar disorder.”

Certain bipolar symptoms (mostly mania) in children tend to mirror those of ADHD. Both disorders are characterized by high levels of energy, disregard of risk and high distractibility. A hyperactive child and a manic child could both manifest these symptoms. However, there are subtle differences that differentiate the two.

First, ADHD is defined as a chronic behavioral disorder in children. Chronic means that the hyperactive symptoms are consistent on a day to day basis and follow the child through all environments. Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that, even more so in children, is episodic. There are high and low periods of disorder, but there is no constant state of “bipolar;” children often find themselves in a normal mood.

Bipolar mania is characterized by high energy, but usually this energy is driven towards a goal. A child in a manic state is often very productive, sometimes to the point of entropy, but still shows strong motivation. The hyperactive mind often contains too much entropy, loses focus and lacks the motivation for long term goals. The other difference that sticks out is the sense of grandiosity and inflation of self-worth a child with mania may feel. This “euphoria” sensation often drives them towards lofty, goal-oriented behavior. What is probably evident in many ADHD children, as opposed to manic children, is the psychological toll they take from bullies. Hyperactive children get picked on quite a bit for being idiosyncratic in the very conformist world of elementary and middle school (“fitting in” is everything). Because of this, it must be difficult for many ADHD children to develop confidence.

Those responsible for shaping  youth (teacher, parent, friend, relative) are always encouraged to be inquisitive about  children’s health. Those who recognize early signs are advised to take methodical action and seek counsel from a mental health professional. 

-Ryan Scanlon

Works Used:

http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/guide/bipolar_disorder_or_adhdwww.facebook.com/AristaCounseling

Exercise Is Valuable

Paul Kang

We all know that exercise is good for physical health, and my psychology classes and personal experiences have proven that it is good for mental health, but there is evidence that shows that it also linked to a higher income. 

Many people do not know if they should exercise because they feel like their time could be used for something more productive and helpful for the future.  My college friend’s mother thought that exercising was “stupid” because it is unlikely for it to help out one’s career.   She said that her son and I should just study hard to make money, but she obviously did not study much psychology.  Although attending a gym can be time-consuming and expensive, it can make all that time and money worth it. 

A recent article spoke of a study that researched a sample of 5042 Finnish twin males, aiming to discover the direct effects of physical activities on long-term income.  Over 15 years, the results showed that physically active males received 14-17% higher incomes than less active males. 

If you think about it, it makes perfect sense.  Exercise leads to endorphin release and greater physical attractiveness, and that builds self-esteem and self-confidence.  The authors argued that the love for one’s self may encourage perseverance, social skills and participation in competitive situations within the working environment. 

The authors controlled for other external factors that may influence income.  More research is needed to see if it may differ among other countries, and women should be included as well.  I have asked many physically active people, male and female, about their thoughts on exercise, and a negative attitude towards it must be extremely rare or absent because I have not encountered a single physically active person that is negative about exercise.  Positive attitude itself cannot guarantee higher income, but how can you trust someone who is not happy about his/her life?  I know I can’t.  I will trust a physically fit and happy person to produce results in any situation over someone who is not physically fit and unhappy.

References:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-the-neighborhood/201308/is-exercise-the-answer-higher-income

Smile! It Could Boost Your Mood

By Kellie McClain

It is common knowledge that universal happiness is almost always accompanied by the physical feature of smiling, but many recent studies have been done that show smiling and happiness can work both ways. In other words, that the act of smiling alone can have a positive effect on our mood, even if the smile is fake or forced. This is caused by the positioning of the facial bones located around the mouth that contain several large air pockets known as sinuses. The position in which these bones are placed when our faces contract a smile allows for more blood flow into the prefrontal cortex which causes an increase in the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that controls the reward and pleasure center in our brains. 

One experiment done to prove this theory is one where participants watched cartoons while holding a pencil the their mouths just with their teeth for one trial and just with their lips for another. Participants reported enjoying the same cartoons much more while holding the pencil with their teeth (contracting a smile) versus  holding it with just their lips (contracting a frown). Another study was done in which subjects repeated vowel sounds that resulted in different facial expressions. This study yielded identical results where participants felt happier repeated the letter e (contracting a smile) than when they repeated letter such as u that resulted in a frown. These studies also suggest that forcing a smile could not only result in happiness, but increase social connections, decrease blood pressure, and even boost your immune system.

References: http://www.birchtreepsychologynj.com/apps/blog/entries/show/12653658-can-smiling-improve-your-mood-

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/living-well/articles/2010/12/01/smile-to-improve-your-mood

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-brain-food/201112/addicted-smiling