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Contents contributed and discussions participated by Ellen L

Ellen L

The Psychological Effects of Child Relocation - 0 views

  • Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration."
  • The prevailing rule of thumb used to be that the older the child, the more difficult the moving experience will be.
  • Moving does not have to be traumatic for your children, however; there are many things that you can do as a parent to help reduce the impact for them, right from the moment you share the news with them.
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    This article discusses the detriments that moving has on a child's psyche, and the steps a parent should take to comfort their child in times of such great change. Neither Perry, nor Vardaman's father comforts them during their travels and the psychological effects the change has on them is evident.
Ellen L

Psychological sleuths--Criminal profiling: the reality behind the myth - 0 views

  • "is sit down and look through cases where the criminals had been arrested. I listed how old [the perpetrators] were, whether they were male or female, their level of education. Did they come from broken families? Did they have school behavioral problems? I listed as many factors as I could come up with, and then I added them up to see which were the most common."
  • "The basic premise is that behavior reflects personality," explains retired FBI agent Gregg McCrary. In a homicide case, for example, FBI agents glean insight into personality through questions about the murderer's behavior at four crime phases:Antecedent: What fantasy or plan, or both, did the murderer have in place before the act? What triggered the murderer to act some days and not others?Method and manner: What type of victim or victims did the murderer select? What was the method and manner of murder: shooting, stabbing, strangulation or something else?Body disposal: Did the murder and body disposal take place all at one scene, or multiple scenes?Postoffense behavior: Is the murderer trying to inject himself into the investigation by reacting to media reports or contacting investigators
  • Among those in the profiling field, the tension between law enforcement and psychology still exists to some degree. "The difference is really a matter of the FBI being more oriented towards investigative experience than [academic psychologists] are," says retired FBI agent McCrary.
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    This article discusses crime and offender profiling. This relates to ICB because up until the two criminals are caught, the sheriff and deputy spend hours pouring over the crime details in an attempt to characterize the type of people who committed the act. 
Ellen L

Racial Diversity Improves Group Decision Making In Unexpected Ways, According To Tufts ... - 0 views

  • esearch from Tufts University indicates that diverse groups perform better than homogenous groups when it comes to decision making and that this is due largely to dramatic differences in the way whites behave in diverse groups--changes that occur even before group members begin to interact.
  • In a study involving 200 participants on 29 mock juries, panels of whites and blacks performed better than all-white groups by a number of measures. "Such diverse juries deliberated longer, raised more facts about the case, and conducted broader and more wide-ranging deliberations," said Sommers. "They also made fewer factual errors in discussing evidence and when errors did occur, those errors were more likely to be corrected during the discussion."
  • "Diverse groups show a number of advantages and benefits when it comes to this type of decision making."
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    This article discusses a study that was done which concluded that diverse juries spend more time deliberating, thus making fairer, more thought out decisions. Unlike with a jury of equals, a diverse jury argues over beliefs and values, thus increasing the value and fairness of the decision. 
Ellen L

Courts Try to Maximize Jury Diversity - July 2007 - The Third Branch - 0 views

  • But a study ordered in 2005 by Judge Nancy Gertner (D. Mass.) found that wealthier towns with few minority residents did a better job of keeping accurate residency lists than more diverse communities. The result: a higher percentage of jury summonses sent to minorities came back as undeliverable or went unanswered.
  • “The perception of fairness counts. A white jury may be fair, but a non-white defendant likely will think ‘the jurors can’t be fair because they don’t understand me.’”
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    This page discusses the importance in having a racially and culturally mixed jury in order to make fair decisions. The importance of have many differing perspectives gives the case a more concrete ambiance, thus increasing a ruling' rationality. In In Cold Blood, and all the other books, we see this common thread of truth through the many opinions of others, thus augmenting the importance of a multiperspective show. In the In COld Blood trial, there is a very monotonous showing of a jury, as all the people are white, christian landowners. 
Ellen L

The Insanity Defense - 0 views

  • Years from now, when socialist historians of the future examine the dead carcass of US capitalism, they will pay special attention to the growing barbarism of the penal system in the late 20th century. While most attention will obviously be paid to the reintroduction of the death penalty and a racist judicial system that incarcerates minorities disproportionately, there will also have to be close look at the tendency to treat mentally ill people as common criminals.
  • The insanity defense was first used in the case of an 1843 assassination attempt on British Prime Minister Robert Peel by a psychotic individual named Daniel M'Naghten. When a physician testified that M'Naghten was insane, the prosecution agreed to stop the case and the defendant was declared insane despite protests from Queen Victoria and the House of Lords.
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    Originally used in 1843 for an assassination case, the insanity plea has been used by many cold killers to save their lives in return for being labled as a sociopath. Both Dick and Perry undergo psychological evaluations to determine if they, too, qualify for this sentence.  Interestingly enough, this defense now seems to be a thing of the past, as some courts require their jury to answer whether or not a criminal understood his actions.
Ellen L

Rational Choice and Deterrence Theory - 0 views

  • An understanding of personal choice is commonly based in a conception of rationality or rational choice
  • he central points of this theory are: (1) The human being is a rational actor, (2) Rationality involves an end/means calculation, (3) People (freely) choose all behavior, both conforming and deviant, based on their rational calculations, (4) The central element of calculation involves a cost benefit analysis: Pleasure versus Pain, (5) Choice, with all other conditions equal, will be directed towards the maximization of individual pleasure, (6) Choice can be controlled through the perception and understanding of the potential pain or punishment that will follow an act judged to be in violation of the social good, the social contract, (7) The state is responsible for maintaining order and preserving the common good through a system of laws (this system is the embodiment of the social contract), (8) The Swiftness, Severity, and Certainty of punishment are the key elements in understanding a law's ability to control human behavior.
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    This article discusses the rational choice theory. This includes the factors of pain vs. pleasure, knowledge of certainty of punishments, and individual gain. In In Cold Blood, the murderers rationalize their actions by the assumptions that they will be able to escape the law, and with the great sum of money they would potentially gain, the two could skip the country and live a pleasurable life
Ellen L

Criminological theories - 0 views

  • The immediate social environment is primarily responsible for criminality in our society, e.g., broken families, poor parenting, low quality educational experiences, delinquent peer relations, poverty, lack of equal economic opportunity, inadequate socialization to the values implicit in the American culture, etc.
  • Crime occurs when the forces that bind people to society are weakened or broken. When the social bonds that individuals have to parents, peers, and important social institutions like the school or the workplace are strong, they fear that their criminal activity may jeopardize their relative position in society and refuse to run the risk of losing meaningful social relationships, careers, etc. Generally, adolescents have weaker bonds to conventional society than adults.
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    This site gives a comprehensive background of several criminology theories. These include sociological, physical and psychological factors that influence individuals to turn to crime. Both Dick and Perry show signs of the presence of these theories. Perry's home life fits into the social control theory, as does Dick's ability to purposely weaken any social bond he may have created
Ellen L

Talking to Children about Death - 0 views

  • Some children may still think the dead person will return. Guilt may make a child feel responsible for the death through her own wishful thinking (I wish he would die!), harsh words (You'll be the death of me yet.) or not doing something (I didn't help Grandpa mow the lawn. Now he died.). Fears related to death may arise.
  • How to help: Be a good listener. Correct any confusing ideas the child may have. Provide play opportunities and routine. Reassure the child the death was not her fault. Provide opportunities to open discussion with a quiet child by reading stories related to death.
  • Some children in this age range may appear to be unaffected by death on the surface. They may see death as a punishment for bad deeds.
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  • Talk about the ways in which things are different and how they are the same. Reassure the child he did not cause the death.
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    This site talks primarily about younger children s understanding of death, and what parents should do to help their young ones cope with the phenomenon. The thought processes spoken of on this site reflect those thought by Vardaman
Ellen L

Coping With Loss: Bereavement and Grief - HealthyPlace - 0 views

  • Grieving is the outward expression of your loss. Your grief is likely to be expressed physically, emotionally, and psychologically. For instance, crying is a physical expression, while depression is a psychological expression.
  • It is very important to allow yourself to express these feelings. Often, death is a subject that is avoided, ignored or denied. At first it may seem helpful to separate yourself from the pain, but you cannot avoid grieving forever. Someday those feelings will need to be resolved or they may cause physical or emotional illness.
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    This article discusses the importance of outward expression after the loss of a family member, despite how close they were. This display of emotion helps one to deal with the loss, lessening the probability that it will later turn into a mental illness. Following Addie's death, with the exception of a few silent tears shed by Vardaman, and Jewel's anger outbursts, very little display of emotion is held, thus explaining the family's worsening state.
Ellen L

What We Learn from Our Parents | Psychology Today - 1 views

  • The natural process of growing up and becoming socialized is typically so full of disappointments and confusion that it's essential to have parents who can reliably offer us solace and calm us down when we've depleted our limited coping resources.
  • e're actually psychologically "enslaved" to our caretakers. And our home can't possibly be a sanctuary for us--a safe harbor where we can dependably feel supported and understood. Rather, it's a place where we're constantly struggling to secure the enduring parental connection that so frustratingly eludes us.
  • owever unintentionally, such parents can make us feel responsible for their happiness, such that we're prompted to take on the burden of their dependencies
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    This article talks about how while children are suppose to feel bonded to their parents, they are not suppose to feel in bondage to them. This switch results in a change of position of parent in child within a family unit, resulting in stress and abnormal feelings. This is seen in the Bundren household, especially with Anse, as he sees his children as objects to take care of him.
Ellen L

The Importance of Family Communication « Your Relationship Blog - 0 views

  • Many families are experiencing lack of communication, although they all live together but they don’t often talk to each other.  How does this happen?  Are they invisible to each other, or they just don’t know how to speak up and open a communication?  For a kid having this family is not healthy for him. He become hesitant to talk about his problems for example in school; when he has a failing grade and his parents are needed to talk to the principal for their child’s performance.
  • Good communication skills in a family may build self-esteem, because a child learns of his capabilities from what his family tells him of himself.
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    This talks about the importance of family communication in a more modern sense, yet they values still hold true to AILD and Frankenstein. It discusses how children raised with poor communication skills cycles into family crisis, confusion and lack of self-esteem. These are all things faced by the characters of these 2 books. 
Ellen L

http://www.na.org/admin/include/spaw2/uploads/pdf/litfiles/us_english/IP/EN3112.pdf - 0 views

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    "When we are born we are conscious only of ourselves, we are the universe. We perceive little  other than our basic needs, and if these needs are met we are content. As our consciousness  expands we become aware of a world outside ourselves. We discover that there are people,  places, and things around us, and that they fulfill our needs" "Most children, through experiences over a period of time, come to realize that the outside  world cannot provide all their wants and needs. They begin to supplement what is given to  them with their own efforts." This article discusses how children grow to self sufficiency when they realize their is more to the world than their own selfish needs. We see, however, that in AILD almost none of the characters grow out of this childish ideology.
Ellen L

Why We Write About Grief - NYTimes.com - 0 views

  • writing has always been the way I make sense of the world. It’s a kind of stay against dread, and chaos.
  • After she died, I kept writing — and reading — trying to understand or just get a handle on grief, which was different from what I thought it’d be. It wasn’t merely sadness; I was full of nostalgia for my childhood, obsessed with my dream life and had a hard time sleeping or focusing on anything but my memories.
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    This NYTimes article discusses how people cope with death through various means of art and communication--specifically writing. The authors interviewed in this article explained how this form of communication was the only way they could understand what happened, thus saving them from the insanity of being lost. The Bundren family copes with Addie's death in no communicative way. As this important outlet does not exist within the household, it may well explain the strewed psychological states of many of the characters. 
Ellen L

A safe place for kids to grieve ~ Kidsaid.com - 0 views

  • It is important to remember that a young child's perception is oriented in the five basic senses. It is concrete, short-range and based on what is felt in the moment. A young child does not comprehend the concept of death. A person is gone; then a person is there. When a person is gone and then still gone and then still gone, a child may grieve at each moment when he or she feels the person's goneness.
  • Children may ask questions repetitively. The answers often do not resolve their searching. The searching itself is part of their grief work.  Their questions are indicative of their feelings of confusion and uncertainty. Listen and support their searching. Answer repetitively. You may have to tell the story over and over and over again.
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    This site discusses the grief process of young children. In a normal situation, kids are typically suppose to do a lot of questioning to somehow rationalize the situation. In AILD, however, we see that Vardaman is unable to ask these questions, which is detrimental to his growing process. 
Ellen L

In a Chinese Orphanage - 96.04 - 0 views

  • Some of the children grab their bottles and eat lustily, and some--often the same ones--demand attention, crying, spreading their arms to be held. Their eyes beg for human warmth and affection. Others are already passive and withdrawn. Their bottles lie untouched, as though they are too weak, too indifferent, or still too young to make the effort.
  • She feels that such human contact would be cruel to children who have never known warmth or affection or holding, and would perhaps prolong their dying. Instead she gives all her energy and unconditional love to the little ones who respond to it energetically.
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    This article discusses conditions of Chinese orphanages and the case of certain children who die due to a lack of attention and human contact. This shows how crucial a role social contact plays in child development, making the monster's violent reaction to Victor's abuse understandable. 
Ellen L

http://www.benbenjamin.net/pdfs/Issue2.pdf - 0 views

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    "These babies died from a completely different kind of deprivation: lack of touch" "The results are clear: the way an infant is touched, even in its first few hours of life, influences whether it survives, and how it copes in the world as an adult." The monster in Frankenstein suffers bad beginnings, as his first experience is being abandoned by Victor, which later affects his behavior and the way he hopes with his problems.
Ellen L

Bonding and Attachment in Maltreated Children: Consqeuences of Emotional Neglect in Chi... - 0 views

  • These relationships are absolutely necessary for any of us to survive, learn, work, love, and procreate.
  • Some people seem "naturally" capable of loving. They form numerous intimate and caring relationships and, in doing so, get pleasure. Others are not so lucky. They feel no "pull" to form intimate relationships, find little pleasure in being with or close to others. They have few, if any, friends, and more distant, less emotional glue with family. In extreme cases an individual may have no intact emotional bond to any other person. They are self-absorbed, aloof, or may even present with classic neuropsychiatric signs of being schizoid or autistic.
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    This article discusses the importance of care in a child's infancy in order for them to be able to develop close attachments with others. It talks about two types of people, those who like to make relationships, and those who would prefer to be alone. The monster is one who would like to make relationships, while Victor would prefer to be alone, thus contrasting in nature. 
Ellen L

Importance of Parental Supervision | Parenting | Disney Family.com - 0 views

  • The survey indicates that parents misunderstand what's important to their kids, underestimate their maturity, overlook problematic behavior and withdraw themselves from their children's daily lives.
  • "Clearly, there's a connection gap if half the people in a conversation think they don't get a chance to explain themselves," says Kutner. "If one person tends to dominate most conversations at the expense of another, it can create an environment filled with misunderstanding, anger and resentment."
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    Following the shooting at Columbine High School, several surveys were conducted to understand how the parents were unaware of their children s violent nature. What they found was a huge communication gap between parents and their children that  led to misunderstanding and anger. This is exactly what happens between Victor and the monster, as Victor is unwilling to communicate, thus creating a barrier between the two. 
Ellen L

Ethical Issues in Genetic Engineering and Transgenics (ActionBioscience) - 0 views

  • What are the long-term effects on the environment when transgenics are released in the field?
  • What ethical, social, and legal controls or reviews should be placed on such research?
  • Will transgenic interventions in humans create physical or behavioral traits that may or may not be readily distinguished from what is usually perceived to be “human”?
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  • If we create a being that has the ability to speak and perhaps even reason but looks like a dog or a chimp, should that being be given all the rights and protection of a human being? Some bioethicists argue that the definition of “human being” should be more expansive and protective, rather than more restrictive. Others argue that definitions that are more expansive could be denigrating to humanity’s status and create a financial disincentive to patenting creations that could be of use to humanit
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    This article discussed the controversy on what it means to be a human being. As the field of genetic engineering is quickly growing, ethical concerns arise, particularly what constitutes a human being. If scientists were to create entities that functioned like humans, but did not look like them, there is a question to how they would be treated. This is much like the monster Frankenstein creates, who functions much like a normal human, but is denied equal treatment by others. 
Ellen L

Access : Social isolation delays the positive effects of running on adult neurogenesis ... - 0 views

  • Social isolation can exacerbate the negative consequences of stress and increase the risk of developing psychopathology.
  • individual housing precludes the positive influence of short-term running on adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus of rats and, in the presence of additional stress, suppresses the generation of new neurons.
  • These results suggest that, in the absence of social interaction, a normally beneficial experience can exert a potentially deleterious influence on the brain.
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    Studies have shown that a lack of social interaction turns usually beneficial activities, such as running, into detrimental ones, as a lack of interaction causes elevated levels of corticosterone to be produced, suppressing the generation of new neurons. This reflects the fine line Victor walked between sanity and insanity, as the isolation has a tendency to produce psychopathic effects. 
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