Archive
December 2020
The allure of mysteries
Elizabeth Michaelson Monaghan meets researchers to look behind the painting…
‘I took my turn on Friday to be arrested’
Dr Rosie Jones considers peaceful protests, the law and the Health and Care Professions Council: what are the lessons for psychologists? Questions from Dr Roger Paxton, Chair of the British Psychological Society's Ethics Committee.
Beyond the binary
'Non-Binary Lives: An Anthology of Intersecting Identities', edited by Jos Twist, Ben Vincent, Meg-John Barker and Kat Gupta (Jessica Kingsley Publishers; £14.99). Reviewed by Dr Katherine Hubbard.
‘Almost every area of psychology has something to contribute to addressing climate change’
Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh on psychology’s role in tackling climate change. As told to Deputy Editor Annie Brookman-Byrne.
Living with pain
'Work and pain: A lifespan development approach', edited by Elaine Wainwright and Christopher Eccleston (Oxford University Press; £29.99). Reviewed by Dr Hannah Twiddy.
‘We have a responsibility to go beyond sport’
Dr Peter Olusoga is a senior lecturer in psychology and a sport psychology practitioner, working with athletes and teams on the mental side of performance. Hugh Gilmore is a BASES performance psychologist working with British Athletics, Para-Powerlifting and the English Institute of Sport, among other things.Our editor Dr Jon Sutton chatted with them about their podcast, Eighty Percent Mental.
'A person with dementia becomes untethered from time'
'Dick Johnson is Dead' is a Netflix original; filmed, produced and directed by Kirsten Johnson, about her Dad's dementia. Our editor Jon Sutton asked her about it.
‘You build in, rather than tack on, change’
Ian Florance meets Helen Keyes.
'Every choice has been dictated by my health condition'
Liza Morton on ableism in Psychology, reflecting on her lived experience of navigating a career in Psychology whilst living with a serious lifelong heart condition.
Chronic pain acceptance does not equal accepting chronic pain
Ute Liersch writes.
‘You have to put your trust in the psychologist’
Dominic Barrett shares his journey of mental health recovery, with comment from his psychologist Caroline Clare.
‘Women fight victim blaming every step of the way’
Why women are blamed for everything: Exploring victim blaming of women subjected to violence and trauma by Dr Jessica Taylor is published by Little Brown. We asked Jessica about her book.
‘There is not enough research, understanding, respect or admiration…’
Birth Shock: How to Recover from Birth Trauma (Pinter & Martin, 2020) by perinatal clinical psychologist Mia Scotland is out now. Michelle Cree, consultant clinical psychologist and author of The Compassionate Mind Approach to Postnatal Depression: Using Compassion Focussed Therapy to Enhance Mood, Confidence and Bonding (Robinson, 2015) spoke to Mia about the book.
November 2020
Marie Jahoda – the ultimate example
Michael Billig turns to historical studies of writing psychology to argue for ‘more examples, less theory’ in this extended and adapted extract from his new book.
‘I didn’t see criminals, I saw potential’
Ruth Corkett on working in a young offenders institute.
Understanding self-harm
Ella Rhodes hears from researchers in the field.
Crossing borders
Ian Florance meets Christian van Nieuwerburgh, who is, amongst other roles, Professor of Coaching and Positive Psychology at the University of East London.
You are more than your productivity
Dr Maria Kordowicz on creating meaning post-Covid-19.
No passive tellers of their past
Jennifer O’Mahoney on narrative psychology and historical institutional abuse.
'Our diversity is our strength’
We meet Dr Shelley McKeown Jones, Associate Professor in Social Psychology at the University of Bristol and the current Chair of the British Psychological Society’s Social Psychology Section.
Do you know yourself?
Emma Young digests the research on self-knowledge.
#bropenscience is broken science
Kirstie Whitaker and Olivia Guest ask how open ‘open science’ really is.
October 2020
Working together
Our collection of articles on collaboration.
‘I don’t take on roles for a badge… I just want to make a difference’
Dr Robina Shah – consultant applied psychologist, expert in psychosocial medicine, and former High Sheriff of Greater Manchester – talked to Ella Rhodes about her work, life and values.
Partnerships for impact
Nicola Pitchford introduces perspectives from those at the ‘coal face’ of education.
Keep your friends close, your adversaries closer
Chris Ferguson and Danielle Lindner might only agree on their need to collaborate.
‘It’s about connection’
Jenny Boyd’s autobiography – Jennifer Juniper: A journey beyond the muse – checks in at some of the best-known events and places of the 1960s and 1970s, including inspiring Donovan and travelling with The Beatles, before going ‘back to school’. Ian Florance heard from her on how studying psychology can inform and change lives.
'These are becoming lost skills that we need to recapture’
The new book Rapport, by Emily Alison and Laurence Alison, offers ‘The four ways to read people’. Jon Sutton asked them about it.
Supporting ‘team science’
Katherine Button argues that we need to build a diversity of roles into the fabric of the psychology department, as well as thinking about our role in bigger interdisciplinary projects.
Editorial, October 2020
Dr Jon Sutton introduces the issue.
Massive collaboration
Jon Brock goes inside the Psychological Science Accelerator.
Which human experiences are universal?
Emma Young digests the research.
‘Our children have told us off for talking too much about episodic memory’
Chris Moulin and Celine Souchay on a professional and personal marriage.
From poverty to flourishing: towards 2021
We get an update on the Society’s campaign, and call for contributions to a special summer edition.
Sharing across fields
Marcus Munafò on the benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration.
September 2020
Standing against racism
We collate letters in response to the killing of George Floyd. From the British Psychological Society's Division of Counselling Psychology Black and Asian Counselling Psychologists' Group; Anonymous; Halina Bryan; Khadj Rouf; Vaughan Bell; Rosabel Ng; and Shameema Yousuf.
Lighting the fires of curiosity
Ian Florance meets Rob Hutton, who is involved in the British Psychological Society’s Psychological Government Programme. They also discuss, among other things, the overlapping applications of human factors/ergonomics and psychology.
Veterans, horses and the rediscovery of ‘with’
Adrian Needs considers the processes at play in equine-assisted learning with members of the armed forces.
A more fluid approach to drinking
Young adults are consuming less alcohol than previous generations. Dominic Conroy and Fiona Measham look to understand changing ‘styles’.
‘Many of us are not optimally using our concentration span’
Deputy Editor Annie Brookman-Byrne asked Professor Stefan Van der Stigchel about his new book Concentration: Staying Focused in Times of Distraction (MIT Press).
What Improv, Ubuntu, and Covid-19 have taught me about leadership
David Murphy, British Psychological Society President 2019-2020, gave his Presidential Address at the online conference.
Rethinking the public health approach to obesity
Joanne A. Rathbone, Jolanda Jetten, Fiona Kate Barlow, and Jasmine Russell challenge the assumptions of anti-obesity campaigns.
‘We need to broaden the conversation to institutional bias’
We hear from Nasreen Fazal-Short, Chair of the British Psychological Society’s Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce; and from Sarb Bajwa, Chief Executive.
Musings on music
Emma Young digests the research.
Really 'doing better' on racism
Craig A. Harper and Harry Purser argue that institutional virtue-signalling on racial inequality is not good enough, and suggest alternatives.
‘Change needs to happen on a real systemic level’
Dr Tosin Bowen-Wright (Clinical Psychologist and a manager within the Camden CAMHS service) in conversation with Paul Jenkins (Chief Executive of the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust).
We are dynamite
Our editor Jon Sutton reports from Professor Stephen Reicher's opening keynote at the British Psychological Society's online 2020 Conference.
From tots to teens – psychology and the school return
Ella Rhodes reports.
Towards a mental health super science
Deputy Editor Annie Brookman-Byrne reports from Professor Miranda Wolpert MBE’s keynote at the British Psychological Society's online 2020 Conference.
One on one... Maria Qureshi
We dip into the Society member database and pick… Maria Qureshi, who is a Clinical Lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire Doctorate in Clinical Psych programme and Clinical Psychologist in West London NHS Trust.
Five minutes with… Dr Rose Stewart
Living with diabetes can lead to a multitude of psychological challenges – Dr Rose Stewart, Principal Clinical Psychologist for Wrexham Young Adult Diabetes Service, told Ella Rhodes her expertise in this under-represented area was of particular importance in times of Covid-19.
‘The more who die, the less we care’
Our editor Jon Sutton on Professor Paul Slovic’s keynote at the British Psychological Society’s online conference.
The aftermath of the Hans Asperger exposé
Rabbi David Ariel Sher on implications for psychologists.
The unique life history of humans
Deputy Editor Annie Brookman-Byrne reports from Professor Alison Gopnik’s keynote at the British Psychological Society's online 2020 Conference.
July 2020
Towards a 'new normal' and beyond
Collecting together our special summer print edition, with a few extras.
‘Nothing could be worse than a return to normality’
Can psychology save the world in a ‘new normal’? Lee Rowland curates 10 quotes…
'We need a certain amount of humility'
At the beginning of April, our editor Jon Sutton talked to Stuart Ritchie, a psychologist and a Lecturer in the Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre at King’s College London, about concerns over coronavirus coverage and more.
Restoring and honouring community
Sally Zlotowitz, with thanks to Ebinehita Iyere and Rachel McKail from MAC-UK.
‘We live in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world'
New British Psychological Society President Dr Hazel McLaughlin follows up last month’s interview with a focus on change and the future.
Editorial, summer edition 2020
An introduction to a special themed issue, 'Towards a new normal, and beyond', from Dr Jon Sutton.
A green perspective
Jan Maskell with two visions from a warming planet.
‘Trying to keep up the illusion of authority is decreasing trust’
Gemma Milne looks at how hype can blinker our understanding of what’s going on.
‘We will have to live with the risk of Covid-19… but Psychology has much to say about that risk’
Kavita Vedhara on the fascinating world of vaccine adjuvants and more.
10 lessons for dealing with a pandemic
...from Jolanda Jetten, Stephen Reicher, Alex Haslam and Tegan Cruwys.
‘We now fit the system to the person’
As psychologists working clinical health, we have been close to the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic and the lessons that are ours to seize and hold on to. We have dared to imagine a progressive (perhaps utopian?) future, written from the perspective of a new graduate, and we invite you come along with us…
Vaccinating against viruses of the mind
David Robson on psychological efforts to achieve ‘herd immunity’ against the spread of misinformation in pandemic times.
It's 2040. Psychology has changed. How?
To tie in with the British Psychological Society's Annual Conference theme of 'Psychology of the future: Changing landscapes', we asked contributors for their '2040 visions'.
‘We can support the engagement of the wider community to develop solutions…’
Ella Rhodes reports on the British Psychological Society's efforts to provide support and guidance around coronavirus.
Arts and culture in a ‘new normal’
Helen Johnson considers how psychologists can foster a relationship with the arts that nourishes all.
How do we ensure the responsible and practical use of PPE?
Sandra Lovell on the place of Personal Protective Equipment in safety controls for Covid-19.
‘The patients are just so sick…’
A Consultant Clinical Psychologist in Wales’ largest Intensive Care Unit in Cardiff, Dr Julie Highfield led the BPS Covid-19 Coordinating Group’s staff wellbeing work and has recently taken up a secondment with the Intensive Care Society as its National Project Director for Wellbeing. Ella Rhodes spoke to her.
‘The levers that government are pulling are psychological’
Our editor Jon Sutton hears from Kathryn Scott, Director of Policy for the British Psychological Society.
‘A high stakes version of Groundhog Day’
Matthew Warren, editor of our Research Digest, with an update on the research response to Covid-19, and the issues raised.
‘We have to remember to find the beauty in what’s already at home with us’
Keon West’s photography from Instagram.
The psychology of physical distancing
As lockdown rules ease in the UK but distancing guidance remains in place, how can we use group norms to make distancing easier for people at mass gatherings? John Drury, Stephen Reicher and Nick Hopkins have some advice.
A web of coronavirus perspectives
As lockdown began, The Psychologist team set to work collecting evidence-based perspectives on coronavirus and the pandemic response for our website. At the time of writing, there are more than 90 views, interviews and more gathered there, from more than 120 psychologists. We are very grateful to all who gave their time and expertise so generously during challenging times.
Which utopia, whose future?
Gavin Miller considers science fiction and psychology.
‘It’s everyone, everywhere, everything… There’s nothing that’s untouched’
Dr Rowena Hill is a psychologist from Nottingham Trent University now seconded full-time to the cross-governmental C19 National Foresight Group. On 1 May, our editor Jon Sutton spoke with her from lockdown.
‘People are having a very different experience of death’
Ella Rhodes hears from those working on bereavement during the pandemic and beyond.
Psychology as a thing of the past
Prof-bots or a psychologically informed future? You decide, says Angel Chater.
‘We can come out of it poorer, but better’
Kim Stephenson and Pradnya Surana on the importance of reframing our relationship with money in pandemic times.
What could Psychology look like?
Alison Clarke with a call to action.
Moral progress after Covid-19
Roger Paxton thinks a better society is not just possible but likely.
When the job hunts you
Linda Kaye on putting our online data to work.
Work, workers and workplaces
Roxane Gervais on flexibility and leadership.
June 2020
Psychology has a sexual harassment problem…
… and tackling it requires reckoning with the past that brought us here, argue Jacy L.Young and Peter Hegarty.
Supporting parent carers
Joanna Griffin on emotional wellbeing in parents of disabled children.
'We are interested in how the clock breaks down’
Our editor Jon Sutton meets Professor Stephany Biello (University of Glasgow) at the annual meeting of the Psychobiology Section.
Reuben Conrad 1916-2020
An appreciation from Dorothy Bishop.
Hocus Pocus
Richard Wiseman on a new tool for teaching and outreach.
The kingdom of dogs
Matthew Adams revisits Pavlov’s labs from a dog’s perspective.
‘Putting individuals at the centre of health care means something different’
Dean Fathers didn’t train in psychology, but during his discussion with Ian Florance it became clear that he has a clear vision of the role of psychologists and, more widely, of health provision within society.
‘You need to talk to people who are at the coalface’
Our editor Jon Sutton meets Debra Malpass, Director of Knowledge and Insight at the British Psychological Society.
‘These are the Jonas Salks, the Louis Pasteurs, the Marie Curies of education’
How learning happens: Seminal works in educational psychology and what they mean in practice by Professor Paul A. Kirschner and Dr Carl Hendrick, published by Routledge, is out now. Annie Brookman-Byrne asked Paul about the book.
Walk in my shoes
Liam Cross gets in sync in search of solutions to intergroup conflict.
Is lack of sleep a problem?
Emma Young digests the research.
A Brexistential crisis?
Joel Vos, Digby Tantam and Emmy van Deurzen on how Brexit has emotionally impacted Europeans in the UK, and how psychologists are helping.
Realms of recognition
Rupert Brown considers the life and legacy of Henri Tajfel (1919-1982).
‘The vision needs to be compelling’
We meet Dr Hazel McLaughlin, who takes over as British Psychological Society President at the end of June.
‘We cannot continue to be part of environments that perpetuate inequality’
Anne Templeton has suggestions to build inclusive supervision environments.
Society comes together while apart
Ella Rhodes speaks to some of the British Psychological Society members working on its response to coronavirus.
May 2020
‘Babies really enjoy being babies’
Annie Brookman-Byrne asked Caspar Addyman about his new book, The laughing baby: The extraordinary science behind what makes babies happy.
A hero by any other name…
Robert MacRory-Crowley and Kevin O’Malley on ‘heroism science’, ahead of its third biennial conference at the University of Limerick.
How leadership reputations are won and lost
Dr Richard G. Ford is a corporate psychologist specialising in leadership coaching and senior executive assessments, and his book on ‘How Leadership Reputations are Won and Lost’ is out now (Libri Publishing). This book gets to grips with how and why careers are successful, falter or plateau; how our reputation is formed in the real world, and what makes the difference between winning and losing a reputation; and how to take control to manage and develop your reputation and build a personal brand.
A golden age of play for adults
Dave Neale on a growing yet under-explored area.
A road to art therapy in six works
Sue Holttum on bringing lived experience and applied psychology to art therapy.
One on one... Dr Edward Ong
We dip into the Society member database and pick out… Dr Edward Ong, Associate Lecturer at Coventry University.
How psychology researchers are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic
Matthew Warren, editor of our Research Digest, investigates.
Learning in unexpected places
Elian Fink and Jenny Gibson on the importance of play in early childhood.
Psychological assessment and ‘the lost clinicians’
Jack Chalkley revisits what Monte Shapiro offers clinicians who doubt whether their assessments capture what is personal and vital in their patients’ distress.
Compassion: the essential orientation
Tim Anstiss, Jonathan Passmore and Paul Gilbert.
‘Psychologists must consistently argue for human beings’
Ian Florance interviews Alison Clarke who, among many other roles, is Chair of the British Psychological Society’s Practice Board.
What friendships really look like these days
Nejra Van Zalk and Claire P. Monks preview their book Online Peer Engagement in Adolescence, published by Routledge this month .
April 2020
‘Your brain is revealing the building blocks of everyday experience'
Ella Rhodes collates a series of contributions from those researching vision and perception.
Remaining with death
Khyati Tripathi with a personal journey into death studies.
‘The magazine is you’
Our editor Dr Jon Sutton in conversation with Professor Catherine Loveday, Chair of the Psychologist and Digest Editorial Advisory Committee.
'Are you okay?'
A clinical psychologist’s account of having a daughter with depression, from Dr Annie Hickox. Now with added postscript.
Reflecting on mirror-writing
In 2012 Robert McIntosh and Sergio Della Sala, both at the University of Edinburgh, published an article in The Psychologist on mirror-writing, which has had a surprising impact. The article is the most read piece on our website ever; viewed hundreds of thousands of times, and still getting around 10,000 views a month. We caught up recently with the authors, to talk about the article’s success, and to get an update on any developments in the field.
Towards ‘smart justice’
‘It’s about giving people hope’… Ian Florance talks to Geraldine O’Hare.
Dreams and their relationship to waking life
Nikolay Petrov and Oliver Robinson.
Ghosts of patients past
Katy Mitchell reflects on unknown endings.
‘We have huge potential to make positive change’
Ella Rhodes on the British Psychological Society’s ‘Psychological Government’ programme.
Coronavirus – Psychological perspectives
Psychologists are actively working on the response to Covid-19, and psychological theory / research is relevant in many ways… this page will serve as a growing resource collecting those contributions.
Seven strange quirks of human vision
Emma Young digests the research.
March 2020
‘I understood when I listened to people’s stories’
Deanne Bell is Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences at Nottingham Trent University. Deanne spoke to Deputy Editor Annie Brookman-Byrne about her desire to understand and repair the world.
‘Majestic animals become props in a story’
Geoffrey Beattie on his new book, Trophy Hunting: A Psychological Perspective.
‘We don’t just need warm words, we need actions’
Binna Kandola is Chair of the British Psychological Society’s Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce. He met with Society President David Murphy to discuss some questions we had put to them.
‘Life is mostly good, despite the greater power of bad things’
Dr Roy Baumeister is a social psychologist at Florida State University. For his new book, he joined forces with science journalist John Tierney to explore The Power of Bad. Dr Tom Farsides, a Lecturer in Social Psychology at the University of Sussex, fired some questions at Dr Baumeister.
School’s out…
Naomi Fisher considers the arguments for self-directed education.
Decolonisation among clinicians
Sarah Atayero on the need for diversity in training and the workforce.
Five minutes with... Dr Chantelle Wood
Ella Rhodes spoke to the psychologist and University of Sheffield academic and lecturer about the 'Plastics: Redefining Single Use' project.
Speaking the unspeakable
The Truth Project, part of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, has now heard from more than 4000 victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. As it launches its public awareness campaign, we talk to chief psychologist to the Inquiry, Dr Rebekah Eglinton, about the trauma-informed approach. Throughout, we also include quotes, in italics, from survivor ‘Esme’.
From the Chief Executive, March 2020
Sarb Bajwa writes.
Character – ‘caught’ or ‘taught’?
Emma Young, writing for our Research Digest, combines a recent conference and research to consider how individuals and societies might best flourish.
POST briefing note on autism
Ella Rhodes reports.
‘We need to bring unconscious bias into the open’
Dr Ilona Singer talks to Ian Florance.
‘New Power is responding to a very natural human impulse’
Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms are entrepreneurs and activists, and authors of the 2018 bestseller 'New Power: How Anyone Can Persuade, Mobilize and Succeed in our Chaotic, Connected Age'. Our editor Jon Sutton posed them some questions.
February 2020
‘There is a spectrum of responses to killing far-off enemies’
Professor Peter Lee talks to Annie Brookman-Byrne about the experiences of armed drone pilots.
‘Critical force for collective action’
In a feature from our Research Digest blog, Emma Young considers activism.
'We need a transformation in how we regard difference, diversity and inclusivity in psychology’
Ian Florance meets Zenobia Nadirshaw.
A beginning, and change, if you dare to look…
For our latest annual poetry competition, we received dozens of entries…
Victimised all over again
Following a personal encounter with the criminal justice system, forensic psychologist Dr Hannah Jones voices her concerns over the potentially retraumatising processes victims must go through.
‘Even after the worst possible days, what’s sustaining is the connections’
Yvonne Shell is a Forensic and Clinical Psychologist who works as Director of Criminal Justice for the charity Together, and as a Senior Clinical Teaching Fellow at the University of Portsmouth. She spoke to Ella Rhodes.
Rebuilding lives in the Recovery College
Eloise Stark on a promising addition to the mental health landscape.
‘It’s an exciting time to be researching and writing about drugs’
Dr Suzi Gage is Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Liverpool. Annie Brookman-Byrne asked Suzi about her new book Say why to drugs: Everything you need to know about the drugs we take and why we get high (Hodder & Stoughton; £16.99).
‘If they succeed, I succeed; if they fail, I fail’
Dr Anna Naumenko, Chartered Psychologist and Psychometrician, on working with start-ups.
Child interpreters: Source of pride or cultural burden?
Sarah Crafter and Humera Iqbal on the positives and negatives of child language brokering in the everyday lives of immigrant families.
January 2020
What makes a psychologist?
We present the five winning entries from our 2019 ‘Voices In Psychology’ programme, along with extracts from some of the other submissions and a commentary from British Psychological Society President David Murphy.
Stories of hope and growth
Four very different Assistant Psychologists find a common thread through peer supervision – the inspirational power of people’s stories, and working in a way that allows them to be shared.
‘This is a great time for therapeutic architecture’
Kate Johnstone speaks to Dr Evangelia Chrysikou, one of the few architects in the world holding a PhD in ‘healthcare architecture’
‘It is hard to be poor, harder than we thought’
Emma Young digests some research related to the Society’s 2020 theme, ‘From poverty to flourishing’.
Shaking off the shackles of imposterism
Laura Kilby offers up some advice based on her own journey.
‘You can safely and effectively stretch the traditional ideas of how we create change’
Our editor Jon Sutton meets Consultant Clinical Psychologist Dr Jenny Taylor.
The pivotal role of emotions
In interviews for our website, Dr Kal Kseib has met some of the founders of modern psychotherapy approaches. Here, he reflects on what he has learnt.
‘We are busy about everything’
Claudia Hammond is an award-winning broadcaster, author and psychology lecturer. Her latest book, The Art of Rest, examining the science behind our struggles to rest and relax, is published on 5 December by Canongate. Our editor Jon Sutton asked her about it.
‘What is therapy’s value, and how do we decide this?'
Ian Florance meets Professor Rosemary Rizq, a Counselling Psychologist and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist who combines her academic role at the University of Roehampton with work as clinician and writer.
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ISSN: 0952-8229 (Print), 2398-1529 (online)
...From the archive
Kofi Anie describes how psychological interventions are integrated in a multidisciplinary approach to two serious blood disorders.