Archive
December 2016
A maturing picture of emotion
Louisa Lawrie and Louise H. Phillips on how we process emotions in ourselves and others as we age.
The trouble with girls?
Gina Rippon asks why plastic brains aren’t breaking through glass ceilings.
Schreber the plaything
Novelist Alex Pheby on why Daniel Paul Schreber's Memoirs are important and useful.
A revolution for the at-risk
Emily J.H. Jones and Mark H. Johnson make the case for investment in early intervention for neurodevelopmental disorders.
‘Offenders process information differently from non-offenders’
Tony Beech, co-editor of The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of Forensic Neuroscience, tells us how the book grew in the making.
5 minutes with... Karen Carr
We hear about the drive for a British Psychological Society Defence and Security Section.
‘The best projects can be serendipitous’
One on one… with Siân E. Jones.
Beyond ‘voluntourism’
Thomas Campbell on mental health and volunteering in Sri Lanka.
A cautionary tale
Megan Prowse presents her personal reflections on overseas placements.
Big Picture: Portraits of pain
Words by Karen Rodham (University of Staffordshire). Download PDF for poster.
‘Find your dyslexic people and nurture them’
We sent Debbie Gordon, Assistant to the Managing Editor and who has been diagnosed with dyslexia, to talk to Professor Rod Nicolson (University of Sheffield) about his approach.
Entangled in an ethical maze
In their 'Opinion' piece, Sergio Della Sala and Roberto Cubelli argue that NHS ethics committees hamper ethics.
Planned behaviour – stagnation or evolution?
Tom St Quinton looks at the classic theory and alternatives in the latest 'New voices'.
November 2016
The everyday magic of superstition
Ella Rhodes speaks to psychologists in an attempt to understand the widespread and persistent nature of apparently irrational beliefs.
Life and death at the limits
Roger Luckhurst on ‘zombie psychology’.
Eye on Fiction: The Babadook and maternal depression
Pamela Jacobsen considers a metaphor in a horror film (warning: contains plot details).
A window to the soul and psyche?
Szonya Durant with a primer on eye tracking.
‘I still see myself as a psychologist’
Ian Florance talks to Lynda Gratton, Professor of Management Practice at London Business School.
The medieval mind
Scholars are finding that medieval science – in various fields – is more sophisticated than previously thought. Corinne Saunders and Charles Fernyhough show that psychology is no exception.
New voices: One small, quiet act
Holly Kahya on how yogic breathing could enhance psychological practice, in the latest in our series for budding writers (see thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/contribute).
'We have to bust up the orthodoxy'
Our editor Jon Sutton meets Jonathan Haidt.
October 2016
‘Honey, I shrunk the kids’
Jon Sutton and Aidan Horner speak to the children of psychologists, and the psychologists themselves, about their parenting.
The ‘ugly stepsister’ of the eating disorder family
Nancy Tucker on bulimia nervosa in the latest 'New voices', for budding writers (see thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/contribute for more information).
Learning from Heisenberg
David Pilgrim considers vitalism and other explanations of what it is to be human.
From Montana to Ely via California and Nicaragua…
Ian Florance talks with the Society’s Practitioner of the Year Jill Winegardner, about her journeys working in brain injury rehabilitation.
An educational experience
Helen Owen attempts to plot a route onto an applied doctorate.
No typical shift
Hollie Richardson on volunteering as an e-mail counsellor for ChildLine.
‘I think my parenting was based on gut decisions’
A conversation between Alice Farrington and her father, David P. Farrington.
Learning from educational neuroscience
Annie Brookman considers the potential benefits and concerns in an ever-growing field.
The genetic battle of the sexes
Sofia Deleniv considers the implications of genomic imprinting for social behaviour and mental health.
September 2016
Experiencing the ‘surveillance society’
Ian Tucker, Darren Ellis and Dave Harper ask whether psychology been slow to cast a watchful eye over its implications.
The social psychology of cybersecurity
John McAlaney, Helen Thackray and Jacqui Taylor consider motivations for hacking, and how the problem is best addressed.
Untying the hardest knots
Dan Jones delves into the work of Eran Halperin, in the field of conflict resolution.
Phantom suffering?
Joanna Bourke looks into physical and emotional wounding after the First World War.
‘When life hands you a lemon, just bite in’
Judith Rich Harris takes Lance Workman through her extraordinary fightback against entrenched views of child development.
August 2016
Behind the masks
William Todd Schultz offers a psychobiography primer.
‘Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional’
Kirk Strosahl talks to Kal Kseib about acceptance and commitment therapy.
Heroes and villains
From Beowulf and Grendel to Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, drama hinges on the characters we love, or love to hate. What’s their secret, asks David Robson.
An actor’s life for me?
Ian Florance meets Naomi Hynd.
'You must be joking': 007 in the laboratory and academia
With a proper psychologist making an appearance in the latest James Bond film, Professor G. Neil Martin looks at how and why scientists have studied the secret agent.
Quest for identity: recovering from eating disorders
Lucia Giombini outlines her work and thinking around anorexia.
A door to minds and emotions
Derek Collett looks at the life and psychological novels of Nigel Balchin.
Off the beaten track
Ron Roberts argues for a critical take on modernity, a psychology of heart and mind.
Opinion: Why research using animals is important in psychology
Stacey A. Bedwell argues the case.
'I do not know you but we are intimate, you and I'
We present the top three entries in our second annual poetry competition.
July 2016
How to talk so people listen
Jon Sutton reports on Professor Liz Stokoe's talk at the British Psychological Society's Annual Conference.
Quality and longevity
Dorothy Bishop celebrates the career of one of her academic heroes, Reuben Conrad, as he reaches 100.
Positive psychology – the second wave
Tim Lomas delves into the dialectical nuances of flourishing.
The knowing nose
Laura J. Speed on how olfactory studies can inform theories of language and perception.
Teenagers in love
Susan Moore considers the research and what it means for effective parenting.
The content of minds
Asifa Majid talks to Jon Sutton about language and thought.
Little people, big questions
Ian Florance talks to educational psychologist Irvine Gersch.
Twists and turns from Wales to Canada
Tracey Herlihey on the importance of persistence and networking in finding that ‘dream job'.
June 2016
Leicester's lesson in leadership
A leader is not 'the special one', but 'the one who makes us special', argue S. Alexander Haslam and Stephen D. Reicher. NOW WITH ADDED POSTSCRIPT: see below.
The Psychologist Guide to… Leadership
Our journalist Ella Rhodes speaks to psychologists for evidence-based tips. Sponsored by Goldsmiths Institute of Management Studies.
'What shall I tell my child?'
Dr Khadj Rouf interviews Dr Jemma Hogwood, Clinical Psychologist, about her work with survivors of the Rwandan genocide.
Brain injury and crime
Ryan Aguiar suggests that neuropsychology needs to think differently.
Beyond individual therapy
David Harper looks towards a psychosocial approach to public mental health.
Absent fathers and sexual strategies
Sarah E. Hill, Randi P. Proffitt Leyva and Danielle J. DelPriore take an evolutionary approach and uncover some surprising findings.
One on one… with Victoria Simms
‘I pull on my trainers and go for a run’
Dangerous deviation or creative responsiveness?
Matt Selman on improvisation and therapy, in the latest in our series for budding writers (see www.bps.org.uk/newvoices for more information).
Air raids and the crowd – citizens at war
Edgar Jones explores how British people responded to air raids during the Second World War, and what this tells us about coping under extreme stress.
‘You seldom heal… you live with cancer’
Ian Florance meets Cordelia Galgut to discuss how diagnosis and treatment has affected her work as a counselling psychologist.
May 2016
Are we punching our weight?
Our journalist Ella Rhodes asks whether psychology is having the desired impact, through the media and policy.
A journalistic eye
Liz Hollis, freelance journalist and media consultant specialising in psychology.
A culture shock to the system
Nadine Mirza, MPhil student, University of Manchester.
One on one… with Peter Kinderman
‘We can still choose how to respond: how to fight against creation’.
Happiness then and now
Sandie McHugh and Jerome Carson describe two happiness surveys from Bolton, 76 years apart.
Arts-based research – radical or conventional?
David Carless and Kitrina Douglas make the case for an alternative methodology.
Making brain waves in society
Cliodhna O’Connor and Helene Joffe on the ‘ripple effects’ generated as a piece of neuroscience leaves the laboratory.
Opinion: Our struggle between science and pseudoscience
Chris Ferguson takes a dim view of the state of academic psychology, but trusts that the light shining on our discipline will show us the way.
Opinion: Buried in bullshit
Tom Farsides and Paul Sparks smell trouble.
‘Curiosity is a pillar of academic performance’
Sophie von Stumm runs the Hungry Mind Lab at Goldsmiths, University of London. Jon Sutton poses the questions.
From vitamins to showing loving kindness
How do those on the fringes of psychology view our profession? Ian Florance meets Michèle Down.
April
The silent companions
Ben Alderson-Day considers explanations for ‘feelings of presence’.
Welcome to ‘blogademia’
Daniel Jolley, Fleur-Michelle Coiffait, and Emma L. Davies on purpose, positives and pitfalls.
Walking the radical talk
Alexander J. Bridger introduces psychogeographical psychology.
Rorschach Audio – art and illusion for sound
Joe Banks on psychoacoustics, bereavement and the public understanding of science.
From the ZX Spectrum to smartwatches
Anna Cox takes Lance Workman through her life in human–computer interaction.
One on one… with Andrew Dunn
‘Be patient, keep an open mind'
New voices: Having faith in mind
Yeni Adewoye with the latest in our series for budding writers (see www.bps.org.uk/newvoices for more information).
5 minutes with… Anna Sallis
Behavioural Insights Research Advisor at Public Health England.
Opium and the people
Joanna Moncrieff examines the socio-economic history of psychoactive drug use.
March 2016
The survival secrets of solitaries
Ian O’Donnell finds resilience and growth in a most unlikely environment.
The centenary of a maverick
Philip J. Corr on the life and work of Hans J. Eysenck.
One on one… with Roxane L. Gervais
‘We all work for a common purpose’
Letting in the light
Image by George Harding. Words by Victoria Tischler. Review by Kate Johnstone.
The emperor’s new clothes?
Graham Towl and David Crighton consider sex offender treatment and the ‘New Public Management’ trend.
5 minutes with… Dr Emily Glorney
Society representative on the Law Commission report on fitness to plead tests.
Rehabilitation – writing a new story
Adrian Needs considers the importance of process and context in turning prisoners’ lives around.
Understanding the experience of imprisonment
Joel Harvey considers the role of the psychologist.
‘Tears were and still are crucial for our functioning’
Ad Vingerhoets speaks to Gail Kinman.
New frontiers of family
Naomi Moller and Victoria Clarke explore embryo donation and voluntary childlessness.
New voices: Live long or live well?
Evelyn Barron with the latest in our series for budding writers (see www.bps.org.uk/newvoices for more information)
‘Changing language is a form of intervention’
Ian Florance talks to Elizabeth Peel (University of Worcester).
Dealing with confrontations
Steven Brown (Glasgow Caledonian University) reflects on a PhD defined by conflict.
February 2016
Can psychology find a path to peace?
As the UK's Parliament votes to allow bombing in Syria, we ask - are there evidence-based ways to resolve this conflict?
The ascension of parent–offspring ties
How are bonds between parents and their grown-up children changing, and what impact do they have? Karen Fingerman looks at the evidence.
Impact: From riots to crowd safety
In the first of an occasional series, John Drury describes his pathway to impact.
New voices: Researching loyalist communities
Patrick Flack outlines his research in Northern Ireland in the latest in our series for budding writers (see www.bps.org.uk/newvoices for more information).
‘Look for small increments of change, not cures’
Nick Maguire (University of Southampton) talks to Ian Florance.
The many faces of working with visible difference
Isabelle Cullis, Changing Faces Practitioner, on her work at Salisbury District Hospital.
Historical sex object – or undiscovered genius?
John Launer challenges the image of Sabina Spielrein principally as Carl Jung’s mistress: was she one of the most innovative thinkers in 20th-century psychology?
January 2016
Why demography needs psychologists
Gillian Pepper, Lisa McAllister and Rebecca Sear look for psychological answers to questions about fertility and population dynamics.
Reproductive health matters
Olga van den Akker argues that psychological research and policy are surprisingly embryonic, struggling to keep pace with technological developments.
How biases inflate scientific evidence
Angela de Bruin and Sergio Della Sala consider the example of the cognitive benefits of bilingualism.
The Psychologist guide to… you and your baby
In the January print edition, we distributed the first of a series of evidence-based leaflets to be passed on to a wide audience.
The enigma of testing
Almuth McDowall and Céline Rojon caught up with John Rust, long recognised as one of the UK’s foremost experts on psychometrics.
Opinion: King of the ghosts
James Russell reflects on nearly half a century of doing psychology.
Screwed up, little despots?
Alice Violett turns to late 19th- and early 20th-century psychologists for the origins of stereotypes around only children.
Welcome to the club
Ella Rhodes reports on our efforts to crowdsource practical ideas for an after-school psychology club for primary school children.
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ISSN: 0952-8229 (Print), 2398-1529 (online)
...From the archive
Rosemary Wright on the benefits of a conservation project as a form of therapy for people with learning disabilities
Jo Silvester talks to Jon Sutton on the eve of the General Election