tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42861303089263431642024-03-06T03:40:39.907+02:00CHRIS DELLIANWhat happens if you get fiction and applied psychology together?CHRIS DELLIANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11440538107997618040noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4286130308926343164.post-77382294834866657012015-12-21T22:06:00.000+02:002015-12-27T19:59:40.381+02:00A Christmas Carol and the spooky psychological effect of money<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was 1843 when Charles Dickens published his novella
‘<a href="http://literature.org/authors/dickens-charles/christmas-carol/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">A Christmas Carol</span></a>’. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ebenezer Scrooge, the story’s protagonist, is the absolute
equivalent of stinginess. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just try checking out a thesaurus and you’ll find the
word ‘Scroogelike’ among the synonyms. His love for money was such that he
preferred to spend his time counting it, rather than share some of it with his
fellow citizens in hardship during Christmastime.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what does money do to us? How does it affect our
behavior? Simply counting money makes us more persistent, more resilient and
less helpful. Just watch the following very interesting video:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And then there’s this (very) intriguing talk of Paul
Piff in TED, where he lays out how bad we can get when it comes to money, just
watch:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you know how Dickens concludes his story, you’ll
know that there’s hope. The 3 Christmas ghosts had a cathartic role in Mr.
Scrooge’s life. He finally saw the truth, and namely that accumulating wealth
for the sake of accumulation per se was a pure dead-end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a world of increasing financial inequity it would
be wise to read and reread Charles Dickens’ tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and watch
Paul Piffer’s talk more than once. Reminding everyone (ourselves included) on a
constant basis that there’s only something to win on a social and an individual
level if we take heed of the aforementioned is for this reason crucial. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aiming collectively at closing the wealth gap will
only bring prosperity to our society (especially so for the wealthy folks).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s a short story that I’ll be publishing
soon, and it's called “The Monopoly Dread”. For the time being you can always read my
other works:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> “The Halo Trap” (short story #1), </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05ODk00sbv0F3GNnpFVMGLarxcEJ6zzc0hR4i08Qjim-KOjGPU_POLmBk6KrwraC7-6QWKjygvqYGdGQeCU89KHqPRE4-Cj3tFFxnt7ZU89SQI6BfqyK5MW-jCBc678uAaoO2yRanPXE/s1600/41j3ErXfR7L._SX352_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05ODk00sbv0F3GNnpFVMGLarxcEJ6zzc0hR4i08Qjim-KOjGPU_POLmBk6KrwraC7-6QWKjygvqYGdGQeCU89KHqPRE4-Cj3tFFxnt7ZU89SQI6BfqyK5MW-jCBc678uAaoO2yRanPXE/s320/41j3ErXfR7L._SX352_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_-2.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“The Summer Experiment” (short story #2), </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVku3yZLedXYbpSsHBKympF9E1_RkLQc27ZFlTVzvMWbbKuB4OGGdggw5fHgTNWS5QKlJ8Q6qENsY99keAH1HSqfCpBqNGGrleCrBp4WeGdH-7Ss2gllUjm5YfyPq7qvpNXXSRdPypDU4/s1600/51xRnO7T76L._SX312_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVku3yZLedXYbpSsHBKympF9E1_RkLQc27ZFlTVzvMWbbKuB4OGGdggw5fHgTNWS5QKlJ8Q6qENsY99keAH1HSqfCpBqNGGrleCrBp4WeGdH-7Ss2gllUjm5YfyPq7qvpNXXSRdPypDU4/s320/51xRnO7T76L._SX312_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="201" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> and "The Analysts" (a novel of 105.000 words)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">all available through<span style="color: #3d85c6;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_ebooks_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=by+Chris+Dellian&search-alias=digital-text&text=by+Chris+Dellian&sort=relevancerank" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Amazon</span></a></span>. </span><br />
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CHRIS DELLIANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11440538107997618040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4286130308926343164.post-7803252248590845712015-12-02T21:59:00.001+02:002015-12-02T21:59:39.367+02:00The Paris Attacks, the Hunger Games and Mankind’s Weird Group Dynamics<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> It was the evening of the 13<sup>th</sup> of
November of 2015. Paris, the city of lights. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_2015_Paris_attacks" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">130 citizens</span></a> are murdered after three
consecutive suicide bombings just outside the Stade de France, while suicide
bombings and mass shootings at cafes, restaurants and the Bataclan theatre
conclude the atrocity of the <a href="http://www.vox.com/2015/11/23/9779188/isis-syria-iraq-9-questions" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant</span></a> spreading the
terror in the West.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fast
forward into the future, and on the other side of the pond, the United States
of America, Canada and Mexico do not exist anymore. Instead, there’s Panem, a
totalitarian regime. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s the hegemony of the city of Capitol -situated
somewhere in the Rocky Mountains- that extends over twelve districts, the
leftovers of a series of devastating wars. A notable gap in living standards
between the Capitol and its districts is what juts out. And as if this were not
enough, the Capitol hosts each year a life-or-death reality show, called the
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7938275-the-hunger-games-trilogy-boxset" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Hunger Games</span></a>, where two youths from every district are chosen randomly to
compete with each other until only one comes out alive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But what one cannot ignore is the extreme poverty the book’s protagonist
Katniss Evergreen so engagingly describes. People in her district are constantly
tittering on the verge of starvation. Especially characteristic is an incident
that she portrays and which took place somewhere during her childhood where she
was sloshing around during a rainy and cold night, in the lookout for food for
her and her family and almost passed out, if it were not for Peeta Mellark. The
latter noticed her and left two loaves of bread to burn on purpose and threw
them to her. He took a beating for this by his mother, the owner of the bakery.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
you look closer, you’ll see that there is common ground between the Islamic
Caliphate in Syria and Panem of the Hunger Games. And this is inequality and Groupthink
combined, an explosive mixture indeed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/richard_wilkinson" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Inequality</span></a>
has a series of effects on society. Countries with wider socioeconomic
inequalities are doing worse in several social problems:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5Iu4vgx-9di6P1wEMuHbK4M54s2BFyN8_GqtAqhRQZWaIScCHcLMmjLZ-ZvP3LU9krqOa2btt4R-al24mETsDAYHof9x2a4t84M43SH0CWTU7bhbeCBZcn2CwIve4uGBsx-Fkg-gsTo/s1600/%25CE%25A3%25CF%2584%25CE%25B9%25CE%25B3%25CE%25BC%25CE%25B9%25CE%25BF%25CC%2581%25CF%2584%25CF%2585%25CF%2580%25CE%25BF+2015-12-02%252C+8.24.49+%25CE%25BC.%25CE%25BC..png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5Iu4vgx-9di6P1wEMuHbK4M54s2BFyN8_GqtAqhRQZWaIScCHcLMmjLZ-ZvP3LU9krqOa2btt4R-al24mETsDAYHof9x2a4t84M43SH0CWTU7bhbeCBZcn2CwIve4uGBsx-Fkg-gsTo/s400/%25CE%25A3%25CF%2584%25CE%25B9%25CE%25B3%25CE%25BC%25CE%25B9%25CE%25BF%25CC%2581%25CF%2584%25CF%2585%25CF%2580%25CE%25BF+2015-12-02%252C+8.24.49+%25CE%25BC.%25CE%25BC..png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Moreover, social inequality is the cause for a significant raise in
stress hormones:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Vdg7sD2oxxYs2vbL-DiN-d56XYWzFBJRkdGtv_YBhW9VTPBHbKIGsLBDrAqvb5ry6XnhWqKwnrEXKANCH2HemmjndSVaDp05V-ALAGS9hVZTAj7IvvdMwAnEmwfaSn6IqXo75rcd1bM/s1600/%25CE%25A3%25CF%2584%25CE%25B9%25CE%25B3%25CE%25BC%25CE%25B9%25CE%25BF%25CC%2581%25CF%2584%25CF%2585%25CF%2580%25CE%25BF+2015-12-02%252C+8.47.37+%25CE%25BC.%25CE%25BC..png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Vdg7sD2oxxYs2vbL-DiN-d56XYWzFBJRkdGtv_YBhW9VTPBHbKIGsLBDrAqvb5ry6XnhWqKwnrEXKANCH2HemmjndSVaDp05V-ALAGS9hVZTAj7IvvdMwAnEmwfaSn6IqXo75rcd1bM/s400/%25CE%25A3%25CF%2584%25CE%25B9%25CE%25B3%25CE%25BC%25CE%25B9%25CE%25BF%25CC%2581%25CF%2584%25CF%2585%25CF%2580%25CE%25BF+2015-12-02%252C+8.47.37+%25CE%25BC.%25CE%25BC..png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The individual will thus be desperate to <a href="http://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-dissonance.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">eradicate this kind of a stressor</span></a>. We human beings don’t value life so much if it’s ridden with
continuous angst and feelings of inferiority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It won’t take too long until people connect with their equals. You can
also call them peers or those who are on the same boat with them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfw_3drr4lvXOYWrTVhuYzF8IE7_0DDQtDwMxNqtaRPSTixtSwesHXbrzn1NjinylLJ3VMs1bmXcTSDe-ShpGQfffJpy3tWKXYIRuq3NXMrOHDVPcpXObcpIJnBXjWimRSGMY_BETivO4/s1600/GroupThink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfw_3drr4lvXOYWrTVhuYzF8IE7_0DDQtDwMxNqtaRPSTixtSwesHXbrzn1NjinylLJ3VMs1bmXcTSDe-ShpGQfffJpy3tWKXYIRuq3NXMrOHDVPcpXObcpIJnBXjWimRSGMY_BETivO4/s320/GroupThink.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then, a
strange thing happens. <a href="http://www.psysr.org/about/pubs_resources/groupthink%20overview.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Group dynamics interfere</span></a>, and here’s the list of what
happens within the group: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1. Illusion of invulnerability –Creates excessive
optimism that encourages taking extreme risks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">2. Collective rationalization – Members discount
warnings and do not reconsider their assumptions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">3. Belief in inherent morality – Members believe in
the rightness of their cause and therefore ignore the ethical or moral
consequences of their decisions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">4. Stereotyped views of out-groups – Negative views
of “enemy” make effective responses to conflict seem unnecessary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">5. Direct pressure on dissenters – Members are under
pressure not to express arguments against any of the group’s views.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">6. Self-censorship – Doubts and deviations from the
perceived group consensus are not expressed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">7. Illusion of unanimity – The majority view and
judgments are assumed to be unanimous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">8. Self-appointed ‘mindguards’ – Members protect the
group and the leader from information that is problematic or contradictory to
the group’s cohesiveness, view, and/or decisions. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR59Ep7TKdJUyrOzjegdcGsVdJb5adngiFxakHYRG7fsFfsMbJrjp5su_pOYKfR1QWi-fVZknIBofHyTxneyXkhTJKmrTI_QDgKU-hc-r46Ci-wphSDUZRY5iZQ7dBrNYoXQecD-lS8hc/s1600/046f790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR59Ep7TKdJUyrOzjegdcGsVdJb5adngiFxakHYRG7fsFfsMbJrjp5su_pOYKfR1QWi-fVZknIBofHyTxneyXkhTJKmrTI_QDgKU-hc-r46Ci-wphSDUZRY5iZQ7dBrNYoXQecD-lS8hc/s320/046f790.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is not too uncommon that violence breaks out. Each group, whether
that is an Islamic terrorist group, or the people of Capitol in the Hunger
Games, are no more in a position to understand the other, the enemy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Undoubtedly, it is in the nature of
humans to form groups. This is true whether it’s about the real world or our
fiction. It is critical however, how we manage those groups and the oftentimes
inevitable conflicts that will arise. The solution is astute interventionism.
Do not permit inequality to widen within the boundaries of a country and invest
in education that will have the <a href="https://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/433/LogicIntro.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Aristotelian logic</span></a> at its core. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Violence, stereotyping, and racism can be solved. There’s a story you
can read about it: The Experiment, a short story by Chris Dellian (coming soon). </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><!--EndFragment-->
</div>
CHRIS DELLIANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11440538107997618040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4286130308926343164.post-48892911408259374522015-10-31T23:09:00.001+02:002015-11-01T22:30:52.441+02:00Giving you the break you never had (or “When Alex Cross came across the Golem and the Pygmalion Effects”)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What might you be
thinking about yourself when your father has abandoned your mother, the last one is
a drug addict who cannot cater even for herself, and you’re only a
thirteen-year-old teenage girl? Obviously, things don’t seem shiny to you. It is very
probable that you’ll be watching the world through a set of looking glasses shaded with gloom. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One such girl is Ava
in James Patterson’s Alex Cross series. In his novel ‘Cross My Heart’ -which is
number 21 of the series by the way- Ava breaks your heart. She’s been helpless
throughout the thirteen years of her short life. She’s not capable of opening
herself up to receive the love she needs so much. </span></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdw4HAx9H0_4LoQ5BczXaVJZHzB4zkHAaX9MlRqF7zcdvHsa2svyQ-eJzqJwFz5YHZ3GRzoRVmEVLgvPGy97e-IoWKX9493t_Phl5bWy-ddxUuL1imENaE_EhNmKvJoEKRIdDGsL9z9s/s1600/51TpZyOizhL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdw4HAx9H0_4LoQ5BczXaVJZHzB4zkHAaX9MlRqF7zcdvHsa2svyQ-eJzqJwFz5YHZ3GRzoRVmEVLgvPGy97e-IoWKX9493t_Phl5bWy-ddxUuL1imENaE_EhNmKvJoEKRIdDGsL9z9s/s320/51TpZyOizhL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Fortunately, there’s Alex Cross,
a detective with the homicide unit in Washington D.C., who’s opened up the
doors to his family for her. But no matter how hard he tries to cheer her up,
to make her feel she’s capable of anything worthwhile she might think of, they
end up in a dead-end. Ava can’t get out of the perilous loop she’s been thrown into in her first thirteen years
of her life. The only thing she’s familiar with is rejection, misery and everyone
telling or showing her that she’s not capable of anything. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrRWbf4L54XOvwaU6q42R0zowc4Dfkn8KHYCEYV_KsZxknlqvngaXJZFdohrVBqIJSQC90mgISbGN7w4LHOC5yIUKaRqQ4iRQ2aQbV-xBiTqPiIBXmivgUQB5JHoA6zlHZWSYPKXDXvA/s1600/la-et-st-cbs-james-patterson-zoo-summer-2015-20140701.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrRWbf4L54XOvwaU6q42R0zowc4Dfkn8KHYCEYV_KsZxknlqvngaXJZFdohrVBqIJSQC90mgISbGN7w4LHOC5yIUKaRqQ4iRQ2aQbV-xBiTqPiIBXmivgUQB5JHoA6zlHZWSYPKXDXvA/s320/la-et-st-cbs-james-patterson-zoo-summer-2015-20140701.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the Golem Effect
at its extreme. It’s a psychological phenomenon that you’re already familiar
with. You may have witnessed it occurring in classrooms, in the workplace,
in your family, probably everywhere human interaction is involved. But what is
this Golem Effect? It’s been found that whenever we place lower expectations
upon individuals, this has a certain negative effect on their performance as
well as how they perceive themselves. It’s all about a negative self-fulfilling
prophecy. For example, research did show that employees or students who were
treated -arbitrarily- with low expectations did perform worse that those who
were in the high-expectancy tier.</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Golem Effect was
named after the golem, a clay creature that was given life with its sole
purpose to protect the Jews of Prague, the capital of the current Czech
Republic in central Europe. Eventually, it had to be destroyed because it had run
out of control. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The exact opposite
of the Golem Effect is the Pygmalion Effect. This is the positive self-fulfilling
prophecy and it has been studied more extensively than its negative
counterpart. It was named after Pygmalion who -according to the ancient Greek
mythology- was a sculptor who fell in love with his statue. His love was so desperate that he asked the gods to give life to her. He saw in a cold, lifeless piece of marble something more, something that could become a true marvel. The gods -Aphrodite in particular- made his wish come true, and one day when Pygmalion returned to his home he stopped in his tracks, his mouth gaping, his breath leaving him for good. All this due to Galatea, the statue that became his wife. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> But let's go back to Alex Cross' world. </span>Ava and the kids
like her, have -more than anyone else- the need for a constant and steady
support. They have to be kept close to Pygmalion and as far away as possible from
the Golem. And this should probably apply to adults who never had the chance to
steer away from the detrimental effects of the Golem when they were young. And
why not apply this to a society in general as well? History has taught us that entire nations
can do wonders when they’re encouraged to do so and even more so when they're portrayed with a
shining light around them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> So why not give everyone the break they need? Remember to make use of the
Pygmalion effect as much as you can and avoid the Golem effect like nothing
else. Keep in mind that such kind of behavior is highly contagious, but let's keep this stuff for another article. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Had Alex Cross’ stalking psychotic enemy not messed up with his personal
life, I’m sure he would have succeeded with Ava one hundred percent.</span><!--EndFragment-->
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> P.S.: Remember to check out Chris Dellian's new short story '<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Halo-Trap-Mark-Failing-Mind-Land-ebook/dp/B015Q8GM2K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446325710&sr=8-1&keywords=chris+dellian" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">The Halo Trap</span></a>'</span>!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
CHRIS DELLIANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11440538107997618040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4286130308926343164.post-50175911885347761442015-10-05T23:58:00.001+03:002015-10-05T23:58:18.685+03:00Let me tell you a story about the Halo Effects in our lives<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Imagine a world without mind fallacies. How would it be?
Have you thought about it? A world where kids would be learning at school about
the absurd paths our mind sometimes treads on. Luckily, scientists have bunched
those behaviors into neatly folded categories, subcategories, sub-subcategories,
and stashed them into even more neatly arranged shelves (digital shelves
maybe). </span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JgIzYb2tIJkx7tFzoYuIrj0Lnf70IsMLAKnIdM6BJxqwivCrCDZ15z3Qhvmj_QZJ9wtB0IRztzlUJ8ayut1v9u727pfWjgHNFFFN5koMaFNejVQh4dgVD54HY3GFu722-RCP6igN9bs/s1600/Cognitive-Bias.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JgIzYb2tIJkx7tFzoYuIrj0Lnf70IsMLAKnIdM6BJxqwivCrCDZ15z3Qhvmj_QZJ9wtB0IRztzlUJ8ayut1v9u727pfWjgHNFFFN5koMaFNejVQh4dgVD54HY3GFu722-RCP6igN9bs/s1600/Cognitive-Bias.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Some of them have made it their life’s purpose to disseminate the -relatively-
newly acquired knowledge for the sake of the many. There’s also another set of
folks who’ve been trying their best to simplify the jargon and spread the word
to everyone who’s there to hear them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">This shouldn’t be done that way. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I believe this is a serious task. And it can’t get any more
serious. I’m a firm believer of de-formalized formalization of knowledge (by
that I mean knowledge that is part of a lesson at school with a more digestible
than usual form, like a story, a game, or both). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I believe that cognitive biases have a place in our society
and this place should be the curricula of our schools and not in the lives of
people (to the extent this is -humanly- feasible).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A new society will emerge if we manage to educate our
children and teach them that their mind is not infallible. That there are
plenty of pitfalls to avoid if they don’t want to get bogged down into the gaping
holes of irrationality. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And you probably already know that there’s an excellent way to
do that, namely, stories. Think only of Aesop’s fables and his animal heroes,
and what a great tool they’ve been for thousands of years in the rearing of
youngsters. Think about the Bible and the strength and fervor with which its
ancient authors infused its pages. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLRzF3J366X0UNwk_n5x2FmeZONEQ8fSL53RTHP1ChZqz3POCvKb4bcqY7vJs35YHMf-r0k0Wd0ZMftClV-OazuQeK8zd_dq0UuhW64dFg8uYAHz1lPLGgpKrbzDgSaXgrDwZT4uk0ls/s1600/aesops-fables.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLRzF3J366X0UNwk_n5x2FmeZONEQ8fSL53RTHP1ChZqz3POCvKb4bcqY7vJs35YHMf-r0k0Wd0ZMftClV-OazuQeK8zd_dq0UuhW64dFg8uYAHz1lPLGgpKrbzDgSaXgrDwZT4uk0ls/s320/aesops-fables.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s the tales, the parables, the myths, the stories, the
fables, the narratives that shape us, shape our society, inform us of who we
are. And we should use the same -familiar to all of us- tool if there’s any
progress to be made at all. Why not explain to our kids what a cognitive bias
is by telling them stories? Simple just like that. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That’s what ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Halo
Trap</i>’ is here for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A short story
-or trip if you prefer- into our mind’s recesses. It is the outset of Mr.
Tilman’s great vision (a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Visio</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Magna, </i>as he likes to refer to it). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpotW6ws5T5fq04W0x5p3KOi5N-G2uOzFTrX-Db2DeB4FzY7lj-PwT3DjOfiXTL_PQzkqDxmK78EPyf-9973m65oI1oVZiC9qzeo2b8JWESpplVYgZYNcLrSVhF4R8NEN_lquPBTKtdUA/s1600/514fS7vg4CL._SX312_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpotW6ws5T5fq04W0x5p3KOi5N-G2uOzFTrX-Db2DeB4FzY7lj-PwT3DjOfiXTL_PQzkqDxmK78EPyf-9973m65oI1oVZiC9qzeo2b8JWESpplVYgZYNcLrSVhF4R8NEN_lquPBTKtdUA/s320/514fS7vg4CL._SX312_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="201" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mr. Tilman, a high school teacher in his forties, single,
has always been passionate about his work. It is in the end of the school year
that he comes up with a game that he calls ‘the Endgame’. His curiosity to find
out how his class of fourteen-year-olds will fare, coupled with his eagerness
to not only educate them, but make out of them better human beings, are the
backbone of his motivation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The kids will soon inevitably confront one of their minds’ numerous
weak spots, that of the halo effect. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sooner or later, everyone does. The question is how well we
are prepared for this, both as a society and as individuals. </span></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">By the way, ‘<i>The Halo Trap’</i> marks the first steps of
‘<i>Mark in the Failing-Mind Land</i>’
short-story series into a more luminous future, and is coming out in November,
19<sup>th</sup>. You can preorder at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Halo-Trap-Mark-Failing-Mind-Land-ebook/dp/B015Q8GM2K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444078088&sr=8-1&keywords=chris+dellian" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Amazon.com</span></a>.</span><!--EndFragment-->
</div>
CHRIS DELLIANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11440538107997618040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4286130308926343164.post-29570167398400980652015-08-22T23:56:00.000+03:002015-08-23T00:01:11.103+03:00Women in danger, and what we can do about it<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Time for some fiction from Scandinavia. When I read <a href="http://www.camillalackberg.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Camilla Läckberg's</span></a> “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17187838-the-lost-boy" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The Lost Boy</span></a></i>”, a thread appeared to be
running its course throughout the book. It was that of violence against women
(its domestic version in particular), a kind of violence that can end up
sometimes with the inevitable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlYAbT4gfZEeyw7nkUvrlSDZs6Kiqffhez9yGzkATmxTQ24W9k6tkcOB92VWRvOHoeHbo4NegsKbt8qQUL1okz0pYprpwGDUHP5M9RHZEXUcaghu-_-ex4RSpu4qRivWAywFPINypmeOg/s1600/71yYmjD1j6L-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlYAbT4gfZEeyw7nkUvrlSDZs6Kiqffhez9yGzkATmxTQ24W9k6tkcOB92VWRvOHoeHbo4NegsKbt8qQUL1okz0pYprpwGDUHP5M9RHZEXUcaghu-_-ex4RSpu4qRivWAywFPINypmeOg/s200/71yYmjD1j6L-2.jpg" width="130" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtXwCR3Ck8rFVbxD6YhWJ9AeR_ArG6qKxeEWIrxukLy9Fzj94kWUlZA81UZyJd4XiOVoNSC_5SXjy9SBkWsjLSCw2lkPJlvXafrFSUiI9OzWU9618brUkqpE6vGiu9gtZ0sBeYsLWZGI/s1600/AKARAIDM-ZCL6-NJ4L-80GM0AQH_42_camilla_lackberg_fiskauktion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtXwCR3Ck8rFVbxD6YhWJ9AeR_ArG6qKxeEWIrxukLy9Fzj94kWUlZA81UZyJd4XiOVoNSC_5SXjy9SBkWsjLSCw2lkPJlvXafrFSUiI9OzWU9618brUkqpE6vGiu9gtZ0sBeYsLWZGI/s200/AKARAIDM-ZCL6-NJ4L-80GM0AQH_42_camilla_lackberg_fiskauktion.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story unfolds in
Fjällbacka, a quiet town in rural Sweden. The book is part of a series
featuring Erica and Patrick, happily married with three children, an author and
a homicide investigator respectively. When a murder stirs the calm waters in
town, the investigation commences and a curl of interwoven stories
disentangles. And it is these stories that portray fear, psychological and
physical abuse, lives gone the wrong way, insanity, and ultimately death. The reader
becomes witness of a series of crimes that expose a bitter truth: women are in
danger and no restraining order or shelter or refuge can really help them out
if the abuser is determined to reach to the extremes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is no secret that
domestic violence is a widespread reality, and a look into the <a href="http://domesticviolencestatistics.org/domestic-violence-statistics/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">statistics</span></a> is
the proof: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>1.</b> Every 9 seconds
in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>2.</b> Around the world,
at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or
otherwise abused during her lifetime. Most often, the abuser is a member of her
own family.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>3.</b> Domestic violence
is the leading cause of injury to women—more than car accidents, muggings, and
rapes combined.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>4.</b> Studies suggest
that up to 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence annually.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>5.</b> Nearly 1 in 5
teenage girls who have been in a relationship said a boyfriend threatened
violence or self-harm if presented with a breakup.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>6.</b> Everyday in the
US, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>7.</b> Ninety-two
percent of women surveyed listed reducing domestic violence and sexual assault
as their top concern.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>8.</b> Domestic violence
victims lose nearly 8 million days of paid work per year in the US alone—the
equivalent of 32,000 full-time jobs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>9.</b> Based on reports
from 10 countries, between 55 percent and 95 percent of women who had been
physically abused by their partners had never contacted non-governmental
organizations, shelters, or the police for help.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>10.</b> The costs of intimate
partner violence in the US alone exceed $5.8 billion per year: $4.1 billion are
for direct medical and health care services, while productivity losses account
for nearly $1.8 billion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>11.</b> Men who as children
witnessed their parents’ domestic violence were twice as likely to abuse their
own wives than sons of nonviolent parents.</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/06.Brookland.12thStreet.NE.WDC.6April2011_(5596781713).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/06.Brookland.12thStreet.NE.WDC.6April2011_(5596781713).jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can anything be done
at all? The answer is that there is a solution, there always is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it comes from
<a href="http://gavindebecker.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Gavin DeBecker</span></a>, an expert on the issue of personal safety from violent behavior.
In his insightful book “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56465.The_Gift_of_Fear?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The Gift of Fear</span></a></i>”
he stresses out that violent acts are not unpredictable. Most important
however, Gavin DeBecker is an author who writes out of his vast personal
experience and this gives him the ability to reach an unprecedented depth into
his writings. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTAxMTczMTQ0ODheQTJeQWpwZ15BbWU4MDExMjM4ODIx._V1__SX1394_SY786_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTAxMTczMTQ0ODheQTJeQWpwZ15BbWU4MDExMjM4ODIx._V1__SX1394_SY786_.jpg" height="145" width="200" /></a><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/510IM278bFL._SX301_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/510IM278bFL._SX301_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" height="200" width="121" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I’ll provide you
here with a list of pre-incident indicators associated with spousal violence
and murder, as it appears in Gavin DeBecker’s book. Here it is:</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a. The woman has intuitive
feelings that she’s at risk.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>b. At the inception of the
relationship, the man accelerated the pace, prematurely placing on the agenda
such things as coomitment, living together, and marriage. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>c. He resolves conflict
with intimidation, bullying and violence. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>d. He is verbally abusive<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>e. He uses threats and
intimidation as instruments of control or abuse. This includes threats to harm
physically, to defame, to embarrass, to restrict freedom, to disclose secrets,
to cut off support, to abandon, and to commit suicide. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>f. He breaks or strikes
things in anger. He uses symbolic violence (tearing a wedding photo, marring a
face in a photo, etc.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>g. He has battered in
prior relationships<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>h. He uses alcohol or
drugs with adverse affects (memory loss, hostility, cruelty).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>i. He becomes jealous of
anyone or anything that takes her time away from the relationship; he keeps her
on a “tight leash,” requires her to account for her time. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>j. He refuses to accept
rejection.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>k. He has inappropriately
surveilled or followed his wife/partner.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>l. He believes others are
out to get him. He believes those around his wife/partner dislike him and
encourage her to leave. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>m. He minimizes incidents
of abuse. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>n. He tries to enlist his
wife’s friends or relatives in a campaign to keep or recover the relationship.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>o. Weapons are a
substantial part of his persona; he has a gun or he talks about, jokes about,
reads about, or collects weapons. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>p. He suffers mood swings or
is sullen, angry, of depressed. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> To sum up, read Camilla Läckberg’s book for your
pleasure, then get a copy of Gavin DeBecker’s book and absorb it for your own
safety’s sake. After you’ve done both, think of how we should educate kids
(girls and boys) not only on solving math problems, but also on predicting and –of
course- avoiding violence altogether.</span></div>
CHRIS DELLIANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11440538107997618040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4286130308926343164.post-82301651253328287972015-07-09T20:26:00.000+03:002015-07-09T20:52:09.883+03:00Closing the circle and the conformity effect (Part 2) <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In <a href="http://chrisdellian.blogspot.gr/2015/06/closing-circle-and-all-seeing-eye-part-1.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Part 1</span></a> I brought together Dave Eggers’ ‘<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18302455-the-circle?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The</i> </span></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18302455-the-circle?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Circle</span></a>’</i> and the
brilliant <a href="http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/2/3/412" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">study</span></a> of subliminal influence a set of inanimate watching eyes
can have on us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrvNk_7Eph2wshIztGUrqvJl7Jf5nGQJZ31PMEGwBZH7yiSbyIq6sygUtPwMX0mYmgLm_mPQy22VrSV6RzkuyQzlJFkqiFf4RSHqqWVXfpNvjj_ULgeillIv1IYq4Dhr1b3Fz8jUpzOg/s1600/the-circle1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrvNk_7Eph2wshIztGUrqvJl7Jf5nGQJZ31PMEGwBZH7yiSbyIq6sygUtPwMX0mYmgLm_mPQy22VrSV6RzkuyQzlJFkqiFf4RSHqqWVXfpNvjj_ULgeillIv1IYq4Dhr1b3Fz8jUpzOg/s320/the-circle1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Circle</i>’ was a
fun read for me, and it should do the job for you too if you’re drawn into new
technology, novel and provocative ideas, and a desire to question the old and
critically evaluate the new. A natural outcome was the particular novel to lend
itself for further pairing with even more astounding research in the field of
psychology.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A theme that I saw recurring in this book was that of
conformity on one hand and that of ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">us-versus-them-who-don’t-get-it</i>’
mentality on the other. The book’s heroine, Mae Holland, experiences a major cognitive
dissonance. It stems from her inner conflict between her willingness to be a
substantial member of her new company, whereby she acquiesces to every request
for access into every conceivable aspect of her personal life, and her inner
voice that strives for a few moments of privacy. Her new work becomes gradually
the reason for alienation with her parents and her previous life, where no one
seems to understand the profundity of the changes that take place in society thanks
to the unrelenting efforts of ‘the Circlers’. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mae Holland was all too eager to find a solution to her inner
conflict -<a href="http://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-dissonance.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">cognitive dissonance</span></a> is known to be a real nasty trouble when it
comes to your everyday peace of mind- and she did it by subduing herself to conformity.
She conformed to the superior knowledge and wisdom -<i>they know what the right thing
to do is</i>- of the Circle’s three founders. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One psychologist stands out when it comes to
studies on conformity, and that is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Milgram" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Stanley Milgram</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://www.simplypsychology.org/milgram.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">In 1961</span></a>, Milgram sought to explain the reason for the
atrocities of WWII. Why did the Germans, a nation considered to be among the developed
and literate, lend firm support to a bellicose regime? What was it that drove
humans to such an irrational behavior? To what extent would someone be willing
to cause harm to his/her fellow?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_lOxERq6ykSNP6X3L5kAoVAYcZfZGprxnxsvgZz8pi7ZDmojk27cOCmDin5707q3XGTgPa1LJP4nj6Lv3UApqpN2PL1FelZXiZi5cPhMPF6qaMLUrLG9-KOOpghmETlkD89ZJD2VvRk/s1600/Milgrims-Experiment-Would-You-Have-Been-A-Nazi.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_lOxERq6ykSNP6X3L5kAoVAYcZfZGprxnxsvgZz8pi7ZDmojk27cOCmDin5707q3XGTgPa1LJP4nj6Lv3UApqpN2PL1FelZXiZi5cPhMPF6qaMLUrLG9-KOOpghmETlkD89ZJD2VvRk/s320/Milgrims-Experiment-Would-You-Have-Been-A-Nazi.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Milgram conceived a setting where he would put that to test.
He asked his confederates to supervise unsuspecting participants, while the
latter would be administering electric current to -yet another- confederate. Don’t
freak out -yet-, these shocks were not left without justification. The
participants were instructed to ask a set of questions to Milgram’s wired
assistant. Whenever the answer was wrong the participant was instructed to turn
on the switch. </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> At the beginning, this was the reason for a mild grunt. As the experiment
advanced, the questions became tougher and the barely audible grunts turned
into screams of despair. The instructions were the same however: ‘Keep going’.
A disappointing 65% obliged and continued until the confederate at the
receiving end of the cable passed out. This was all feigned of course, the
shocks were not the real deal. Nevertheless, the bitter reality was that the
participants obliged to such an extent as to harm another -pleading for
leniency- human being. The experiment was later replicated in other countries
with the same conclusions. For more details you can always watch the following series of videos (of around 15 minutes in total):<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Is there any antidote? Conformity to authority has been the glue that kept
society and organizations from falling apart. An interminable haggling over
what has to be done and how, might not be that productive after all. An
unconditioned acceptance of orders can be pernicious as well. There has to be a
golden mean, a path somewhere in the middle to walk. And this is a matter of bringing
up individuals with the right frame of mind. The question should be reshaped
and be: <i>What kind of education do we want</i>? </span><!--EndFragment--><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
CHRIS DELLIANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11440538107997618040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4286130308926343164.post-38329451260304292632015-06-07T23:38:00.001+03:002015-07-09T21:11:15.599+03:00Closing the Circle and the All-Seeing Eye (Part 1)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Imagine working for a company where the motto is a mix of:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">secrets</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">are</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">lies’</i>, ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sharing</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">caring’</i> and ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">privacy</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">theft’</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mae Holland, the protagonist of Dave Eggers’ novel "<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18302455-the-circle" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">The Circle</span></a>" is relieved when she leaves her mundane job at a public utility company
and becomes a Circler. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">She finds herself in the most sought-after working
environment of the world. A company that caters for its employees like no one
else does (and this reminded me so much of <a href="http://www.steegle.com/about/google-101-facts/76-101-googles-work-culture" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Google</span></a>), with facilities for every
imaginable sporting endeavor, parties for any taste, an all-reaching health
insurance and lots more. And what does ‘The Circle’ do to make ends meet? Think
of them as Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc. combined and one account for everything
going on online. And it has to be the real one. No more hiding around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And just imagine there’s a micro camera cheap and tiny and
robust and efficient enough, that every corner of the world –even the Tahrir
Square in Egypt and your front lawn- has one such wedged conveniently for
everyone to see … everything. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, Dave Eggers’ ‘what-if question’ emanates from the pages
of his book and is as follows: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What if we
achieved a state of complete transparency –by means of technology- in every
aspect of our lives</i>? (You’ve got to read it to find out…)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s an interesting question that I will couple with an
equally interesting piece of research. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Have you been into a Christian Orthodox church? If not,
here’s a glimpse of what you’ll encounter in the interior. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1gtKDDXzDc3hTOWo71BYO3_BxNPVJYYisLNlgSRgR2vUjRfjzp4BKgYppKggoykjA0TJwb5yT1ZZMkrXM5FUGr1n98yqainDZDJBVvaHcnSA04bSEvubqc-BmWO6BAi7EByMSiP7rUo/s1600/orthodox_church_mural_spanailidis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1gtKDDXzDc3hTOWo71BYO3_BxNPVJYYisLNlgSRgR2vUjRfjzp4BKgYppKggoykjA0TJwb5yT1ZZMkrXM5FUGr1n98yqainDZDJBVvaHcnSA04bSEvubqc-BmWO6BAi7EByMSiP7rUo/s320/orthodox_church_mural_spanailidis.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Lot’s of pairs of eyes looking at you. And what about Uncle
Sam? He’s also looking at you with his brows furrowed enough to convey the
seriousness of the occasion. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Or consider Turkey, with its <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/07/world/cnnphotos-ataturk-portraits/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">longest-lasting personality cult</span></a>, that of Kemal Ataturk, whose eyes will stare at you from his portraits
hanging in the most absurd places.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDEzftH6tQcM-5-hj_9MrU9UdEvbqiFa_25BBAf9oSv-qXF1G2aDQKFmtfE0TBOdWTpdrKwKTh7uv8yXnI76hV0s1CBUAMyhlza1N6H6xyoQkn0lx6ngOspopsb0Gk-hpgt50mLzoWrxw/s1600/ataturk-posteri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDEzftH6tQcM-5-hj_9MrU9UdEvbqiFa_25BBAf9oSv-qXF1G2aDQKFmtfE0TBOdWTpdrKwKTh7uv8yXnI76hV0s1CBUAMyhlza1N6H6xyoQkn0lx6ngOspopsb0Gk-hpgt50mLzoWrxw/s320/ataturk-posteri.jpg" width="222" /></a></span></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And then there’s this <a href="http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/2/3/412" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">research</span></a> of three ingenious British
scientists, in the kitchen of a university. The participants of their study had
the option to pay for their tea, coffee and milk via a honesty box according to
the instructions posted on a cupboard door at eye height. The researchers added
one more image below the instructions that alternated each week between a
flowery image and an image of a pair of eyes. What they did next was to measure
how much the participants had paid each week for their beverage and that’s what
they found:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgMG4NDqyecSqrf7Kr5ysKIQcB2p9dGNQs3jkaSRk5zPaX3ajpEs5anJJq0bbS-O3L5nj14sCctuSmygbedlotGxok4gRrV4CgDYCfXuapmtWH_ZEdQmaSrGQY86kVemp4scEpfvNl1k/s1600/eyes_chart_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgMG4NDqyecSqrf7Kr5ysKIQcB2p9dGNQs3jkaSRk5zPaX3ajpEs5anJJq0bbS-O3L5nj14sCctuSmygbedlotGxok4gRrV4CgDYCfXuapmtWH_ZEdQmaSrGQY86kVemp4scEpfvNl1k/s320/eyes_chart_1.jpg" width="296" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The ‘eyes-weeks’ elicited greater levels of honesty towards
the honesty box by the participants. It seems that a set of eyes trained on you
has a decisive impact on the subconscious level and results in more honesty and
obedience. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I suggest you read Dave Eggers' book if you want to stumble
upon more eye-opening ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">what-if-questions</i>’. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Read more on <span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><a href="http://chrisdellian.blogspot.gr/2015/07/closing-circle-and-conformity-effect.html" target="_blank">Part 2</a></span>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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CHRIS DELLIANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11440538107997618040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4286130308926343164.post-32009562841723152172014-03-28T21:50:00.000+02:002015-07-11T10:50:00.676+03:00 Time goes by. But how fast?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“I could be off. Time gets distorted when you’re caught up
in these things. At the time, everything went by in a blur and that’s why I
missed the plate number. I was so astonished at what happened I didn’t register
much else.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I know the
feeling. On the one hand you’re hyperaware and at the same time you blank out
the details.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Amen. I
couldn’t for the life of me go back and reconstruct the incident.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Don’t I
know,” she said. “A foot chase you swear took fifteen minutes turns out to be
half that. Sometimes it works the other way.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhIlqn2EOT9vTOeiKC7zqCAERoXBI6shXeXeCDeYKny0Ohyphenhyphenv0HGa53syjdyPn9A_m_kGknd8IiJ0hdexxptYBGAqGkK_Q4Ah9Q4FiXt_UKPoJncrdZflvqqpPxEmphU5tCytIhgrwXts/s1600/images-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhIlqn2EOT9vTOeiKC7zqCAERoXBI6shXeXeCDeYKny0Ohyphenhyphenv0HGa53syjdyPn9A_m_kGknd8IiJ0hdexxptYBGAqGkK_Q4Ah9Q4FiXt_UKPoJncrdZflvqqpPxEmphU5tCytIhgrwXts/s1600/images-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhIlqn2EOT9vTOeiKC7zqCAERoXBI6shXeXeCDeYKny0Ohyphenhyphenv0HGa53syjdyPn9A_m_kGknd8IiJ0hdexxptYBGAqGkK_Q4Ah9Q4FiXt_UKPoJncrdZflvqqpPxEmphU5tCytIhgrwXts/s1600/images-4.jpeg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMj9I3tI6Xs2X_w1_hLxghmZjgV0Jp_YyEUfG99gRC58DhJO27BLS8ZEopahoZu0ufohF5tVdqUGk_E8qgjDp74qs6IH-dJ9ifq_bzJt3qbUBdJJm504Z16gX1gTWGAIZbt1iwoYXHVw/s1600/images-6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMj9I3tI6Xs2X_w1_hLxghmZjgV0Jp_YyEUfG99gRC58DhJO27BLS8ZEopahoZu0ufohF5tVdqUGk_E8qgjDp74qs6IH-dJ9ifq_bzJt3qbUBdJJm504Z16gX1gTWGAIZbt1iwoYXHVw/s1600/images-6.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kinsey
Millhone, a private investigator in Sue Grafton’s <a href="http://www.suegrafton.com/book-display.php?ISBN=0425250563&title_key=v" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">‘V for Vengeance</span>’</a> has
stumbled upon mind jumbling time distortions. And her remarks are correct. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In his book,
‘On Combat’, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FTV9nExiDE" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Lt. Col. Dave Grossman</span></a>, says this actually happens in high-stress
situations. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-asLlBMHeZ1Nvqsoa_Vc9wSVH6n4om8HOQLsQX_6iD_VKnvHlgq_P-WWhNcQyhcdDTFiZZwCgHxXfrCBK_klzxn4QYD7cKsAtUJvM1Y1jtsoGlZRpiOBn3Vi5h4JmGr0lQ6ioFBhYMoI/s1600/images-5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-asLlBMHeZ1Nvqsoa_Vc9wSVH6n4om8HOQLsQX_6iD_VKnvHlgq_P-WWhNcQyhcdDTFiZZwCgHxXfrCBK_klzxn4QYD7cKsAtUJvM1Y1jtsoGlZRpiOBn3Vi5h4JmGr0lQ6ioFBhYMoI/s1600/images-5.jpeg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqj-vR3BrFX2ak79JYj3zg0AxiboieXxf2fy29YqPzhMXnPPRKqz6KgVXUbTFOkPEHzl49UYODcnOCi2SMXs7hl5eOPwgmeMATiM-ajL2XEF8kTas4Xd4lb-jpVW1DELko3_S8UV2G3UY/s1600/51nJrF5Fz6L._AA160_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqj-vR3BrFX2ak79JYj3zg0AxiboieXxf2fy29YqPzhMXnPPRKqz6KgVXUbTFOkPEHzl49UYODcnOCi2SMXs7hl5eOPwgmeMATiM-ajL2XEF8kTas4Xd4lb-jpVW1DELko3_S8UV2G3UY/s1600/51nJrF5Fz6L._AA160_.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“A bizarre set
of perceptual distortions can occur in combat that alter the way the warrior
views the world and perceives reality,” he points out. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://www.alexisartwohl.com/pdf/FBI%20article.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">A study</span></a>
based on officers officers who were involved in deadly encounters revealed that the
majority of them experienced perceptional distortions like the following:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-85%
Diminished Sound</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-80% Tunnel
Vision</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-74% Automatic
Pilot</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-72% Heightened
Visual Clarity </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-65% Slow
Motion Time</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>7% Temporary Paralysis</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-51% Memory
Loss for Parts of the Event </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-47% Memory
Loss for Some of Your Actions</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-40%
Dissociation (Detachment)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-26% Intrusive
Distracting Thoughts</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-16% Fast
Motion Time</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want to
get yourself as quick as possible out of this jumble of distortions, Dave
Grossman has the solution for you: Tactical Breathing. It is a simple and straightforward technique to pull yourself together when in an extreme
situation and it’s comprised of 4 steps:</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 21.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Breathe in from your nose counting to four. Let
the air expand your belly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 21.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Hold your breath for the same amount of time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 21.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Let the air out from your mouth counting to
four.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 21.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Hold empty for the same amount of time. </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 3.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> And remember to repeat the whole process
until you get your pulse down to comfortable levels. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 3.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Had Kinsey Millhone been
aware of this technique, she might have caught sight of the abovementioned plate
numbers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 3.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-yE0kAdFrp4U%2FUzSk1FWyUaI%2FAAAAAAAAAEs%2FpOFPkB3sb7I%2Fs1600%2Fimages-4.jpeg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhIlqn2EOT9vTOeiKC7zqCAERoXBI6shXeXeCDeYKny0Ohyphenhyphenv0HGa53syjdyPn9A_m_kGknd8IiJ0hdexxptYBGAqGkK_Q4Ah9Q4FiXt_UKPoJncrdZflvqqpPxEmphU5tCytIhgrwXts/s1600/images-4.jpeg" -->CHRIS DELLIANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11440538107997618040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4286130308926343164.post-75185155400943978922014-02-12T23:17:00.000+02:002015-11-07T20:08:44.524+02:00One Girl Gone, and what you should expect from your marriage<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span lang="EL"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Amy and Nick. Just
another couple? I don’t think so. If you get <a href="http://gillian-flynn.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Gillian Flynn's book "Gone Girl</span>"</a> into your hands, just read it. Then you will know what I mean. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EL"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Gillian Flynn poses a
question millions of people ask themselves. Can marriage be a real killer? The
only difference is that in the case of Nick and Amy, Gillian Flynn’s
protagonists, this isn’t meant only metaphorically. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EL"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After being hit, like so many others,
by the financial crisis of 2008, the couple moves out from New York to North
Cartage, Missouri, which happens to be Nick’s hometown. Their perfect world, or
this was what everyone else thought about them (isn’t it always so, until we
learn the truth that lurked behind the hermetically shut doors?), is shuttered
one warm summer morning, when Amy is gone missing. Signs of a struggle, an evasive husband and a plethora
of clues drive the police closer to Nick. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EL"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s yet another question that </span>emerg<span lang="EL">es naturally when you finish ‘Gone Girl’. How
well do you know the person you’re married to? And perhaps another one: How
well do you know yourself? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EL"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You should not despair. Gillian Flynn
(whom I’m wondering why she couldn’t fit somehow into the cinematic rendition
of her book, since she’s got the looks, with the shot below being the evidence </span>for
that<span lang="EL">) </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EL">has a remarkable ingenuity in
drawing articulate profiles of disturbed characters, more than often to the
extreme. Not everyone is like that. The majority, to be precise, is in the
boundaries of what we call normal. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EL"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, there’s <a href="https://www.gottman.com/about-us-2/dr-john-gottman/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">John Gottman</span></a>,
a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Washington, renowed for his breakthrough
insights on relationships. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EL"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There are thousands of articles and hundreds of
books out there on relations. However, Gottman was the first to launch a
project in his Family Research Lab, aka ‘Love Lab’, where he observed more than
650 couples over a 14-year span before writing his book ‘<a href="http://www.gottman.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">seven</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">principles</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">for</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">making</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">marriage</i> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">work</span>’</i></a>. Thus, the advice gleaned from it does not reside on mere
generalities but on concrete data collected from filming and recording
conversations, arguments, and body language of couples living together.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EL"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So what does professor Gottman have to say?
First off, what are the signs that you’re on the bumpy road heading for a
divorce (and Gottman’s hit rate for correctly assessing such an outcome is more
than 90%)? The kernel of Gottman’s approach is that it is not the argument per
se that leads to a divorce, but the way the couples argue. The don’ts list
includes: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EL"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">- <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Criticism</i> (there’s a difference between a complaint and a personal
criticism), <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Contempt</i> (expressed with sneering, eye-rolling, name-calling,
mockery and belligerence), <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EL"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">- <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Defensiveness</i> (‘’it’s not my fault, it’s yours’’),<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EL"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">- <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stonewalling</i> (in 85% of marriages the man ‘’tunes out’’ refusing to
continue with the argument),<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EL"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Professor Gottman refers
to these first four as the ‘four horsemen of the apocalypse’ (you can imagine
how bad they are for a relationship). Next are:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EL"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">- <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flooding</i> (an avalanche of verbal attacks that leads to emotional
disengagement) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EL"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">- <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Failure</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">of</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">repair</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">attempts</i> (happy couples have the ability to say ‘Wait, I have to
stop here and calm down’, whereas unhappy ones won’t stop a heated argument
from escalating) and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EL"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">- <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Harsh</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">startups</i> (‘what
begins badly, ends badly’).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EL"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If Amy and Nick had read ‘The seven
principles for making marriage work’, or had paid a visit to Gottman’s
Institute, life would be easier for them. On the downside, we probably wouldn’t
be reading about them.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> All in all, I suggest you read first Gillian Flynn’s ‘Gone
Girl’ and then John Gottman’s seven principles book to find out what went wrong
with them and get an interesting insight into relationships from both the
narratives of a novelist and a psychologist. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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CHRIS DELLIANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11440538107997618040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4286130308926343164.post-60480952915715492372014-01-01T19:14:00.000+02:002017-05-07T22:16:59.006+03:00The Swedish Tax Authority, a Prodigy, the Tipping Point and your friends on Facebook<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> Number 150 is not just a number. It’s a tipping
point for our brain. This tipping point hasn’t gone unnoticed by neither the
Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket), nor Malcolm Gladwell (author of ‘<a href="http://malcolmgladwell.com/" target="_blank">The Tipping Point</a>’) or Edward Mullen (writer of ‘<a href="http://platosacademic.wordpress.com/2013/11/18/prodigy-introduction/" target="_blank">Prodigy</a>’). This fascinating peculiarity of
our brain hasn’t left unaffected not even the biggest online social network,
Facebook. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
what’s it all about? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s
the year 2117. Society has come out of WWIII and the few remaining survivors have
vowed to never do the same mistakes again. Reaping the effects of advanced
technology, civilization has reached an unprecedented level of well-being. This
is the setting of ‘Prodigy’, a book written by the Canadian-based Edward
Mullen, who is not satisfied with the initial serene beginning of the story and
throws his heroine, Alexandra into a world she hadn’t imagined exists. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj439pXMholA54TWK-1dFvAE_jRji_RfIzZyD0lZAsuAHagkoMBCwB3LllF2OYIpWksxV09Iaia0Dk2QfmmBsYFOLeS3vQKNileg4bs6Pl-jldcA1OdidY2VVxV03wUxRHp4FD_azL720c/s1600/prodigy-edward-mullen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj439pXMholA54TWK-1dFvAE_jRji_RfIzZyD0lZAsuAHagkoMBCwB3LllF2OYIpWksxV09Iaia0Dk2QfmmBsYFOLeS3vQKNileg4bs6Pl-jldcA1OdidY2VVxV03wUxRHp4FD_azL720c/s320/prodigy-edward-mullen.jpg" width="227" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As the story unfolds, the reader comes
across number 150. In the words of one of the story’s characters, their
community has figured out that they’ll be better off by adhering to this rule
and dividing up and moving on when the number of their members reaches this
specific amount. The result is separate communities with 150 members each, with
loose ties between them and a common goal. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In his
book ‘The Tipping Point’, Malcolm Gladwell, writes about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutterite" target="_blank">Hutterites</a>, self-sufficient
agricultural colonies of religious groups dispersed mainly in Northern America.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> “Keeping things under 150 just seems to be the best and most efficient way to
manage a group of people. When things get larger than that, people become
stranger to one another,” told him Bill Gross, one of the leaders of a
Hutterite colony outside Spokane. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is where our brain reaches its upper limit capacity: 148 (to be
precise). It’s only that much of acquaintances our brain can keep track of. The
Swedish Tax Agency <a href="http://www.thelocal.se/20070723/7972" target="_blank">took this seriously </a>and in 2007, decided to reorganize
placing an upper limit of 150 employees per office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Number 148, or Dunbar’s Number, named after the British anthropologist<a href="http://senrg.psy.ox.ac.uk/people/r_dunbar.html" target="_blank"> Robin Dunbar</a>, who proposed this under the Social Brain Hypothesis (<a href="http://www.cognitionandculture.net/home/blog/11-oliviers-blog/2416-a-debate-on-robin-dunbars-social-brain-hypothesis" target="_blank">a much debated issue </a>among anthropologists), keeps popping up constantly. More than 21
different hunter-gatherer societies across the globe live in villages where the
average number of people is 148.4.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the field of combat during the centuries, fighting units were usually maintained around this number as well. You only
have to bring to your mind the invincible <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Band_of_Thebes" target="_blank">Sacred Band of Thebes</a>, 150 pairs of
friends, an elite force of the ancient Greek city of Thebes, that was defeated
only by the might of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Even if we leave
behind us the battlefields and the past and explore the digital era of online
social networks like Facebook, we see that the same is true with the average
number of <a href="http://www.economist.com/node/13176775" target="_blank">Facebook-friends being about 120</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> In conclusion, you have some options there. You can go read Robert
Dunbar’s book “</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">How many friends does one
person need?: Dunbar’s number and other evolutionary quirks</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">” which is the
source, or you can opt for Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point” to read about
it in the context of a study of trends and ideas sweeping a society only after
a tipping point has been surpassed. Lastly, there’s always the choice of a nice
story, like that of ‘Prodigy’ by Edward Mullen, where you’ll find out how
number 150 still survives in 2117. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Chris Dellian is the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Analysts-Adventures-Book-ebook/dp/B019UHL5C0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494182516&sr=8-1&keywords=chris+dellian" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The Analysts</span></a>, the adventure of an empirical psychologist and a computer enthusiast, that spans across the States, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Iraq and the Netherlands. In addition, Chris Dellian has authored two short stories <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Halo-Trap-Mark-Failing-Mind-Land-ebook/dp/B015Q8GM2K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1494182516&sr=8-2&keywords=chris+dellian"><span style="color: blue;">The Halo Trap</span></a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Experiment-Mark-Failing-Mind-Land-ebook/dp/B019QLQA1Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1494182516&sr=8-3&keywords=chris+dellian"><span style="color: blue;">The Summer Experiment</span></a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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CHRIS DELLIANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11440538107997618040noreply@blogger.com0