If Mort Divine ruled the world

[Einherjar86]

Is there any psychological benefit to acknowledging the role that historical conditions might play in a patient's current situation? It seems that placing the burden entirely on a patient - i.e. it's your fault that you're here and it's your responsibility to get out of it - could be as detrimental as foregrounding one's historical conditioning.

In a sense, I would say that undergoing psychological treatment is already a step in the right direction, since psychologists try to help their patients understand the dynamics of their current situations, and thereby help them realize their own potential despite the historical hardships they've faced, perhaps even unconsciously. I wouldn't recommend telling a patient "There's nothing you can do"; but it seems that uncovering the uncontrollable of a patient's past is exactly what enables them to realize their own agency.

 

[Dak]

It's not about placing a burden regarding the past in this sort of situation, to use that terminology. It's about giving the patient tools to improve the situation to the degree that they can, and absent being chained to a bed or whatever, people can take steps to improve their situations.

 

[Baroque]

Felt good to vent all that about the general campus, but we were right, the Stats department is stern and focused. Liking the environment there. Also as a PhD student I now have my own office, which is fantastic.

 

[CiG]

How is one's racial/cultural/ethnic history the same as one's past? That made little sense to me.

Also, how is addressing past hardships that aren't directly in that person's past (ie "legacy of slavery") going to help someone in the now, beyond turning them into "let's dismantle the whole system" types?

 

[Einherjar86]

It's not about placing a burden regarding the past in this sort of situation, to use that terminology. It's about giving the patient tools to improve the situation to the degree that they can, and absent being chained to a bed or whatever, people can take steps to improve their situations.

Sure, but I feel like one of those tools is a heightened awareness of the forces that shape our existence, whether they be personal or historical.

Felt good to vent all that about the general campus, but we were right, the Stats department is stern and focused. Liking the environment there. Also as a PhD student I now have my own office, which is fantastic.

PhD departments in general are more focused, even those left-wing nutjob humanities ones, like the one of which I'm a part.

What school are you attending?

How is one's racial/cultural/ethic history the same as one's past? That made little sense to me.

Also, how is addressing past hardships that aren't directly in that person's past (ie "legacy of slavery") going to help someone in the now, beyond turning them into "let's dismantle the whole system" types?

At this point, I'm simply suggesting that there is an analogy to be made between the determining forces in a patient's individual past and the determining forces in a generic group of people's historical past.

I don't think that psychological practices are applicable in the second case, but I do think they can help members of any given group at an individual level. In the second case, I still think it's important to retain knowledge of historical factors purely in order to identify their impact on the present, even if we can't appeal to those factors as a viable solution to current problems.

 

[Dak]

Sure, but I feel like one of those tools is a heightened awareness of the forces that shape our existence, whether they be personal or historical.

I don't know how, at this point, someone in one of the identity politics' aggrieved groups wouldn't have some sort of awareness about a history of oppression, however accurately or inaccurately conceived.

 

[Einherjar86]

While that may be true, I'm not sure that an over-emphasis of, or over-reliance upon, certain explanations on the part of one camp warrants or justifies a reactionary resistance toward such explanations on the part of another.

 

[Baroque]

Sure, but I feel like one of those tools is a heightened awareness of the forces that shape our existence, whether they be personal or historical.



PhD departments in general are more focused, even those left-wing nutjob humanities ones, like the one of which I'm a part.

What school are you attending?



At this point, I'm simply suggesting that there is an analogy to be made between the determining forces in a patient's individual past and the determining forces in a generic group of people's historical past.

I don't think that psychological practices are applicable in the second case, but I do think they can help members of any given group at an individual level. In the second case, I still think it's important to retain knowledge of historical factors purely in order to identify their impact on the present, even if we can't appeal to those factors as a viable solution to current problems.

Heh, I'd prefer to spare what little anonymity I have left, but I'll say it's one of the UC schools. What field of humanities are you in?

 

[Einherjar86]

Ha, that's fair. I'm an English PhD.

 

[CiG]

At this point, I'm simply suggesting that there is an analogy to be made between the determining forces in a patient's individual past and the determining forces in a generic group of people's historical past.

I don't think that psychological practices are applicable in the second case, but I do think they can help members of any given group at an individual level. In the second case, I still think it's important to retain knowledge of historical factors purely in order to identify their impact on the present, even if we can't appeal to those factors as a viable solution to current problems.

I have no problem with people retaining knowledge of history, but at this point it seems like it's being demanded of people to no actually helpful conclusion. Especially when it's usually not done with any bipartisan intention but usually with an agenda.

 

[CiG]

I honestly don't understand these situations, are these environments really so "PC" that it forces people to become non-combative when some idiot is treating you like this?

 

[Dak]

While that may be true, I'm not sure that an over-emphasis of, or over-reliance upon, certain explanations on the part of one camp warrants or justifies a reactionary resistance toward such explanations on the part of another.

Successful minorities are a threat to the livlihood and recognition of grievance provocateurs. Of course they are also a threat to white nationalists etc. Politics and strange bedfellows eh?

 

[rms]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...-brutality-hire-female-cops-article-1.2737314

Stumbled across this 25 ways to fix the police but I wonder if he feels a little dumb now

Do you really think a woman would've tackled Alton Sterling and shot him in the chest and back in front of the convenience store? Do you really think a woman would've shot and killed Korryn Gaines on Monday as she was holding her 5-year-old son? Would a woman have fired 41 shots at Amadou Diallo?

 

[CiG]

Dumb people usually don't.

 

[Baroque]

Why are the overwhelming majority in these "good" majors asians and white people? It's just a fact, look around a graduate student in stats classroom. or math. or physics. Nearly/All asians or white people. I believe any race can do the work, why don't they attempt it?

 

[CiG]

Because it's more important to do the social sciences?

 

[Baroque]

Because it's more important to do the social sciences?

What do you mean?

 

[CiG]

What do you mean?

I was just being facetious, because it seems like a lot of non-Asian, non-white people go into the social sciences and then complain about the lack of "diversity" in the "good" majors you're talking about.

Obviously it's not that simple though.

 

[arg]

cuz they dumb

 

[Dak]

Races don't do work. Individuals do. You can't randomly pluck anyone off the street and shove them in a graduate program. Even with all the vetting, selected people don't always graduate. If people don't want to be in a program, that would have an effect on their likelihood of success.