Notes on Theory and Research in Psychology — Given the question of whether physiology or philosophy exerted a stronger influence on psychology, one may wish to assert the former; surely empirical research, from autopsy to neural imaging, have blown away all preexisting superstitions about the mind and body. However, philosophy appears to exert a far stronger influence upon…

Navigating Similarity and Alterity in Civil Discourse — Cultural Psychology notes issues with acculturation. While there are healthy ways a person can be integrated into a new culture, Heine notes that immigrants can be reduced to their alterity (“No, where are you really from?”) or they may be subsumed into the host culture through identity denial. Shockingly, members…

A Little Homily for a Dying Ego — “Give up the intellect for love and see In one brief moment all eternity; Break nature’s frame, be resolute and brave, Then rest at peace in Unity’s black cave.” —Attar, Conference of the Birds (trans. Afkham Darbandi, Dick Davis) Law delineates and exiles. Love draws in and embraces. I don’t…

On the Particularity of Religious Ideas — Cultural Psychology describes the persistence of “sometimes unexpected” ideas, what modern people might term “religion.” The author cites research indicating that “minimally counterintuitive ideas,” which “violate our expectations but are not too unusual,” are more memorable (Heine, 93). However, while “religious” ideas (for lack of a better term) are more…

Natural selection is the primary mechanism through which evolution and speciation occur. However, despite the centrality of natural selection in evolutionary thought, recent research indicates that this subject is often misunderstood, even within higher education (Gregory, 2009). Indeed, even prior to the landmark contributions of Charles Darwin, evolutionary thought has…

Lamarck and Cuvier in Natural History — Numerous researchers have contributed to the natural sciences, especially in the past few centuries. However, far from infallible or exhaustive, these researchers’ discoveries have been incremental, and their theoretical frameworks have been tried through both peer review and social upheaval. In this vein, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and Georges Cuvier — academics…

A Brief Overview — The most prominent feature of Pecos National Historical Park, east of Santa Fe, Pecos Pueblo lies in ruins, the remains of Mission Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles de Porciúncula, a Spanish mission church, perched on a nearby ridge. The site not only attests to Pecos Pueblo’s former eminence and its…

Against the Definitive Mormon Experience — I’m usually quiet about individual issues or passing events in Mormon culture, but I want to share some thoughts I’ve had after observing discussions on Under the Banner of Heaven, Hulu’s miniseries adaptation of Jon Krakauer’s true-crime book of the same name. One side note: this is, of course, far…

Exploring the Effects of Cortisol Abnormalities in Minors — In 2017, research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated a substantial decrease in life expectancy, linking this decline to deaths caused by opioid abuse, alcoholism, and suicide. Further research suggests that at the root of these “deaths of despair” is prolonged psychological and emotional strain or…