The Psychology Thread

"Mongooses" is the plural, actually.

edited 20th May '15 1:53:27 PM by MarqFJA

I think you mean "Mangoes"

What's the plural of "On Topic"?

"Impossible"?

Never heard anyone dismiss depression as purely somatic, but I have heard some who think it is purely psychogenic and distrust medication, seeing it as an industry preying on the mentally vulnerable. I suppose it comes from thinking of the mind as something sacred and above the material processes of the body, and not to be monetised.

We be chemicals. And, that includes the processes that allow us to think. Sometimes, those processes do their own things... and when that happens, you're lucky if all they mess with are your thoughts and feelings. :/

The wrong chemical at the wrong time, and your brain forgets to regulate your breathing. After all, it's just another set of processes. At that point, you kind of need to restore some semblance of normality. Preferably before you croak.

edited 20th May '15 5:24:29 PM by Euodiachloris

Listen. Anyone who describes psychology as being completely different and unrelated to biology is someone whom you must punch for me. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.

Right now, try some practice strikes. Curl all four fingers, keep your thumb up amd then wrap it around your pointing and middle finger. Launch a surprise strike at the air upwards now. Aim for the nose, hopefully break it.

You punch them. Whoever says that, you punch them. As XKCD said once, Psychology is nothing but applied biology! (Of course it isn't but I like humor to get my points across so fucking sue me)

Psychology is the philosophical bridge uniting the rigorous detail of biology with the scope and scale of sociology. /waxing poetic

Nah: you're thinking metacognitive philosophy, there. <awkwardly tries to put space between herself and Jung>

But we all can agree that whoever divorces them has to be punched, right?

Like. Scientific council here, guys. This is the first fucking Psychology synod of TV Tropes. And our first ruling is to determine wether or not a good jab in the gib is appropriate for misguided ruffians who believe biology is unrelated to psychology. We can smack a gavel and everything after we agree and wear silly togas and have "Pretend you are Freud day" and talk vit zhe szhilly aksents, but we gotta have rulings here.

One word: Twin Studies. OK, that's two words.

Hello Psychology OT!

I've been wondering how exactly the mind of a person with Chronic Hero Syndrome works, what makes them tic, so to say and why somebody might have turned out this way.

One of the main characters of a story idea I'm playing around with has this trait. I've been placing that character in all sorts of hypothetical situations to see how they'd react and was surprised to find out that while the Hero Syndrome usually resulted in very altruistic behavior, it frequently resulted in pretty abusive actions, too.

I dont think that's an officially recognized psychological condition, and there's really very little data to be found. What little I could find appeared to indicate that "Hero Syndrome" or "Hero Complex" is actually associated with people who actively create dangerous situations that they can then appear to solve in a heroic fashion. So not exactly what you have in mind.

Since this is fiction you are writing, you might want to try your question in one of the "Writer's Block" threads.

Bleh: wrote a thing and it got gobbled. You may need to check out on narcissistic disorders, some versions of bipolar disorder (hypermanic states that last months are no joke), some delusional disorders up to and including paranoid ones, various anxiety disorders with major over-compensatory and maladaptive coping strategies... and occupational burn-out (specifically in charities, medical, therapeutic, emergency service, teaching and even customer service fields). For when you're not PTSD'd, but suffering chronic Jesus syndrome.

First thing that came to my mind upon that was actually Histrionic Personality Disorder, where people strive to get attention no matter what.

I think you are not asking the right question, if I must be honest. "What makes a mind of X tick" will only yield plausible explanations of what could exemplify that behavior but there are thousands of other factors not at play.

A perfectly normal person might be compelled to desperately try to beh elpful if he or she is desperate to "fit in". For example, the new kid in school who lets everyone bully him and does their homework just so they are accepted.

Sure, you an throw in a whole background behind this person: Maybe his parents are divorced and the family issues leave him with a crippling need to identify with someone. Anyone. But this is also unnecesary because as I said...a completely normal person could also commit those sort of behaviors for really, really good understandable reasons without this becoming a psychological disorder.

I think you need to develop the environment around it betterand find a purpose as to why you need a character with that trait. Is it a plot point? Does it help get a point across? Or is it just a random trait that gives personality?

When it comes to diagnosing someone in fiction, I just have these guidelines:

1) What are you trying to do by giving them a label?

• Are you trying to bring awareness to this condition?
• Are you trying to somehow develop or explain your character?

If giving a label is going to hurt or damage those who truly have that condition, don't do it. If giving a label is some pseudoscience justification in character development, don't do it.

labels should be icing on the character cake. Use sparingly.

2) Do you have to label your guy?

• Can you go without a label and the story be just as good? You may want to leave it out. It could be a distraction.
• Will that label actually help people understand the character better? Or are you just being confusing or feels forced?

3) Do you want to be constrained by labels? Number one all time greatest psychological character is Dr. Hannibal Lecter, which any self respecting psych will say cannot exist in that combination of instances. We have enough real life examples to show someone with those compulsions cannot be that controlled. But it doesn't matter. He's awesome and he is believable because he doesn't have labels.

So just think about if that's going to be icing on your cake or a beetle that ruins it for everyone.

I don't know if any of you guys are familiar with Neon Genesis Evangelion, but several of its characters are noted to be quite easy fits for particular mental disorders. Going by the Meta section's entry on the topic:

• Shinji Ikari is avoidant.
• Asuka Langley Sohryu/Shikinami is histrionic with a dash of narcissist.
• Rei Ayanami is schizoid.
• Gendo Ikari is ASPD.
• Misato Katsuragi is borderline.
• Almost everyone that is shown on-screen, has a name, is involved with Nerv, and is not a bridge-bunny has PTSD to some degree or the other. Heck, perhaps one could say that all of the adults may have PTSD simply because they lived through the harrowing time that was the post-Second Impact turmoil.

So, with that in mind, what mental disorder may most closely correspond to Mari Illustrious Makinami's character if she were properly written as much of a psychologically messed-up individual as the rest of the Evangelion characters are? From what little that has been shown of her, she's unsettlingly eager to do battle against Eldritch Abomination-y Starfish Aliens simply for the battles' own sake, is quite comfortable with sliding into a bestial frenzy when engaging the Evangelion's Beast Mode, and has an apparent fetish for LCL/blood (she says that she likes the smell of LCL, which is said to be blood-like and is technically the blood of one of the aforementioned alien giant monstrosities, all while sniffing the main character). Oh, and she loves messing with Asuka's head.

edited 9th Jun '15 8:15:13 AM by MarqFJA

Uh. Just need to mention that Evangelion has some sort of odd connections there since emotionality is translated into technology because reasons. So. Our common diagnostic knowledge and tool may not be properly relatable at all.

And besides, one of the things I don't quite like of Evangelion ( Don't get me wrong, I love it. But all of Anime sins of this) is how easy it is to "Mind Break" someone. I mean. Teenager without a mother or not, I find it hardly likely that someone would see an Eldritch Abomination in the shape of one's friend sprouting more faces like Shinji did at the Last Impact and break down into genocidal angst.

I could see anyone throwing up and pooping their pants, yes. But not going into genocidal angst.

I chalk it up to a combination of Shinji being by nature more psychologically fragile than the average person, him repeatedly coming into close contact with Eldritch Abominations that actively project psychic fields that operate on the principle of "a stronger field will eventually erode through a weaker field", said psychic fields being the primary medium for telepathic contact (which, when performed by such an Eldritch Abomination, easily risks causing Mind Rape upon a mere mortal), his social life falling apart around him in the "Dark" arc without him being able to do anything about it (school friends leave city in fear for their lives, Asuka goes into a downward spiral, Misato becomes ever more distant, Rei Came Back Wrong...), and the heavy implication that his own father had engineered/manipulated the way several events had happened to maximize the trauma to his mind so that he'd finally break when he wants him to break.

edited 9th Jun '15 9:08:32 AM by MarqFJA

and above;

Actually, I haven't been thinking in terms of conditions. I'm not trying to find a label to stick on the character, but rather understand why somebody would behave this way, what their motives could be, general things like that, nothing specific. Though perhaps that was awkwardly worded, I apologize.

Since there have been plenty such cases observed in real life, I was hoping that there would be some known tendencies they all share, but if this hasn't been studied, then I guess it can't be helped.

Still, thank you for replying.

edited 9th Jun '15 12:57:28 PM by Storm_in_a_Glass

We all visit the DSM at some point in our lives, you know. It's the price of admission.

Yup. Just the DSM. Harmless, really. A trifle. A pittance of a cost to access the wealthy bevy of psychological knowledge.

Also your soul

YUP SURE IS A GOOD CHOICE.

edited 9th Jun '15 3:33:13 PM by Aszur

So... About the question at the end of this post...

I'd tentatively go for good, old antisocial personality disorder (towards the psychopathic end of things) with a definite slice of psychosis. A classic mix in a very unhappy person thrown into fighting too young. -_-

... Why psychosis? Heck, I don't think I understand what psychosis is, beyond that the common usage of the word "psychotic" is quite incorrect.