If you were to write an ethnography exploring the values, behaviors, thoughts, and interactions among any group of people, whom would you study? A remote tribe? Professional bowlers? Google Inc. workers? We asked PT's Bloggers (check out their expert posts at blogs.psychologytoday.com), and learned of the weird and wonderful worlds that fascinate them:
Swing Beat
Swingers appear to defy some of the central stereotypes concerning human sexuality. If jealousy is hard-wired in the human genome, then how do tens of thousands of long-standing couples manage to overcome this? How can their marriages be as long-lasting—if not more so—than the average, if they are playing with fire so often? —Christopher Ryan (Lust in Paradise)
Early Birds Catching Waves
I'd study the pack of surfers who face the waves before most of us take our first sip of joe. The decision to co-opt the dawn (carpe diem) smacks of spirituality, reverence, equanimity, and eagerness. But when the modern dawn-patrolman must face the realities of work, family, etc., he or she is forced to fuse and overlay the lessons of the morning sea with the experiences of daily living. —Greg Dillon (MetroPolar)
Halls of Mirrors
I'd study college professors. The majority of their time is spent teaching students who act as if they are correct and also interesting. This strange environment leads to an increasing propensity to believe that you are smarter and more correct than you actually are. In this sense, each professor sort of becomes the leader of her or his own tribe. —David Pincus (The Chaotic Life)
Do or Die
I'm very interested in the intersection of extreme-sport culture, such as motocross, with "white trash" culture. Is it that with less money and rougher living conditions the value of life and limb is less? Is it just bleed-over from the "we can fix it ourselves" kind of grease monkey perspective that has always been a part of poorer society? —Steven Kotler (The Playing Field)
Hand-Me-Downs
I would love to study the folkways of Americans who inhabit worlds where cultural transmission from old to young is still meaningful. This would involve people whose trades are relatively unaffected by technological innovation such as violin makers or animal trainers. In a culture that worships innovation, how do they buck the trend and learn from their elders? —David Anderegg (Young Americans)
Blogger vs. Blogger
Two PT bloggers went head-to-head regarding the fate of psychotherapy. Read more at blogs.psychologytoday.com
Ryan Howes: "Talk therapy is here to stay. As much as we love technology, human connection is essential. Therapy is natural, relational, traditional, evolving, and effective. If it ain't broke... ."
Stephen Diamond: "Psychotherapy today is on its deathbed, a victim of managed care, New Age spirituality, life-coaching, and especially the ascent of neurobiological psychiatry and psychopharmacology."
