FRIDAY FLYER-Issue 140

From the 13th to 17th of February, the Humanities Society hosted Psychology Week – a week dedicated to learning more and creating awareness about the different aspects of Psychology. 

Since this academic year is the first time ECiM is offering Psychology as an A Level, we saw this as the perfect opportunity to spread awareness and destigmatise issues surrounding the subject.

On the 13th of February, Teja gave a presentation on Parasocial Relationships. By definition, they are symbolic, one-sided social ties that individuals imagine having with media figures and celebrities. Over recent years, this topic has been more openly discussed and has become commonplace in anime and kpop fan communities. 

Among young adults, the idea is prevalent but also dangerous as problems such as obsession and ignorance towards the outside world may arise. Multiple social media and websites such as Wattpad, Twitter and Isekai Simulators can be blamed for these parasocial relationships as they ultimately encourage them. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, there is a hierarchy regarding belonging and love needs. You might say that these parasocial relationships leave us with unattainable crushes. 

There are 3 levels of parasocial relationships – entertainment-social, intense-personal and borderline-pathological. 

Borderline pathological parasocial relationships are the most serious and harmful out of all. Fans with borderline pathological parasocial relationships have been known to undertake extreme acts such as stalking, attacking, mugging and even sending money to their ‘significant other’. A term for this in the kpop fan community is ‘sasaeng’ (사생) which is when a fan crosses the line and stalks their idol through methods such as paying for their phone number or sitting outside the idol’s dorm/apartment. In terms of parasocial relationship management, it is important to disconnect gradually from the idol while seeking to reconnect with the outside world, such as your friends and slowly foster daily interactions with others. 

• Teja (Year 12 Roseberry)

Max and Nicklas presented on the Glamorisation of Mental Disorders. Since awareness of mental illnesses and disorders has become more prevalent, we have been given the opportunity to openly discuss and seek help far more easily compared to previous times. However, such discussion risks the glamorisation of mental disorders. Put simply, glamorisation of mental disorders is when mental disorders are perceived as attractive, fascinating or desirable diagnoses. As more people receive a diagnosis, others can feel left out and want to have a diagnosis (professionally or otherwise) to create a talking point for themselves. Disorders such as eating disorders have seen rising romanticisation and popularity in recent years. Social media such as Tiktok and Reddit have been blamed for the glorification of these disorders. 

Influencers may post about having a mental disorder for clickbait sake which diminishes the importance of finding help. Moreover, movies and television shows showcase how “enjoyable” having a mental disorder is – romanticisation. Influencers additionally encourage certain behaviours for example Kate Moss’ quote “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”. Through this session, the Humanities Society emphasised the importance of not believing everything you read on the internet, especially regarding psychiatric disorders, as it represents a form of media illiteracy.

• Max & Nicklas (Year 12 Granville) and Rachel (Year 12 Crawfurd)

In collaboration with the Scienz Society, Ke Ee and Leo gave a presentation on the Scientific Explanation of Depression. Depression is one of the most widely discussed mental disorders and it was interesting to understand how it occurs and its biological makeup. Depression is a widely known topic, discussed in the present time due to increased exposure and awareness of mental health. With that said, many people are informed of the social factors that cause depression, however, many are unaware of the biological factors of the disorder. 

Generally, there are four main biological factors that cause depression; genetics, biological changes, brain chemistry and hormones. As for genetics, depression is known to run in families as individuals who have first-degree relatives who are depressed usually also suffer from depression, and the reason behind this is due to a variation in the serotonin transporter gene. 

Serotonin transporters are responsible for transporting serotonin, also known as the “feel good” neurotransmitter, from the synapse to the presynaptic neuron, the reuptake of serotonin. Each individual has two copies of the gene, one from each parent, either could be a long or a short gene. 

Studies show that individuals with two long genes are less likely to be depressed, even with stressful life events, whilst individuals with two short genes are more likely to develop depression after experiencing distressing life events. 

Moving on to biological changes, two main parts of the brain were mentioned; the amygdala and the hippocampus. The amygdala is part of the limbic system responsible for our behavioural and emotional responses, hence the main purpose of the amygdala is to regulate and process negative emotions. However, if the individual’s amygdala is highly reactive and has high glucose activity, the ability of the amygdala to regulate negative emotions decreases; individuals are less likely to process negative emotions and hence develop depression. 

The hippocampus is in charge of controlling memory and emotions can be damaged when the individual experiences prolonged stress due to excess cortisol (a stress-regulating hormone). When damaged, its size decreases, resulting in a loss of grey matter volume. With less grey matter, cells and networks deteriorate leading to a loss of function in the hippocampus. Hence, the inability to control memory and more importantly, emotions. 

Personally, I was intrigued by this topic as I have an interest in biological/clinical psychology and hope to pursue a career in it. Furthermore, I believe that understanding the scientific aspects of depression is crucial in developing cures for those who suffer from the disorder. 

• Ke Ee (Year 12 Crawfurd)

During our Key Stage 5 assembly, Rachel presented on how Asian society treats mental illness as a taboo. Relative to the western world, finding mental health services is harder and more expensive. This is explained by the lurking taboo of mental health and illness.

Those belonging to the older generation tend to consider mental illness a weakness or ‘phase’ we go through, much like periods of stress. They also take it as an insult to their parenting skills. There is minimal discussion between those in the younger and older generation of this topic. With that, many in the younger generation feel unable to pursue a career in the industry due to parental pressure and a lack of resources in Asia. The cost of pursuing a postgraduate degree is additionally expensive for those with a low socio-economic background in Asia. With that, the supply of services remains low whilst demand is increasing among the younger generation. The price of services is high all around Asia with a therapy session costing RM320 in the Philippines! Though there is still discussion among youth, there remains a large population in Asia who are unwilling to accept the idea – especially when it comes to their own children/grandchildren. 

• Rachel (Year 12 Crawfurd)

Our president, Alicia, presented on Agency Theory in Contemporary Settings. Have you ever wondered why you do certain things, even if it’s against what you believe in? Like when your parents force you to take Kumon and Maths A level even though you’re secretly a raging musician? That can easily be explained by The Agency Theory discovered by Stanley Milgram. 

Agency Theory explores the concept of destructive obedience (as portrayed by the Nazis during the Holocaust). Through this conceptualisation, we can analyse the actions of those in the military, gangs, lawyers, who complete orders despite it going against their conscience – this is known as moral strain.

• Alicia (YR12 Roseberry)

Following this was a presentation by Lana and Karishaa on the psychology behind cults. The topic piqued Lana’s interest due to her interest in crime and destructive cults, and Karishaa’s since it was such a new concept to her and unlike anything she had learnt about before. Cults are stereotypically negative, but new religious movements (NRMs) – an alternate term for cults – can be completely positive, and the sense of community and support that members gain from them can be highly beneficial to their well-being. The vast contrast between destructive cults and NRMs was explored in the presentation, and the psychological factors that come into play through leaders luring members in, and the members themselves choosing to join were all touched upon and explained. 

Last but not least was our screening of Criminal Minds on Thursday night for KS5! Criminal Minds is a show about an FBI unit known as the BAU (behavioural analysis unit); they utilise criminology and psychology to create a criminal profile to determine traits about an unsub (unknown subject) to narrow the suspect pool, and eventually apprehend the guilty party.