Muddling Toward Maturity Blog

QUICK TAKES

   ** Robert Epstein - Your brain is not a computer   The "information processing" metaphor (IP), now dominate, when it is finally abandoned ("the IP metaphor is not even slightly valid"), will be seen as silly.

   ** David French's speech to homeschool graduates  - How to Live a Life of Privilege    Truly valuable reflections, observations, and exhortations.

   ** Andrew Strattaford - War on Cash - Besides the privacy it affords, cash serves "as a vital element in the preservation of the rights of the individual against the presumption of the state."

   **  Rod Dreher - "Transgender McCarthyism"  - Useful coverage of an asserted "right" that has left many of us further questioning the sobriety/sanity of the contemporary culture mindset

   **  Tyler Streckert - What It's Like to Be Gay at Wheaton College  -  "During my student years at Wheaton, I became healthier mentally, intellectually, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. When I tried to keep my orientation secret, I isolated myself from the very people who would love and accept me."  Streckert has devoted himself to celibacy.

BENEFITS OF A BIBLICAL LIFESTYLE

Articles published by Reasons to Believe written by psychiatrist James C. Petterson II (which include footnotes to studies):

- “Religion and Mental Health: Going to Church Is Good for You” 

- “Live Long and Prosper: Going to Church Increases Lifespan” 

- “God Makes You Glad: Positive Christian Attitude Linked to Happiness” 

- “Going to Church Helps You Stay Clean”

Suicide, Mental Illness, Depression, and the Church

Justin Taylor has put up a thoughtful, outstanding blog post with lots of resources.  Highly recommended!

CHICK-FIL-A EMPLOYEE TRAINING VIDEO

This is simply great!

 

DANGERS OF EXCESSIVE INTROSPECTION

Helpful comments and links on the subject can be found in Justin Taylor's blog post, "Inspect but Don't Introspect."

Brief notations I've made in the past:

- C.S. Lewis - "The attempt to discover by introspective analysis our own spiritual condition is to me a horrible thing which reveals, at best, not the secrets of God's spirit and ours, but their transpositions in intellect, emotion, and imagination, and which at worst may be the quickest road to presumption or despair."  Transposition, p. 66  (Macmillan edition)- See Leanne Payne, ch.12 "Introspection versus The Imagina­tion" of The Healing Pressnce

 - Leanne Payne in Real Presence, ch. 11 says "We may, in a manner, become incarnate of the Object; for as we look to the Object, loving it, we participate in its being." . . .  "Only in loving that which is outside ourselves can we our­selves be whole and free to create.  p. 151 

 - James Houston wrote, "The real meaning of enjoyment is... the act of going outside one's self, as a small child does, to be involved with other objects for their own sake.  It is therefore the antithesis of introspection, of being imprisoned within one's self.  Such joy is a desire, yet it is not trapped in self-seeking.  It is a response, even an intellec­tual response, such as a mathematician may have to the beauty of numbers, yet it is not self-congratulatory.  It is love, but not self-love, rather it is love of everything for its own sake.  Joy is akin to humility, to unconscious self-forgetful­ness and to kindness in respecting the uniqueness of the other." - I Believe in the Creator,  p. 205

HAVE YOU THOUGHT OF THE BENEFITS OF GOING OUTSIDE?

Jonah Lehrer offers useful observations in his article, "Mom Was Right: Go Outside."  Scientists are outlining the benefits of spending time in natural settings.  Lehrer writes:

Humans are quickly becoming an indoor species.

In part, this is a byproduct of urbanization, as most people now live in big cities. Our increasing reliance on technology is also driving the trend, with a recent study concluding that American children between the ages of 8 and 18 currently spend more than four hours a day interacting with technology.

As a result, there's no longer time for nature: From 2006 to 2010, the percentage of young children regularly engaging in outdoor recreation fell by roughly 15 percentage points.

This shift is occurring even as scientists outline the mental benefits of spending time in natural settings. According to the latest research, untamed landscapes have a restorative effect, calming our frazzled nerves and refreshing the tired cortex. After a brief exposure to the outdoors, people are more creative, happier and better able to focus. If there were a pill that delivered these same results, we'd all be popping it.

DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH "SPACE" IN YOUR MARRIAGE?

Good article here.

FORMER PRESIDENT OF AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (APA) SAYS ORGANIZATION CONTROLLED BY 'GAY RIGHTS' MOVEMENT

Matthew Cullinan Hoffman writes:  [the highlighting is my own]

A former president of the American Psychological Association (APA), who also introduced the motion to declassify homosexuality as a mental illness in 1975, says that the APA has been taken over by "ultraliberals" beholden to the "gay rights movement," who refuse to allow an open debate on reparative therapy for homosexuality.

Dr. Nicholas Cummings was President of the APA from 1979 to 1980, and also served as a member of the organization's Council of Representatives. He served for years as Chief of Mental Health with the Kaiser-Permanente Health Maintenance Organization, and is the author of the book "Destructive Trends in Mental Health: The Well-Intentioned Path to Harm."

In an interview with representatives of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) in late April, Cummings said that the organization's problems began with the rejection of the Leona Tyler Principle, which required that all public positions of the APA be supported by scientific evidence.

GAY REPARATIVE THERAPY DEBATED ONCE AGAIN IN BRITAIN

Debates across the pond (UK) regarding homosexuality and the testimonies (and literature) of those leaving the lifestyle are reviewed by Aflame.  He brings us up to date on the use and misuse, and ignoring, of studies related to therapy for those not wanting to be gay and wanting to change.  Clearly political and ideological commitments overrule any dispassionate reading of the evidence.

WOULD ANYONE CARE TO COMMENT ON THIS STATEMENT: "WHAT MATTERS MOST IS HOW YOU SEE YOURSELF"

I bumped into this poster on the internet the other day and found it intriguing.  Is the statement false?  Is it true?   Is it necessary to be "successful"?  Is it problematic?   Does it lead to illusions?  What do you make of it?  I'd be interested in your thoughts. 

DR. CURT THOMPSON - "ANATOMY OF THE SOUL"

Chuck Colson introduces Dr.Curt Thompson's new book, Anatomy of the Soul,  saying:

Psychiatrist Curt Thompson is certified by the Amercian Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He is also a devout Christian who has written a fascinating new book called .

The book has a long subtitle, but I’ll repeat it here because it sums up well what the book is all about: “Surprising connections between neuroscience and spiritual practices that can transform your life and relationships.”  [more]

A book excerpt is available here.

The scientific field of interpersonal neurobiology (IPNB) has emerged as a firmly established endeavor to explore the connections between mind, brain, and relationships. We who study within the realm of IPNB believe—at least at this time—the following is a helpful way of conceptualizing the mind: The mind is an embodied and relational process that emerges within and between brains, whose task is to regulate the flow of energy and information. A quick tour of that concept may be helpful.  [more]

CAN PSYCHIATRISTS DISCERN BETWEEN CHARACTER FLAWS AND MENTAL DISORDERS?

That's a good question.  And an important one.  George Will points out that the psychiatrist's "Bible" (the "DSM" -  Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) is undergoing  revision after 16 years.   It diagnoses new mental maladies that look suspiciously like character flaws or simply undeveloped moral behavior.

The nub of Will's article occurs 2/3rds of the way through the piece:

 . . .  Intellectual chaos can result from medicalizing the assessment of character. Today's therapeutic ethos, which celebrates curing and disparages judging, expresses the liberal disposition to assume that crime and other problematic behaviors reflect social or biological causation. While this absolves the individual of responsibility, it also strips the individual of personhood, and moral dignity.

Reading Will's article reminds me of C.S. Lewis' important essay, "The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment" found in his collection of essays, God in the Dock.  I shall leave development of CSL's position for another time. 

Meanwhile, back to George Will.   He says: 

MEANING IN LIFE

In Shantung Compound: The Story of Men and Women Under Pressure, Langdon Gilkey wrote the following (pp. 193-94),:

Let us take it [meaning in life] to refer simply to a sense of worthful purpose in what we do and the life we lead.  A man possesses a sense of "meaning" when he feels there is a vital connection between the goals he values and the activities and relationships in which he is involved.

Then what he does each day becomes a coherent means to ends he really prizes, his life and work accomplish something of value to him and so "make sense."  Consequently his energies and powers are called forth in creative effort; he is vigorous, hardworking, and, in the good sense of that word, ambitious.  In this sense, meaning in life is the spiritual fuel that drives the human machine.  Without it we are indifferent and bored; there is no ambition to work, we are inspired by no concern or sense of significance, and our powers are unstirred and so lie idle.  Without "meaning" we are undirected and a vulnerable prey to all manner of despair and anxiety, unable to stand firm against any new winds of adversity.  

Me:  Shantung Compound remains one of the top 10 most insightful books I have ever read.  I first read it years ago.  It's the true story of men and women from all walks of life interned in a Japanese prison camp durng World War II.   One won't find a better exposition of "lived" psychology, sociology, philosophy, anthropology and morality anywhere-- better than textbooks!

New Mental Health Studies Dispel Myth That Abortion is a 'Non-Event'

Moira Gaul at The Family Research Council reports that two new studies published in peer-reviewed journals continue to link abortion and negative mental health effects:

The first paper [PDF], published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, analyzed data from the  National Comorbidity Survey, the most comprehensive national dataset on the prevalence of  psychological disorders, was analyzed to explore associations between abortion history and mental health. Abortion was found to be associated with an increased risk of a number of mental health problems including: panic attacks, panic disorder, agoraphobia, post traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, and major depression. The four study authors presented their research on topic at a panel discussion at the Family Research Council in October 2008.

The second paper [PDF], written by New Zealand researcher David Fergusson, analyzed data from a 30-year longitudinal study. The methodology, analysis employing two types of models of for concurrent and long-term health effects, strong control for confounding variables, and comparison groups were all strengths of the study. The results indicated abortion to be associated with an increased risk of mental disorders, including major depression, anxiety disorder, illicit drug dependence, and suicide ideation.

The results of both studies add to the strong body evidence detailing the causal association between abortion and mental health disorders. These findings continue to raise important

MICHAELENE FREDENBURG - "ABORTION CHANGES YOU"

Today I received this e-mail from the Family Research Center:

Recently FRC hosted an outstanding lecture by Michaelene Fredenburg, discussing her excellent new book Changed: Making Sense of Your Own or a Loved One's Abortion Experience. Michaelene offers a unique and compassionate perspective on the impact of abortion on women, men, friends and family members. The new web site she has established, abortionchangesyou.com, offers a unique place of respite, reflection, and steps toward restoration for anyone whose life has been changed by abortion.

Michaelene is a frequent guest lecturer at universities and other public events. In recent years she has advocated for studies that evaluate the emotional and physical impact of all pregnancy outcomes.

Watch her complete talk here, hosted by Moira Gaul, Director of Women's and Reproductive Health at Family Research Council.

Book Lecture: Changed: Making Sense of Your Own or a Loved One's Abortion Experience

IS THERE A BIOLOGICAL BASIS FOR RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE? (ANDREW NEWBERG)

Michael Gerson brings us up to speed on research experiments. 

. . . It is typical work for Andrew Newberg of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine -- perhaps the nation's leading expert on the biological basis for religious experience. More exotic subjects of his brain scans have been nuns at prayer, Buddhist monks during meditation, Pentecostals speaking in tongues and entranced Brazilian mystics who write out messages from the other side.

These subjects have little in common theologically. But the activity of the brain during intense religious experiences is often (though not always) similar. The frontal lobes are activated, indicating attention and focus. The thalamus shuts down normal sensory input. And the parietal lobes -- which ground us in time and space -- are less active. In this state, people describe a sense of timelessness, a suspension of self, a feeling of bliss and oneness with the universe.

Keep reading... 

CAN THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (APA) BE TRUSTED TO ISSUE AN UNBIASED EVALUATION OF ABORTION TRAUMA?

- Update 9/6/08 - From the Family Research Council:

Warren Throckmorton, associate professor of psychology and fellow for psychology and public policy at Grove City College's Center for Vision and Values, does a great job of highlighting the major flaws of the recent APA (American Psychological Association) report on abortion and mental health in a Washington Times op-ed today.

He exposes the organization's conflicting position since 1969 holding abortion as a civil right, the fact that APA leadership has continually refused to meet with women who claim adverse health effect following abortion, the one study basis of report headline conclusion, and other criticisms by pro-choice researcher/reviewer Fergusson.

-Note my previous post (March 16, 2008): "Royal College of Psychiatrists Warns Abortions can Lead to Mental Illness"

- The Family Research Council categorized a recent  APA report as "biased" and issued the following press release:

DEPRESSION - NEW PERSPECTIVES CHALLENGING OLD PARADIGMS

You might want to take a look at this really interesting article, "How Prozac sent the science of depression in the wrong direction".

Like many other antidepressants, Prozac increases the brain's supply of serotonin, a neurotransmitter. The drug's effectiveness inspired an elegant theory, known as the chemical hypothesis: Sadness is simply a lack of chemical happiness. The little blue pills cheer us up because they give the brain what it has been missing.There's only one problem with this theory of depression: it's almost certainly wrong, or at the very least woefully incomplete. Experiments have since shown that lowering people's serotonin levels does not make them depressed, nor does it does not make them depressed, nor does it worsen their symptoms if they are already depressed.

(HT: evangelical outpost)

IS INFORMATION OVERLOAD AFFECTING OUR ABILITY TO THINK AND FOCUS?

Most definitely.  L. Gordon Crovitz published an article today in the Wall Street Journal and mentioned a new book called "Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age" by Maggie Jackson.   The book sounds fascinating.  Crovitz says author Jackson "warns that the cumulative effect of new technologies is that we may be losing our ability to maintain attention more generally.  Attention requires focus, awareness and what she calls executive attention."

Relying on multitasking as a way of life, we chop up our opportunities and abilities to make big-picture sense of the world and pursue our long-term goals," she writes.  "The way we live is eroding our capacity for deep, sustained, perceptive attention--the building block of intimacy, wisdom, and cultural progress.  Ms. Jackson concludes that "as we plunge into a new world of infinitely connectible and accessible information, we risk losing our means and ability to go beneath the surface, to think deeply."

Check out this Amazon review.

On the same subject, do read "Is Google Making Us Stupid?: What the Internet is doing to our brains" in the current (July/August, 2008) Atlantic Monthly.

WHY RELIGION MATTERS: RELIGIOUS PRACTICE AND THE WELL-BEING OF SOCIETY

This comprehensive Heritage Foundation article examines the social contributions of religion in America.  As such, it is primarily a study of the social impact of Christianity in the United States.  At least that's my take on it.  I think a quite different paper would be written concerning the impact of religion in Muslim or Hindu or Buddhist societies.  Be that as it may, it looks to me like a definitive study, highly useful, and sure to please academics out there who like long, comprehensive, well-written papers laced with footnotes.   (The paper has 136 footnotes). 

Topics covered include the following:  Religion and Marriage (divorce; marital harmony and satisfaction; cohabitation); Religion and Family Relations (mother-child relationships, father-child relationships;

"Suicide Killers" - A movie to see

Stanley Kurtz highly recommends "Suicide Killers," a movie eventually to be released commercially.  He writes:

A couple of days ago, I saw a remarkable documentary called “Suicide Killers.” This was at a screening intended to help qualify the film for an academy award.  The film has already made an early cut in the Oscar nomination process.  Because this documentary contains extended and unprecedented interviews with actual suicide bombers,

The Soothing Quality of Tea Confirmed

According to this Telegraph (UK) article, a British study has shown that tea (in this case black tea) does, indeed, have soothing power and the ability to reduce the harmful effects of stress.  I find this interesting.   I knew a person once who had what seemed a steady stream of individuals coming to her door in need of comfort and counsel.  Invariably she would sit them down at her kitchen table and brew a fresh cup of tea.  I always thought she had the right idea, but now this evidence has come forward confirming the wisdom of her ministrations.

DR. LAURA - HOW TO SURVIVE A BAD CHILDHOOD

Here's an intriguing excerpt (courtesy WorldNetDaily) from Dr. Laura's newest book Bad Childhood---Good Life:  How to Blossom and Thrive in Spite of an Unhappy Childhood.   

Richard Kirk offers an excellent article, "Hating Dr. Laura", which lays out the politically incorrect advice she offers.   Here's most of the article: 

They hate it when she downplays the importance of feelings and places moral obligation on a higher plain than emotion. 

They hate how Dr. Laura badmouths "psychobabble" and demands that callers say what they really mean when they talk about "dealing with" their "issues."

They hate it when Dr. Laura makes people feel bad about doing bad things.  

They hate it when she turns the expectations table and asks dissatisfied female callers, "How would you like to come home to you every day?" – a query inevitably followed by an extended period of silence. 

They hate it when the daily dispenser of hardcore compassion responds to "It's so hard" whiners with the callous retort, "So what?" 

They hate it when Dr. Laura answers "How do I ..." questions with straightforward replies: "How do I get over the pain?" "It takes time." "How do I stop being a complainer?" "Stop complaining." 

They hate Dr. Laura for destroying the illusion that there's an easy way to do difficult things – for not pretending that a pill or a slick technique can undo messes and avoid hurt feelings. 

They hate it when the petulant moralist employs the term "slut" or labels callers "selfish" and tells them to think about others – as if she were qualified to judge someone's "personal value system." 

They hate the fact that Dr. Laura disparages popular ideas about "venting" and "confrontation" – concepts endorsed on TV shows where problems are resolved after shouting matches that last less than five minutes. 

They hate it when she uses the term "shack-up" for relationships where couples don't pledge to stay together "in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live" – as if their unwillingness to publicly express their commitment to each other implies a lack of commitment. 

They hate it when the impertinent shrinklette exclaims, "At least a prostitute gets paid!" 

They hate the fact that Dr. Laura puts the lives of children above the sex lives of adults – and that she has the audacity to suggest staying together for the sake of the kids. 

They hate it when she looks at custody arrangements through the eyes of children and asks parents to imagine how their offspring feel about being shuffled back and forth and "crammed" – not "blended" – into his, hers and ours families. 

They hate that Dr. Laura dismisses the adult-centered excuse, "Kids adapt," and has the gall to say that mothers who don't want to raise their children shouldn't have them. 

They especially hate it when she condenses current legal reasoning on the subject of abortion into a simple, morally indefensible proposition: "If she wants it, it's a baby. If she doesn't, it's not."

They hate when she says "Hoooah" – as if soldiers make the world a better place.

And they hate it when she says, "Do the right thing" – as if most actions aren't gloriously gray. 

Most of all they hate it when, having turned off the radio in disgust, a barely perceptible but persistent voice keeps whispering in their ears: "You know, don't you, that what Dr. Laura just said, is right?"