Contextualizing Sociopath: A Memoir, by Patric Gagne, PhD I’m posting twice in a row about literature. In this case, the book being discussed is not fictional, but autobiographical. As the title, Sociopath: A Memoir, suggests, the book has a specific aim in mind. Dr. Gagne hopes her story will connect with other people one might… Continue reading Literature – Sociopath: A Memoir
Tag: literature
Literature and psychology: Passage
Processing Passage I just finished reading the novel Passage, by Connie Willis, and I thought it would be a great topic for a post here. Both thinking about the content of the novel itself, and the context of people’s online review responses. I will try my best to refrain from spoilers. For those of you… Continue reading Literature and psychology: Passage
Psychology and Literature: Stories of Good and Evil (II)
Good vs. Evil: Picking up from a cliffhanger… When last we met, oh no! Good vs. Evil mythology had crept into the very moral makeup of our society! It suggests we can reduce complex issues into simple heroes and villains. And we started to look at how these stories surround us even from childhood, with… Continue reading Psychology and Literature: Stories of Good and Evil (II)
Psychology and Literature: Stories of Good vs. Evil
Good versus evil: Our cultural myth One of the prominent themes in our cultural mythos is good versus evil. This theme reverberates in stories from antiquity through the present: God versus Satan or the Devil; Beowulf versus Grendel; the American colonies versus the evil monarchy of King George III; rich versus poor; established, dominant versus… Continue reading Psychology and Literature: Stories of Good vs. Evil
Psychology and Literature (3)
We’ve talked about many similarities between what psychologists and writers do. There are also some important differences. Beyond the obvious that one is through writing and the other is verbal/nonverbal communication (although psychologists often write, too!). Differences Beneficence is a Core Value of Psychology Psychologists have a responsibility in their work to do no harm… Continue reading Psychology and Literature (3)
Psychology and Literature (2)
Further Similarities Psychologists and writers have many motivations in common. In part 1 of psychology and literature, we discussed nonjudgment and holding the mirror to nature. Here are other commonalities. Identifying cause: We all sometimes wonder how something came to be, and how we can make it better. It’s why ‘origin stories’ are often the… Continue reading Psychology and Literature (2)
Psychology and Literature (1)
“To hold as ’twere the mirror up to nature” There has always been a special affinity between psychology and literature – and with good reason. One of my graduate school professors remarked that writers have made some of the best psychologists. (Although some psychologists have made lousy writers.) The reason for this may be easy… Continue reading Psychology and Literature (1)