Mandala Art: The Symbol Of The Universe

December 29 2020

art, culture, philosophy, psychology, religion

Humans throughout history have used art as a bridge between their emotions and the outer world. It is the projection of their inner experience with all its complexities and magnificence. One of the popular art forms is the Mandala. Tourists who travel to India notice the beautiful geometrical designs on the walls and the ceilings of temples. Those images are “mandala” which literally translates to “circle” in Sanskrit.

In their most basic form, mandalas are circles contained within a square and arranged into sections that are all organized around a central point. They’re typically produced on paper or cloth, or drawn on surfaces.

Mandala is a spiritual and ritual symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism and one of their most iconic artworks. Buddhists produced it in Tibet, India, Nepal, China, Japan, Bhutan, and Indonesia. It dates from the 4th century to the present. These mandalas are highly complex paintings with captivating details and rich colors. However, For Hindus and Buddhists, they are more than artistic designs. A mandala represents a symbol of an ideal universe.

What Is The Significance Of Mandala Designs?

In most cultures, the circle is a symbol of unity, wholeness, and oneness. It also symbolizes the womb, motherhood, and nurturing.

Mandalas are interpreted in two ways: external and internal. Externally it is a visual representation of the universe. The circular designs symbolize the completion and infinity of life. Then there is the dot or the center which is seen as the starting point from which everything begins. The dot is surrounded by different geometrical shapes and patterns symbolizing the connection of the different systems in the universe.

The mandala could also have an internal meaning. For instance, it could represent the spiritual journey of the individual and his inner life. In other words, Mandalas show the unity of the cosmos and how everyone fits in it as a connected system.

In Hinduism and Buddhism, the belief is that by moving towards its center, you are going through a transformative process that brings healing into your life.

Different Mandala Types

The Lotus: The lotus flower has a deep significance in Asian cultures. Buddhists view it as a symbol of detachment from the materialistic world and living a more spiritual life. Buddha said that the lotus is an example of how the dirt of the body can not burden the soul just like the lotus that floats on water.

The Elephant: It symbolizes great power and strength. First, there is the grey elephant, which is a sign of the mind that should not be distracted by the suffering, while the white elephant represents the state of true enlightenment that is achieved through mindful meditation.

The Flower Of Life: It features complex geometric designs. These designs trace back to Northern Africa and Mesopotamia. Modern users believe that it is a sacred geometric shape that promotes focus and concentration during meditation.

The Circle: They are the most common form of Mandala and the easiest to draw.

The Different Uses And Types of Mandala:

There are various types of mandala art in Asian cultures, here are some common types that serve different purposes:

1.Teaching Mandala: Teaching mandalas are symbolic, and each shape and color represents a different aspect of a philosophical or religious system. For instance, the student creates their own mandala projecting a visual symbolization of everything they have learned. Teaching mandala designs serve as mental maps for their creators.

2.Sand Mandala: Buddhist monks have long used sand mandalas as a traditional, religious element. These designs use a variety of symbols made from colored sand that represent the impermanence of human life.

The construction of this mandala begins with a ceremony in which the monks consecrate the site and call forth forces of goodness through chants and music. Then, over the course of ten days, the monks will pour colored sand. Shortly after its completion, the monks will disperse the sand to symbolize the impermanence of existence.

3.Healing Mandala: Healing mandala designs are made for the purpose of meditation. Evidently, they evoke calmness and enhance concentration to silence disturbing thoughts and anxiety. In modern days, mandalas have become a popular symbol of meditation used for appreciating the beauty of nature and forming a connection with oneself.

Mandala in Psychology:

The primary use of mandala art is as a form of meditation to gain knowledge from within. Moreover, Buddhists believe that meditating on mandala brings profound inner transformation. Whenever their minds wander with thoughts, they bring their focus back to the center. They believe that the beauty of this geometrical design should absorb their full attention. So this kind of meditation gives more relaxation and centeredness.

Carl Jung, a popular Swiss psychoanalyst, was the first to introduce mandala art to western scholars. He became fascinated by their therapeutic powers. For him, mandala designs represent the psychological self and lead to self-awareness and healing. Moreover, they exhibit the divinity of the self since the circle is a symbol of the wholeness of the psyche. For example, drawing complete designs of Mandalas unconsciously helps individuals with integration and individuation.

Nowadays, people color mandala designs to reduce stress. It also allows expressing the creative side. Drawing Mandala designs became a hobby among art lovers. To reach the full effects, they let their instincts guide them without analysis or following certain rules. The choice of colors and shapes flows naturally.

Mandala Art In Modern Life:

Modern consumerism has linked mandala art to the bohemian lifestyle. So we can find these designs in decoration, fashion, beauty, and other aspects. Elephant mandalas have become extremely popular in Western cultures.

In modern life, people use mandala designs in a variety of ways. In yoga, mandalas represent a sacred space to exclude external influences. Often, Monks and Yoga coaches draw mandalas during meditation. Similarly, Native Americans use it in healing circles, and this act has spread worldwide. The circles are useful for the restoration of the body, mind, and heart. Also, if you look at a Dreamcatcher, which is a popular item that has an Amerindian origin, it also has the shape and patterns of Mandalas.

Mandala Art In Other Cultures:

We can find similar geometrical designs in other cultures like Christian and Islamic architecture. even Native American culture includes similar designs under different names.

Today, they have become so popular worldwide. Consequently, artists are competing to break the records of the most complicated and mesmerizing Mandala designs.

Mandala art is a popular tool for meditation since their designs reduce negative thoughts and bring harmony, but not just for this reason. Ultimately, people create mandalas to center the body and mind.

Author: Hibat Errahmane Hadjadj

Ayahuasca Ceremonies, the Alternative of Psychotherapy for Amazonian Tribes

November 8 2020

culture, psychology, therapy, travel

Ayahuasca retreats are becoming popular in the west, so what is Ayahuasca? It is a traditional psychoactive brew made from two plants: the ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis caapi) which grows in the Amazon, and a shrub called Chacruna (Psychotria Viridis), which contains the hallucinogenic drug Dimethyltryptamine (DMT). So Ayahuasca is illegal in the UK, the US, and many other countries. Ayahuasca retreats are common among indigenous tribes for psychological healing.

It is a sacred beverage that the indigenous tribes of the Amazon in Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador consume as part of a shamanic procedure. Ayahuasca causes hallucinations and has therapeutic effects, that is why it attracted the attention of western medicine as a possible treatment for depression.

Ayahuasca literally translates from the Quechua language of the North Andes as “soul vine” or “vine of the dead”. For centuries, Natives have used it in spiritual rituals and ceremonies because of the belief that it brings a better sense of self and heals the wounds and trauma of the past. They also believe that Ayahuasca ceremonies help them to transcend consciousness in order to communicate with their ancestors and reconnect with the spirits of the forest.

The scientific evidence on ayahuasca is limited, but it activates repressed memories in ways that allow people to come to a new understanding of their past. In some cases, it helps people work through memories of traumatic events. So neuroscientists are beginning to study ayahuasca as a treatment for depression and PTSD.

What Are Ayahuasca Retreats and Why Are Westerners into Ayahuasca?

In recent years, eastern philosophies have influenced westerners. These philosophies support being in a higher state of consciousness beyond the physical world. So, Ayahuasca retreats sound like a perfect way to reach that state.

The number of visitors from North America has increased over the years. It has become popular worldwide among those who want to heal from past traumas or simply experience an Ayahuasca journey. Some people say that a single Ayahuasca retreat is like a decade of therapy in several nights. Others think this is an overstatement, but they do not deny its therapeutic effects.

Shamans strongly recommend that they should supervise Ayahuasca ceremonies. Those who take the retreats need someone to look after them carefully. An Ayahuasca ceremony leads to an altered state of consciousness that lasts for many hours.

Many people travel to countries like Peru, Costa Rica, and Brazil, where Shamans offer Ayahuasca retreats. These experienced shamans prepare the brew and monitor participants for safety.

Ayahuasca ceremonies are usually held at night and last until the effects of Ayahuasca have worn off. After the shamans who lead the ceremony prepare and bless the space, Ayahuasca is served to participants.

After consuming the Ayahuasca, most people start to feel its effects within 20–60 minutes. The effects are dose-dependent, and the trip can last from 2 to 6 hours.

The Effects of Ayahuasca Ceremonies

In its most common form, Ayahuasca is a strong-smelling brown liquid with a bitter taste. Its effect is related to the age, quality, and type of plants used. In addition, the psychoactive potency of ayahuasca differs according to the environmental conditions of their growth, the ratio of their combination, and the amount of processing they undergo.

Weaker doses of ayahuasca produce a detachment from one’s body and surroundings. This allows a mental objectification and critical examination of the smallest of details, feelings, and thoughts. Stronger forms of the liquid cause visual perception of irregular shapes, colorful geometric patterns, fleeting images, and out-of-body experiences or dream-like visions. People who went through Ayahuasca ceremonies say that they had flashbacks from the past in which they saw important events of their lives from different angles which changed their lives.

People react to Ayahuasca differently. Some experience euphoria and a feeling of enlightenment, while others go through severe anxiety and panic. It is not uncommon for those during Ayahuasca ceremonies to experience both positive and negative effects from the brew.

The tribes that use ayahuasca see purging (vomiting, crying, laughing…) as a vital part of healing. When you purge, you’re expelling all the negative energy from the body. It helps to get rid of the anxieties, fears, regrets, and hatred.

The Benefits and Side Effects of Ayahuasca According to Medicine:

Research has shown that Ayahuasca retreats improve the mindfulness capacity for the brain and emotional regulation. It may help with depression, PTSD, and anxiety. However, it may interact negatively with other drugs, and it could be dangerous for people who have a heart condition. As for mental illnesses, it may worsen the situation for those who have a history of psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia. There have been several death cases due to this brew during Ayahuasca ceremonies, but it never happened in clinical trials.

Scientists need more research to determine if doctors can use Ayahuasca as a potential treatment for certain medical conditions in the future.

Sources:

The Last Shaman 2016 (Netflix Production)

Healthline.com

BBC News

Author: Hibat Errahmane Hadjadj.

Four Famous Psychological Experiments

May 6 2020

experiments, psychology

The intricacies of the human mind have always been fascinating. What drives us, people, to behave the way we do is a mystery, but over time, there have been many psychological experiments conducted to better understand human psychology. Throughout the centuries, many psychological experiments were carried out, ranging from social tests to behavioral experiments that produced thought-provoking outcomes.

Today, we will be listing four psychological experiments whose results were more than merely interesting. It is worthy of mention, however, that some of the experiments listed below could not be repeated in modern times due to their unethical natures.

Stanford Prison Experiment, in 1971

Conducted by a research group led by psychology professor Phillip Zimbardo, the Stanford prison experiment was a social psychology experiment that focused on perceived power between prisoners and police officers. Zimbardo wanted to test the psychological effects of authority, so he recruited 24 male participants who, predictably, were the most mentally stable and healthy. The volunteers were assigned as either ‘guards’ or ‘prisoners’ with Zimbardo himself as the ‘superintendent’. Early reports revealed that the participants quickly embodied the roles they were handed. The ones acting as the guards would physically and mentally torture the prisoners, who in return were emotionally traumatized. This experiment was shut down only six days later due to its overwhelming danger, with Zimbardo writing: “We realized how ordinary people could be readily transformed from the good Dr. Jekyll to the evil Mr. Hyde..”

The Pygmalion Effect (or Rosenthall effect)

Psychologists Robert Rosenthall and Lenore Jacobson conducted a study that revealed higher expectations from teachers lead to enhanced performances from students. They tested children at an elementary school, where teachers were led to believe that the results would show students to be more gifted than others. The researchers, however, selected kids at random but presented them as the gifted ones to their teachers. At the end of the year, the students they had chosen arbitrarily were found to be performing better than the rest, even though they were not actually gifted in the first place. These results caused Rosenthall to conclude that biased expectancies could affect reality and create self-fulfilling prophecies. And that teachers had a real effect on their students’ academic performances.

The Marshmallow Experiment.

Walter Mischel, a psychologist, conducted several experiments in the 1960s to test preschool children’s delayed gratification. Along with his colleagues, he brought four-year-olds into a room and presented them with a marshmallow and two options. The researcher would leave the room, and if the children had not eaten the marshmallow yet when he came back, they would be rewarded with a second marshmallow. If they did eat it, however, they would not get a second — small reward now or a bigger one later. Some children reached for the marshmallow as soon as he left, while others resisted gratification and earned two at his return.

In follow-up experiments, the same children who had waited were re-evaluated as they got older. They demonstrated higher S.A.T scores, better responses to stress, and social competence. They even continued to show the same high results well in their 40s. This proved that delaying gratification at a young age led to successful advantages later in life.

The ‘Monster’ Study.

In 1939, a stuttering experiment was conducted on 22 orphans in Iowa. It was conducted by Wendell Johnson, and Mary Tudor to prove stuttering was a learned behavior. The kids were divided into two groups: one labeled ‘normal speakers’ and the second ‘stutters’ (half were actually stutters). During the course of the experiment, the first group was given positive feedback. The second group was made self-conscious about their speech and belittled for its imperfections. Five (normal) kids in the second group began stuttering after the negative therapy, while the ones with previous speech problems became even worse. Some even retained speech problems for the rest of their lives. The researchers tried to reverse the experiment (since they initially believed it was acquired), but its effects were permanent. It prompted major ethical concerns and that is why it is called the ‘Monster’ study.

Some of these psychological experiments brought about thought-provoking results and introduced new angles to look at human psychology. But, the methods with which the studies were conducted were unethical, and at the expense of actual human beings.

Author: Nour Nachoua Nait Ali.

Individuation, the Psychological Rebirth

March 3 2020

Algeria, carl jung, individuation, psychology

Carl Jung And His Theory Of The Psyche.

Individuation is a psychological concept that was first introduced by the Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung. It can be defined as the achievement of self-actualization through integrating the conscious and the unconscious parts of our mind. Its aim is to become aware of who we truly are without any filters or barriers, and reach our full potential by acknowledging all parts of our mind. or as Jung prefers to call it ‘’ psyche”.

According to Jung, most people do not understand the role that the unconscious part of their minds plays in their lives and how it controls and manipulates their actions. So it is their duty to discover it through bringing it to the conscious realm and becoming aware of it. As he said: ” Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”

The psyche, based on this theory, has two parts. The conscious, which is the part that we are aware of. And the unconscious is the part that controls our life and behavior behind the scenes because of our unawareness. So the process of individuation consists of bringing parts from the darkness of our unconscious into our conscious side in order to prevent it from controlling us.

Consciousness: The Aware Part of Our Psyche.

Consciousness is the part of our minds that we know through our thoughts, emotions…,etc and the center of this side is ”ego.”Now, what is ego? It is a projection or a reflection of the ”unconscious” and a result of social conditioning. Our ego is like a cloud that appears to have a form, but it changes constantly. It is the mask that we wear to hide our true ”self” from ourselves. It is not solid but a misinterpretation of who we are and who we should be based on some idealized traits and false notions that differ from one person to another according to the context and the environment. Unfortunately, we over-identify ourselves with our Ego to believe that it is us.

Ego is shaped through our growth. When we were brought to the world we had no sense of self, and no association with different names and opinions (which gradually develop to form our ego). As we grow older, our brains become more conditioned according to our environment. So the first part of the individuation process is to learn how to separate our ego from ourselves and understand that it is not our identity, but just its external layer.

Ego Death.

Some people misunderstand this concept of individuation as getting rid of our Ego, but that is impossible. Our ego is essential for us to survive in society, it is what gives us the subjective experience of life. The aim of individuation is not to get rid of it but rather identify it, understand it and control it. In order to do that, according to Jung, we have to go through ”Ego Transformation”, which means reconstructing our ego( thoughts and beliefs) all over again in a healthy way without identifying it as who we are.

People tend to resist this transformation because it represents a threat to their identity and the foundation of the character that they adapted for too long. This ego transformation does not happen deliberately. It happens when you realize that your beliefs contradict with reality through a hard experience, which may lead to an identity crisis, or even as what some people call an existential crisis. which ends up with the rebirth of a new healthy ego.

Persona Is Not Who You Are.

Persona is a reflection of our ego. It is the mask we wear to hide our real selves from the others. The more comfortable we are around some people, the less it conceals parts from our real character. If you have ever wondered why we subconsciously act differently around people, it is because our ego dictates how we should act according to the context. Some people may face trouble trying to understand themselves through judging this persona which may lead to confusion and the question of ” Who am I between all of these faces?,” but they are merely a reflection of the ego.

The Unconscious Realm, the Hidden Side of Yourself.

It is the main and the leading part of our psyche. It is made of many archetypes and each one of them has a role and an effect. The unconscious projects itself into our lives without our awareness, it controls our behavior while we think that we are fully aware and responsible for our actions.

The unconscious produces our thoughts that we display through our ego, but we identify ourselves as the thoughts while ignoring its real source. For example, some people go through traumatic experiences in their childhood, take as an example ” physical abuse,” it makes them feel unworthy of love as children. This part of their lives is hidden in the unconscious part, but this traumatic experience comes from the unconscious and projects itself on the ego as thoughts like ”I am worthless, I hate myself, no one will love me…,’’ Unfortunately, the individual starts believing what his ego repeats regardless of its validity.

A huge part of our personalities is built throughout our childhood. It is trivial to analyze this phase of our lives in order to understand ourselves and see how our belief system or ‘’ego’’ was shaped.

The Shadow, Are Humans Inherently Good?

Would you describe yourself as a good person? According to Jung, it is wrong to identify ourselves as good or bad because we are inherently flawed. How so? As we mentioned before, the unconscious part is made of archetypes. However, we will discuss one main archetype which people refer to as ”shadow”.

The shadow is the dark side of your personality, and by dark, we do not necessarily mean negative, but it is hidden and repressed somewhere in our unconscious. It consists of both negative or positive qualities that your ego considers as unacceptable, so you have subconsciously disowned them through time. Because ego does not know what is right and what is wrong.

It is a survival tool that aims to keep you away from any potential danger even if the threat is not real. For example, as children, some of us tried to express our feelings of anger and sadness, but our parents taught us that we should be ashamed of those feelings because they may not be socially validated. We hide sides of ourselves because we fear judgments and need to fit in, which creates a false sense of self that is made of these beliefs, thoughts, and conditioning.

This idea leads us to repress those unwanted sides and reprimand our negative feelings by denying them, in order to gain the approval of people in our environment. We think they are gone but they are still there accumulating in our unconscious. We also hide positive characteristics. For example, we give up our hobbies and creative side because of people’s judgments and outlook on them as useless, which is wrong in this case. Another example may be how we are forced to repress our aggressive tendencies that are natural instead of unleashing them in a healthy way through martial arts for instance. This may lead to unwanted outbursts of anger, or an unexpected violent reaction to different matters despite our calm nature. Jung says that we have a dark side that needs to be recognized and accepted in order to control it. He says:” No tree, it is said can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell”.

Shadow Work: How Do We Control Our Darkness?

After becoming aware of our ego, we start to understand how our thoughts are a product of the unconscious. Then we move to the next step which is the Shadow Work.

Shadow Work is the process of exploring your inner darkness, it uncovers every part of you that has been disowned, repressed and rejected and not displayed in public. Shadow work is one of the most important parts of in-depth psychological work. Carl G Jung used this method in his analysis because Jungian Analysis encourages us to seek out our shadow. It is liberating and would enable the individual to discover who he really is and reach his full potential using the traits that were oppressed before. We should proceed by accepting the fact that we have flaws and hidden parts that need to be worked on without feeling ashamed because the refusal to accept our dark side is a refusal to accept our entire being.

The first thing to do is to recognize that our shadow is whatever qualities we deny in ourselves. We hide the parts that we judge in others. In psychology, this is called projection. We are not aware of our projection, our egos use this mechanism to defend itself (to defend how it perceives itself). Our false identities of being “good” keep us from connecting to our shadow.

We should observe our thoughts and ideas and try to recognize their source. our shadow is elusive, you can not see it directly but you can detect it through training yourself to observe what gives you a strong emotional reaction. Sure, your classmates might be aggressive, arrogant, inconsiderate, or impatient, but if you don’t have those same qualities within you, you won’t have a strong reaction to their behavior. Look for every trait that you judge someone for, it must be hidden within you. In other words, You are indirectly judging yourself through that person, otherwise, it would not bother you.

Reaching inner peace requires knowing all our sides and accepting them, and this makes us at peace with others as well in spite of their flaws. Realizing that people’s judgments towards you are just a mirror of their own darkness could also help you to stop caring about their opinions since they do not reflect you. As Jung said: ” Knowing your darkness is the best method to deal with the darkness of other people”.

Another method is using art and any creative activity like painting, for example, to express yourself because it explains a lot about your shadow and your repressed desires and traits. Writing is also a very effective method, journaling and trying to write your thoughts spontaneously without processing them through your ego could surprise you with what you will read and discover afterward. You have to observe and analyze the repetitive patterns in your words. We can also reflect on our childhood and remember how we used to be before we had to obey and conform to society’s rules. Children are free spirits, what are the traits that you had to get rid of?

The best and the hardest method to understand our shadow is to analyze and understand our dreams. Dreams are a message from our unconscious that is not filtered through the ego. They explain our situation but they also require efforts to decipher their symbols.

Uncovering the Self, the Final Stage of Self-actualization.

The individuation process requires other steps that come after the shadow work, but the final result that we are seeking is to find the” self’‘, which is who we truly are without the layers of the conscious or the unconscious. It is not something that we try to reach because it is already within us, but is something that we reveal with time through this self-discovery journey.

We humans have this innate desire to chase perfection which differs from one person to another based on the social norms for example. Each one of us has an ideal self that he wants to reach, but Jung says we should try to reach ‘’Wholeness,’’ not ‘’perfection.’’ Wholeness is the unity of the parts of our psyche to reach the self.

The process of individuation may not sound exciting, who would want to discover their dark side? We always try to focus on the positive traits that make us admirable and successful, but channeling and controlling the shadow can help us immensely in our personal and social life to reach inner peace and self-acceptance. For Jung, it is the noblest goal in life. As he states:” the best political, social, and spiritual work we can do is to withdraw the projection of our shadow onto others.”

Author: Hibat Errahmane Hadjadj.

Should You Read Self-help Books?

February 26 2020

psychology, self-help, self-help books

Today’s fast-paced world is notably characterized by an overload of information, the strive for social media perfection, and a staggering number of cases of mental illnesses worldwide. It is no surprise, then, that most people have been resorting to ‘self-help’ books for guidance lately. Defined as any book written with the intention of helping its readers change or improve aspects of their lives, self-help books have now become a cultural phenomenon. However, as the sales volume for this genre continues to rise, are they really worth reading?

Whether self-help books should be read or not cannot be answered without knowing why so many people are obsessed with them first. To put it simply, the reason is a dire need for motivation and self-improvement, prompted by social pressure. And this pressure is largely highlighted by social media. Online, there are certain high standards set for people to meet that cannot be fulfilled by everyone, thus leading people to grab books such as The Secret, desperately yearning validation and acceptance. Eye-catching titles such as The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** by Mark Manson and 12 Rules For Life by Jordan Peterson also greatly pertain to the popularity of this genre. There is almost a promise for solutions and keys to happiness in that vocabulary. And that is why people do not think twice when it comes to these books; it is basically human instinct.

The true mystery, however, lies in the results of reading these books. Is there a real benefit? The answer is yes and no.

Self-help books are a great start for motivation. They provide the inspiration to push you in the right track toward personal development, and often leave people with renewed excitement, and a fresher, sometimes clearer perception of the world. They help with maintaining a positive thought process, offer hope as well as the confidence that anything is attainable with the right mindset and potential. In fact, a quote from Mark Manson’s aforementioned work is the perfect illustration of this: “we don’t always control what happens to us. But we always control how we interpret what happens to us, as well as how we respond.”

It is worthy of mention as well, that some self-help books are more than just sources of inspiration. There are those that suggest a set of principles, meant to educate and widen the perspectives of the readers. The purpose of this is for people to learn how to effectively analyze different aspects of life, and wisely approach future situations. Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers, for example, examines both the successes and failures of famous people as case studies. He does so to point out the real factors of their achievements and alter the misconceptions generally associated with success.

However, these books are not as magical as the self-improvement industry paints them out to be. Many of them actually take advantage of the desperate people seeking methods to better themselves and ways to increase their productivity, by falsely convincing them that these books hold real solutions to their issues.

They do that by giving false hope. The readers are almost promised an overnight fix for their problems when buying the book, which presents happiness as an endpoint that they will eventually reach the last page. A good example of this is Rhonda Byrne’s view in her book: “You will attract everything that you require. If it’s money you need you will attract it.” Not only is it delusional, but also misleading. While positive thinking does play a big role, it means nothing if no real action is taken to change the situation. Many psychologists even claim that it makes people complacent and drained of motivation.

Most of these books are also just repetitive pages of overused motivational phrases and platitudes that pay no attention to individual differences. That is to say, oftentimes, they offer general pieces of advice that do not cater to everyone. What works for one person will not necessarily work for the next, which will ignite an urge for comparison that will leave the person miserable, again and will push them to look for another self-help book that may or may not be useful.

Self-help books have become insanely popular recently, and demands for this genre continue to increase. It goes without saying that they are incredible sources for inspiration and motivation for people seeking personal growth and improvement. However, it is best to remember they do not offer miraculous cures for problems and choosing the ones that will most appeal to your person, is the only effective way to truly benefit from them.

Author: Nachoua Nour Nait Ali.

True Crime: Why Is It so Popular?

February 14 2020

crimes, criminology, psychology, true crime

“Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile”, “Evil Genius” and “Making a Murderer” are just three titles out of a long list of famous true-crime based works that have garnered worldwide popularity in the last few years. It is a recent trend that continues to spread as more real stories get picked up for production. You would think themes such as gruesome murders and gore would turn off a massive audience rather than attract it. The question, therefore, is why is true crime so popular? What is so captivating about True Crime that we just cannot get enough of?

Interest in unsolved crimes, grisly massacres, and cruel murders is not recent. Statistics show that shows and books depicting real-life crimes in precise, grim details have always had better ratings and performances than other works. However, it does not compare to the interest it gained recently. “Making a Murderer”, previously mentioned, for example, was watched by 19.3 million people in the US alone, just 35 days after its debut. This soaring popularity is due to a number of reasons.

One of the main reasons is curiosity.

As human beings, we are more inclined to search for things that do not seem to make sense, in order to understand them a little better. True crime lets us dive into the darker aspects of our nature, but within a safe distance as psychologist Dr. Meg Arrol explains. Watching hours of footage of Ted Bundy’s interviews with the police and confessions of notorious serial killers as they explain their motives gives us that peek into our wicked side but without experiencing it ourselves.

Challenge is the second reason, closely related to curiosity.

People like Jeffrey Dahmer and Charles Manson are terrifyingly mysterious. That makes us focused on deciphering what could have gone terribly wrong in their brains to resort to gruesome, merciless murders. The intricacies of unsolved crimes and serial killings are simply intriguing. It is also what pushes people to sit through entire productions dedicated to true crime for a chance of comprehension.

A third reason that compliments the first two is fear.

Statistics have shown that fear of crime overlaps crime itself. Thus, we conclude that fear does not deter us from watching those shows. It is rather a primary factor of why we tune in to them in the first place. Scott Bon, a criminology professor explained the attraction to true crime by saying: “It [true crime] allows us to experience fear and horror in a controlled environment where the threat is exciting but not real.” It is the recognition of safety that prompts us to watch and forces us to continue watching, even when horrifying scenes are playing.

True crime has massively infiltrated popular culture because of the large audience it accumulated in recent years. The primary factors that prevent us from turning the other way when another real-crime show is out are not conclusive, but sheer curiosity, challenge and fear are notable examples.