The PsyCreative Column

Photo by Avargus on DeviantArt “Man sees God after his brain is turned off by science.” An odd sentence to come across, let alone process. But let’s set the scene—imagine your typical eerie laboratory of scientists whose passion borders obsession. There’s also the test subject, an elderly man who claimed he had ‘nothing to live for’. The first naturally arising question is simply, “why?”. In 1983, a group of scientists attempted to test a hypothesis, which stated that our five senses disrupt the unobstructed perception of the world, or rather, the world beyond. If we are not limited by our five senses, we would know more, and perhaps be able to communicate with God. As one can tell, the crux of experiment rests on the concept of sensory deprivation. What was expected (or hoped) to come out of this experiment, was that as the ties to the outside world get tethered, and as the mind starts closing in on itself, left alone in the void, it would create sensory experiences to compensate fo...

With the globalization of modern education and new scientific research, we often forget that the things we learn are centered around western data and research. Indian education, in the field of science, holds a concerning underrepresentation of its own population.  For example, we seem to think that life expectancy is on average approximately 72 years, right? Yet we fail to acknowledge that it is lower for India, at 67.3 years, as per WHO data from 2021. Life expectancy is something that concerns every single individual in the country, and if that too is something we are uninformed regarding, what about other issues that are not as common? Indians typically age faster than people in the west (Shome et al., 2020). We hear our parents complain about joint pain and worsening health in their 60s, which people in the west experience much later. This early aging opens a Pandora's box of problems much bigger than wrinkles or gray hair. For example, visual and auditory loss, decreased mobi...

Picture an infant, faced with some situations which are so treacherous and devastating that they would even pose a challenge to adults. Childhood Trauma is one of the most adverse events an individual can undergo. This ranges from domestic violence, neglect of their specific needs, abusive parental care, undergoing grief, or even sexual assault. These are just a few examples that can be faced by victims of early childhood trauma. This trauma leaves lifelong scars and affects one’s cognition and behavioral patterns in their lives later on too. It creates an astronomical wound in the victim’s well-being and shapes how they see and perceive themselves.  Trauma in childhood can stem from witnessing events that are alarming, threatening, and distressing. The most concerning part is, that these events affect the child before their cognition and emotional resilience are fully developed. Exposure to this trauma can trigger maladaptive coping mechanisms early on, which can be carried on wel...

“I rebel; therefore I exist.”—Albert Camus. Rebellion during adolescence has continued to be a much frowned upon, yet widely expected phase in the lives of most teenagers—not only in this day and age but for multiple generations prior. Imagine a 16-year-old, brought up in a highly conservative and deeply religious environment, sitting in her room, blasting grunge tunes all about freedom and expression. She’s wearing makeup and clothes her parents would've never picked out for themselves, least of all for her. All the while, she’s thoughtfully examining her hand, envisioning a new tattoo that she most definitely won’t get permission for. She eyes the door, half-daring herself to walk out and do something—anything—that loudly expresses her freedom of choice and individuality. Most parents would see this as their child going out of their way to either stress them out or cause unnecessary trouble; for the teen, however, it’s so much more. Every rule they break, authority they question,...

Serial killers have not just provoked repulsion but also fascination. You may have wondered, What kind of person could do such a thing? Are there any indicators that someone may grow up to be a serial killer? The challenge behind this is that the act of serial killing in itself is extremely rare, making it challenging to pinpoint what drove the individual to commit such an extreme crime. But what can psychology tell us about serial killers? Can it give us a reason enough to justify their actions? There are various socio-economic and psychological perspectives that try to analyze and explain serial killers. Let's look at the developmental psychology perspective.  There is no singular definition for serial killers. The APA defines serial killers as an individual who repeatedly commits murder, typically with a distinct pattern in the selection of victims, location, and method. It is essential to look at the distinct experiences that each serial killer has in order to try to understand...