resurrection/insurrection

Traditionally, international development has addressed economic misery, but taking a stand against the world's psychological misery is no less imperative. After a semester-long sabbatical, the Association for Psychology and International Development Studies is back at work to internationalize McGill psychology - and psychologize McGill IDS.

We're hoping to host a first event in March and are casting around for new members to help plan out the year ahead. To get involved, contact us at psych.ids@gmail.com and join our Facebook group. Know someone else who'd like to join? Please invite them to write us.

2008 is still a blank slate for us, but we're putting a good group together. We'd love it if you joined too!

brynen vs taylor

A hundred students flooded the Moot Court to witness two of McGill’s most popular professors go head to head: Don Taylor, in impeccable tie, represented social psychology; Rex Brynen, in midnight black, spoke for political science. For almost an hour, they fielded rapid-fire questions on their respective approaches to international development, exploring intersections where the two disciplines might learn from each other. The ground shook.

How much can you benchpress?
Brynen didn’t want to reveal his tactical advantage; Taylor suggested he could lift Brynen; we anxiously moved on to more substantive issues.

How do social psych and poli sci propose overcoming long-term intergroup divisions?
After Brynen had soberly outlined the incentives used in negotiations between conflicting parties, Taylor leaned in and beamed: “In social psychology, we’re losers.” He described social psychology’s belated shift from individual to group issues, and admitted that the real work in understanding intergroup animosity still lies ahead. Brynen, looking back at a half-century of activity on the IDS side, shook his head: “Yeah, look at what political science has done for the Arab–Israeli conflict.”

What are the drawbacks to giving aid money? Does it have to be this way?
Taylor went over equity theory, which holds that parties to any exchange seek a balance of inputs and outcomes, and are uncomfortable even when they themselves benefit unduly. Brynen replied that, all things considered, he wouldn’t mind if everyone gave him $100 on his way out the door. While poli sci recognizes a host of problems with aid dependency, former colonies tend to feel under-benefited regardless of the assistance they receive.

What research needs to be done on political apathy and collective action?
Brynen wondered why, in two repressive regimes where voting seems equally pointless, the population will sometimes roll over for the disliked leader (as in Egypt) and sometimes come out in droves, without regard to personal safety (Chile). Taylor sketched out a psychological research project to distinguish between cowed fear and lack of interest – and the two discussed the personality of opposition leaders, who often require a self-sacrificing irrationality to make good on their hope for change.

Why do development workers burn out in the field, and what can be done?
Brynen estimated that field workers have a good 10 years in them before the weight of the world becomes too much to bear: it’s hard to punch out in the evening when you know lives are at stake, and at some point you need to find a 9-to-5 and save your sanity. Taylor’s best defense was a ready sense of humour, which Brynen seconded, saying that unless you could laugh at the worst, you’d better just stay home.

In response to one student’s closing question about the extent of collaboration between the two fields, Brynen said this type of discussion was the exception, and Taylor argued that students are better positioned than professors to promote the multidisciplinary study that international development requires. Although the world needs dialogue more than deathmatches, the cheering audience convinced them to close with a furious armwrestle.

Taylor proceeded to bite off Brynen’s head (not shown).

carr discussion

Which of these two ads does the most good?

In Poverty and Research, Carr and Atkins argue that the pity-arousing image on the left may attract more short-term donations, yet simultaneously harden the prejudices of non-donors – with social effects that remain unexplored over the long haul. Five psych and IDS students made it to Stewart Bio’s 8th floor lobby to discuss this appeal for research, and share their experiences as North American and West African aid advertising consumers. An hour and a half of free-wheeling conversation produced the following questions, to which Carr has graciously replied from Massey University in Auckland, New Zealand. As always, don’t hesitate to comment if you’d like to join the discussion!

In addition to the neurological approach you suggest, have you considered the effect of a cognitive prejudice-reduction model, such as dramatizing Allport’s contact hypothesis?

Mm, have not thought about that kind of approach, was thinking more along the lines of perspective-taking skills and the equivalent of fostering mirror neurons! I think the key issue is a denuding of situational perspective from the ads, coupled with constantly negative (or mostly constantly negative) information and outlook (implied). These effectively promote mental distancing (Lott) so the idea of using an e-equivalent of contact is a logical antidote, perhaps…

What follow-up research has been done on the issues you raise?

I do know however of some research in the pipeline, by one of my ex Honours students, Ishbel McWha. The research focuses on educational background and differential attributions about poverty, following exposure to classically cropped (e.g., sad-face-only) imagery of poverty versus the more contextually rich kinds of image suggested as an alternative by the likes of Oxfam and UNICEF (e.g., kids working hard to overcome basic school conditions). I'll also let Ishbel know about sending a copy of her work once it is peer-reviwed somewhat more down the track.

aboud talk

Deep in the west wing of the Stewart Biology building, 30 students crowded around a boardroom table to catch Dr. Frances Aboud speak on international work in psychology - just before she heads back overseas herself. Renowned for her work in cross-cultural health psychology and the development of prejudice in children, the McGill psychology professor's career has taken her all over the world, from Canada to Ethiopia to Bangladesh and back.

Dr. Aboud began by shining a hard light on our globetrotting motives, warning that the sign of a successful trip is how much it batters your starry-eyed ideals. The trick is to strike a balance with rigid cynicism, which does little but frustrate well-intentioned efforts. Being of real help is hard in the short term, but the more time you spend in the world, the greater the possibility for change - and that kind of commitment takes idealist-realists with a fine-tuned area of expertise.

Through examples of her work in early childhood education in Bangladesh, Dr. Aboud spoke about the contributions psychologists can make to research in developing countries, stressing that hard indicators are critical to reaching beyond superficial empowerment lingo and building effective local development strategies. As the session drew to a close, participants were eager (but also cynical) about getting out there, swapping advice on internships with both Dr. Aboud and Maryam Pasha, who was representing the Arts Internship Office.

winter events

Details for some events have yet to be finalized, so check back often for updated whens and wheres.

Monday, January 15, 2007 - 7 PM
Concordia Room H110
Life, Death, and the Urgency of Hope (click for Quicktime highlights)
Stephen Lewis, WHO
Psych-IDS helped sponsor this event, which drew a ton of McGill kids across the divide to Concordia. Neesha Hussain won our raffle to the reception with Lewis afterward.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - 4 PM
Stewart Bio W7/21
Working Abroad
Frances Aboud, McGill
A chance for anyone interested in overseas work to hear about what to expect on the local, national, and international scales.

Monday, February 5, 2007 - 5 PM
Stewart Bio 8th floor lobby
Discussion: "Poverty and Research," Poverty and Psychology (for password write psych-ids@ssmu.mcgill.ca)
A look at the psychology of aid advertising: is it doing more harm than good? Can our discipline make it more effective?

Wednesday, March 14, 2007 - 4:30 PM
Moot Court, Room 100 New Chancellor Day Hall (law building)
Rex Brynen (Poli Sci) vs. Don Taylor (Psychology), McGill
World's got problems. Who's got the answers? Calling this a deathmatch to the death would be the understatement of our short, fleeting lives.

post-conflict therapy talkback

Following each discussion group, we host on online Q&A with the author or another academic in the field. Read the expert response to our group’s initial questions, and post your comments in the talkback!

To guide the talkback on our discussion of post-conflict therapy, Psych-IDS is lucky to have Myriam Denov, who recently joined the McGill School of Social Work as Associate Professor. Denov has been the principal investigator on a CIDA-funded project that has examined the long-term effects of boys’ and girls’ involvement in armed conflict as victims, perpetrators or both, as well as the rehabilitation needs of child soldiers following demobilization. She has published widely in the areas of children’s rights, war-affected children, and gender-based violence, and has worked with vulnerable populations internationally including former child combatants, victims of sexual violence, and people living with HIV/AIDS. We welcome you to explore the materials she has generously provided, and look forward to your posts.

When I was asked to contribute to the Psychology/IDS website and to the ongoing discussion on “appropriate” post-conflict interventions, I decided that instead of “lecturing,” I would give students the opportunity to engage in the debate with one another, and to reflect on what interventions (whether psychological, social, economic, spiritual, etc.) would be most appropriate in a post-conflict context. To do so, I draw upon my own research and fieldwork in Sierra Leone with former child soldiers. My hope is that the scenario and case study that I highlight will spark dialogue and debate among you.

Violence and armed conflict are commonplace in the everyday lives of many of the world’s children. Not only have millions of children been first-hand witnesses of war and the atrocities that invariably accompany armed aggression, but over the last decade increasing numbers of children have been drawn into combat as active participants. Severe societal turbulence, the collapse of states, the rise of warlordism, an increased availability of small arms and light weapons, and militaristic perceptions of children as proficient and obedient soldiers continue to underlie the phenomenon of child soldiery. Nowhere have such antecedents been more evident than in Sierra Leone, where an estimated 20,000 children participated in armed conflict, with 80% of children being between the ages of 7 and 14. Despite the growing international concern for this problem, empirical data and in-depth analysis on the issue has remained scarce. As such, there is little concrete information available concerning the factors that place children at risk for involvement in armed conflict, the extent of children’s involvement in hostilities, the consequences of children’s participation in armed conflict, as well as the psychological, social, and cultural needs of these children once the conflict has ended.

My research, which was carried out in partnership with a local Sierra Leonean NGO, has traced the perspectives and experiences of former child soldiers in Sierra Leone and examined the implications of their participation in armed conflict. Drawing upon in-depth interviews and focus groups with 80 Sierra Leonean children formerly in fighting forces (40 boys and 40 girls), the study has explored the life histories and circumstances that led to children’s involvement in armed conflict, the nature and extent of this involvement, and the long-term effects of the experience.

A case study of a child soldier that I interviewed for the research. His case underscores the challenges of communities and individuals in responding former child soldiers in the aftermath of conflict.

A gallery of drawings by former child soldiers.

Some questions which I hope will incite a lively discussion:

1) What approaches and intervention strategies would you advocate for the child in the case study (at the societal, community, and individual levels)?

2) What factors influenced your response?

3) Having committed atrocities and gross human rights violations during the conflict, should Mohamed be prosecuted for his actions, as allowed by the UN Secretary-General and Security Council? Why or why not?

moghaddam talkback

Following each discussion group, we host an online Q&A with the author or another academic in the field. Read the expert response to our group’s initial questions, and post your comments in the talkback!

Fathali Moghaddam kindly joins this talkback from Georgetown University, where he researches the process of radicalization, the psychology of globalization, and contextualized democracy and the psychological citizen. Following our discussion of his 1990 article, “Implications for Psychology in the Three Worlds,” we asked him how the outlook for developing-world oriented psychology has changed in the past 17 years. He kicks off our conversation:

There is little doubt that the APA has made real efforts to become more international and to develop stronger links with international agencies. The formal institutional structures of the APA reflect this trend. Second, psychology is becoming more “international” if by that we mean more people around the world doing psychological research.

However, at another level, one could argue that the trend involves mainstream “deterministic” psychology spreading around the world, rather than a genuine international trend in psychology. This is clearly reflected in the way in which even cross-cultural research is carried out. Because of the global reach of electronic communications, it is now very easy for a researcher in Boston to send a research instrument to 50 different countries and ask colleagues to hand out a survey to psychology students in each of the 50 countries. The result is published as a “50-nation study,” and it all looks very “international.” In a recent review, Naomi Lee and I found that this trend of using student subjects is increasing even in cross-cultural research.

In terms of studies that I would point to as “good examples” of a normative approach in psychology [the study of how meaning systems are collaboratively constructed, as opposed to the conventional focus on inbuilt determinants of behavior], I think the research of Joan Miller (New School, NY), Richard Shweder (Chicago) and Michael Cole (U California) serve as a good start.

F.M.M