Psychological Science in the Modern World: Challenges and Controversies - Essay Example

? Task: Learners should develop a fundamental understanding of the extent to which conjectural debates are determined by means of scientific research. They should have the prerequisite mastery of knowledge in order to put the theory of psychology acquired through education into practice. 2. Climate change is the fluctuation in climate over a certain duration of time, usually years and can be natural or human induced. Psychology must be an integral part of policy formulation in attempting to avert the tragedy of global warming. It can help in realizing the importance of being environmentally responsible, and inform policy makers on the needs to publicize environmentally responsible conduct, in addition to integrating behavioral research and environmental legislations in order to make such efforts more puissant. According to Brian Baird, who is a practicing clinical psychologist and has been advocating for incorporation of social and behavioral science research into environmental laws, the quickest way to reduce our energy consumption is distinctly behavioral. Adaptation, for example, is a behavioral measure employed to mollify the effects of climate change. It involves psychological reaction to the risk posed by climate change. Some psychological issues like population growth greatly influence the climate pattern. Avenues through which psychologists can contribute positively to the debate of climate change include helping people cope with psychosocial effects of climate change, like dealing with the agony of the threats it poses, engage the public through dialogue on their understanding of the risks of climate change, and responding to questions on ways in which the society can adjust their behaviors in order to mitigate the effects of climate change. 3. Environmental psychology has its roots in the US and deals with multifaceted relation between the environment and humans. For many years, psychologists have researched on what motivates individuals to engage in pro-environment behavior (PEB). Advancing their knowledge on the reasons why individuals engage in PEB can assist researchers and policy formulators find solutions to environmental problems that require behavioral adjustment. Environmentally responsible consumption is largely as a result of sound consumer choices. Demographic factors that have a profound effect on pro-environment behavior are individual’s level of education and gender. The female is inclined to have relatively shallow knowledge of the environment than the male counterpart, but are more upbeat and concerned about environmental degradation; they have little faith in technological reprieve and are very receptive to change. As the level of education increases, the environmental awareness also increases. Economic factors, on the other hand, greatly guide behavior. For example, the cheap cost of heating oil in the United States made people shy away from conservation. Social and cultural factors are also pivotal in informing human behavior. Values shape our underlying motivation, and the values that people hold are shaped by experience. Some of the factors that shape ones values include pro-environment values intrinsic in the family, childhood encounter with nature, education and the influence of role models. Some external factors that constrain pro-environment behavior include the snail pace of environmental change. Humans are utterly receptive to drastic changes but ignore gradual ones. It’s noteworthy to say that environmental issues are complex, which is a barrier to intricate understanding, and severely compromises our willingness to intervene. Finally, emotional involvement and reaction can serve both as a facilitator and barrier to pro-environment behavior. Strong feelings, especially those bordering fear, will not trigger action. But when future outlook seems grim, action is inevitable through moral obligation. 9. The role of psychology law enforcement, law breaking penal system and the community attitude towards crime aims at helping crime scene investigators scrutinize evidence through psychological parameters like behavior pattern and personality. These may assist to tone down on the list of suspects during investigations. A very famous case is that of George Metesky, the “mad bomber” who planted several small bombs around New York in the years leading to 1956, and which targeted public areas like movie theaters (The University of Western Australia, 2011). With authorities frustrated and Metesky proving elusive, it would be psychiatrist James Brussels who profiled him and led the police to Metesky, who later confessed. Profiling was also employed by two British doctors, George Phillips and Thomas bond, to calculate the serial killer Jack the Ripper’s behavior. The basis behind criminal psychology is that the behavior is always a replica of personality. In dealing with murder cases, for example, psychological analysis can be done on foundations like the planning, manner of execution, the kind of victims involved, that is whether children, women and so on. The roles of psychology here include profiling of the criminal, and profiling of the act of crime through forensic psychology. 10. Moghaddam’s terrorist staircase model aims at structuring the current research and knowledge in psychology to help predict future terrorism. Moghaddam looks at terrorism as politically motivated violence that’s executed by individuals, certain sections of the society or state-sponsored agents and intended to scare helpless masses so as to influence decision making and behavior change. He shows terrorism as a culmination of a six-step staircase, which keeps narrowing due to shrinking alternative courses of action as the individual progresses along the model. As this progress continues, terrorism becomes the most prominent course of action, and in the final stages, it is seen as the sole answer to the terrorist’s problems. The staircase metaphor suggests that the movement can either be up or down the staircase, but the manner of conclusion of the previous phase is essential and adequate for the progress towards higher phases. In this manner, the chances of skipping a phase are nil, and the sixth step becomes a culmination of all the preceding five steps. Moghaddam’s approach fosters a deep awareness of psychology of terrorism. Although vast proportions of the population even when feeling discriminated against remain on the ground floor, some climb to the fifth floor and eventually form or join terror organizations in the believe that they have no share in the society. When a critical analysis of terrorism is made using the staircase metaphor, it can be clearly observed that the war on terror only focuses on individuals already in the fifth floor, and as such is likely to bring only short term benefits. 11. The habit of drinking among students is largely because of peer influence. If this can be addressed, then the problem of drinking among students can be fixed with relatively little effort. The consequences of alcohol are far reaching, and sometimes in extreme cases may result in deaths which often arise from the tendency of alcohol to alter judgment, and the result is fatal accidents, physical confrontation and such kind of risky behavior. Social norm is a term applied to opinions and faith regarding what we consider as “acceptable” conduct. When students see their counterparts drink, they may be influenced into drinking also, yet such actions are most often a result of misconception. Evaluation of the influence of social norms on behavior has been brought out through research in the field of social science. A social norm offers an approach that is soft and appealing to the intended target by adopting a more polite tone in its message and has widely been adopted by a vast number of educational institutions. Social norm has seemed successful in curbing alcohol use among students, but the evidence to support the perception that social norm programs are bearing the desired fruits has been in short supply. Research indicate that there is no noteworthy reduction in the level of alcohol consumption even with social norm marketing programs, since in some cases, alcohol consumption may increase even when such programs have been put in place. References The University of Western Australia. (2011). Psychological science in the modern world: challenges and controversies. Retrieved from http://units.handbooks.uwa.edu.au/units/psyc/psyc3303 Read More