The fields of psychology and communication hold a great deal in common and even overlap in some ways. I often say we easily and appropriately could call communication “a practical man’s psychology” because to be effective, communication requires the understanding and interpreting of others’ perspectives, at least somewhat accurately, in order to interact.
Another extremely close encounter of the two kinds is nonverbal communication! Besides its communication properties, nonverbal communication also is itself behavior. It is a point where oral communication and psychology meet head on and even collide!
Certainly, perception involves both communication and psychology! Rorschach inkblot tests alone could prove that! (However, to paraphrase Freud, sometimes a bat is just a bat.)
In addition, perception affects climate, conflict, culture, language, listening, and virtually every other aspect of communication!
The reality (a relative term) is that Freud’s birthday is fast approaching… on May 6, (If you are shopping, I hear he likes cigars.) Therefore, with all that as the unconscious, the subconscious, and/or the altered conscious back story, I offer you an opportunity. Lay back (maybe even on a comfortable couch) and enjoy (even if that is an illusion) answering these ten trivia questions about psychology and psychologists.
There is no traditional prize to provide outer affirmation for high achievers on this quiz. However, who really wants that anyway, unless it is cold, hard cash? No, this is all about self-esteem, as nearly everything in modern life is… In this case, that is primarily because I have no budget for prizes! So, as Fritz Perls used to say in his annual holidays letter, “Perls of Wisdom,” … Let’s gestalt out of here…
Questions of the Week
- What specific branch of psychological therapy did Sigmund Freud develop?
- Sigmund Freud’s daughter became a prominent psychology pioneer in her own right. What was her first name?
- This Swiss psychology pioneer was an early disciple of Freud’s, but branched out into archetypes and humanity’s collective unconscious. That led to the study of mythology and personality type. In fact, he identified the dichotomies in the first three letters of the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory. Pronounce the “J” that starts his last name with the sound of the letter “Y.” Who is he?
- This Russian pioneered cause and effect, action and reaction, stimulus and response. Best known for his experiments with dogs, his work left their mouths watering in anticipation of dinnertime. Does his name ring a bell in your memory?
- This American behaviorist – known by his initials, rather than first name – emphasized stimulus and reward behavior modification. He sometimes spoke softly in teaching his Harvard University classes so that he could cause students to listen more intently and move closer to him. Who is he?
- German-born American psychologist Eric Ericson studied stages in life: childhood, adulthood, and old age. He’s most famous for coining a two-word term that Dictionary.com describes as “a period or episode of psychological distress, often occurring in adolescence but sometimes in adulthood, when a person seeks a clearer sense of self and an acceptable role in society.” What is that two-word term?
- Rather than focusing on problems and neuroses, this American psychologist emphasized human potential and self-actualization, His Hierarchy of Needs is his most famous contribution and he is quoted widely and often in college classes. Who is this pioneer of positive psychology?
- This American was the first pediatrician to studypsychoanalysis in order to understand children's needs and family dynamics. His 1946 book “Baby and Child Care” is an all-time best-seller, telling parents of baby boomers that, in effect, "you know more than you think you do.” Who is this baby doc?
- This American psychologist inspired a “person-centered” approach, “client-centered” therapy and “student-centered” education. He emphasized turning an individual’s thoughts back to him- or herself through “reflective” or “mirrored” listening. His most famous book is 1961’s “On Becoming a Person.” As you reflect on this information, can you identify him?
- Canadian psychologist Eric Berne in 1964 wrote the first pop psychology book in history! It identifies “games” people play with others in order to redeem manipulative psychological payoffs. What is his book’s three-word title that inspired two hit records on the Billboard pop charts of the same name: Joe South’s in 1968 and the Spinners’ in 1975?
Answers of the Week
- Psychoanalysis, 2. Anna, 3. Carl Jung, 4. Ivan Pavlov, 5. B.F. Skinner, 6. Identity Crisis, 7. Abraham Maslow, 8. Benjamin Spock, 9. Carl Rogers, 10. “Games People Play.”)