"Psychological report: the doble subject of psychology and law"

In this article, Judit Bembribe shows the nature of some difficulties that psychologists face when they have to make an expert report. These are the main two problems:

- The impossibility of an independent psychological evaluation of the legal fact (tha "accused" can't be seen in a different way, the are "pre-judged")

- The confussion in the idea of subject that both disciplines (pshycology and law) have.

Another central topic is the following hypothesis: Psychology provides theoretical elements to control the individuals, with the negative consecuences that it entails (the human labeling).

It's an interesting paper, that shows the biggest ethical problem of my discipline, wich many psychologists ignore...

PAFAM

This semester, my group and I had to study a social organization, so we went to PAFAM. This is an institution thats depends of the "Hogar de Cristo". The mission of this place is to help people who has relatives with mental diseases (like schizophrenia, depression, alzheimer, epilepsy, etc) to take care of their loved ones and of themselves through daily issues: they teach about diseases and disorders, about the medicines and treatment, self-steem problems, etc.

In this project we have to observe the way this institution works, and if their interventions are efective enough...we are still working on it!, so I can't tell much about it. But so far, it has been fun...and stressing! This kind of experiences really prepare me professionally, it's very probable that, as a clinical psychologist, I'll face this kind of realities.

Well, this are the websites that I recomend you to visit to learn more about this topic:

http://www.rostrosnuevos.cl/portal/?q=programa-de-apoyo-familiar-pafam

http://www.unhchr.ch/spanish/html/menu3/b/68_sp.htm

Hope you like this, bye!

PsychoPages

This is new for me...I've never tried to look for good pages about psychology just for fun. Anyway, when I read the assigment inmediatly came to my mind this page: http://www.apa.org/. Here you can find ANYTHING about institutionalized psychology. APA is an american organization of psychologist, and maybe one of the strongest in the world. There you can find the latest papers and publications, a varied list of psychological topics, news, journals, "APA style" norms to present written material, well...almost anything about, and I repeat, institutionalized psychology, its theoretical points of view and fields...just one thing, most of the publications aren't available for free.

The other page's the complete opositte of the previus one (and that's the reason I've chosen it): http://www.lacan.com/perfume/index.html. It's is bizarre. This page is the result of a fusion beetwen posmodern art and lacanian theory...spoooooooooky!!. It has no structure, so you just have to ramble around clicking links. There you can find artworks, a blog, poems, conferences, some essays and "happenings" of the "Lacanian Ink", the society this page belongs to.

Caipirinhas and Daiquiris

Weekends are THE moment in my week when I get to do the things I actually enjoy. When we’re in regular classes it’s difficult to go to a bar, see a movie or just stay home and do nothing, because my schedule doesn’t allow me to do a lot. Anyway, our campus has been on strike and “students-occupied” by the last two weeks, so there are special activities, forums and assemblies. For example, this Friday I went to a lecture about the educational crisis, and the gests were Carlos Pérez (a physicist and a philosopher) and Mario Sobarzo (OPECH). The subject it’s interesting, and the discussion between them and the audience was very rich. That night a friend of mine, a former music classmate, invited me to a party in her new apartment to catch up and drink caipirinhas, I don’t get to see or talk to her a lot, so we stayed up all night!!

This Saturday was a very “musical” day. I always have piano lessons that day, right after lunch. I didn’t study a lot this week, so the class was just ok…I need to dedicate more time to it!!!!. Then, at night, I went to a concert in the Baquedano theatre because the played Schuman’s Piano Concerto, among others things. Edith Fischer was the pianist, I’ve never heard her so I didn’t know how it was going to be…but it turned out that she’s great musician with clean technique and a sensitive and moving interpretation. In the concert, Camila (my best friend) and I came across Carola - quite a surprise!, I haven’t seen her I a long time- so we went to Bellavista to drink Daiquiris…mmmm, delicious.

Well, it’s Sunday now and, as usual, I’m in my pyjamas doing all the things I didn’t do or read during the week, I bet you do the same thing in "fomingos"...

“I thought it was a bird, but it was just a PAPER BAG!”

Well, It’s really hard for me to choose just ONE favorite song…and maybe the ones I like the most don’t even have lyric!.
Anyway, if I have to choose a song, it would be Paper Bag, by Fiona Apple. She is a very talented singer and pianist, she composes the lyrics and the piano scores herself based in her own life experience…wich has been tough (she was raped when she was 12 years old, her family issues, etc.) Her style has been kept during her career [She has produced 3 albums: “Tidal” (1996), “When the Pawn…” (1999) and “Extraordinary Machine” (2005)] and let’s hope it never changes!!. This is the lyric of the song I chose:

Paper Bag

I was staring at the sky

Just looking for a star

To pray on, or wish on

Or something like that

I was having a sweet fix

Of a daydream of a boy

Whose reality I knew

Was a hopeless to be had

But then the dove of hope began its downward slope

And I believed for a moment that my chances were

Approaching to be grabbed

But as it came down near, so did a weary tear

I thought it was a bird, but it was just a paper bag

Chorus: Hunger hurts, and I want him so bad, oh it kills

'Cause I know I'm a mess he don't wanna clean up

I got to fold 'cause these hands are too shaky to hold

Hunger hurts, but starving works, when it costs too much to love

And I went crazy again today, looking for a strand to climb

Looking for a little hope

Baby said he couldn't stay put, wouldn't put his lips to mine,And a fail to kiss is a fail to cope

And I said, "Honey, I don't feel so good, don't feel justified

Come on put a little love here in my void"

He said, "It's all in your head"

And I said, "So's everything'" but he didn't get it

I thought he was a man but he was just a little boy

Chorus (x3)

Well, as you can see this song is about disappointments…when you are expecting something much better than it truly is: she expected a “dove of hope”, but she got a “paper bag”!!. Sad but true, it happens all the time and to everyone….doesn’t it?. Anyway, I think the reason I like this song this much is because she has an extremely innovative way to tell you (and sing you) this kind of sad realities, and even enjoy them (…if you are a bit optimist) with great lyrics and arrangements.

Vintage Businesses on Historic Route 66

(1) The reason I chose this article is because I love road tripping!!! I know it sounds boring and uncomfortable, but it’s the best- and the cheapest- way to get to know a country. During your car trip, you can get to see the landscapes, everyday people and shops, weird places, “kitsch” places, different kinds of motels, etc.

(2) When I started reading this article I actually didn’t know what I was about to find. I guess I was expecting for a description…And I got a really good one! The article described 13 places you MUST visit if you are in the “Mother Road” like: totems, a county fair, a drive-in theatre, special stores…and even a haunted natatorium!! These kinds of places give you a very entertaining glance of the USA and it’s pop culture.

(3) In my opinion, the most interesting stop was the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas. There you can paint old cadillacs that are buried halfway into the ground!! (if you have talent, of course…you don’t want to ruin a Cadillac, that’s like a sin). Anyway, I think this is a very creative way to express yourself and your ideas, and it’s also a very American way to do it (like the “American chopper”). The Cadillac Ranch was created by a San Francisco art collective called “The ant farm” in the 70’s and rapidly became one of the “nation kitschy culture”.

Vocabulary words:

1) Stretch: an extent in length or area
2) Dub: to call by a distinctive title, epithet, or nickname
3) Fountain: an artificially produced jet of water and also the structure from which it rises
4) Wrapping: to envelop and secure for transportation or storage
5) Batter: a mixture (as of flour and egg) used as a coating for food that is to be fried
6) Cozy: enjoying or affording warmth and ease
7) Custard: a pudding-like usually sweetened mixture made with eggs and milk
8) Entrepreneur: one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise
9) Boast: to speak of or assert with excessive pride
10) Passerby: one who passes by
11) Depict: to represent by or as if by a picture
12) Whimsical: full of, actuated by, or exhibiting whims
13) Novelty: something new or unusual
14) Wigwam: a hut of the American Indians of the Great Lakes region and eastward having typically an arched framework of poles overlaid with bark, rush mats, or hides; also : a rough hut
15) Facade: the front of a building or any face of a building given special architectural treatment
16) Weary: having one's patience, tolerance, or pleasure exhausted
17) Pier: a vertical structural support: as: the wall between two openings,a vertical member that supports the end of an arch or lintel or an auxiliary mass of masonry used to stiffen a wall
18) Speakeasy: place where alcoholic beverages are illegally sold during the period of prohibition in the United States

http://travel.howstuffworks.com/13-vintage-businesses-on-historic-route-662.htm

Hi!, I'm Ana and I'm trying to understand this blog thing. Now, the typical information about me...well, I'm studing psychology and this is my 3º year. Before psychology, I studied "Bachi" and Music's Theory...I hope finishing this one. In my free time I play piano, at least I try playing it, it's very difficult when you don't have much time. About psychology... I can't explain why I chose it! It's interesting, but there are many things (maybe most of them) I don't agree with. But there are others I really enjoy, like construccionism, psychoanalysis (specially the freudian one) and critic theories about everything. Maybe in the future I can get to join this two things (music and psychology) and make contributions. And I also want to get to study in Europe, specially in France or Italy (ejemmm, we should have the chance to learn those languages too...but, it's ok).

About English ("witn capital E")...I hope we get to practice speaking a lot, I don't have many chances to do that and it's important. Actually, I haven't practiced English since my school days (a really loooong time!). Now, about the class, I'd like to get to know you (or at least most of you) and that we can make this interesting and funny ( we really need that in the afternoon!) Bye!