On Human Nature: Robert Sapolsky, Gabor Mate, James Gilligan, & Richard Wilkinson
This video captures many of the things we talk about in discussing the etiology of personality disorders. It seems we never tire of the Nature versus Nurture debate, most of us allowing for a little bit of either. Very thought-provoking comments in this video by some rather famous people. Well, famous if you're interested in pathology, addiction, attachment, violence, competition, genes, child abuse, empathy, reciprocity, and Social Darwinism. Human Needs.
I also want to bring the following class to everyone's attention because I took it in January and it has continued to influence and inform my thinking. And also, taking this class broadens one's view of the social responsibility we bear for the healthy OR unhealthy communities we create.
taught by Dr. Charmaine Williams
Coursera is a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). I started taking Coursera classes last January and my first pick was "The Social Context of Mental Illness", a biopsychosocial approach to understanding mental illness. Professor Charmaine Williams of the University of Toronto is teaching the class again. This online class started June 24, 2013 and lasts six weeks but it's not too late to sign up!
Expect to spend 5-7 hours per week listening to lectures and completing homework assignments. (I spent at least double that amount of time reading optional articles and books.) The beauty of a MOOC is that you can determine how much time you can spend learning about a particular topic and you can do it at your own speed. There are deadlines if you want a Certificate of Completion but you do not have to take the tests, or do the homework, if you only have time to watch the lectures.
For those who are interested in psychology and/or supporting people with mental illnesses, you'll appreciate the global discussions boards (35,000+ students worldwide) and the material Dr. Williams presents on the history of mental illness, from insane asylums to mental health care hospitals. Dr. Williams is pro-family and very understanding of the challenges families face supporting family members with mental illnesses.
The Social Context of Mental Illness Course description:
"Mental health and mental illness used to be something that people didn't talk about, but now it seems every time we open a newspaper we are hearing about the importance of mental health, or the consequences of mental illness. At this point in our history we understand mental illness and mental health to be largely influenced by biological factors, specifically, workings of the brain. At the same time, we have always known that social factors play a very strong role in promoting mental health and can make big differences in who gets mentally ill, who gets treated for mental illness, and how people can achieve good quality of life after a mental health diagnosis.
This course is an opportunity to explore how social practices and ideas contribute to the ways in which society, families and individuals are affected by mental health and mental illness. We will look at issues like why some people think mental illness is a myth, how people think about mental health and illness in different cultures, who gets mentally ill and why, how families are affected by mental illness and what interventions are available to treat mental illness and promote mental health." ~Coursera.org
p.s. If you decide to take this class, I'd love hearing from you!