Jumbly Tumbly

Mmm, psychology. The type of subject that was literally built to get in your head, and rummage around in all of your dirty secrets and memories. As a self-aware species, we are entirely interested in the workings of our own self, especially that of the non-physical mind (as well as a bit of the physical mind, too) and maybe even a soul.

Our 'soul' or 'spirit' is often so widely interpreted that we've pretty much taken it to mean anything ethereal or wispy, but psychologists and various other social scientists work day by day to uncover the truth behind the soul. Is there really more to our minds than the gray matter and goop that sits in our skulls, or are we doomed to be bound to a physical world until we should wipe ourselves out?

All are questions that Jumbly Tumbly sets out to explore. In an uncomplicated approach, writer Supernova explains various experiments, concepts, and theories of the psychological studies world to us less-informed on the subject, but also goes the extra step to keep the reader interested.

In what I thought was both a shocking but enthralling post, Supernova explained the Stanford Prison Experiment, a study that pitted nine male college students playing guards against nine other male college students playing prisoners. In it, a seemingly innocent experiment goes horribly wrong, as evidenced by the following except from her post:

"Everyone involved began to see it as a reality rather than just an experiment. They fell into their roles and acted as such. Even the warden, Zimbardo, began to act more like a superintendent than a psychologist. A wake-up call came when graduate student Christina Maslach was introduced to conduct interviews and objected to the appalling conditions, questioning the morality of the experiment. After her visit, Zimbardo decided to shut down the intended 2-week ordeal after only 6 days."

It's almost unbelievable, but it truly did happen, and it is only one of the many different enticing subjects Supernova touches down upon in the psychology blog. Get mind-melted at Jumbly Tumbly.