A Clockwork Orange

Hmmm, disturbing- yes, enthralling- yes, shocking-yes. I am completely on the fence (for want of a better phrase) over this film; the brutality of the controversial adversion therapy used certainly highlights how experimental and dangerous earlier experiments for the rehabilitation of criminals were but there's something about the film I really didn't like and I can't put my finger on it; perhaps it was the slight obvious overacting of the 'sickness' felt by Alex or the unsatisfying ending that simply a knock on the head can reverse deeply rooted conditioned physiological reactions to violence. Let's hope the book is better!

EPQ!

Summer time means Extended Project Qualification research time! I have decided to do my EPQ on dissociative identity disorder and it's representation in the media specifically looking at The Three Faces of Eve (the book and film) and Sybil (once again the book and film). I am then hoping to really research the real-life cases of this women and do a detailed comparison between both the case and the media's representation. I honestly don't know how people can't be interested by fascinating cases such as these; hopefully I will keep a regular account of how my 10 month EPQ journey pans out and it's results- wish me luck


-- Sadly the extra strains of A2s, work experience and extra curricular activities have meant my EPQ has been put on hold... don't get me wrong i'm still very much enjoying researching and reading about my topic even if I won't be finishing my research in a 10,000 word essay!

Resurfacing After Exams and Ready To Get Reading

After finishing all of my AS exams and completing year 12 I have now got my whole summer to read about and gain an extra insight into Psychology. My first book is titled "Love's Executioner and other tales of Psychotherapy" in which therapist Irvin Yalom gives detailed accounts of previous patients and his work with them. From the onset I was fascinated by Yalom's theory of "an ever-present conflict between the wish to continue to exist and the awareness of inevitable death" and how one, as a child growing up, devises ways to escape or deny the inevitability of death as I could apply this to my own experiences growing up. 1) The very young are given religion and reassurance from parents to deny death. 2) As we get older we transform death into an entity or a monster waiting under one's bed so we feel able to elude death and hide from it. 3) Growing older yet again we attempt to detoxify death by challenging it through the use of daredevilry or desensitise ourselves through to use of horror films and giggling with friends. Personally this mirrors my own life so far which allows me to really consider and appreciate many of Yalom's ideas having never given attention to this behaviour before. A challenging and extremely enthralling read so far- updates shortly!