Tired References on Syntheory dot com:
Why are so many of syntheory.com's references so old? It's because the bibliography pages started out as a large part of my master's thesis, copyrighted 1998. Since then, I have added to it occasionally, but most of my research for the thesis was done in 1994; hence the old references. Look closely, there are more modern entries, too! On top of that, there are other reasons for including very old references. Why is Lashley (1949) in the mix, then? Well, read the article's title and you'll get a clue!

I am interested in creating what's called "Edutainment", too, but to a much lesser degree. Therefore, the suggested source won't necessarily be a modern one. If I feel that Pfungst (1911) has an idea in it that is worth sharing in 2031, then I'll reference it. It's as simple as that. This explains my referencing of W. Penfield's ancient neurosurgery articles. I believe that Penfield (1955) was read by someone who worked on one of the more modern Hannibal Lechter films. Remember the scene where someone walks around with part of his skull removed and a nice chunk of exposed brain missing?! The brain itself feels no pain.

Furthermore, I will also reference musical pieces in a science-like form (such as: Rat Tomago, "Zappa 1979b"). I believe that all art is worthy of study and reference, as it is often autobiographical information about the artist or the spirit of the times (Zeitgeist) it was created in, etc.

From The Mind's Eye: Implications for mental health workers.

The implications of "the vertebrate eye analogy" for mental health workers include, that what is being communicated to the client must always be monitored and kept close to awareness. The older clients are, the more preconceived ideas about the world they tend to start their day with. The more secure these beliefs are (widely or strongly associated in neuronal memory), the broader is their influence throughout the person's perception, memory, thinking, feeling and potential behavior. The more entrenched a tendency for negative perception of life events is, the longer it will take to change. Be patient, but not patronizing. Counselors should always monitor client rapport, too. Once a good working rapport is established, it is never sufficient to assume that it will continue without change, particularly as that final session approaches.

During all relationships, psychotherapeutic or otherwise, there is a phenomenon called flashover which can occur at any point and can sometimes even be predicted beforehand. Flashover is characterized by a sudden and widespread change of feeling or opinion about something or someone. It can be either a positive flash or a negative one. In therapy, positive flashover can signal a sweeping change, usually brought about by the culmination effect of insight or experience. However, negative flashover - if it occurs in the therapeutic alliance - can cause the client to stop coöperating, or even come to hate you, if allowed to go that long unchecked. An example of flashover between intimates is when one is apologizing, but then says something else, or says it in such a way that the listener immediately doubts the sincerity and becomes angry with the other.

From my Education page: The International School of Hamburg, A Short History of Locations; (I attended at its third of four; Holmbrook 20, Othmarschen).

The following was copied from Facebook on Jan. 29, 2014. It's a brief history Sally Tough (Miss Sally Draper for us older folks) found written somewhere.

The History of ISH

We may have changed locations many times over the last 53 years but our school remains as friendly and warm as when it first opened in 1957.

From our first location in Timberlake House located on Hamburg's picturesque Alster lake to our current state-of-the-art facility located at Hemmingstedter Weg in the beautiful suburb of Gross Flottbek, our school has become an integral part of the community and of Hamburg, fostering and maintaining close ties with both businesses and the community at large.

ISH Time Line

1957 Timberlake House on the Alster, Harvestehuder Weg; ISH began as British Army School with 50 students from 12 nations in the house of the U.S. Consul C. H. Timberlake.

1959 ISH moves to Waitzstrasse 31with enrollment of 360 students

1973 ISH moves to Holmbrook 20 in Othmarschen

EDITED IN: Ken begins 10th grade at ISH in Sept. 1976. Soon has trouble with his living situation and returns to Bremerhaven for the rest of that year. Ken returns to ISH in Sept. 1977, the school's 20th anniversary year!

1978 ISH becomes an IB World School, offering the IB Diploma

EDITED IN: Ken now spends two years at ISH, graduating in June 1979.

1999 New extension to accommodate the Early Childhood Centre

2002 Six new classrooms, built to accommodate growth in the Junior School

2007 ISH celebrates its 50th Anniversary

2010 ISH moves to new premises at Hemmingstedter Weg in Groß Flottbek.

END
Currently manifesting at:
Hemmingstedter Weg 130; 22609 Hamburg, Germany
(040) 8000500

Airport anecdote (from my psycho page): In mid-June 2014, I attended a wedding in Atlanta, Georgia. On the way home, in a bar in the Atlanta airport, I met two unrelated travellers by the names of Sarah and Kevin. Two very nice people -- definitely not psychopaths! However, I can only guess that due to my bi-culturism and continuous ignorance of fluid US-style sociability, our friendship didn't take. (And I was trying my best to be easy-going, open, etc.) I made two big social mistakes and it was because of these, I believe, that neither has contacted me since. First, I failed to mention the reference to meeting psychopaths in airport bars! I could have made a good joke about it. Secondly, and more importantly, I failed to give them my current phone number! Not only that, but the number that was originally printed on my business cards was invalid after only the first year of having them, so it was crossed out, leaving only an email address. In the end, they got a business card with the telephone number crossed out as if to say I didn't want them to have my number! I learned a lot from this encounter -- always include your current number!!!

TV News -- From Too Big to Care, Policult.

I don't subscribe to any kind of streaming service, cable or satellite TV services. I only watch what comes over the air for free. Oftentimes, the only good thing on are news broadcasts! Hence, I watch a lot of news when I watch TV at all.

From The Franco-American War: The Menace of Marketing, from the Policult index page.

What's going on here may be that the culture is changing in unforeseen ways. Perhaps what helped people get ahead economically in the past is now working for a smaller and smaller percentage of our population today. If that is so, then I would assume other values are changing, too. ("New values" are continually expected from our younger people and immigrants). If the American Dream is in fact unobtainable (or is at least estimated to be unobtainable), then the conventional paths to that oasis quickly start to become suspect.

Young adults may start thinking: "Why should I get a college degree? The costs are phenomenal, the number of fellow graduates is stifling, the availability of (non-minimum wage) jobs is getting tighter and tighter, and the financial rewards for the average honest guy are laughable (in comparison to the amount of wealth that's out there)." And some might just conclude: "Only a chump would play this game...."

Some believe a menacing figure amidst all of this is the emergence of a heartless form of capitalism. Devoid of soul and fueled by "targeted" advertising, global marketing and commercialization, it operates with the express purpose of making certain tiny groups of people excessively rich -- by cultivating and feeding off of a faceless reservoir of money (represented by the masses, euphemistically called "consumers").

It may be difficult to change the basic system, since everything is so ingrained in our culture -- in "the literature of freedom and dignity", to use B.F. Skinner's words (Skinner , 1971).

MIA Grades, Diplomas and Photographs; Various Pages:

Many of my photographs have gone missing in action! About 80% of all the photographs I had collected up until that point were apparently destroyed by an over-flowingly envious, yet very narcissistically resentful, psychopathic ex-roommate of mine -- while I was out of town, near the end of our brief association! Along with my photos, he beat up on my European souviners and academic accolades, including some of my diplomas! He wants it so bad for himself, but is unable to get it together! What a small, little man he is. Hence, I'm listing the pictures and diplomas as "missing in action", since I'm apparently at war with him now. It's so sad things like this have to happen at all. It's also too bad that some people just can't find constructive ways to deal with the stuff they need to deal with.

Side Dish from my glossary item "aura": In an attempt to stay all-inclusive and not leave anyone out of the discussion, let's assume that a person's aura can be seen and that you're a person who can see such a thing. I will then speculate that while observing the psychopath, one might sense an unusual intensity or excitement in the energy level of his or her aura; they burn hotter than normal people. (Note the "flame analogy".) Alternatively, perhaps the more amorphus or juvenile aspects of an aural manifestation would present themselves.

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