Oakland University Psi Chi

By Andrew Madison

On Saturday February 6^th, the Michigan Psychoanalytic Society (MPI) hosted the event “Passion, Rage and Disbelief: A Journey Through the Mind of the Sports Fan.”  This was a perfect example of the many interesting discussions that take place at the MPI.  Have you ever watched a sporting event and gotten so angry about the outcome that you find yourself screaming at the T.V.?  Maybe you’re a Lions fan, and you’ve found the past decade to be a bit depressing.  Or maybe you grew up in a household where the outcome of a Red Wings game directly influenced the mood of your family.  This was a great meeting where these topics and more were discussed.

Joshua Ehrlich, Ph.D., a professor at the University if Michigan, lead the discussion and talked about a broad range of topics such as what it was like growing up with a family that worshiped the Boston Red Sox.  Between 1918 and 2004, the Red Sox did not win the World Series, although they came considerably close several times, and it’s lead to good things and bad things in the community.  In 1986, the Boston Red Sox almost won the World Series against the New York Mets, but an easy ground ball play went through the hands of Bill Buckner, in one of the classic baseball games in Major League Baseball History.  As a result, Bill Buckner was mercilessly mocked and hated in the city of Boston, and now Buckner’s wife is begging hecklers to leave her son alone, who is trying to become a baseball player. Ehrlich talked about many other negative effects when fans get too into their favorite athletes or teams, and how it affects families and individuals.

One of the more comical stories he told was of a male client who was a big fan of the Philadelphia 76ers.  One day he and his family went out to dinner and had what he described as a good night with his family.  But when they came back home, he turned on the television and discovered that his beloved 76ers had lost that night, causing him to trash the living room.  This made the man decide that he needed therapy.  He began seeing Dr. Ehrlich regularly, but Ehrlich soon found out that this was due to the superstitious belief that attending therapy was attributing to the 76ers recent success.  Sure enough when the 76ers went on a losing streak, the man discontinued therapy with Dr. Ehrlich.

One of the main psychological questions tackled on this day was what exactly makes sports fans feel so attached to professional athletes, most likely people that they don’t even know.  The main effects were summarized in 4 diagrams handed out to everyone that came to the event.  The first diagram was how self-object relating and empathy are directly related.  Ehrlich described how many people will use self-object relating with their favorite athletes, musicians, actors and more, and how by self-relating we idols to live out desires.  For example, say someone wanted to be a basketball player all their life, became an accountant, but still loved watching basketball.  By watching a favorite team or athlete and relating themselves to the idea, it leads to feelings of empathy towards the individual(s).

The second diagram was called sports fans’ enactment of fantasy.  This diagram describes the spectrum of fans that might root or act ritualistic towards a sports team, fantasy leagues, or video games.  On one end of the spectrum called dehumanizing fantasy within the mind, athletes fantasize about a connection between themselves and the athlete.  On the other end of the spectrum is dehumanizing fantasy expressed non-consensually.  An extreme example of this is the case of Monica Seles.  Seles was one of the best tennis players of her generation, winning the 1990 French open at the age of 16, but was forced to take a break from the sport in 1993.  A fan of Seles’ rival Steffi Graf jumped onto the court during a match and stabbed Seles with a 10 inch-long knife.  In the next two diagrams, the same passion and self-object relating was related to celebrity stalkers and sexual predators.  I think that one of the points Ehrlich was trying to make is that extreme athlete worship can lead to very negative things if the obsession becomes too much.

The MPI offers many other interesting topics like this, including the presentation “Immigrant Meets Therapist, Therapy Meets Integration”, “Helping Children, Adolescents and Their Parents Deal with Divorce”, and “Self and Other Are Two Sides of the Same Coin: How the Brain’s Shared Circuits Influence the Transference and Coutertransference.”  For information on these and other events, visit www.mpi-mps.org.

By Christina Randall

When a student is looking into applying to graduate school, the possibilities can seem endless.  So many decisions have to be made, including where they should live, which program they should go into, and which school is right for them.  The decisions made during this critical period have an affect on the rest of their lives!  Our very own Oakland University offers graduate programs in many areas, including a Master of Arts in Counseling.  Cathy Gray is a student here at Oakland University who is currently enrolled in Oakland University’s Master of Arts in Counseling program.  In this interview, she explains what lead her to want to become a counselor and what she has experienced during her time in Oakland University’s graduate program in counseling.

Q:  What made you decide that you wanted to be a counselor?

A:  I decided I wanted to be a counselor after years of not being completely fulfilled with various administrative employment positions.  I wanted to do more with my life, I wanted to be able to provide a valuable service to others – I wanted to be able to help others through transitions in their lives. And so I decided to pursue an education in psychology and counseling.

Q:  What is the graduate program at Oakland University like so far?

A:  I have been a graduate student at Oakland University for the past few years.  This is my last semester as I am currently fulfilling the requirement of internship.   The past few years have been very enjoyable and have meant the most to me.  The professors and staff in the counseling program are all very knowledgeable and approachable for whatever your needs may be. They are also very supportive.

Q:  What are the requirements that Oakland University requires you to complete before you can finish the program?

A:  There are many classes that are required in order to finish the program.  They range from diversity, development, theories, testing and assessment, research, practicum, and internship just to name a few.  It is also helpful if you are dedicated and motivated in your desire for education.  You can visit the website www.oakland.edu to learn more about the programs in counseling.

Q:  What is the most important thing you have taken from your experience in graduate school so far?

A:  The most important thing that I have taken from my school experience is that “knowledge is power” and education is something that no one can take from you – you own it – it is yours!  So use it to make a difference in our world.

Q:  If you had to give an undergraduate student planning on going to graduate school one piece of advice, what would it be?

A:  Don’t give up!  Don’t ever give up!  Believe in yourself!

New this year!!  The OU Psi Chi chapter will now be taking applications for conference fee sponsorship.  The sponsorship will only cover the cost of the conference fee. You must submit the form before you pay for your conference fee and  six weeks before the date of the conference. Approval is based on SAFB decision. If approved, conference fee will be disbursed after confirmed attendance of the conference. You must submit the receipt of the paid conference fee with a breakdown of the cost (if applicable).  Please click here to download the application.

by: Christina Randall, Student Editor of PsychMatters

About eight months ago, I found myself searching around Oakland University’s website looking for more ways to get involved.  After skimming around, I checked out Psi Chi’s website for opportunities that may be listed specifically for my major.  As I was looking, I came across a listing for Common Ground’s Crisis Line for Oakland County..  From what I had read, the opportunity sounded like it was right in my area of interest, so I decided to contact the organization and find out more about the program.  In order to get involved, each prospective volunteer had to go through a screening process and once that was completed, an extensive training period was required to educate each volunteer about everything they needed to volunteer at Common Ground.

Six months later, I am volunteering for Common Ground on a weekly basis and absolutely loving it.  The volunteer position in which I fill is a crisis line worker, someone who works on Common Ground’s 24/7 crisis telephone line picking up calls and helping each caller accordingly.  There are many different Common Ground buildings throughout Oakland County, but only one building holds the 24/7 crisis telephone line.  There are many different shifts in which someone can volunteer, but each person (once they have gone through Common Ground’s training) is required to volunteer at least four hours per week.  These hours, however, are some of the most rewarding hours that I have ever experienced.

Since volunteering at Common Ground, I have learned so many things that have opened my eyes and made me see things completely different than before.  When I pick up the phone, although I do not know what kind of phone call it will be, I am completely dedicated to helping that individual on the other end of the line.  Common Ground is an amazing facility that also offers many other resources such as mental health services, programs focusing on youth, counseling programs, advocacy, support, and education groups, as well as many other things.  Getting involved with Common Ground is one of the best things I have ever gotten involved in and has taught me so much about people.  If anyone wishes to have more information, please visit www.commongroundhelps.org.