Welcome one and all to Chris Ferguson's
Psychology Home page. It is presumable that most of you visiting this page
have made the fortuitous choice of enrolling for one of my classes. Good
for you. This web page will be something of a tool for you, to provide you
with useful information....so take advantage of it!
How Madness Shaped History. This books is pretty much what it says on the cover. Concerned with psychology and how "madness" often changed the course of history. Currently available for preorder at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
Suicide Kings. My first novel was published in 2014. Please see the linked website for updateds, details and ordering or order at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
Moral Combat: Why the War on Violent Video Games is Wrong. What to learn about the science and politics of the video game debates and have some fun doing it? This is the book for that! Coauthored with Patrick Markey. Find this on Barnes and Noble and Amazon.
My CV(updated May, 2018)
First and foremost, here's how to
get in touch with me, should you need to:
E-Mail: DukeAragon@aol.com
Should I ever need to cancel class
suddenly on account of illness, I will attempt to post that information here
between my death throes.
Links:
Here are a few useful Links to some interesting stuff. Find out something about yourself (but don't take it too seriously), or just visit some useful sights:
My testimony before Betsy Devos' School Safety Commission on entertainment violence in 2018. TL/DR: This issue is a waste of time if they're serious about reducing school violence.
American Psychological Association's Media Psychology and Technology Division (Division 46) Policy Statement on "Gaming Disorder" and the World Health Organization: This statement opposes the WHO's "gaming disorder" diagnosis on the grounds it is not supported by research. Co-signed by the Irish Psychological Society special interest group on Media, the Arts and Cyberpsychology.
CNBC Segment on Violent Video Games Following 2018 Parkland, FL Shooting: This segment discusses the Trump administration's attempt to shift blame for societal violence onto video games following the mass homicide in Parkland, FL by a 19-year-old man.
American Psychological Association's Media Psychology and Technology Division (Division 46) Policy Statement on Violent Media and Societal Violence: This statement specifically recommends that policy makers and news media NOT link media violence to societal violence given research data does not support such claims.
Scholars' Statement to the American Psychological Association Task Force on Violent Media: This statement, signed by 230 media scholars, psychologists and criminologists cautions the APA against releasing or maintaining policy statements conclusively linking violent media to aggression. We express the concern that such statements tend to be more ideological and political rather than data-based and have historically been error prone. We express the concern that such statements damage the credibility of our field and distract society from more pressing issues such as poverty and mental health care reform.
Video Game Sales and Mass Homicides Cross-Nationally: Washington Post
Supreme Court Case on Video Game Violence:
Brown V EMA: The US Supreme Court decision striking down California's anti-video game law, and criticising the research used to support the law as "unpersuasive".
Scholar's Amicus Brief to the Supreme Court (Brown v EMA, formerly Schwartzenegger v EMA) opposing the California law seeking to ban the sale of violent video games to minors, citing lack of scholarly merit. Signed by over 80 scholars in psychology, psychiatry, criminal justice, pediatrics, communications and media studies.
Spoof of media effects research that is stunningly dead on. The majority decision in the Supreme Court case noted much the same issues (if less comically) particularly when discussing measures of "aggressive cognition".
Video Games and Youth Violence Trends.
Originally published in Ferguson (2008), updated through 2011
Shameless Self Promotion:
CBS Face the Nation: Also on video game violence. Note at the end Tim Winter, not winning on facts, takes an untrue ad-hominem shot at me I was not given a chance to respond to. For the record, I have no financial or personal ties with the entertainment or video game industry.
ABC Nightline episode on video game violence following the Sandy Hook shooting.
Al Jazeera interview on video game violence.
Essay on TIME.com about video game violence and youth violence.
Interview on the Supreme Court decision on video game violence on WGN radio Chicago
Video Games On Trial: NPR, KQED debate with me and Dr. Doug Gentile on video game violence and the Supreme Court
It's a Duel: How Do Violent Video Games Affect Kids: NPR Morning Discussion, debate with Dr. Brad Bushman
Video
Game and School Shooters: Interview I gave on the Paul Harris Show,
WLS/Chicago
Video
Game and School Shootings: An Interview I gave on Future Tense.
Violent Video Games Interview I gave on the Matt
Allen Show WPRO (Providence, RI)
Video Games: The Latest Scapegoat for
Violence This is an essay I
wrote based on my work on video game violence research which was published in
the Chronicle of Higher Education. Naturally, if you use this material,
please cite it.
Other Stuff:
Almost a Mass Murderer: Blog post by a very curageous man willing to talk about how we had considered homicidal violence as a teen and what stopped him. Very insightful.
The Birthday Massacre: Newer band I've been getting into lately.
Dr. Mark Griffiths: His blog on additive behaviors, pathological gambling, etc.
Keirsey
Personality Test An Extremely
insightful personality tests based upon the Myer's Briggs Type Indicator.
Tells you something about your personality style. Make sure to click on
your four-letter personality type to find out what it means.
KingdomalityThis test tells you what sort of Medieval
occupation....peasant, black knight, king, executioner, etc....your personality would have been best suited
for. Sounds silly, but actually has some rather insightful things to
say. By the way, I came out as a BENEVOLENT
RULER....lucky for you all.
Pink Floyd: Visit a site dedicated to your professor's
favorite rock band.
Fender
Guitars: Makers of the world's finest musical
instruments.
Chronicle of Higher Education: For those of
you considering a career in academia, this is a useful site. Some content
is subscriber only, but much of it is free.
COMMON PSYCHOLOGY RELATED CAREER QUESTIONS:
1.) What can a
psychology degree do for me?
Unless you make
the effort to do something with it, not much. A psychology degree is such
a thing that you can use it to go on to a wondrous career in criminal justice,
advertising, human services, etc., or you can just wind up managing a
7-11. It is what you make of it. It is not nearly so mindlessly
useless as a degree in some areas, but neither does it have the clear cut career
potential of, say engineering, or nude beekeeping. Unfortunately,
Bachelor's level jobs in Psychology tend to be low paying and demanding with
high staff turnovers. Many people feel that in order to obtain a rewarding
career in psychology, a graduate degree is necessary.
2.) Is a
degree in social work more useful than psychology?
Not really, but it depends on
what you want to do. IF it is your goal to work in a needlessly
beurocratic social services agency, than a social work degree will be MARGINALLY
more marketable. A Master's degree in psychology will allow you to apply
for research and teaching jobs that social workers are not eligible for.
It is true that a MSW can make some good money if he or she goes on to get a
liscense...but that takes a year or two and can be a pain in the
caboose...although some people love it and love their work. In my
experience, however, at this point there are zillions of social workers out
there. If you earn a Master's in either psychology or social work, you can
aspire to earn a salary in the low 30's. An LCSW can expect something
in the 40's, whereas a Ph.D. in Psychology can expect 50's to 100's (in
academia) or however much they can weasel out of their patients in private
practice. Ph.D. psychologists are the only people allowed to do
psychological testing too....not social workers or even psychiatrists. If
you are interested in careers in these areas I would encourage you to get input
from people in each of these fields (social work and psychiatry). Don't
just take my curmudgeonly option...
3.) What about
psychiatrists?
What about them? They are
generally trained to dispense drugs for psychiatric symptoms. Sometimes
useful...sometimes not. Remember if you go to a psychiatrist for any
problems, you are very likely to be handed some pills. You may wish to
consult a psychologist or social worker as well, especially if you problems are
brought on by life-stress. Psychiatrists go to Med School and get an
MD. It is possible to become a psychiatrist without EVER having taken a psychology course.
4.) Is it
tough to get into graduate school in psychology?
Yes and
no. The major clinical psychology Ph.D. programs are very difficult to get
into, as they accept only a few applicants out of a pool of hundreds.
Professional degree programs that offer the Psy.D. take in greater amounts of
students, thusly making admission easier. You will still get a quality
degree with APA accreditation (VERY IMPORTANT)
although these schools can be expensive, and you will find it difficult to enter
academia with your degree, as Ph.D.s tend to be in greater demand in academia at
least. Research Ph.D. programs are also a bit easier to get into, because
they have fewer applicants, however you will not be able to enter clinical work
with these degrees. To realistically expect to get into an APA Accredited clinical Ph.D. program,
you will likely need a GPA of at least 3.5 and a 1100 GRE (I'm too lazy to
convert these scores into the new system, but converstion tools exist online),
as well as references, professional experience and a research publication or
two. Master's degree programs are generally MUCH easier to get into and may be a stepping stone to a
Ph.D.
5.) Is it a
good idea for me to be offering therapy to my friends?
That
depends. Just because you are taking psychology does not make you a
therapist, and you should never present yourself as such. If your friend
is having a little trouble with their boyfriend or girlfriend, the extra insight
you can present may be useful. If they are thinking of setting themselves
on fire, it is time to call the professionals. If someone threatens to harm themselves or
someone else, always Call
911.
