dougnoll’s posthaven

Segment 1: Big Risks, Big Change.  On this edition of The Doug Noll Show we are speaking with Dr. Frank Farley, psychologist and Professor at Temple University. Frank is former President of the American Psychological Association and six of its divisions, as well as the American Educational Research Association and International Council of Psychologists. Frank was born and raised in Canada. He was the first in his family to go to college, which is where he discovered psychology. He later studied in London and then ended up in Madison, Wisconsin and ultimately at Temple University. His primary focus of research is with extreme behavior, whether it’s violence (mass murderers, serial killers) or extreme athletes like Mt. Everest climbers. Frank tells us that great leaders like Mandela, King, and Gandhi engaged in extreme behavior. They took big risks, they pushed the envelope hard and they changed the world.

Segment 2: Nature versus Nurture.  We’ve seen some big atrocities in the last 10 year, such as numerous school shootings. In Doug’s experience, the murderers he’s worked with in prison have endured unimaginable abuse and horror. So why do some abused people become murderers? Frank believes it’s partially genetic, but a lot of it has to do with their environment. Both nature and nurture are involved. Most human behaviors are a combination of our biological side and our environmental side. The brain is enormously important. Anything of any importance goes through and is processed by the brain, but we also can’t deny the role of relationships, families and communities. Our brains are designed to be social and when prisoners are put in solitary confinement they begin to develop psychosis.

Segment 3: Defining Normal.  Frank has a hard time defining mental illness, because if we’re going to define abnormal, we need to have a grasp on what’s normal. One of his major concerns is that we “pathologize” so many behaviors. We see something extreme and slap a label on it and call it a mental illness. However, if we didn’t have extreme behaviors and risk takers, we wouldn’t have new ideas. These are the people who have created the modern world. Frank believes if we go too far in pathologizing behaviors, we may snuff out the very thing that is the driving force in the human race.

Segment 4: The Stigma Surrounding Mental Illness.  So what do we do about the mental illness issue? For example, what could the parent of a school shooter do? The answer is to get help. Use community resources, psychologists, counselors, spend more time with your child. It’s hard for a parent to know what to do, as there is a stigma surrounding mental illness and the resources are not always easily found. It’s a complex problem, and locking up a high percentage of our citizens is not the solution.

To listen to the entire interview:

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Segment 1: Football and Peacemaking - the Connection

The relationship between the NFL, brain injury and peacemaking is closer than you think. Our guest on this edition of the Doug Noll show will help us tie together the culturally significant pastime of football and the subject of peacemaking. She is Lorraine Esposito, author of The Peacemaker Parent, Solving Problems for Today, Teaching Independence for a Lifetime. Lorraine’s website is www.peacemakerparent.com.

The NFL is beginning to examine youth football because they have beloved sports figures in dire straights from injuries (specifically brain trauma). It’s good business to take care of the people who play the sports, as the kids of today will soon be eligible to play for franchises and the NFL needs to ensure the longevity of the sport. To combat the injury trend, Lorraine feels that the message about WINNING needs to be shifted and tailored to the developmental level of the kids. Admittedly this is difficult when one’s performance evaluation is based on the win/loss column at the end of the year. 

Segment 2: The Distinction Between Greatest and Greatness

Lorraine does believe winning is important. We need to give it our all, but the difference is how you define the prize. It’s not always the score on the scoreboard. Although we have a football industry that’s based on media consumption and huge local, regional and national identity, winning shouldn’t be our sole source of identity. From the top down, we need to redefine what winning means.

Winning needs to be balanced against other factors. There is a distinction between “being the greatest” and “greatness.” “Greatest” is fleeting and vulnerable and takes you away from the group.

Section 3: The Narrow Identity

It starts in elementary school. Kids wear jerseys of pro players and if they have insecurities, the jersey overcompensates. Their identity becomes their playing record and they have nothing else on which to fall back. Coincidentally, this is a core reason for war: when people only identify with a single ideology (their tribe, their religion, their regime) and do not have a broad identity structure, any attack on that identity will lead to a primal, violent response. They don’t have the capacity to see themselves beyond that narrow identity.

Segment 4: Moral Courage and the NFL

Lorraine tells us the link with football/competition/winning and peacemaking is simple: we need to stop and think about the promises we make to the people we care about. We need to take care of our people and make good on our promises, which will enable us to build integrity. Our actions will be consistent with our words. It’s not going to happen overnight. This is something that will evolve. There will be a tipping point and it will start with individual promises.

We don’t need to stand in judgment of the NFL. We recognize that this is a movement and a big change. All we can do is commit to making a change, remain open to updating what we thought was true, and hold our promises in mind. We need moral courage. The NFL should take a stand against the prevailing beliefs in favor of doing the right thing. After all, that’s what we try to teach our kids: it’s more important to have moral courage and stand up for your convictions than it is to cave to pressure and lose your moral compass.

To listen to the complete interview, click below:

Segment 1

Segment 2

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Segment 4