Psychology on the Box..week commencing the 16th August

Most of what seems to be relevant this week focuses around the worst side of human nature: aggression and murder. Perhaps there will be some more lighthearted viewing next week? There is however a documentary worth watching and recording on compulsive shoppers which will provide a resource for the new AQA specification

Fight Club is a classic film. It is violent and very macho, but the twist at the end is brilliant. And thought provoking. Conceivably, you could use clips from the film for the topic of aggression, but be warned, it is very graphic. Not for the faint-hearted. Students do love it though! It is on Saturday at 11.25pm on ITV4.

On Thursday 21st on BBC1 there is a programme called 'Britain's compulsive shoppers'. This is exactly the kind of stimulus that will prove invaluable for the new AQA specification ( or the current AQA Specification B if you use it). It is a documentary that examines 3 case studies of people who cannot stop shopping, Ebony, Dene and Dipna.There must be a reason behind their behaviour and it is good for students to think what those reasons might be. They should think how each approach might explain the behaviour. It is then useful to ask them to say which explanation is the most convincing, and why. Stockpile as many of these types of documentaries as you can. They are phenomenally useful.