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Articles by Kathryn Lawson
Simone Weil, the attention economy, and the annihilation of autonomy
The attention economy isn’t just stealing our focus; it’s reshaping our reality. Drawing on Simone Weil, philosopher Kathryn Lawson argues that social media algorithms don’t just distract us but commit a deeper form of violence, reshaping our minds and stripping away genuine human connection. Each scroll surrenders our thinking to machines designed solely to keep us engaged, replacing what Weil saw as true attention—essential for ethics and truth—with a hollow substitute.
Insights into the Psychology of Trauma Should Inform the Practice of Oncology
Drs. Giesler, Gaertner, Taden, and Theobald correctly point out that oncology patients can benefit from knowledge gained from the study of trauma [1]. They appropriately wrestle with evolving definitions of trauma, including events and reactions to events.
OMG, it’s OCD: Trivializing a Disorder
People often casually comment about being “so OCD” without regard to the level of genuine distress experienced by individuals who have the disorder. OCD is not a passion for organization or cleanliness. It is a psychiatric disorder with a constellation of symptoms that cause suffering and dysfunction.
Helpers who Hurt
Novels that feature therapists and the therapeutic process have the power to influence public opinions in subtle ways. I have previously noted that arguing that all fictional therapists should be neat and ideal is unrealistic and, frankly, unappealing. However, when books, even fictional ones, depict ethical breaches and unconventional interventions as routine business, they do harm to a reader population for whom these negative expectations might interfere with help-seeking.
3 Ways Self-Destructive Behaviors are Misrepresented as Tough
In many mystery and suspense novels, there is a well-established convention of portraying the detectives/investigators/agents as consumed by their cases. They wreck their personal lives and physical health. They live and drink alone. They flout the department or agency rules (or maybe even the law) in their quest to catch the killer.
Schizophrenia as Plot Device: Inherently Stigmatizing?
In Trespassing (2018) by Brandi Reeds, a woman with a family history of schizophrenia discovers her husband missing under mysterious circumstances. As the story unfolds, she finds it harder and harder to differentiate between an unbelievable reality and possible psychotic delusions.
Fictional explorations of school shootings and mental health
Last weekend March for Our Lives events were held all over the country to push for changes in gun control. The Parkland shooting has sparked ongoing discussion about a variety of issues, including gun regulation, NRA advertising, FBI competence, and others. Among these discussions has been a renewed focus on violence perpetrated by those with mental illness.
Bulimia in Fiction
In last week’s blog post, we again discussed the potential impact of mainstream fiction on stigma, depending on the nature of portrayals of characters with mental illness. When books depict characters with mental illness as whole people, with characteristics and desires unrelated to the illness, these books can be helpful in combating negative stereotypes-especially when the book is a genre novel that features mental health themes within the context of other plot lines.
Passion and Pathology: Happy Endings for Characters with Mental Illness
Stigma around mental illness is a pervasive societal problem that can cause additional suffering for people already struggling with their disorders. Media portrayals of individuals with mental illness living full and enriching lives can be helpful in combating that stigma. I would argue that this effect is particularly potent when the portrayals are located within films or books that are not solely about mental health, but that discuss those themes within the context of other plot lines.
Narcissism in the Boardroom and the Bedroom
People in the throes of a relationship with a narcissist may have difficulty labeling and understanding the experience. The subtle invalidation of emotions, the continued challenges to perceptions, the covert undermining of thoughts can all contribute to a toxic erosion of self-knowledge and self-worth. Internalization of blame can be painful and paralyzing.
Hurt People Hurting People: PTSD and Violence in Fiction
It’s my belief that fiction, even mass market fiction, is a form of art; as such, it reflects an endeavor through which people try to make sense of the world around them. One issue that weighs particularly heavily on the public consciousness right now is that of the potential intersection of mental illness and violence.
Stigma, Sexuality, and Schizophrenia
Often popular fiction characters with mental illness are relegated to novels explicitly focused on that illness. However, there are some fictional projects that feature or even focus on characters with mental illness but do not make that illness the sole plotline. These books follow the expected conventions of their genres and include conflicts unrelated to psychiatric disorder.
Self-Care is Not Selfish; Self-Denial is Not Selfless
In last week’s blog post, we discussed a novel in which a psychologist enters into a sexual relationship with her client, a decision that is portrayed by the author as a woman finally following her heart (Melissa Foster’s Sisters in Love, 2014). As disturbing as this minimization of harm is, even more alarming is the public acclaim for the novel, with the vast majority of raters and reviewers seeing it positively.
Public Perceptions of Therapist-Client Sex May Be More Alarming Than You Think
Sisters in Love (2014) by Melissa Foster is a well-received “romance” novel at the heart of which is a sexual relationship between a psychologist and her client. While the psychologist initially pays lip service to her commitment to the ethics code, her boundary violations are egregious and numerous. Dr. Danica Storm meets Blake Carter when he accidentally elbows her in the nose at a coffeeshop.
Barriers to Care: Fiction’s Potential Influence on Inhibiting Help-Seeking
Although estimates vary, it is generally agreed that at least 40% of people who suffer mental health issues do not receive mental health care. Barriers to care include concrete barriers like limited access to providers and financial constraints; other barriers are attitudinal and may center on societal stigma or negative personal beliefs about treatment’s effectiveness. In fact, beliefs and attitudes may pose more substantial barriers to care than do economic obstacles (Mojtabai et al., 2011).
Unacknowledged Sexual Exploitation of a Fictional Character with Autism
Fictional portrayals of mental illness and mental health issues have the power to shape public perceptions. There are a number of resources devoted to these portrayals in electronic media (e.g., the Media Watch Committee of the American Psychological Association), but popular fiction books receive comparatively little attention. This limited attention represents a significant missed opportunity to inform public viewpoints about mental health, mental illness, and mental health treatment.
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