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!
Suicide Kings. My first novel is now on its second printing with The Wild Roses Press. Kindle edition is now available with print to follow in early 2014.
My CV(updated July, 2013)
Violent
Crime: Clinical And Social Implications. My edited book
published by Sage.
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:
Supreme Court Case on Video Game Violence:
Scholar's Letter to the APA: 230+ scholars signed an open letter to the American Psychological Association, asking them to refrain from releasing policy statements linking media violence to societal violence, given considerable evidence questioning such views.
Video Game Sales and Mass Homicides Cross-Nationally: Washington Post
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 2007
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 high 20's. An LCSW can
expect
something in the 30's to 40's, whereas a Ph.D. in Psychology can expect
40's
to 70'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, 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.