Bizarre Psychology is a monthly column that analyzes the peculiar, the uncanny, and the extraordinary. Author Kevin Goodman offers commentary that combines original thought with social psychological theory and perspective from the social sciences. If you’re curious about the psychological dimensions of conspiracy theories, alien abductions, mass hysteria, tattoos, fame, power, the supernatural, or hypnosis then Kevin Goodman’s Bizarre Psychology is a must read.
First Feature: The Psychology of the Tattoo: Modern Badasses and Ancient Puberty Rites
Stay tuned…
I have been experimenting with the design of this website over the last couple of days in anticipation of changes. I have a few plans. Among those plans, I intend to redesign this site into a portal of resources. In short, don’t be surprised to see changes (and temporary glitches) in the coming months.
So what can you expect? This site will aggregate headlines from worthy psychology blogs, peer reviewed journals, and news sites that cover psychology. I will still maintain the blog; blogging is, after all, something of a compulsion. That said; I hope to blog less so that I can spend more time writing polished features.
Anyhow, don’t expect permanent changes to occur unannounced. It will be approximately two or three months before these changes occur—any changes before then are just experimentation.
Links for today…
Game creates psychopaths
My nephews were telling me about a video game called Grand Theft Auto where there is apparently no objective to the game other than to run around, steal cars, shoot at people, and pick up prostitutes (whom you can also choose to murder afterwards). That’s probably not breaking news to most of you but I’m not much of a video game enthusiast (I prefer No-Limit Hold’em). Anyhow, it’s mind blowing to me. My first thoughts were “I wonder what these gamers’ minds look like under an MRI?” Well, I’m not the first to ask that. In short, this game desensitizes players to violence, atrophying the neural circuitry of the amygdala…Can you say psychopath?
Christmas Coke cans induce psychosomatic and mass psychogenic delusions.
If you drink Coca Cola you probably noticed the new white Christmas themed cans. I am a Coke drinker and was surprised last week when I tore into a red case of coke and found white cans. For a split second, I thought Coke had accidently packaged diet coke in the case as the cans look very similar to diet coke but then I realized it was a Christmas theme. A little later that day my wife opens the fridge and says “DIET?”
Turns out, we’re not the only ones taken by surprise. Coke is pulling the new white cans after numerous complaints. The problem isn’t the white cans per se (well it really is) but that people think regular coke in white cans taste a little like diet coke. I actually liked the white cans but I hate diet Coke…oh well.
Now that is the power of suggestion!
Revised psychopath test
The psychopath test I devised a few months ago accounts for half the traffic to this website! I designed it for fun, that said, If you respond to the questions in manner that confirms you as a psychopath—based on those questions—I’m fairly convinced that you are a psychopath. Seriously, take it for fun but if you’re disturbed by the results don’t curse me—get some real help! That said, there was glitch in the test, which I fixed yesterday. I also made a few minor improvements to the test so if you read this blog because you think you’re a psychopath, you might want to retake the test.
Loves and hates of blogging
I love the spontaneity of blogging. Spontaneity is also the curse of blogging. About a month or two ago, I updated my about page, I reread what I wrote for the first time yesterday; afterwards, I considered retiring from blogging! How on Earth could I have such sloppy writing? I am having second thoughts about spontaneity—maybe it’s overrated.
Nancy Dubuc abducted by aliens
Nancy is general manager of the History Channel. I don’t know what else to say…
Ian Brackenbury Channell graduated with double honors in psychology and sociology from the University of Leeds. After a brief time as a sociology lecturer and graduate student, Channell’s department supervisor at the University of New South Whales dismissed him, believing he was crazy. Channell, with the help of the student union, persuaded the vice chancellor of the university to allow him to stay on campus and continue his experiments in alternate reality (with pay). He officially changed his name to the Wizard of New Zealand.
The Wizard of New Zealand looks like a wizard, dresses like a wizard, behaves as a wizard, and regularly gives public speeches.
More bizarre is that the University of Melbourne gave him the official position of “Wizard” and chair of his own Department of Cosmology.
The New Zealand Art Director’s Council recognized him as a living work of art.
Christchurch City Council officially recognized him as the Wizard of Christchurch.
Prime Minister Mike Moore recognized him as the official Wizard of New Zealand (1990).
In 2009, the Wizard of New Zealand was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal.
I first read about the Wizard of New Zealand in Art Today by Edward Lucie-Smith. He’s covered under the performance art section of the book. Performance art often falls within the domain of conceptual art and I love conceptual art. The best conceptual art challenges all intuitive sense of what art really is. Forget the artist who paints a single line across the canvass, Marcel Duchamp signed his nom de plume to a urinal and Piero Manzoni canned his own feces and sold them with the label Artist’s Shit. Manzoni produced 90 cans in 1961 but what really makes this interesting is that in recent years his cans are auctioning for over $150,000.00! Does that make sense?
Anyhow, I was talking to an artist friend of mine about Lucie-Smith’s inclusion of the Wizard of New Zealand in Art Today and was utterly surprised when my friend hastily declared, “Lucie-Smith is over reaching.” Evidently my friend—an abstract assemblage artist—either didn’t know a whole lot about the state of contemporary art or, more likely, had a very strong biased reaction. Nonetheless, we generally consider performance to be an art form and it’s hard to deny that the Wizard of New Zealand is anything other than a living performance. In fact, I believe the Wizard of New Zealand is the ultimate statement in self-determination.
Despite very impressive recognitions here and there, the Wizard hasn’t shared the wild financial success that many high profile conceptual artists have enjoyed. Despite occasional recognition as an artist, the Wizard appears to give primacy to his role as Wizard. Conceptual artists often make tangible products such as photographs of their performance or products of some kind (for commerce), and I am not sure the Wizard does this. I have read that the Wizard lives on modest stipends and by the support of friends. This is an indication that he has not cracked the contemporary art superstar scene where a few hundred thousand dollars is pocket change.
Unfortunately, in recent years, the Wizard’s property has been subject to vandalism and his house burned in arson. Some people evidently hate non-conformist!
What makes the Wizard of New Zealand interesting is that an individual case like this can lead to some serious philosophical, sociological, and psychological enquiry. For example, I’m compelled to ask why such trivial cases incite extreme emotional reactions from love to hate. Is the Wizard just another eccentric or something more than that? What are the sociological borders between eccentricity, insanity, and art? What are the sociological statuses of eccentricity, insanity, and art? What are the psychological consequences of disregarding an organic identity for an alter ego? But what really interests me about this case (and about contemporary art in general) is the issue of legitimacy and its relationship to authority and capital.
All that said, I’m seriously considering commissioning some work by the Wizard of New Zealand and the Baron of Caux (for diversification) after which I will launch an advertising campaign in Art News to increase my chances for inclusion in Art Basil where I will triple my investors’ money. But don’t get too excited guys! First, I need a couple hundred thousand dollars 
Any takers?
In the mean time, the Wizard stars in a documentary film…Check it out!
It’s getting busy around here! I have several remote presentations to make, a live presentation the week after next, and a couple of papers to write—all to be finished within the next four weeks. For that reason, I’m not going to be writing any significant blog posts. Nevertheless, I keep coming onto inspiring stuff that I wish I could write lengthy commentary on; so what I am going to do is share a few things that have caught my eye with a note or two, and leave it up to you to investigate further.
1. I came across an article published in January in the Journal of Social, Evolutionary, and Cultural Psychology called The Accuracy of Inferences about Criminality based on Facial Appearance. The authors conducted experiments to see whether participants could correctly select the criminal in pictures of roles of three. There findings are that most people can! The experimenters tried to control for age, expression, etc. What I find interesting about this is that there is considerable research in communication studies that suggests we’re bad lie detectors. Evidently the experimenters in this study are building on prior research that indicates an ability to discern information by looks alone. What strikes me here is that there are two conflicting bodies of research and a detailed analysis should be undertaken to discern why. The article is open-access meaning anybody can download it.
2. I became a fan of onepeoplesproject.com after reading this article about a former neo-Nazi skinhead that had extensive hate tattoos removed with the financial help of an anonymous donor negotiated by the Southern Poverty Law Center. If you guys ever need a volunteer, let me know!
3. My friend Rich Becker wrote an inspiring post about calling out bullies. I agree with it but I encourage caution as there are always a few that simply lack remorse.
Map of Visitors
