First Psychology blog

Do you sometimes catch yourself turning and twisting in front of the mirror, wishing that parts of you were smaller, bigger, shaped differently? If you do, you are not alone! Studies have found that we live in an age of growing body consciousness and, as a consequence, often growing dissatisfaction with our weight and shape. It has been estimated that up to 70% of women will try to diet at some stage in their lives and many either perceive themselves as bigger than they are or wish to shed some weight. Notably, dissatisfaction with shape and appearance can affect women of any age – from girlhood to their more senior years. Men tend to be generally more satisfied with their bodies, but in recent years there has also been an increase in male body image concerns, often (but not always) reflected in a wish to be bigger or more muscular. While gender seems to play an important role in terms of how much and what kind of body dissatisfaction is expressed, sexuality, ethnicity, age, and social...

There have been a number of high profile cases of domestic abuse against women in the press recently and as today is International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women, we thought we'd talk a bit about domestic violence. It can be easy to think that victims of domestic abuse can simply leave the situation, however often domestic abuse starts some time into a relationship when an emotional attachment has been established. For women, it may begin at a time of vulnerability, such as during pregnancy, and the woman may feel she has no choice but to stay with her partner, hoping it is a one-off. Often there is a period following the abusive behaviour when the perpetrator apologises for their behaviour and promises never to do it again and the victim may want to give things another try, hoping it will get better. However, this pattern of behaviour can continue for years and the victim may slowly lose confidence and begin to believe she is somehow to blame.  Women often...

Today is 'self-injury awareness day' which aims to bring attention to the issue of self-harm. Tackling the issue today could be the first step in stopping someone, or yourself, self-harming for good. Self-harming is when somebody deliberately hurts themselves (through cutting, bruising, burning or other methods) in order to help deal with any emotional pain they might be experiencing. We often associate it with teenage girls, but it occurs in men and women of all ages and the UK has the one of the highest self-harm rates in Europe. For many, it is a way to release emotions when they are feeling numb and can be an immense relief, but the behaviour can quickly become addictive and in the long term causes a great deal of psychological trauma. Many people wrongly believe those who self-harm are trying to get attention, but in fact most people desperately try to hide their behaviour. However there are crucial signs to look out for if you suspect a loved one may be self-harming, alth...

Yesterday was World Suicide Prevention Day. Suicide is preventable and to raise awareness of this, we are going to consider who is at risk and what factors can protect us from it in our two part blog. Suicide is one of the biggest killers across the globe, more so than homicide and war put together. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), around one million people die each year by suicide, which equates to one death every 40 seconds. Though suicide attempts are 20 times the number of actual suicides, it is estimated that 5% of us attempt suicide at least once in our lives. Suicidal behaviour tends to increase with age, being high among middle-aged and older adults, particularly those over 75. However, it is still the second cause of death worldwide among 15-19 year olds. Although women attempt suicide two to three times more often than men, suicide is more common among men, with three males to every one female taking their own lives. The reason given for this is that men are ...

Recent reports by BBC News have revealed a link between domestic abuse and international football tournaments. During the 2010 World Cup, domestic violence surged. Figures from police forces across England revealed that when England lost to Germany there were 724 more cases of domestic abuse, an increase of 29%. However, it is not only losing that causes abuse to rise. When England beat Slovenia, there were 516 more cases reported which is an overall increase of 27%. Nevertheless, when England drew there was no significant impact on domestic abuse. It has been argued that football does not cause domestic abuse but it can, in some relationships, be an issue which compounds it. Domestic violence is an attempt to exert power or control over another person using fear, intimidation, verbal abuse, threats or violence. Over time, victims often become isolated from family and friends, losing their network of social support, and the abuser may use increasingly brutal methods to control, leadin...

With the recent, alarming statistics from the USA that women earn 84.6% and 78.3% of their male counterparts, in accordance with the number of hours they work (41-44 hours and over 60 hours respectively), it seems that women are still getting a raw deal in the workplace. However, men are getting a hard time in another way it seems. According to a new study, conducted by the Pennsylvania State University, male bosses who make mistakes are judged more harshly than women leaders who make the same errors. We all make mistakes but it seems the consequences of these errors can damage the perceptions of leaders who make them, for some more than others. Indeed, male bosses who make errors were deemed less competent and less effective as leaders and, as a result, employees were less likely to trust their decisions and were less willing to work for them. The findings, published in Springer's Journal of Business and Psychology online, went further to evaluate the effects of gender when the ...

It has often been said that men are from Mars and women are from Venus, but are we really that different? According to researchers at a University in Turin, Italy who examined personality tests from 10,000 people, using methods which they believe to be more accurate than previous measures, there are indeed large differences in personality for men and women. Although researchers did not stipulate what these differences were, they tested participants using 15 personality scales which measured traits such as warmth, sensitivity, and perfectionism. Aside from personality though, are there other ways in which we differ? Indeed, women are reported to be at higher risk of developing dementia but men are more likely to develop mild memory loss than women, according to the journal Neurology . Interestingly though, researchers at the University of Montreal have found that if an experience was unpleasant or emotionally provocative a women’s memory of it is less likely to be as accurate as t...

On 8 March, thousands of events are being held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate their achievements as part of International Women’s Day. Over the last millennia, there has been a significant change in behaviour and attitude towards women’s equality and emancipation in both women and society in general. There are more women in the boardroom, greater equal rights, and an increase of women as positive role models in every aspect of life. Yet, women are still not paid as much as men, are under-represented in business and politics, and their education and health, globally, is worse than that of men. However, there have been great improvements. Way back when who would have thought we’d have female prime ministers or that girls would be accepted into university let alone that women would have a family and work and enjoy it. Indeed, a recent study conducted by a female associate professor of women/gender studies at the University of Louisville found most employed mothe...

We are really pleased to be working with  Rowen Alba, a charity working with vulnerable people,  to provide a cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) service for women who have experienced domestic abuse and presently moving into their own home. This service is designed specifically to meet the needs of Rowen Alba clients, and reflects the specific and distinct needs of this community. The service is located in the Edinburgh Psychology Centre (www.edinburghtherapy.co.uk), and led by Tasim Martin, Chartered Psychologist.