Psychology / Sociology Forum

I was wondering if there would be use for a Psychology / Sociology Forum - I have a psychology major and I spend a lot of my time researching psychological and sociological issues.

In addition - there are a lot of really cool studies being done in that area and the scientific method is really being applied these days - there are also neurological breakthroughs happening all the time - I have been researching White Matter lately, for example, and its relationship to genders and psychopathy as well.

And there is also the advent of the idea of Quantum Psychology, or the notion that quantum fields might be responsible for people having perspectives - in addition, we have medication issues, like the S.S.R.I. issue and people like James Holmes.

On a sociological standpoint, since 2008, Obama and his team of Democrats has really made a lot of advancements using the Information Age to help with things like advertising more efficiently - for example, by throwing the "Single" variable into the mix, campaigners are able to identify people that might not vote, but would vote Democrat if they were visited by a campaign salesman (The Economist).

Both politicians and economists are using meta data on a daily basis to come up with really cool new facts about how society operates.

OkCupid, a dating website, is able to use the meta-data it collects on users accounts and messages to do studies such as ones that show statistics on which keywords in a message are more (or less) likely to generate a response from your potential mate!

Some of the things in this category might have a hard time fitting into other categories, although they *could* sometimes fit in the "Religion" forum or "Philosophy / Metaphysics" forum - maybe in "Social Issues" in some cases, maybe in "Medical Issues" in some cases, and maybe in "Science and Technology" in some cases.

In the future, we are going to be having advancements like Google Glass causing stories in this general area as well as society dealing with things like text messaging, the internet, and cyborg implants - which could do anything from add memory / functionality to someone's brain to enhance mental capacity or even help with certain neurological disorders.

Not only that, nootropics are going to be a big issue - those are drugs that can enhance mental performance - honestly, I think that psychology and sociology are going to be huge issues here shortly.

Wikipedia: Nootropics

What does everyone think?

Hmmmm, that would be cool. I could have sworn there was a psych forum at one time, or maybe I was just dreaming lol. Psychology has been a pet interest of mine for years

reply to post by TKDRL


I thought there was as well, maybe I was also dreaming lol - but I'm glad you think it's cool, too!

There are already a lot of forums that topics could possibly fit in - I'm about to post some stuff on autism, though, and I'm not sure where to put it.

And that's another issue - autistic rates are increasing, and I think that psychiatrists are just now really starting to look into female autistic folk (who until now were often overlooked). I'm interested to know how Technology is going to affect how psychologists look at autistics and neurotypicals.

I get the feeling that a lot of autistic people are going to start showing their innate abilities using technology like the internet - the article I am going to post eventually is actually on autistic social protocols, which is interesting.

The DSM V came out recently and got rid of the Aspergers diagnosis and lumped it with autism - so many interesting things going on.

I tried nootropics (many of which are now banned) a few years back and couldn't tell a difference. I even did all the stacking possibilities. I only tried them when my Adderol ran out and I had a lot of studying/practicing to do. I have a Psych degree, as well, but I haven't been keeping up with the latest studies. Can you suggest some good sources with which I can catch up?

The notion of Quantum Psychology is intriguing. I think this category would be a complementry addition to ATS.

Socialology can be also observed metaphysically.

reply to post by darkbake


I think advancements in psychology and sociology are perfect doom porn categories for ATS, so you have my vote.

Add it!

Tindalos2013
The notion of Quantum Psychology is intriguing. I think this category would be a complementry addition to ATS.

Socialology can be also observed metaphysically.

How about a Psychology/Sociology/Scientology Forum

If this forum is approved it should add Scientology as one of the titles imnho. They and psych have been at odds since the early 1950s or so, a 60 year arm wrestling match.

Robert Anton Wilson's 1990 book "Quantum Psychology" may be of interest.

This Forum used to be called Psychology, Philosophy and Metaphysics.

Not sure why the "psychology" was removed from the title, maybe because it was too long.

I put all the psychology stuff in the metaphysics and philosophy forum.
Seems to fit there pretty well ....

reply to post by Skyfloating


That seems to be a somewhat fitting forum, is psychology still a legitimate topic to put in there? I think ATS might still benefit from a Psychology / Sociology forum - I even got an enthusiastic message in my inbox yesterday from someone who was really excited about it.

I would love a Sociology, gender and sexual identities forum.

The psychology issues are largely included in the metaphysics and medical forums.

However, gender and sexuality studies often tend to get placed in the religious forums in both the conspiracy and off-topic sections, and both of these forums have recently become more strict in what they actually want.
A broader debate on the pros and cons of lgbt issues, for example, may not strictly fit these boxes, even if many replies may be prompted by religious views.
The ATS religious forum wants proof of, or a focus on a conspiracy regarding religion, while on BTS the faith forum is looking for spiritual experiences.
Although some gender issues fit those categories, many of them do not.

Putting issues of patriarchy, misogyny or misandry into the chit-chat forum also doesn't quite do justice to the importance of gender issues in today's society.

Hence, while I'm planning to argue for a Gender and Sexualities forum in future, I see no problem with adding Sociology to the description. Whether religious or secular thematically, the threads are about the social debates, constructions and impact of gender and sexuality within societies.

Perhaps I've overlooked something, but until now there is no specific forum that invites gender and sexuality debates, and if there should be a sociology forum I'd support it if the forum description states that such debates are welcome.
The topic is the tolerated but eternal stranger on many forums that are chosen for approximate thematic closeness when making a thread on the the topic, and that seems to be the only option for now.

reply to post by darkbake


Seems to me sociology topics belong here:
social issues and civil unrest

reply to post by DontTreadOnMe


Thanks, DontTreadOnMe, I will remember that