Four psychologists reflect on what liberty means to them, their patients and the country
Psychological Society of South Africa
PsySSA, the Psychological Society of South Africa, is the national professional body for psychology. Committed to transforming and developing psychological theory and practice in South Africa, PsySSA strives to serve the needs and interests of a post-apartheid country by advancing psychology as a science, profession and as a means of promoting human well-being. This blog hopes to engage psychologists and citizens in debating issues, from mental health to the socio-political. Visit www.psyssa.com
Posted inEquality, Gender violence, General, Health, Sport
Caster Semenya, international sports, human rights and bodily integrity
The 800 metre world champion will be unable to defend her gold medal in the 800m race at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. In order to compete Semenya is expected to take testosterone suppressing medication
Posted inBusiness, General, Lifestyle, Media
Who’s afraid of Big Fake News: How the expert lost her voice
By Daniel den Hollander Information is all around us. Social media platforms keep us informed of the latest developments. You would assume that this continuous access to the latest knowledge would make us smarter and more informed. Unfortunately, it has also created an explosion of fake news, conspiracy theories, and misinformation, often based on prejudice. […]
Posted inEnvironment, Health, Lifestyle, Media
Art and mind: Healing arts in public health spaces
By Dr Thirusha Naidu Creativity, like mental illness, is mysterious to most. It is an inexplicable yet distinctly human attribute. Historically, creatives have been admired, revered, feared, ostracised and persecuted. From the genius of Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity to JK Rowling’s Harry Potter, Michaelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, to ingenious hackers or clever moms who conjure […]
Posted inGeneral
Autonomy in a time of Covid-19
We can be so busy with our restricted autonomy that we miss a deeper issue – the reason why we have such heavy restrictions is because we don’t have the infrastructure for the demands of an outbreak
Posted inEnvironment, Health, Lifestyle
Now, more than ever, we need Social and Emotional Learning skills interventions
By Dr Gloria Marsay Covid-19 has shown globally that there is a need for people to learn strategies to deal with adversity. Strategies to deal with anger, anxiety, fear, depression, loneliness, sadness, grief and loss. Elke Van Hoof, professor of health psychology and primary care psychology at Vrije University in Brussels, wrote an article entitled […]
Posted inEnvironment, Equality, Gender violence, Health
Intersecting gender and resiliency – especially during Covid-19
By Amori Marais The grip of calamities is tightening across the world: Covid-19 is causing a global pandemic; parts of Australia are (still) burning; and war continues its reign. Additionally, there are individuals who, on a daily basis, are confronted with famine; drought; minimal access to running water; and other natural disasters, such as floods, […]
Posted inEnvironment, Health, Lifestyle
Becoming “Hope Providers” during Covid-19: We can either choose anger or courage
By Dr Gloria Marsay There has been much debate around the concept of hope. There are opinions for and against the thought of whether hope is a strategy or not. World leaders have expressed their opinions. Barack Obama spoke about embracing hope and change. Rudy Giuliani disagreed with him and retorted that “change […]
Posted inEquality, Health, Media
A new chatbot can answer your awkward questions about sex and HIV
By Mamakiri Mulaudzi, Ebenneza Kofi Okyere-D, Peace Kiguwa, Janan J. Dietrich You know how it can be super awkward to chat to someone about sex related things? Well the team at the PHRU (Perinatal HIV Research Unit) at Wits University has fixed that. Imagine that you are 22-years-old and living in Soweto. Your parents probably don’t […]
Posted inBusiness, Equality, General, Health, Lifestyle
Social and emotional skills will improve education and grow our economy
Dr Gloria Marsay People faced with adversities in developing countries struggle to bridge the gap between education and work. A key challenge for 21st century schools involves serving culturally diverse students with appropriate transferable skill domains, i.e. deep human skills and advanced technical skills essential for economic empowerment in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (#4IR), as described […]
Posted inEquality, Gender violence, Health
Working with men towards ending violence and promoting positive masculinities
By Refiloe Makama & Sipho Dlamini Violence has remained a longstanding characteristic of the country. Gender-based violence (or more accurately: violence perpetuated by men against women and children and other male persons) appears to be on the rise, xenophobic attacks spring up all around the country, and other contact crimes saw an increase in the […]
Posted inGender violence, General, Health, Lifestyle
Modern neuroscience-based therapies can help resolve trauma faster than ever
By Terence Watts Contact crime continues to increase in SA, up by 2.6% in 2019. Debilitating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often the aftermath and it can be difficult to understand what’s going on, in order to help the affected person, despite this having to do with the way an ancient part of the brain […]