Well, it’s been a couple of months now since I finished writing the last of our 40 glorious episodes for Crash Course Psychology, and the final show just aired a couple of weeks ago. And I have to say, I already miss reading about the human mind — its inner workings, its influences, its brightest magic, and darkest thoughts.
After talking about brain chemistry, head trauma, famous psychologists, weirdo case studies, developing brains, broken brains, medicated brains, sex and stress, Star Wars and cigars, we ended the series with four episodes on social psychology.
This material felt especially significant in light of our country’s current (or maybe eternal is the better word) social strife, but really, it’s a statement on how human in-group/out-behavior is often so predictable, and so disappointing. Okay, and also, at its best, occasionally soul-restoring.
Anyway, if you’re interested in why people bully each other, how Anakin turned to the dark side, what’s up with prisoner/guard dynamics, why the excuse “I was just following orders” is so popular, and other questions such as…
– Why do seemingly good people do terrible things, or let terrible things happen around them?
– What makes that rare person stand up and risk their own safety — or even life — to fight injustice?
– And, Why can’t we all just get along?
Then grab your beverage of choice and spend a little time with Crash Course…
