The Media Psychology Blog

Mass media helps make a nation real and tangible through depictions of images, symbols, and events. Information from within China, which had been cut off during the Mao regime from 1949-1976, is more open but still subject to government censorship. Without adequate or accurate sources, western media creates and disperses images of China [...]

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Americans seem to worry about lots of things.  In his book American Fear (1999), Peter Stearns makes some interesting arguments about the level and manifestation of fear in American society. His main thesis is how America has become fixated on controlling fear which makes them vulnerable to the manipulation of fear and anxiety [...]

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A recent report says that while cardiovascular strength adds up, lifting weights that are too light doesn’t do much to build muscle. It is important to tax the muscles to get them to respond. The same is true in learning. If you don’t have to try, you won’t get much result. Setting and measuring progress [...]

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It is important for those of us interested in the field of Media Psychology to consider first and foremost what this discipline of Psychology is.  Traditionally, it has been seen as the psychologist in the media (such as Dr. Phil or Dr. Ruth).  This is an outdated notion to me.  I see the field as [...]

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This Easter Sunday, at 10:00 AM, Los Angeles PBS affiliate KCLS will air Fielding media psychology faculty Jean-Pierre Isbouts’ TV special, “Young Jesus: An Interfaith Perspective.” This is a fascinating 1-hour special, which also aired on Good Friday during prime time, hosted by Jean-Pierre and based on his new book “Young Jesus: Restoring [...]

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