Thoughts of a Psychology Student

Terminology The news headlines have been dominated by coverage of the EU referendum, but there appears to be inconsistency over which terms people are using in order to state where they stand on the debate. So for the record: Brexit (Britain Exit), Leave, Out, No = LEAVE THE EU Bremain (Britain Remain), Stay, In, Yes = STAY IN THE EU What is the EU - The EU is a collection of 28 countries, which, through various treaties and committees, was forged out of the 2nd world war in order to reduce the threat of war and to reinforce democracy. Since then it has enabled the freedom of movement between member states, made trading easier and overseen the development of common foreign security policy. We have been a member of the EU since 1973. Why are we having a referendum - In last year's general election, as part of the conservative manifesto, David Cameron promised an in/out referendum by the end of 2017. The plan was to kill 2 birds with one stone: Nigel Far...

This blog post has been in the pipeline for a while, but I've been waiting for the right time to post it.  On Monday, I was in Bath city centre, and was walking down one of the quant side streets lined with boutiques and independent cafes, when I walked past a homeless woman sat in the shelter of an archway. I carried on walking past her, and heard her coughing quite loudly, and I fully stopped walking and hesitated, wondering whether or not to go ask if she needed anything. Worried about approaching her, I went on my way to buy my mum a (belated) mothers day card and present. I had a budget of maybe £15, but after I'd bought her a card, something in my mind was still niggling away at me about the homeless woman. So I walked back to where she was sat and asked if she wanted anything to eat, to which she replied she would like a burger king (great choice I know). So I bought her a meal from there, and then when I gave it to her I asked if she had anywhere to stay that e...

With the US election primaries well under way in preparation for November the 8th 2016, much of its media coverage has crossed the Atlantic and reached our shores. Yet names like Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton seem dwarfed when it comes to Donald Trump. With a name (and face...) that has so much potential for comedy value, it is no wonder many in this country view him as a clown. He is a caricature of himself. Much of what he says is so preposterous it becomes hilarious. His social media activity is a source of much hilarity, from dipping his toe in trivial celebrity feuds: "I watched Russell Brand @rustyrockets on the @jimmyfallon show the other night-what the hell do people see in Russell — a major loser!" "Robert Pattinson should not take back Kristen Stewart. She cheated on him like a dog & will do it again--just watch. He can do much better!" to expressing his doubt over whether Obama was really born in the United States: ...

If you're even remotely active on social media or keep half an eye on the television, chances are that the uproar from junior doctors over Jeremy Cu  Hunt's new proposed contract won't have passed you by. However what with everyone on twitter thinking they're a cyber-activist (... guilty) and even politicians themselves throwing supposed 'facts' around like they're gospel, it's difficult to wade through all the emotionally fuelled arguments and work out what is really going on here. So what better to do on a drizzly Saturday afternoon than try and break it down for you.... ** if you have expertise in this area and I get something wrong, please tell me so I can edit it!** The current situation A junior doctor is any medic who has graduated from medical school, but is not yet a GP or a consultant. Junior doctors therefore can be doing foundation training, GP training or hospital specialist training, some of which can last up to 10 years. Th...

I suppose it was only a matter of time before I got round to writing a blog post about the scrapping of maintenance grants. Over the last couple of weeks, what started off as surprise and disappointment in the government's decision to abolish the grants has slowly brewed into a rather intense outrage, so naturally this blog post seemed like an apt outlet for such a rant. So to fill those of you in who aren't too sure what I'm on about, I'll start from the beginning. Maintenance grants are sums of money, up to £3,387 that are available to students from low-income families to help cover living costs at university which don't need to be repaid. They currently provide support for over half a million students  across the country, allowing them access to higher education that they might not otherwise have been able to afford. This month, despite not mentioning anything about it in their general election manifesto last year, the Conservative government voted to s...

We're already 5 days into January and I can't help but feel super underwhelmed and demotivated at the fact that 2016 is upon us and yet I can't seem to really put my finger on anything hopeful or new years resolution-y to inspire me for the year ahead. I think in part, this may be due to the fact that I have a very real alternate preferred reality in my head in which I am living the life I have always dreamed of, and the fact that this is currently not happening in real life is pretty distressing. I'm afraid to say this alternate reality is horridly fuelled by candid tumblr pictures of moleskin journals and disposable cameras, but I feel inclined to share it with you nonetheless. It goes something like this: I am in my twenties (so far so good), and I live in Amsterdam (oh). I reside in a narrow apartment down one of the many 'straats' on the canal. The decor is minimalist, whites greys and blacks ease into each other in a sort of linear pattern that is pl...

It's been 72 hours since the attacks in Paris, and I have to say, I can't remember the last time I experienced an event so emotionally and mentally draining without being a physical part of it. Cycling in the gym last night, I was positioned right in front of the BBC news channel TV, which showed scenes of the Paris terror on a loop for a solid 40 minutes. I do not want to watch the footage that captured the moment the explosion went off outside the stadium anymore. I do not want to watch the video of someone clinging to the edge of a second floor window whilst innocent citizens clamber over bodies that were shot down outside the arts theatre. I do not wan t to read about the names of the terrorists that attacked Paris. I want to remember the #PorteOuverte hashtag offering safety to all those seeking refuge in the aftermath. I want to consider the taxi drivers who turned off all their meters to give lifts to citizens who were out in the open. I want to lis...