Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Pop Psychology: The psychology of pop culture and everyday life!
    Pop Psychology: The psychology of pop culture and everyday life!
    Pop Psychology: The psychology of pop culture and everyday life!
    Ebook65 pages1 hour

    Pop Psychology: The psychology of pop culture and everyday life!

    By Bakari Akil II, Ph.D.

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Pop Psychology explores topics such as:

    How our environment affects us in ways we can’t imagine -

    Why some people go nuts if you touch their groceries in a checkout line -

    Using persuasion to scam a professor -

    How some military recruiters play mind games with potential recruits -

    Why jumping off the elevator when a stranger enters is sometimes warranted -

    Why Mike Tyson’s biting off part of the ear of Ivander Holyfield may have been the right thing to do... -

    The hot liquid courage that Andre Agassi drank before every match -

    How sleep can give competitors an edge when all things are equal -

    Why being the absolute best often does not matter one bit -

    How an audience can increase your performance but also make you worse -

    Why you should never accept a free hand massage in a mall corridor -

    Why the person who picks on you in grade school often becomes your best friend -

    How songs like “Blame it on the Rain,” “I’m too sexy” and “Superman” become top selling songs -

    Why people often side with the Paparazzi and not the celebrity when things go wrong -

    Pop Psychology covers 20+ psychology and mass media theories and includes a heavy dose of pop culture, storytelling and humor to keep you entertained throughout. At the same time, I hope it inspires, motivates and educates. In these passages I’ve attempted to bring these theories to life. By demonstrating how these theories can be applied in real life settings, I hope that you can use them to your advantage as well. Or if you are just looking for a fun, yet intellectually entertaining read this book can serve that purpose too. -

    From the mind of Bakari Akil II, Ph.D., who blogs for Psychology Today and who is also a Professor of Communication when he's not writing, researching or conducting off the wall studies.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBakari Akil II, Ph.D.
    Release dateJun 9, 2010
    ISBN9781466133587
    Pop Psychology: The psychology of pop culture and everyday life!
    Author

    Bakari Akil II, Ph.D.

    When he isn't writing Bakari Akil serves as a Professor of Communication at Florida State College. He also writes for Psychology Today when he is not teaching, researching or coming up with 'off the wall' academic projects.

    Read more from Bakari Akil Ii, Ph.D.

    Related to Pop Psychology

    Related ebooks

    Psychology For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    Related categories

    Reviews for Pop Psychology

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Pop Psychology - Bakari Akil II, Ph.D.

      Pop Psychology: The Psychology of Culture and Everyday Life!

      By Bakari Akil II, Ph.D.

      Published by Bakari Akil II, Ph.D. at Smashwords

      Copyright 2011 Bakari Akil II, Ph.D.

      Dedication

      This book is dedicated to my lovely wife, Wilanda.

      About the Author

      Bakari Akil II holds a Ph.D. in Mass Communication from Florida State University. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Communication Department at Florida State College at Jacksonville. He has taught and counseled hundreds of people over the years in areas related to graduate education, mass media and how to be more effective communicators.

      He also writes for Psychology Today and his blog, Communication Central.

      Other books by Bakari Akil II, Ph.D.

      Psychology from all Angles: Interesting, Entertaining and Weird Stories

      Super You! 101 Ways to Maximize your Potential!

      Table of Contents

      Foreword

      Reciprocity Theory and Mall Walkways

      Likeability – Gain-Loss Principle

      Likeability – Mere Exposure Theory

      Actor Observer Bias

      Crowds & Behavior – Why did I do that?

      Unavoidable Persuasion

      The Power of a Promise: Use it to your Advantage

      Fear and a Strange Man in the Elevator

      Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Cognitive Dissonance Theory

      Andre Agassi and Cognitive Restructuring

      Can TV Shows increase social skills?

      Why Jed Clampett really moved to Beverly Hills

      Beat the Competition: Practice when you sleep!

      Which You, Which Intelligence?

      The Theory of Social Validation

      How a simple scientific questionnaire can change your life!

      Public Speaking: When Running is not an Option

      To improve performance, you may want to get and audience

      Nicholas Cage, Predicting the Future and Why Problem Solving can Fail

      Media and the Knowledge Gap Hypothesis

      Who is Setting Your Agenda?

      How the Navy Seals Increased Passing Rates

      Making Success Unconscious

      Special Thanks!

      About the Author

      Foreword

      When I am in front of a group of college students, most between the ages of 18 and 26, keeping their attention can be more than a challenge. Reciting the textbook, endless power point slides and providing endless definitions can be the quickest way to induce eyes to roll, note taking to cease and temporary bouts of unconsciousness. The same can be said with meetings and lectures to public audiences.

      Early on I learned that I couldn’t present information in a dry and unentertaining way. So even though I deal with mostly academic issues, I spend a lot of time morphing dry and passionless theories, definitions and concepts into engaging and entertaining material. After all, what’s the purpose in learning this ‘stuff’ if we can’t take what we’ve learned and use it to help others or ourselves?

      Psychology, which is the study of mental processes and behaviors, can be a very engaging subject. As an academic, I have often used psychological theories in my explanations regarding mass media and in helping people to improve their interpersonal and intrapersonal (self-talk) communication skills.

      Pop Psychology covers 20 psychology and mass media theories and includes a heavy dose of pop culture, storytelling and humor to keep you entertained throughout. At the same time, I hope it inspires, motivates and educates. In these passages I’ve attempted to bring these theories to life. By demonstrating how these theories can be applied in real life settings I hope that you can use them to your advantage. Or if you are just looking for a fun, yet intellectually entertaining read this book can serve that purpose as well.

      Let’s Begin…

      Reciprocity Theory and Mall Walkways

      Many mall walkways have become the equivalent of carnival circuses as they are often jammed with kiosk owners selling toys, sunglasses, print screen hats, cell phones and almost anything you can imagine. They call out to you invitingly as if you are in the Red Light District in Amsterdam. I am very good at ignoring them. My wife, -- not so much.

      In one visit to the mall we were walking through a mall corridor and the catcalls from the kiosks began. As usual, I kept my eyes and ears straight ahead and kept walking. However, as I turned to speak to my wife I

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1