The Sports Doc Chalk Talk

Many athletes struggle with sport retirement, and not because they have all experienced brain damage or concussions (although that sometimes occurs).  The more prevalent reasons for difficulties experienced during sport retirement have to do with psychosocial factors, including the identity and athlete develops, as well as the lack of programming available to athletes when they are no longer able to play.  Of course, every athlete experiences sport retirement in his or her own unique ways, but on this video I discuss some of the common issues athletes experience during this abrupt and often difficult transition.

www.drstankovich.com

Tiger Woods was at one time the most successful golfer on the planet, but today seems to be more of a master of spin and denial as he has faded back into the middle of the pack amongst his peers.  Woods regularly makes excuses about seemingly everything these days, including swing coaches, caddies, and various injuries.  In fact, it appears Woods is even developing a trend where he drops out of tournaments with what some would say are “phantom injuries” that only seem to arise when he is out of contention.  Sport psychologists might advise that Woods check his head more than his back, knees, or any of the other body parts he claims are causing his problems.

Tiger Woods regularly talks about being “ready to go,” but when he fails he seems to have every excuse in the world why things didn’t go his way.  Unfortunately, this unhealthy mentality is not unique to Woods, as many other athletes (and people) struggle with the inability to accurately face their problems.  In other words, they struggle with denial.

As with anything in life, the sooner we honestly appraise the problems we face in life, the sooner we can begin to improve upon them.  This applies whether it’s an athlete admitting to a loss of confidence, or an alcoholic admitting to the fact that alcohol has negatively impacted the health and safety of his life.

Denial seemingly “works” in the short run because it postpones reality — when you say “no problem here,” it directs attention away from the problem, which provides a respite from the stressors related to the problem.  Unfortunately, when we are in denial the problems we experience do not usually go away, and it is our denial that extends — and often compounds — the original problem.

For Tiger Woods, it would be nice to see him reject all the reasons he has given for his failures the last few years and simply admit that regaining his mental toughness and confidence has been a lot more difficult than he ever expected.  Unlike the days before his marital problems, opposing players no longer fear Woods, and instead view him as just another player in the tournament.  This, in turn, has decreased Woods’ confidence while increasing his own anxiety.  The result has been zero wins since before his marital transgressions made the news in 2009.

When I work with athletes, the first step of objectively “framing” the problem is usually the most important aspect of working to correct the athletic deficiencies.  When athletes are honest and own up to what is at the crux of their issues, only then can we begin to identify and construct appropriate techniques and protocols to help improve the situation.  Using Tiger Woods as an example, the longer he continues to point outward at everything but himself, the longer this losing streak will likely continue.

If you are a parent or coach of an athlete, then you probably already know how challenging it can be to help a youngster become honest with him- or herself when it comes to athletic shortcomings.  Many kids, for example, will attempt to blame their sport slumps on faulty equipment, poor coaching, or even the weather.  In most cases, the real reasons for their slumps have little to do with those factors, and instead much more to do with low self-confidence, poor focus, high anxiety, and low resiliency.

When kids learn that denial “works” in sports, it can lead to a recurring pattern of using denial for other life shortcomings, including school grades.  This is just one more reason why it’s important to help kids steer clear of denial, and instead learn to accept that we all have bad days, slumps, frustration, and failure in life — and that the real champions are the ones who are honest with themselves and work even harder to be better the next day.  There is nothing to be embarrassed about when it comes to failure as it can be the best teaching tool if we learn how to control our emotions and learn from the experience.

We have a growing line of professional products designed to help athletes learn real skills that will help them improve their self-confidence while decreasing negative anxiety – you can learn more by visiting Advanced Human Performance Systems today!

www.drstankovich.com

Having studied psychology and mental health disorders for many years (as well as being a licensed practicing clinician), I have long been troubled by the trend for doctors to quickly prescribe anti-depressants to their patients without first encouraging other, safer alternatives.  Since the 1990′s, increasingly more doctors have quickly bypassed recommending things like professional counseling, exercise, or trying new hobbies and interests (all things that can really help with mood state), and instead quickly scribbled out scripts for anti-depressants.  Of course, if these new pills worked significantly better than the other ideas I just presented, and if these pills were 100% safe, I don’t think using them would be much of a concern.  Unfortunately, that’s simply not the case.

Last night 60 Minutes ran a segment on the efficacy of anti-depressants versus placebo effects, citing Harvard social scientist Irving Kirsch’s discoveries when evaluating real anti-depressant medications against placebos (or sugar pills).  Kirsch’s findings were really nothing new, and certainly not any different than what other research scientists have known for years — that is, anti-depressants only “work” because of the belief the patient has when using them, and not due to the chemical properties of the drugs themselves.  In other words, the changes patients claim they experience are due to the placebo effect, not the medication.

The problem, however, is that in the United States we are constantly bombarded with really great advertising that tells us if we are depressed, the answer to our problems might just be one quick office visit away.  As one of only two countries in the world that allows for direct drug marketing to consumers on television, these fancy ads coupled with our intense desire to get better provide for the perfect storm, so to speak.  In other words, when we feel depressed and are “ripe” for an answer, and then see a 30 second ad of a Zoloft egg bouncing around happy, it’s easy to see why so many potential consumers light up with excitement and quickly schedule a visit with their doctor as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, the problems we experience in life don’t simply “go away” by taking a pill (similarly to how they don’t go away from getting drunk, either).  The problems at home, mounting bills, and battles with health problems don’t get better by taking a pill — these situations only improve by learning important life coping skills.

So why are anti-depressants so widespread if:

A) they have been scientifically found to not work any better than a sugar pill, and

B) they put the patient at great risk for side-, interaction-, and withdrawal effects — check the black box warnings to learn more

Listed below are some of the big reasons why so many people continue to be prescribed these drugs:

• There is huge money in pharmaceuticals today, and these companies are not afraid to spend money.  This is the reason why we see so many ads today, and the more of the ads we see the more confident we become that these drugs really “work.”  Most people figure that if they see something enough, it must be true – this is called the mere exposure effect.
• Patients often ask their doctors directly for these medications, and often doctors are happy to acquiesce.  In some cases, doctors really believe in the value of anti-depressants, while in other cases doctors assume the placebo effect will “work” and that the potential side effects are worth the risk.  In other cases doctors know that patients expect to be given drugs during medical appointments, and would feel short-changed if the doctor told them the real things that help with mood state – like counseling and exercise programs.
• When clients do experience side effects, in most cases they continue to use these drugs because they blame the side effects on their disorder (i.e. depression), and not the medications!  In fact, in some cases patients take even more of the medication in order to overcome the side effects.

While we would all love to find a quick fix for our problems in life, the reality is these answers are not in the form of anti-depressant pills (as science is revealing through ongoing empirical findings).  Scott Peck, author of the popular The Road Less Traveled, starts his book with one very important sentence:

Life is difficult.

Think about that for a moment — the problems we face in life are difficult, and success doesn’t happen from casual efforts.  We need to also remember that there are no fast “silver bullet” answers when it comes to life’s problems, even if we wish there were.  Anti-depressants, which work no better than placebos and carry many potential problems with them, should not be the first thing we seek when we hit rough waters in life.  Instead, learning life skills like communication skills, conflict resolution, and stress reducing techniques should be tried first, along with developing a physical exercise program.  Most people dramatically improve their mood state from just those life changes, and professional counseling can help round out the self-improvement process for those still looking for even better improvement. 

Check out our Life Wellness programs to help improve mood state and the quality of your life!

www.drstankovich.com

The Diagnostic & Statistical Manual (DSM), published by the American Psychological Association, is widely accepted as the bible for mental health descriptions and conditions.  The book has been updated several times over the years, and is slated for it’s next update in 2013.  If you have never seen the DSM before (and it’s likely you haven’t), you might be surprised at the depth and breadth of the number of “disorders” presented, and if you look close enough you might even find that you fit the criteria of one of them.  In fact, critics have argued that the DSM has become too liberal with identifying “new” disorders, as well as loosening the criteria needed to “qualify” for a disorder.

Mental Illness

So, what is mental illness, anyway?  Interestingly, there are many different ways to examine mental illness, and to some extent, what one person might see as “mentally ill” the next person might see as “quirky,” “creative,” or just “different.”  In fact, it is from this perspective that some are wondering if the DSM is becoming so loose in its defining mental illnesses that nearly everyone could be diagnosed with something — leaving conspiracy theorists to surmise that once these “disorders” are labeled, pharmaceutical companies end up being the true winners as the manufacturers of the drugs that psychiatrists recommend their patients use to address their problems.

If you were to develop a continuum of people ranging from those who seem relatively healthy and stable on one side, to those with clear mental problems/limitations (i.e. of harm to oneself or others) on the other, it’s actually all the people in the middle who are the ones that seem to be of the greatest interest to mental health professionals.  Who is “normal” versus “abnormal?”  And who needs to be “put on something” versus who might benefit from just a couple lifestyle changes and possibly therapy?  It is here where the debates rage, and where the DSM (and it’s ever-changing criteria) end up having real consequences for real people.

Having taught clinical psychology at the college level, it has always been an entertaining classroom discussion to hear students ponder over what’s normal, abnormal, quirky, odd, and different — as well as what people should be diagnosed with something, and what people should be put on something.  As the DSM evolves and spells out “disorders” for clinicians, decisions are made that in many cases lead to the prescription of one (or many) medications – some that include serious side effect concerns.  The other problems that often occur when a person is diagnosed with a mental illness are the following:

• Patients often overly-value the benefits of their new medication, and as a result place less emphasis on behavioral changes (after all, only the drug can fix their problems, right?)
• Patients often believe they are permanently “branded” with the mental disorder for the rest of their life (and therefore need to continue on using their medications forever).  Of course, in some cases medications may be needed to protect the patient from danger to himself (or others), but in many other cases positive changes occur in the patient’s life, leaving him less needy of the drug (i.e. he is no longer depressed).

The Impact of the DSM, Treatment Decisions, and Future Consequences

Unfortunately, for potential clients in the United States today seeking therapy they will likely need a DSM mental disorder code in order for their insurer to reimburse.  This is unfortunate for a number of reasons, including the fact that a disorder needs to be “found” – which often leads to an even bigger problem of a self-fulfilling prophecy.  For example, the person seeking assistance after going through a tough divorce may come to believe that she is depressed – and depression lasts for a lifetime – and the only way to control the depression is by taking several different pills each day.  Without a DSM diagnosis, the odds of an insurance company helping out a patient who is simply going through a tough time in life is almost zero.  Sadly, once a patient receives her diagnosis, it often only serves as a really bad lifelong tattoo, re-emerging during times like when the individual applies for future life and/or health insurance (she will now be a “high-risk,” and pay a ton more for her coverage).

Getting back to the original discussion, it’s interesting to see what the new DSM will evolve into in 2013.  If, as critics warn, the diagnoses become even more liberal (you should read some of the criteria to see what I am referring to), more people will soon learn they have “something,” and likely will feel the immediate need to remedy and temper their condition by quickly going on some kind of drug(s).  Skeptics wonder if it will be this new disorder discovery, coupled by the new drugs these patients take, that end up causing the real problems — and not the initial concern for the call to the doctor.  Interesting to think about, isn’t it?

Check out our Life Success Audio programs – designed to help with human happiness, health, and life productivity!

www.drstankovich.com

As 2011 comes to an end and the new year approaches, millions of people worldwide are giving thought to what resolutions they would like to achieve in the coming year.  For many, the goals will be fairly common ones, such as losing weight, quitting smoking, or getting back in shape.  For others, the goals may be more unique and include ideas around becoming a better spouse, or earning a promotion at work.  Regardless of what resolutions you set for 2012, the bigger challenge that looms for all goal setters is adhering to the goals (also known as goal compliance).  In other words, developing mental toughness and actually doing what you want to do.

Throughout my life I have always appreciated little tidbits of motivational advice – one that I think about almost on a daily basis is the following:

“Ideas are a dime a dozen, but putting ideas into action is priceless”

It is from this perspective that I have studied others (and myself) as to why the “action” step to reaching the goals stated always seems to be the challenge.  So often we start out with great intentions, but then something happens – and we fall short of reaching our goals.  Over the years I have written extensively about what I have learned, and have even developed various life success programs to help others with their efforts.  Admittedly, answering all the reasons why people sometimes fail to reach their goals in just a few paragraphs here is impossible, but there are a few quick key tips that I think can immediately help those out there who are eager to reach their 2012 new year resolutions:

• Life changes – especially ones you are serious about – don’t need a target date to get started (meaning you don’t need to wait until January 1st).  Change can actually begin in a moments notice - and often does – so if you are really, really serious about your new goals, you are free to get started!
• When hurdles arise (and they will, like when a family member brings home junk food and you are trying to lose weight), the key is to train your mind to view these situations as challenges, not as threats. How you perceive the world around you will determine the actions that you take — roll your sleeves up for the challenge.  It’s also a good idea to think about the challenges that are ahead of you, an effective technique therapists call stress inoculation.
• Be realistic. Research studies have consistently found that when people set goals that are too difficult or unrealistic, they often become demotivated and eventually quit.  Instead, set challenging goals that you really believe you can achieve.
• Pay attention to daily, or micro-goals. Don’t overlook the little things as they will serve as strong building blocks for the months ahead.
• Go after your resolutions with conviction! Get excited and share your enthusiasm with others – not only will they cheer your efforts but also give you support during the tough times.

For more professional tips and advice on changing habits and developing balance and resiliency in life, check out the Advanced Human Performance Systems Life Success Package!

www.drstankovich.com

It’s no secret that millions of Americans each year are prescribed antidepressant medication to help them better handle their depressed mood state and overall outlook on life.  Ironically, even though millions of people (including many kids) are prescribed these medications, psychiatric medical experts like Dr. Peter Breggin are very outspoken about the many issues and problems with these drugs.  Still, the beat goes on as increasingly more people each year turn to pills to beat their woes, rather than other less risky endeavors to improve their mental toughness, including exercise, learning new coping skills, or psychological counseling.

Since around the year 2000 when anti-depressant commercials began to really hit the television airways, it’s been very interesting to look back and see how far we have come in the last 10+ years.  As a practicing clinician, I would like to make ten personal observations related to antidepressants (including efficacy), general wellness, and established paradigms in America that have stayed relatively stable over the last 10 years:

10 years later and…

• We still have antidepressant ads that run on television regularly, prompting millions of people to quickly reach out to their doctor for that “magic bullet” that will immediately improve their mood state.  Interestingly, the United States is one of only two countries in the world that allows pharmaceutical companies to market directly to consumers through television ads, prompting many critics to voice their concerns over how many people are literally lead to self-diagnose and treat (through drugs, of course).
• We are still looking for the “magic bullet.”  Rather than actually making personal changes and learning effective coping skills, we still have too many people who want to make it all go away by swallowing a pill daily.  While it would be nice to think a pill can fix your daily stress, this is more wishful thinking than reality.
• We are still ignoring side effects of these medications, or erroneously blaming the side effects on the disorder and not the medication.  Interactions with other drugs, and withdrawal effects have also been noted by medical experts – but again when these things happen many patients simply blame their experiences as a result of their depression, and not the medication(s).
• We are still minimizing and/or ignoring the facts that show placebo treatments to be on par with the actual efficacy rates of various antidepressant medications.  Most double-blind controlled studies, even today, still do not show statistically significant differences for these drugs versus placebo treatments.
• We still don’t want to face the fact that even with a medication to control symptoms, we still need to learn coping skills in order to be happy and successful in life.  Pills, at best, may help control symptoms (even if it’s a placebo effect), but they don’t fix a broken marriage or make your bills magically go away.
• There is still far less interest in investing time and money in counseling when a perceived effective medicine is available.  Counseling takes time, costs money, and is often viewed as a burden to one’s schedule or privacy — even though the long-term success rates from counseling are far better than the perceived temporary relief from an antidepressant.
• There are still far too many doctors that too easily comply with their patients when they request an antidepressant medication.  Sadly, all a person has to do is watch a few commercials and memorize the symptoms — most doctors will quickly acquiesce to the patient’s request for a prescription if he/she later describes having those symptoms (and will do this more regularly than advise a patient to seek therapy).
• There is still a general resistance to the fact that “life is difficult” (to quote Scott Peck in The Road Less Traveled).  What this means is that there are going to plenty of ups and downs in life, and simply because you are tired or feel sad doesn’t necessarily mean you should race out and jump on an antidepressant medication!
• There are still too many unknowns about “chemical imbalances” (the terrific marketing used in scaring us into thinking we might actually have one of these, and therefore need medicine to fix it!).  What is a chemically unbalanced brain?  Better yet, whats a chemically balanced brain??  Aren’t we really in flux all the time – from the tranquil state we experience at rest to the chaos of getting the kids off to school in the morning?  And isn’t this somewhat….normal?
• There is still too much elevated (false) hope in pills.  In a best-case scenario, patients on antidepressants should be working in conjunction with a therapist and making concerted efforts to change irrational thinking and harmful behaviors.  Unfortunately, the vast majority of patients today still only use their daily medication as their means for “improvement.”

Mental disorders are nothing to take lightly, and in no way am I suggesting that all medications are bad, per se.  Unfortunately, with multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical companies with big investments in medications, direct television advertising, and a country full of people yearning for a “quick fix” to their problems, far too many people — and especially kids — are being treated by unproven drugs and at the expense of actually learning coping skills and strengthening their resiliency!

What we need for the future is more research on these medications, less direct television ads designed to incite fear and paranoia, and a greater emphasis on better self-care and management.  We need to better understand and accept that life is full tough times, and it’s not unusual to feel the stress and depressed mood states that are associated with life difficulties and challenges.  We also need to realize that when we are “down,” it doesn’t automatically mean we have a permanant type of depression that can only be “fixed” by some pills in a prescription bottle.

As a professional counselor of almost 20 years, I have personally witnessed a decline in our collective resiliency, and a new generation emerge that talks as casually about prescription drugs as the generations before them did of street drugs.  Today’s teens are very aware of the various drugs being used to treat mental disorders, and they know how to find, steal, barter, and buy them.

Lets hope the next ten years are better than the last ten, and that fewer kids will turn to a perceived “quick fix” for their symptoms rather than more measured and prudent ways to cope with life stress.

Life Enhancement products can be found at Advanced Human Performance Systems – get 2012 off to a great start!!

www.drstankovich.com

If you have a son or daughter involved in youth sports, odds are you will probably be asked at some point about your level of interest in possibly becoming a head or assistant coach of your kid’s team.  For most parents, this question catches them off-guard, as they don’t often think about their child’s involvement in youth sports possibly including their role as the coach.  Unfortunately, there always seems to be a shortage of youth sport coaches, hence the reason for the likeliness of this future request (Sport Success 360).

So there you are, possibly going from the “parent in the stands” with all the answers to now being the coach — the person who is supposed to have all the answers (of course, it’s always easier to coach from the stands, right?!).  How do you lead kids with athletic skill development, physical fitness training, and mental toughness development?  Where’s the professional coaching help, athletic trainer, and sport psychologist when you need them?!

For those of you brave enough to take on the role of coach (and I hope many of you will), there are some things you may want to consider before you get started:

• Be objective. This is especially true when you have your child on the team.  For some parents, they are seemingly easier on their child and favor him or her more, while others parents actually become even tougher on their own child.  Being objective also means putting aside those great parent relationships you previously had in the stands and instead making talent evaluations based on the actual athletic abilities of the kids on the team.  While this may not sound too difficult, oftentimes it is — especially if you have become good friends with certain parents on the team whose kids aren’t the most talented.
• Prepare for the transition. While it might seem funny to think about the transition of going from “just another parent in the stands” to becoming the coach, most parents find this to be a lot more challenging than they originally thought.  Even in youth sports things can get real serious in a hurry, and the truth is some coaches get scapegoated as being “the bad guy” when they don’t start or play a kid in a game.  Prior to becoming a coach, it’s easy to sit back and second-guess the coach — but this all changes as soon as it’s you on the sideline making the calls.
• Prepare for the time commitment. One mistake parents often make when evaluating the coach is the amount of time and effort that goes into coaching (meaning they often overlook the demands).  Running practices, preparing for games, helping with fund raising, and communicating with parents are just a few examples that quickly reveal how demanding the job can be — and this is on top of being a parent and having a full-time job!
• Teaching skills – Many parents go into coaching because of need, meaning that the parent may not have experience in the sport that they are asked to coach.  What this means is that you may need to do your homework first and learn the skills necessary to help the kids on your team succeed (meaning even more of a time commitment).
• Make the experience fun. Studies consistently show that the #1 reason kids play sports is to have fun.  Unfortunately, with all the duties coaches are responsible for it can become very challenging to keep it fun at all times.  In fact, some parents who go into coaching quickly find out that not only is the job of being a coach tougher than expected, it can also lead to burnout if a healthy and balanced lifestyle is not kept in place.

While being a coach is not always an easy endeavor, it can be a very fun and meaningful one – for both the coach, as well as all the kids on the team.  Like everything else, being prepared and keeping a good, positive attitude can really help ward off the stress that comes with coaching.

For more information on athletic performance enhancement products, including programming for coaches, be sure to check out the Advanced Human Performance Systems website!

www.drstankovich.com

Life stress can come in the form of negative events (like losing a job), as well as positive events (like planning for the holidays).  Unfortunately, regardless of the source of the stressor (good or bad), our bodies often react and respond by breaking down physically and emotionally — unless we learn how to safely and effectively cope with stress.  Fortunately, help is on the way in the form of our exciting new app, The Life Stress Test!

The Life Stress Test (.99 in the Apple apps store) is a professionally designed test you can complete in just a few minutes, and will provide you with specific results and feedback along a number of potentially stressful dimensions, including time management, assertiveness, organization skills, resiliency, and self confidence.  By learning how to recognize and effectively respond to stress, you will learn how to better plan and navigate your life — resulting in a happier, healthier, and more productive life.

Take control of your life and beat life stress — get started today with the NEW Life Stress Test!

www.drstankovich.com

As we regain our perspective on the horrendous sexual crimes that were alleged to have occurred at Penn State regarding Jerry Sandusky and countless young boys, many people are just as confused at how many Penn State athletic department personnel seemingly kept the stories from surfacing as much as they are in Sandusky committing the crimes in the first place.  I have had a number of incredibly provocative conversations in the past week about this tragedy, with most of the dialogue centering around how the people who knew about kids being sexually abused could have possibly kept their mouths shut and not reported it immediately to the police.  It is from this position of curiosity that I attempt to offer a few thoughts on why this negligence may have occurred — reasons that go much deeper than the immediate surface level that clearly speaks to the importance of immediately reporting allegations of sexual crimes, especially when it includes innocent children.

Again, I would like to be very clear with something before I delve into the psychological variables that were likely at play and prevented people from speaking up when they came into news about Jerry Sandusky sexually abusing children — what Sandusky did was clearly wrong, and about as horrible a crime that could ever be committed. It was also very wrong for anyone – be it a coach, administrator, janitor, or anyone else to have not acted and called the police when they first learned of these crimes.  I say this as I want to be as straightforward as I can be about where I stand morally as my views pertain to this situation.  In fact, I cannot think of a single reason to not immediately protect innocent children – this case is a no-brainer when it comes to doing the “right” thing.  Still, it appears many people did not do the right thing – and that’s where I would like to pick up today.

Assuming these crimes did occur (and there is a mountain of allegations and pending evidence suggesting the charges are indeed true), the big question seems to be around how so many people who supposedly knew of Sandusky’s crimes (either directly through personal observation or indirectly through reliable source information) could have remained silent and not reported Sandusky to the police?  It does appear from news reports that a minimal level of legal responsibility occurred in the graduate assistant telling Coach Paterno, and Paterno supposedly reporting the news to his superiors.  Still, there were no calls to the police and worse yet, no follow up on the rape victim?  How could this have ever happened?

There are really only a few possibilities, actually.

1.) Everyone at Penn State was “in on it” and participated in some sort of underground sex ring operation. This premise, while clearly outlandish, would assert that not only did people cover up these tragedies, but that they also willing facilitated and/or participated in the crimes. So far the only perpetrator mentioned has been Sandusky, so we can assume (for now) that no other PSU employee was a part of these crimes through direct involvement.

2.) All the PSU athletic staff is comprised of “bad” people who are heartless and indifferent about the well-being of kids. Again, this assumption is quite shallow and an incredible stretch.  Even if you believe some people in this world are inherently “bad” people, the likelihood of an entire staff to be seemingly this aloof probably speaks to other interpersonal dynamics at play more than it does the moral code of all the individuals supposedly “in the know” about what happened (in other words, I can’t see anyone on the PSU staff thinking for even a minute that this stuff was “OK”).  The verdict?  It’s very unlikely PSU is comprised of terrible, kid-hating employees.

3.) The group dynamics at-play dramatically impacted the perception and action (or lack thereof) following reports of these crimes. Group dynamics refer to the study of groups, and how individuals sometimes change their thinking and behaviors as a result of the group’s norms, roles, desire to belong and be accepted, and social influence.  More simply, we as people oftentimes act differently when in groups than we do as individuals.  Again, this is not an excuse as much as it is an explanation, as it in no way “clears” or makes the folks at PSU less culpable for not acting.  It does, however, prompt us to widen our perspective and examine some additional factors that may have impacted individual decision making.

Sport psychologists spend a lot of time studying group dynamics, and it behooves them to do so when you consider how many sports today are “team” sports.  Group dynamics include the delicate, tenuous, ever-changing relationships individuals have with one another, all played out on the canvass we commonly refer to as “team culture.”  Group dynamics help us understand and explain, to some extent, why people do things differently in groups than they would if left to their own devices.  These dynamics also typically include power, coercion, and suggestion (direct and indirect).  In groups, there is also commonly a “diffusion of responsibility” that often occurs, whereby individuals in the group simply assume that “somebody else will do it.” If you hated singing as a kid and yet were made to be part of a choir, it’s likely you may have lip-synced during the performances, knowing that others would “pick up the slack” and compensate for your decision to not sing.

Group dynamics are a lot easier to discuss and examine when talking about innocuous subjects, like the choir example above.  Unfortunately, these dynamics also occur in situations as horrible as the current PSU scandal, and yes, even in cases of rape there are countless examples of people over the course of time who had information and simply sat on it – never telling anyone, including police.  This is terrible, morally speaking, but from an understanding perspective it’s important we go deeper in order to better understand (not justify) the situation.

4. Denial – out of sight, out of mind. Again, it may be hard to believe that we as people can sometimes do this, but it’s well accepted amongst mental health professionals that for some horrific crimes (like rape), people can (and do) sometimes completely block the story from their mind.  For the victim this may even help with short-term healing by not having to replay dark memories when trying to regain personal strength.  Sometimes we hear stories that we think are so outlandish that we erroneously believe there was no way they could have occurred — and many would argue the Sandusky story might easily fit within that line of thinking.  The point is that denial is an ego defense, and it is something we all do from time-to-time.  In the PSU case, it’s quite possible that when some of the personnel heard “rumors” about Sandusky that they simply could not get their arms around there being any way in the world the rumors could have been true — after all, to the untrained eye how could a guy running a program for kids ever in a million years sexually abuse kids???

What happened at Penn State was dead wrong, and all the explanations of the psychological variables that may have impacted the situation do not justify or minimize the horrific nature of child sexual abuse.   It is important, however, that we learn more about why nobody seemed to have acted responsibly, as well as the variables that impact group culture that appear to have clearly impacted what happened at Penn State.  When we better understand how terrible things can happen through oversight, negligence, covert pressures, and diffused responsibilities, we can better identify when future problems may be developing and more swiftly and responsibly attend to them.

www.drstankovich.com