gradPSYCH - September 2011 - (Page 27)

DEGREE INSIGHT Rarely, according to psychologists. Here’s a look at where popular TV shows get psychology right and wrong. BY DAVE JAMIESON W hether they’re documentary-style or fictional, there have never before been so many shows on television featuring psychologists and psychopathology. Gene Ondrusek, PhD, who did casting and consulting on the original “Survivor,” says this trend has found a greater platform in the sprawling world of modern cable television. “That voyeuristic bent has always been there,” Ondrusek says. Of course, some shows may be better at satisfying our baser instincts than giving an accurate portrayal of psychological issues. Here’s a look at five hot psychology shows, what they get right and where they go awry. Professional concerns aside, plenty of psychologists would agree that Weston’s drama makes for good drama. “A lot of my colleagues have pointed out that it’s been a very good show,” says Ondrusek. “Personally, I’ve liked what I’ve seen.” “Lie to Me” Premise: In this prime-time Fox show, Tim Roth plays crimesolving psychologist Cal Lightman, whose expertise in reading suspects’ body language and microexpressions never fails law enforcement. The show is based very, very loosely on the life and work of psychologist Paul Ekman, PhD, who did groundbreaking research on the relationship between facial expressions and their underlying emotions. Professional take: Ekman, who’s a paid consultant to the show, warns that “Lie to Me” frequently strays from science for the sake of drama — and an unforgiving 52-minute clock. He pens a weekly critique evaluating the most recent episode’s adherence to reality at www.community.fox.com/drpaulekman/ blog, and he often finds he has a lot to write about. Ekman estimates that about 70 percent of the methods used in the first season were portrayed accurately, but that number started slipping during the second season, then bottomed out during the third. “They’ve reduced the amount of science,” Ekman says. What’s more, the Lightman character has become, well, kind of a jerk. “They’ve decided that he would be edgy and nasty with people, to lie to them in order to uncover lies,” Ekman says. “I told them repeatedly no one would deal with me if I treated people the way he does.” Ekman sometimes worries that the show could lead to false convictions in the real world by overstating an expert’s lie-detecting abilities, and he’s told the producers he’d love to see an episode in which Lightman bungles a case. “They like the idea, but I’ve never seen it air,” he says. “In Treatment” Premise: In this HBO drama, Gabriel Byrne plays Paul Weston, a driven, neurotic psychologist who has a therapist of his own. Each episode delves into the struggles of Weston’s clients and his own disastrous personal life. Professional take: Byrne’s character isn’t the finest ambassador for therapy, says media psychologist Frank Farley, PhD. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a therapist seeking treatment – there’s nothing novel about it TV-wise, either, since Lorraine Bracco’s character did it in the “The Sopranos.” But Weston is unrealistically “loaded up with problems and issues,” Farley says. “For the broad field, it’s not a helpful depiction.” Farley says he worries that the self-loathing psychologist could steer people away from treatment. As for how realistically the show depicts therapy, Farley looks no further than the sofa featured so prominently in Weston’s office. “I think it would be very interesting to do a survey of APAlicensed psychologists and see how many still use a sofa,” he says. “It probably wouldn’t be many.” gradPSYCH • September 2011 • 27 http://www.community.fox.com/drpaulekman/blog http://www.community.fox.com/drpaulekman/blog

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of gradPSYCH - September 2011

GradPSYCH - September 2011
Contents
Interns: Be sure to track your hours
Students often notice but only sometimes blow the whistle on peers’ ethical violations
Psychology student spearheads coming-out project
Internship application costs rise
Odd Jobs
Media Picks
Chair’s Corner
Research Roundup
Matters to a Degree
The new academic job market
Applier beware
Does TV accurately portray psychology?
Safer travels
How to handle a tough audience
Free Money for Education
Meet your new advocates
Bulletin Board
Jobs, internships, postdocs and other opportunities
The Back Page

gradPSYCH - September 2011

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