Psi Chi HCJA Est. 1976: Row 1: K. Morgan, H. Jarrett, R. Archer, R. Capri, D. Kirby, C. Brewer. Row 2: A. Gutierrez, A. Doherty, R. Williams, B. Brown, D. Morales, E. Engram. Row 3: L. Parrott, A. Abla, D. King , M. Brinley, M. Albright, A. Lindsey, T. McNeal (sponsor). Harding Criminal Justice Association est. 2005: Row 1: S. Manning, E. Valerio, R. Gardner, S. Grzenia. Row 2: S. McNeil, A. Benskin, C. Brumley, N. Milton, J. Chancellor. Row 3: L. Wicker, A. Goy, D. Morales, J. Altman, B. Houston (sponsor). CELEBRITIES AND PSYCHOLOGY Students of Psi Chi study psychological disorders through film Harding's chapter of Psi Chi, an international honor society founded in 1929 for psychology students, started a tradition called "Psych Goes Hollywood" to promote understanding of psychological disorders through film. Member senior Becca Williams said that although most attendees were part of the psychology department, "Psych Goes Hollywood" was an event that encouraged both psychology majors and non-psychology majors to socialize and to enjoy a movie together. The first movie the group watched was "A Beautiful Mind," which was about a man with schizophrenia. "We try to look at the characters from an objective perspective and discuss what really happens in real life and what is made up for movies," faculty advisor Travis McNeal said. "So, hopefully, [non-psychology] students would get a more realistic understanding of mental illnesses." McNeal said the movie nights were successful and that students enjoyed staying after the movie ended to discuss the characteristics of the psychological 250 I Organizations disorder and whether or not the disorder was portrayed realistically in the film. Williams and McNeal agreed the movies tended to over-exaggerate certain mental disorders. The students dialogued about the importance of integrating people with mental disorders into society and treating them the same as other people. Williams said she hoped that "Psych Goes Hollywood" would promote the idea that people with psychological disorders were ordinary people. "'Psych Goes Hollywood' aids psychology students in many ways," member senior Ally Gutierrez said. "Students are able to see psychology in action out of the classroom. The concepts we learn in class are connected to other things, which boosts our comprehension and learning." Williams said the movie nights helped younger students who were new to the department connect with and learn from the older psychology students. Psi Chi was active beyond the movie nights. The group also did a service project to benefit Women and Children First, a center against family violence in Little Rock. "Psi Chi is very much a student driven organization," McNeal said. 'The activities that we engage in vary from semester to semester based on what the student officers want to put together. The officers this year have done a tremendous job bringing together a variety of different activities for the members of Psi Chi." As an international organization, Psi Chi had two main goals. According to psichi.org, "the first of these is the society's obligation to provide academic recognition to its inductees by the mere fact of membership. The second goal is the obligation of each of the society's local chapters to nurture the spark of that accomplishment by offering a climate congenial to members' creative development." Harding's chapter of Psi Chi was a group of innovative students and faculty dedicated to increasing their knowledge of psychology and getting to know the members. "Psych Goes Hollywood" was a creation that allowed students to dialogue about their subject in an innovative way. Lyndsey Ruble
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