Thursday, March 15, 2018

People with depression use language differently – here’s how to spot it

Empathy, clearly an important part of crisis negotiation and invetervention begins with understanding a person's perspective. From that understanding, the following I think you all will find interesting. Click the link at the bottom to read the entire article:


(BigThink.com)- From the way you move and sleep, to how you interact with people around you, depression changes just about everything. It is even noticeable in the way you speak and express yourself in writing. Sometimes this “language of depression” can have a powerful effect on others. Just consider the impact of the poetry and song lyrics of Sylvia Plath and Kurt Cobain, who both killed themselves after suffering from depression. 
...More interesting is the use of pronouns. Those with symptoms of depression use significantly more first person singular pronouns – such as “me”, “myself” and “I” – and significantly fewer second and third person pronouns – such as “they”, “them” or “she”. This pattern of pronoun use suggests people with depression are more focused on themselves, and less connected with others. Researchers have reported that pronouns are actually more reliable in identifying depression than negative emotion words.

Read more [HERE].

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

CREST Security Review


The red highlighted area was added by me. Simon Wells' work is always worth taking the time to read.

(From Crest Research)

This issue of CREST Security Review (CSR) focuses on ‘transitions’, highlighting research on movements between groups.

From helping extremists reintegrate back into society, to looking at cults and the reasons why people both leave and stay, this issue explores the series of difficult transitions some individuals and groups make.
Download your free issue of CREST Security Review here.

Inside this issue:

  • Sarah Marsden writes for us on programmes that seek to help extremists make the transition from violent groups back into society.
  • Suzanne Newcombe looks at cults and the reasons why people both leave and stay.
  • Refugees often don’t have choices in the series of difficult transitions they make. Christopher McDowell charts the risks and dangers of these transitions.
  • Simon Wells shows us how research has helped track how negotiations progress, giving us examples from two hostage crises.
  • Tina Christensen presents the results from her study into a Swedish programme that helps far-right extremists make the transition to productive democratic citizens.
Each issue of CREST Security Review also features articles outside of its special focus. In this issue we include research on Russian interference in public discourse, the difficulties of communicating across culture, and a mindmap on what people mean when they say ‘I don’t know’ during an interview setting.

Download, read and share 

CREST is committed to sharing research as widely as possible. Tell your colleagues and networks and share the link on your websites and newsletters.
As with all our resources, CSR is available under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence. For more information on how can you use our content please read our copyright page.
Download your free copy of CSR here: www.crestresearch.ac.uk/news/csr7-transitions/
Talking about this issue on twitter? Use hashtags #CSR7 #Transitions

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Now you can diffuse ANY crisis with the kids! Retired Hostage Negotiator offers top tips to parents for managing children's meltdowns - revealing when to 'stay calm' and when to 'be a boss'


  • In a satirical new Heinz campaign, former NYPD Hostage Negotiator, Jack Cambria shares his tips on how to deal with kids if they run out of ketchup
  • He suggests five different mediating tactics for parents to try if it's dinnertime and they suddenly realize there's no more ketchup in the house
  • Jack also offered tips for dealing with other likely scenarios in which children need to be reasoned with, such as when they refuse to talk to grandma 
Read more from the DailyMail [HERE].