I dont know if anyone is still reading this… but if you are, I hope everyone’s internships are going well, only a few more days. I think the course has really prepared me for the internship and I really do know a lot more about PR then I thought!

I have accepted my offer of admission to the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. I will be doing a Master of Arts in Applied Social Psychology and Forensics. It is a two year program with two internships during the summer. Looking forward to it! 

I just got accepted to Memorial University for the Masters of Applied Social Psychology with Dr. Cathryn Button… it includes two PAID work terms… that might be nice

 More details to follow….

Billy Bob Thornton singing to Angelina Jolie. I dont really know what to think about this video, at first I felt slightly creeped out that Billy Bob was singing a love song, then I was sad that he was singing a love song and completely exposing a very personal side of himself that the public does not often see, to Angelina, who he is no longer with.

I have never seen this video until today, while waching CMT. www.youtube.com tells me it is from 2001. If anyone has any opinions on how this video could affect Billy Bob’s image (positive or negative), I would love to hear some input.

Imagine that you move back to your hometown. You find the perfect apartment for you and your daughter. You land a job you really enjoy. You meet up with old friends you haven’t seen in years. After work, you go out for a few drinks with two of these friends – still in your work clothes.

That night you end up in the hospital, fearing for your life. Over the following week, your world is turned upside down. You lose your child. You distrust those around you. You fear the town you grew up in.

For Michael Poll, this scenario is all too real. On June 22, 2007, this is exactly what happened to him.

After work he met two old friends at a local Brantford bar. During their walk home, Poll’s friend approached two males for a cigarette. Words were exchanged. In a matter of seconds, Poll witnessed his friend being hit over the head with a baseball bat so he tried to interject. The second male then attacked Poll, stabbing him four times with a large kitchen knife. Poll suffered four stab wounds, including a four-inch-wide, four-inch-deep gash on his upper back. The altercation was all over a cigarette. Poll does not even smoke.

All of Poll’s injuries were consistent with self-defence. He was rushed from Brantford Hospital to Hamilton General Hospital to determine if any organs had been punctured. Lucky for Poll, his assailant was right handed; otherwise, he may have lost his life. That is where Poll’s luck ended.

Before leaving in the ambulance, he provided the police with an exact description of his attackers – right down to the graphics on their clothing. However, because of his condition, he could not give a statement.

Three days later, Poll was recovering in his home when two officers visited him. Poll was looking forward to explaining what had happened that night. To Poll’s amazement, this visit was not for a statement. He was being charged with assault with a weapon.

One of Poll’s attackers accused Poll’s friend of starting the fight using a baseball bat. Even though Poll was never accused of having a weapon, he is being charged. “This is absurd,” says Poll’s girlfriend. “My faith in the justice system has been shaken. I never thought you could get charged for saving the life of a friend, for sacrificing your own personal safety.”

Poll’s attackers were “essentially unharmed,” according to police reports. However, Poll’s two friends suffered from stab wounds; one was stabbed in the forehead and the other was stabbed twice in the hand.

Dan MacLean from CHCH News reported on this case. He referred to it as a “battle royal”. When Poll was charged he quickly went from a victim to a criminal in the public eye. The media are now lining up against him.

In the eyes of the court you are innocent until proven guilty; however, in the public eye, you are often guilty until proven innocent.

The media can be a very powerful tool in criminal defence cases. Negative publicity can seriously affect the court process. In her book, Courting the Media, Margaret A. Mackenzie explains that the proper – or improper – use of the media by the defence can mean the difference between life and death. Mackenzie highlights the importance of using the media to even the playing field between the accused and the accuser. She explains the importance of presenting a friendly face, a positive personality and a favourable image to the public.

When someone is accused of a crime, his name and mug shot are plastered in newspapers and on television. This is the time when an aggressive media relations campaign must come in.

A key factor in Poll’s case will be how the media portray him. The public needs to know he is not a criminal. Rather, he is a wonderful and caring father, brother, son, grandson and boyfriend.

Poll is described by friends as outgoing, adventurous, intelligent, humourous and loving. The six-foot-three-inch tall athlete enjoys snowboarding, basketball, football, camping and computers.  He is a victim. “Who walks home and gets stabbed four times, could have died, then gets charged?” asks Poll. “I’m afraid of what might happen to me next.” Poll is a victim and he must be seen as a victim. He protected a friend, something that many people faced with a similar situation would have done.

Poll is confident that the truth will be revealed in court; however, his life has already changed drastically because of the accusations. A court date has not been set and his life appears to be at a standstill. This case dominated his life.

Poll, a loving father, has not seen his daughter since the weekend of June 22. Missing Christmas with her and her third birthday has taken a toll on him. He is a loving father whose face lights up every time he speaks about his little girl. He opens up his wallet and proudly displays pictures, waiting for the time he can see her again. He desperately wants his life back.

Police reports indicate that Poll’s assailants – a career criminal and an admitted drug addict – “showed a total lack of regard for human life.” Poll should not be placed on the save level as these monsters. An effective media relations campaign will help to repair his tarnished image.

I am convinced that what I am about to tell you can save your career, your finances, your heart, and possibly your life. As we are all preparing to enter into the workforce and the real world, there is one thing that we must be on the lookout for, psychopaths.
When I mention the word psychopath there are a number of people that might come to your mind. Maybe, Clifford Olsen? Jeffrey Dahmer? Paul Bernardo? Or some other cold-blooded serial killer, stalker, or sex offender.
These are not the people we need protecting from. A very small amount of psychopaths are the murderous lunatics we hear so much about. Instead, we must be on the lookout for the successful psychopath. These individuals can walk all over you, take your life savings, break your heart, or climb the corporate ladder before you even realize what has hit you.
Charming, personable, intelligent, goal driven, and inspiring are all qualities that employers look for when hiring personnel. However, these are also the core traits of a psychopath. I encourage you to take a second to think about the people you come in contact with on a daily basis; coworkers, peers, friends and family. It is highly likely that one of these individuals is a psychopath. In fact, it is likely that you will come in contact, or already have been in contact, with a psychopath today.
Psychopaths are incapable of empathy, guilt, or loyalty to anyone but themselves. Psychopaths understand the rules and regulations of society and have a clear understanding of the difference between right and wrong. They are able to control their behaviour and understand the consequences of their actions; they just don’t care. This is what makes them so dangerous.
At this time, it’s important for me to mention that the majority of people are hardworking, honest, loyal, law-abiding citizens that are concerned with making an honest living and providing for their family. However, there are a significant number of individuals who are motivated by personal gain and personal fulfillment. They have no remorse for those that they may harm or take advantage of in order to reach their goals. For this reason, it is important that you are aware of the people who work and play around you. Only a small proportion of the estimated two million North American psychopaths are imprisoned, leaving a larger number in society. Unfortunately, the successful psychopath is commonly found in the business world that we are all planning to enter.
Successful psychopaths can be described as social chameleons. They are able to adapt to a variety of situations to better their image and reach their ultimate goals of personal power and domination. They are able to scan their audience and adjust to their environment depending on who they are talking to and what their personal goals are.
The successful psychopath is often described by a number of desirable characteristics. Psychopaths are excellent conversationalists. They have the ability to read their audience and adjust their behaviour according to the cues that they pick up. Psychopaths must rely on the actions and behaviours of others in order to teach themselves how to react and what emotions they should express in similar situations. They are remorseless and emotionless towards the harm that they cause their spouses, friends, family, peers and coworkers. Psychopaths are selfish and manipulative. They are motivated solely by personal gain.
The business world appears to be the prime feeding ground for psychopaths allowing them to latch onto others in order to advance and maximize their personal gains while doing relatively little honest work of their own. Large companies provide the opportunity for these individuals to go undetected and continue on in their path of destruction.
These psychopathic individuals are able to succeed in business for long periods of time because of their ability to appear very goal driven and success oriented. They are able to put on a show in front of all of the right individuals. They have the ability to appear normal and controlled in social situations and even the most extensive hiring processes, tests and personnel have great difficulty detecting these individuals. Psychopaths want to appear at the top of their game. They are often viewed by upper management as born leaders who have the ability to take charge, make decisions and direct others. However, these abilities are not what they may seem; in fact they are psychopathic behaviours masking the coercion, domination and manipulation that truly exist. Psychopaths generally live off of the work of others and adopt a parasitic lifestyle. They are able to hide this aspect of their behaviour very well.
The incredible ability of these individuals to put on such an elaborate performance makes it very difficult to detect until it is too late. The psychopath is skilled in masking their intentions and relieving the concerns and doubts that their victims may have. The victims of are often too embarrassed when they come to the realization that they have been conned by this individual that they once felt so close to. It is this embarrassment and shame that prevents them from reporting the wrongs that have been committed.
Psychopaths target the people that they know they can easily take advantage of. The people who have something to offer them. They convince these individuals that they are their best friends and loyal coworkers. They pretend they are engaged in an equal partnership with common goals. These targets are usually honest, genuine people who care for and want to help their fellow human beings. The psychopath will target a specific individual and generally place all of their focus and resources on them. They will centre on one individual at a time because it takes a lot of effort to create a performance for an entire group. By targeting each individual based on their personal characteristics and what they have to offer they make their victims feel like they want to help. If their target does not work out and get them what they want they will then move on to someone different who will help them to attain their goals. They easily become a central figure in the psychopath’s path to destruction. We need to learn how to detect psychopathic individuals and stop them before they cause more destruction to undeserving, innocent, kind hearted people. Before they target you or someone you know.
It is almost impossible for these targeted individuals to realize that they are being taken advantage of and therefore it is important for others to be on the look out for certain behaviours. The psychopath does not typically put much effort into individuals who do not offer value to them; therefore, these people are exposed to a different view of the psychopath. Individuals who are not targeted by the psychopath often report feeling uncomfortable in their presence. These people on the outside have the best chances of detecting the parasitic behaviour. Look out for your friends, if you have an awkward feeling about something or someone, look into it.
Although no one is immune to the workings of the psychopath, there are some things you can do to reduce your vulnerability. Know what you are dealing with and look out for the red flags, such as the inabilities to; form a team, tell the truth, share, act predictable or calmly, and accept blame.
It is important for you to be aware of the psychopathic personality especially in the way that these individuals affect the daily life of loved ones, coworkers and acquaintances in order to teach potential victims how to determine that they are at risk. Currently, psychopathic individuals are able to get away with their behaviour because their victims are too ashamed that they have been duped by someone that they trusted. It is important to better understand this relationship between the successful psychopath and the destruction that they cause. You may think that this will never affect you or someone you know, but I have extensively studied the psychopath over the past three years and I am all too aware of the devastation that they can cause. So be aware, trust your instincts, and look out for those around you.

A few weeks ago I had a fantastic interview with Dr. Tara Burke at Ryerson University. She studies pretrial publicity and jury verdicts. The PERFECT mix between my undergrad in Psychology/Criminology and PR. I had a really good feeling about my meeting and working with Dr. Burke, I really thought I would find myself there in the fall.

Unfortunatly, I received an email from the selection committe and another from Dr. Burke. They rated me with one other student, but that student was coming in with finding so they had to choose her. I guess this other girl has a few other offers so hopefully she’ll choose one of them instead – still keeping my fingers crossed.

Yesterday I went to Ryerson University for an interview with Dr. Tara Burke.

I think it went really well. Dr. Burke researches jury decisions and the effect of pre-trial publicity. I found this really interesting because I just finished readying a book (Courting the Media: Public Relations for the Accused and the Accuser) that deals with the same topics.

She also looks into wrongful convictions and the use of alibi evidence in forming these convictions. It was really interesting and I think she would be great to work with.

After the interview she took me down to the psychology department. Everything was located in the same area (labs, seminar rooms, computers, kitchen, etc.) and brand new. I’m really glad I went there to meet her in person and tour the campus… hopefully she liked me as much as I liked her and the school.

On Thursday I have an interview with Dr. Roberts from Wilfrid Laurier. She focuses on eye-witness identification in children. Hopefully that interview goes just as well.

I have a few exciting updates on school and my friend…

School Update:

I have been speaking to a few Professors at the Memorial University of Newfoundland. My application is one of the ones who has made it to the professors for review and they have asked me if I would be interested in also being considered for a Master of Arts in their Social Psychology Program. A two year program with two PAID work terms – exciting.

I also had a meeting with my old thesis advisor for our publication. She said if I applied next year she would take me. Thats exciting. I was really upset when I missed the test deadline this year to apply to her this year.

Finally, yesterday I received an email from a professor at Wilfrid Laurier University asking to speak to me about my application. She specialized in Children’s memory as eyewitnesses. Hopefully I will be able to set up a meeting for next week, and hopefully she’ll love me!

 Friend Update:

My friend has opened her eyes. She is still in a coma and on an breathing tube. But she seems to make small progress everyday. On Wednesday they did a CAT scan and didnt see anything abnormal or troubling, but wont really know anything until she wakes up… 

A little off topic, but always worth the mention.

Last night a friend of mine tried to take her life. She took a bunch of pills and was found on her couch, not breathing. She is now in critical condition with a breathing tube. She is unconscious. I am scared that we might have been too late…

I think this is an opportunity to discuss the prevalence and seriousness of suicide. There are always going to be things in our life that we are unhappy or upset about. It is the way that we deal with these struggls that makes us who we are. Hard times will pass. Sometimes it is hard to see things getting better, but they do. Talk to a friend, call a professional.

A breakup, financial trouble, or job stress might seem like a big deal right now, but you will realize these are stumbling blocks that you will get over. It is not worth giving up.

There is always someone out there that loves and cares about you. I hope all of my friends know that I’m always here for you, no matter what.

Last week, my friend – who has better grades then me, and TA and tutor experience – got her first rejection from the University of Waterloo Master of Psychology Program. So I’m getting a little worried that I have spent all of this time, effort and money just to get rejected. However, these are the schools I have applied to;

Simon Fraser University (British Columbia) – Masters of Psychology in the Law and Forensics Program.

Memorial University of Newfoundland – Masters of Psychology in the Experimental Psychology Program

University of Saskachewan - Masters of Psychology in the Experimental Psychology or Social Psychology Program

University of Manitoba - Masters of Psychology in the Social Psychology Program

Carleton University - Masters of Psychology in the Forensics Program

Ryerson University - Masters of Psychology

Wilfred Laurier University - Masters of Psychology

Right now my top choices are Memorial University, Simon Fraser and Carleton University because of the programs they offer (with a focus on forensics) and the potential supervisors that I would have. They are beginning to send out their acceptance and rejection letters so hopefully I will have a lot of (good) updates over the next few weeks.

Stay tuned…