Psychotherapy Newsgroup
If you have a particular interest, there will most likely be a newsgroup related to the subject. Any topic ranging from poodles, aliens, philosophy, and Britney Spears, are prominently represented in the world of online newsgroups. Every newsgroup has a particular style or theme, and each person belonging to the group usually has some interest in the subject and material posted for discussion. If you are not familiar with newsgroups, I will explain the basic components involved, and why newsgroups use a specialized style and jargon when communicating with one another.
The newsgroup, sci.psychology.psychotherapy, consists of college students, psychologists, counselors, and psychotherapist’s, who share suggestions, research, and opinion, related to psychology. Fields involving psychology and counseling are a growing segment of health care and the increased interest in psychotherapy demands that newsgroups share information that can be beneficial to the individuals in the group. The group members bring into discussion both relevant and irrelevant information on specific topics relating to psychology. Within the newsgroup sci.psyhcology.psychotherapy, there are heated debates where tempers flare, petty fight, and name calling, and on occasion, useful information pertaining to psychology, which can be entertaining and interesting to follow. But first, I will share some basic information about newsgroups.
A newsgroup is like a community of people that enjoys talking about a similar subject of interest. Anyone with access to the Internet can join a group, and begin to post comments and messages in a format similar to writing an e-mail. Just like in a “real” community there is love, humor, hate, fighting, and jealousy, inside of a newsgroup. You may choose to read comments each day or actively voice opinion and debate with a host of eager participants. Participation in newgroups can be time-consuming and addicting if you choose to type away all day with replies to every message posted in the group. It is important to note that your posts can be read by everyone in the group because it allows for many differing views on a topic, as it is possible for newgroups to have hundreds of people reading and replying to posts each day.
A post is a term used for the messages sent in by the members of the newsgroup. If there are many posts relating to one specific subject, it is called a thread. The reader may read a single post and reply, or choose to read an entire thread of posts, which can take considerably more time to read and respond to everyone. As a member of the group, you can add to a thread of postings, or you can create a new thread with your own post. Some newsgroups may have mediators or special group members that read each posting and decide whether to keep or delete the message depending on the material content, such as extreme profanities or discussions not related to the group. This helps keep discussions on track and helps the group to remain focused in the subject matter of choice. Every posting includes the date and time, as well as a brief description of the subject matter. Subject lines are important because it allows you to pick and choose postings you are interested in reading, without having ot read each and every post. The ability to read and post messages in a quick and effective manner is one of the most important features of newsgroups. Sharing information and opinions with someone on the other side of the world is just a mouse click away.
Within the newsgroup sci.psychology.psychotherapy, which I will now refer to as “Psychogroup,” there is a sense of intimacy and camaraderie between the regular group members. In, “The Rhetoric’s and Languages of Electronic Mail,” authors Charles Moran and Gail Hawisher, write about the illusions of intimacy that often takes place between individuals corresponding over the Internet when stating, “The e-mail correspondent often feels that what is being said on e-mail is being said on a secure channel appropriate for intensely personal communications.. even in large discussion groups, participants note the intimacy they feel with other participants. Selfe and Meyer (1991), for example, have documented electronic exchanges which suggests that members of Megabyte University, a listserv group for writing teachers, think of themselves as a close-knit group who chat away like old friends” (Moran & Howisher 88-89). The same is true among the members of Psychogroup, it is evident that members of the group look out for each others’ welfare and safety just as friends would in a regular group. Peter, a regular group member and a clinical therapist, is worried about Lynne because of the increasingly strange comments directed at her by Iceman, an often outspoken member of the group. The following excerpt affirms an intimate concern shared between Psychogroup members when Peter states:
Peter: Lynne, I strongly urge you to kill file Iceman, this joker is a sick fuk.
Lynne: Since he is without doubt reading my every post, I decided to follow up your post. That way he gets to see it too!
Peter: He is obsessed with you; in his head he has a picture of you, your house, and now your furnishing. In his sick unbalanced mind he thinks it is all real.
Lynne: Not true, the pictures are real enough, I posted them.
Peter: Iceman’s posts directed at you are not in the spirit of general hard flames, they reflect classic Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, they are senseless repetitive, distressing, and sometimes harmful. Read his post carefully Lynne, there is no humor, there is not sarcasm, there is no intelligent satire, there is only irrational, repetitive and deliberate malevolent overtones towards you. I would advise not posting anymore pictures of you house; your safety is a real concern right now. (Lynne and Peter, 9 March, 2003)
Whether Lynne’s safety is at stake or not, the “virtual” intimacy of Psychogroup is in question as it may not be safe to share personal information or pictures, until the situation with Iceman is resolved. Deception and the ability to deceive group members are entirely possible because of a lack of physical presence. The illusion of intimacy cannot be taken for granted as it is possible that the group member Peter is an elderly woman living in Alaska. Newsgroups allow participants to play along in an imaginary world, with imaginary boundaries, that are sometimes broken along with trust.
Psychogroup is rarely on task when it comes to subject material. Considering that most of the group members are professional psychologists, the subject matter is rarely of any significance in relation to psychology, especially psychotherapy. I expected lively discussions on ADD, or Attention Deficit Disorder, or if Freud’s techniques are relevant to clinical therapists in practice today. Intelligible communication and debate is rare among Psychogroup and several of the posts look something similar to this:
Subject Line: Hey Gummy People
Posted Mar 2003 07:14:09 GMT, Iceman says…
Iceman: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
Hoofprints: Lap dawg of old ladies! LOL! Now we know from whence cometh thine frumpy dresses. *snicker*
Hoofprints: Gawd, this time it was the tortilla chips!
Iceman: LOL, soon I’ll owe you a five course meal. :)
The exchange between Iceman and Hoofprints is unintelligible and of no use to the majority of the group. The subject line reads “Hey Gummy People,” and when opened the conversation immediately turns into babble about frumpy dresses and tortilla chips. If someone were to happen upon this newsgroup, and read this dialogue contained within each of the posts, they might get the impression that Psychogroup member are actually patients in great need of psychotherapy help. Psychogroup members including Kali, Lynne, Iceman, Hoofprints, The Psycho, and Snaggletooth, do not seem interested in responding to, or leading discussions dealing with psychological issues. The subject lines are sporadic and often immature in nature as evidenced by the following three titles; “Googie is holding her standards and undies high!,” (The Psycho, 11 March, 2003)and “I fuck horses, call Carla.” (Iceman, 8 March, 2003) With subjects like this posted on a daily basis, it becomes apparent that most of the group members are not interested in thoughtful discussions about psychology.
I initially decided to research this group because of my interest in counseling and psychology. Looking back at most of the archives and current posts, the subject material rarely lives up to the titles and thoughtful discussions are mostly rare. On occasion, there are posts that are relevant and insightful and help to compensate the pointless chatter so often written throughout each day. Peter seems to be highly knowledgeable and respectable sources of discussion. Peter gives helpful advice to a college student named Maria, who is unsure of what direction to take during the rest of her scholastic career:
Maria: I am doing a course on Freudian Foundations on psychoanalysis, and it is very interesting, I may want to continue on with Fruedian psychoanalysis.
Peter: I would point out that Freud is a historical figure whose work has been largely disproven and/or replaced as time has gone on. While there are those who accord Freud’s writings near Biblical status, relatively few psychoanalysts practice Freudian analysis. Behaviorism, Gestalt psychology, cognitive therapy, rational-emotive therapy, and client-centered therapy, have superceded psychoanalysis in general. You will have difficult in finding a training program in Freudian analysis, but there are a number of institutions offering training in psychoanalytic practice around the world.” (Peter, 8 March, 2003)
All of the responses to this post remained on topic and were generally positive and helpful with advice on which schools are the best in the United States for Freudian Analysis, and more information dealing with Freud and his theories. Maria’s final post was a thank you to all who willingly wrote back with helpful suggestions. This type of question and response is exactly what is expected from this group and all of the members should try to realize that if used correctly, the newsgroup can be a powerful learning tool and an important channel for helping individuals like Maria. Luckily there are a few members who realize this and make an effort to keep discussion on track, or at least interesting to read.
The language in Psychogroup is informal, and the use of grammar is generally poor and unclear. Dianna Booher, in her book titled “E-writing, 21st century tools for an effective communication”, classifies this informal style as “T-shirt writing” (Booher 274), which is defined as , “choosing aggressive words, and rambling on, without sorting the main ideas and details that are irrelevant” (Booher 274). The use of aggressive words, sentences that ramble on, using made up words, along with excessive use of punctuations, becomes apparent after reading a response from Hoofprints:
Hoofprints: Dontyano, yer weakness is *asslicking* and yer limitations is yer a sniveling sociopath… (Hoofprints, 20 March, 2003)
Unfortunately, several group members use informal language that is hard to understand and painful to read. It seems that the improper use of punctuation, capitalization, and grammar, would cause problems among group members, but this is rarely the case. It allows group members to create their own styles or voice, by using incorrect grammar, and punctuations. The informal approach is reinforced among group members, because it allows members to feel closer to one another with the formal barriers of language let down. Often times, a new group member will post a message using appropriate grammar and style, but will not receive any messages back because it is not what group members expect, or enjoy reading within their group. Informal writing is promoted in part to the instantaneous nature of the Internet, where speed is more important than clarity, especially in a group like this. There is little regard for proper communication, which can be irritating and confusing because of a lack of structure.
Internet communication can promote the use of jargon and acronyms created with specific meaning to a group. Psychogroup relies on jargon and acronyms in conversation, some of which are related to psychology, such as:
ADD-Attention Deficit Disorder (Peter, 8 March, 2003)
OCD-Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (Kali, 15 March, 2003)
The use of psychology related acronyms are expected from a group dealing with psychotherapy. Unfortunately, the majority of jargon and acronyms used by Psychogroup are terms made up by certain members of the group or the Internet community. Examples of jargon and acronyms not related to psychology along with their meanings, are as follows:
LOL-Laugh out loud (Iceman, 15 March, 2003)
Dontya-Don’t you (Kali, 15 March, 2003)
Dontchyno-Don’t you know (Kali, 15 March, 2003)
Prof-Professor (The Psycho, 11 March, 2003)
Howz-How Does, or How Is (Iceman, 21 February, 2003)
Acronyms are an integral part of Internet communication because they allow the writer to create distinguishable phrases and words, and they give the writer a shortcut from writing a word or phrase in its entirety. Although jargons and acronyms serve a purpose in some instances, Booher believes they should be avoided entirely with the following sentences, “Acronyms…annoy people rather than amuse them. If you’re using these shortcuts, remember that artificial acronyms may be a shortcut to the writer, but they will not be easily interpreted by those unfamiliar with them” (Booher 26). If possible, limit acronyms and jargon in order to prevent communication related problems within a group.
Following Psychogroup over the past couple of months was to say the least, quite boring. The group rarely manages to stay on any topic of interests, I personally felt that some of the members were not who they claimed to be, or exaggerated their status as therapists, and felt that some of the members were manipulative and deceitful. With exception to three members in group, I felt that the information and topics put forth were of no value to anyone interested in psychotherapy, which is the purpose of the group in the first place. Tim, Peter, and Gene, were the most knowledgeable members of the group and tried to keep discussions on track, but their voice was minimal and the remaining cast of “amateur” psychotherapists overpowered intelligent conversation or debate in favor of personal chatter that was obnoxious and pointless to the group as a whole.
Anoymity, is a word that comes to mind when trying to describe the overall style and feeling of Psychogroup. I felt that most of the discussions and writing patterns between the group members were very similar, and would not be distinguishable if it were not for their names written at the end of the posts. I get the feeling that this is what draws many people to Internet communication sites similar to this, because you can say whatever, to whomever, without worrying about it, because you do not know them, and they do not know you. Although there are many negative attributes found within Psychogroup, I find electronic based communication a necessary, and creative, outlet millions of people around the world today, and realize that the majority of newgroups on the internet today are helpful and informative places to visit.
Works Cited:
Booher, Dianna. "E-Writing." New York: Pocket Books, 2001.
Hawisher, Gail and Charles Moran. "The Rhetoric's and Languages of E-mail." 1997, 80-101.
Hoofprints. "Sanitaryboy, finally comes out of the closet." Online Posting. 15 March, 2003. 20 March, 2003. (sci.psychology.psychotherapy). Google
Iceman and Hoofprints. "HEY! Gummy People" Online Posting. 15 March, 2003. (sci.psychology.psychotherapy). Google
Iceman. "What kind of neighborhood does sanitarypad live in?" Online Posting 19 February, 2003. 21 February, 2003. (sci.psychology.psychotherapy). Google
Iceman. "I FUCK HORSES Call Carla" Online Posting. 8 March, 2003. (sci.pschology.psychotherapy). Google
Kali. "HEY! Gummy People" Online Posting. 15 March, 2003. (sci.psychology.psychotherapy). Google
Lynne and Peter. "Att. Peeve." Online Posting. 9 March, 2003. (sci.psychology.psychotherapy). Google
Peter. "What challenges do counselor's face?" Online Posting. 8 March, 2003. (sci.psychology.psychotherapy). Google
The Psycho. "Googie is holding her standards and her undies high!" Online Posting. 11 March, 2003. (sci.psychology.psychotherapy). Google
