Educational Social Policy Research Articles

Managing Depression Depends on How We Understand Ourselves

The scientific general theory of psychology states people act on circumstance based on the ideas they hold about the circumstance, the intensity of action arising from emotions associated with those ideas. It follows, how we manage ourselves depends on the ideas we hold about ourselves on how we work as a species. The private understanding of our internal dialogue and emotional experience makes no difference and our understanding of ourselves is to us the same as our understanding of a tree. Therefore, our understanding of how we work as a species will determine understanding or our psychic states that largely determine our life experience. Because our life experience is so dependent on our psychic states, which are managed based on our understanding of ourselves, I refer to the society wide common or popular view of ‘how we work as a species’ as the mental health ideology of the society. There are two fundamental views of humans as a species. Monism, mind and brain the same, with brain dominant. The medical model, as a species we are carried forward by our genes and neural processes. Monism is the current ‘official’ view presented by the medical profession, most academics, and adopted by governments in setting mental health, mental illness and education social policy. Thus, monism is the mental health ideology typically adopted by citizens. Dualism, mind and brain separate, with our psychic states driven by mind, brain the mechanism of mind. The spiritual model, as a species we are carried forward by our choices. Dualism is not currently widely supported by authorities, it is also eroded as a view of ourselves by the Freudian misdirection, and by many religious views. However, techniques such as emotional intelligence, mindfulness and resilience training are gaining citizen acceptance. Application of such techniques significantly improved when people understand and accept the science of humanity as dualist. As a species, we need come to terms with the science that directs that our experience of life determined almost totally by the ideas we apply in the enactment of life. This paper illustrates how the mental health ideology adopted will determine the effectiveness of our management of ourselves and determine the efficacy of any social policy in areas influenced by citizens fundamental views on how they work as a species (such as mental health, mental illness, education, rehabilitation of criminal behavior, and crucial social statistics such a suicide, domestic violence and substance abuse, etc.). This paper continues the argument and proof that monism is the wrong science, the correct science of humanity is dualism. That continued application of policy derived from monism will guide citizens in the wrong direction and disable their capacity to build a better life for themselves. I summarize this in the proposition … throwing more money at mental health based on the science of monism is equivalent to throwing oil on an oil fire. Continued support of monism will escalate actual economic costs and incur high social costs in terms of lives harmed and destroyed unnecessarily. The policy differences that arise between monism and dualism is illustrated by applying it to the management of depression.

In the Interests of Rural Society: The Riverina press and the provision of health and education

The provision of health and education facilities in rural areas has been an important priority for Riverina newspapers in their ongoing crusades for country communities to enjoy similar facilities to those in metropolitan areas. In the first half of the twentieth century such campaigns were fuelled by a ‘countrymindedness’ ideology which set the virtues of country life against perceptions of the power of the city. If one analyses Riverina press responses to health and education social policies between 1910 and 1960, it is clear that the press assumed a unified society within its perceptions of a Riverina regional community of interest. This article highlights not only the city-country dichotomy but also the tensions between the newspapers' views of local and regional benefits. A study of press responses shows the triumph of localism in their coverage in favour of individual towns even in regionally oriented campaigns for social progress.

To shape the future: towards a framework for adult education social policy research and action

Although a corpus of research has been developed on learning and practice‐based adult education, little research has been conducted from the standpoint of social policy and its role in the field of adult education. To assist systematic inquiry and enhance the part research could play in social policy advocacy, this article presents three social policy models, links them to adult education philosophies of practice as well as to sociological theory, proposes a taxonomy of mechanisms within each social policy model, and discusses broad strategy to influence policy through research. Further research issues and questions are also provided for future investigation on this issue.