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Today I will talk you about a subject that I enjoyed: psychobiology. And yep, it sounds so nerdy as the things that you usually see in this place.

It´s about ethology, a discipline that emphazises the relationship between the behavior of the organism and the environment in which they evolved. So, one of the question is: is this behavior adaptive? how could it help that specie to survive and have reproductive success?

A learnt a lot about biological predispositions of behavior and typical patterns of responses of certain species (like fish). Also a very interesting thing I learnt is about the social and sexual organization of others primates which I like to compare with different patterns of our own specie.

It serves a lot to me. It was the first time that someone told me that certain human pathologies can be understood under an evolutive perspective. I mean, culture is faster than biological evolution and certain things couldn´t be adaptive anymore. Also, mechanisms that are adaptive in our diary life (for example, allowing us avoid cops) can conduct to mental health problems, like depression, PTSD, substances abuse and so on. So, you can act trough that mechanisms providing a successful help to the clients, facilitating the relief of their symptoms.

Besides all the knowledge I acquired in that course, I think that I enjoyed it because the professor was very funny. Well, sometimes. Marcial, I´m sorry if I slept in some of your classes. But beyond that, he was pretty good at teaching and you could realize that he loved the topic and he liked  being  a teacher so much. So, it was a good experience.

Although he puts the accent on the innateness of some things he talked about, I learnt later that much of them can be modulated for the environment and the learning mechanisms. So, the old debate learned-innate is most dead that my wishes of being psychoanalyst.   

POST VI: Postgraduate studies

Hi:

The last post I talked to you about my idea of getting a PhD, so I´m out of ideas right now. However, I will try.

In psychology, at the end of the career we have to do the Professional Formation Courses, which could -or not- count as a diploma course depending of the number of courses that this have. In the case that the persons of the psychology department allow its realization, I would like to do the cognitive-behavioral therapy diploma course because it offers professional knowledge (beyond research and nerdy things with numbers) and it is a practice with good empirical support which is mandatory for a psychology practicer for ethical reasons (I´m watching you, Freudians). So, it would be in face-to-face classes. If that courses are not dictated, maybe I will take the less bad of the other clinical options (good God, please prevent me of this). 

A future option would be take the multivariate analysis certification course offered by the faculty. As some of you know, I´m a quantitative human being, so it would be nice learn more about complexes statistical methods. Besides, I would be a little bit more prepared for PhD studies.

About the PhD: I don´t have decided yet the country, so I feel like a bird in the air. As always, I guess.

POST V: My future job

I think that I would like to have a job doing research and teaching about psychology, my career (wich I like because offers powerful explanations of human behavior). I imagine it would be stressing as hell, although the sensation of doing a good class is very reinforcing. Also I think that research looks pretty good when one is a undergrad student because you teachers finance you but being a professional researcher involves searching the funds by yourself, which is sad (and stressing, again). Add it the pressure for publishing. However, I think that is a job in which one is always learning. And I love learning.

I think that salary would be better than being a clinical psychologist. However, and this is counter-intuitive, they are many unemployed PhDs in Chile and the money for doing a course it´s not so much. So, job insecurity is so real as the computer in which I´m writing this.

In the best case, I could travel a couple of times a year for congresses. Other advantage is that I could form students in a relationship of mutual respect and learning for the other.

A female friend told me that when she get tired of the academic environment, she would renounce and she would build a house in a remote place. It sounds like a great idea.

POST IV: My favourite book

Today I will talk about my favourite book, "Sobre heróes y tumbas", written by Ernesto Sabato. This novel is about the story of Martín and Alejandra and their tempestuous relationship. He was a very nice guy but a little bit dependent; she was kind, sometimes but in other times she was a very hostile person. The book also tells the story of a secret society and the history of Alejandra´s father.

I got the book when I was 17-18. I went to San Diego and found it, I think that in  "Libros de ocasión", a very good book store where I am client since I am16. Before buying it, I had read "El tunel" (other novel of Sabato), so as I liked it, I thought that "Sobre heróes y tumbas" would be a good choice. And it was.

I think I liked it because it intersects three or four stories inside and relate them with the history of Argentina (peronism, e.g.). Also, it explores the lights and shades of the human condition, with focus on the dark side of the force in some characters, the conflict in others and so on. I read it in a moment in wich I read a lot and I was conflicted about the life´s sense and the humans relationships. My human relationships, were a little caotic at that time and the physical description of Alejandra reminded me a relevant woman in the life of the past´s Luis. Also, I think that in a certain way, I felt identified with Martín. And a little bit with Alejandra´s father and his pessimistic vision of the human race. 

This book is part of a trilogy of novels. The first one is "El tunel", after that comes "Sobre heróes y tumbas" and finally, "Abbadón el exterminador". I think that "Sobre heróes y tumbas" is the best one. I searched the book online and for ending this text, I will let you with a paragraph I like:

"Los pesimistas se reclutan entre los ex esperanzados, puesto que para tener una visión negra del mundo hay que haber creído antes en él y en sus posibilidades. Y todavía resulta más curioso y paradojal que los pesimistas, una vez que resultaron desilusionados, no son constantes y sistemáticamente desesperanzados, sino que, en cierto modo, parecen dispuestos a renovar su esperanza a cada instante aunque lo disimulen debajo de su negra envoltura de amargados universales, en virtud de una suerte de pudor metafísico"

POST III: A teacher that inspired me

The teacher who inspired me is Agustín Zamora, also known as "Loco Zamora", my language teacher in high school. I met him in the third year of  secondary school in one of my two language classes (I chose the humanistic speciality in high school). He has a little overweigth, although his height compensated it; his hair was curly and somehow messy and he was tall and a little overweigth.

I think he achieved inspiring me because he could passionately talk about literature, one of my favourite hobbies. He could make sounds Shakespeare like the best thing of the life (i.e., not boring literature of centuries ago) and linking it with actual political issues or authors of other eras. He was specially good doing links amongst things that you don´t think that have it, a really cultured man who knew a lot of things out of his speciality.

With him, I learnt that the political preferences of an author can´t be an obstacle for reading him/her. For example, you can read Borges although he supported Pinochet in certain moment or you can read Neruda although he wrote "Oda a Stalin". Not all people can understand this. His class must be called "Literature and politics".

I think that in a peculiar way, with his accurates comments and jokes, he teached us that all is politic and that the critical thinking is one of the most important treasures that one can possess.

POST II: Holidays

Hi

For some reason that I ignore, I will write about my holidays. My best holidays was in 2016, after that I finished high school, and it lasted one month or something like that. I went to different places in the south of Chile, like Temuco, Carahue, Nehuentue, Puerto Montt, Frutillar and so on. I went with mi older brother, Marco, and my mom.

I liked Puerto Montt. Maybe, I could live there after graduating. However, I need more information before make that decission.

In the 2016´s holidays, we walked too much and we crossed Lago de todos los santos. The main aim, however, was to visit the family. Also, we went to cemetery for cleaning my grandad and aunt´s tombs, as every time that we are in the south of the country.

The most salient fact was the tour that we took. It allows us to know places around Puerto Montt, like Lago de todos los santos that I mentioned before. That is one of the reasons because is the best holidays, even more that the time when I traveled Neuquen, in Argentina. Also, because I was with my direct family.

Besides photos, I conserve one cup from that holidays and it is my favourite one.

Thank you for reading.