Category Archives: Psychology

Are some celebrities eccentric or sick?

Are some celebrities eccentric or sick?

If you ever felt that your uniqueness means that you are not like other people, and you do not have human limitation, you have entered the arena that Greek writers called “tragedy”.  In this arena, all Greek heroes often had the same flaws, excessive pride. It happens when people fail to accept human limitation, and when they believe they are not subjects to the same constrains as others. Also, the same happens to people who victimize (Carnes, 1997, pp. 84-85).

According to Dr. Patrick Carnes, here are some ways such entitlement can develop: all kind of people who were damaged or abused while growing up, and when not dealing with their issues, they end up believing that laws and rules don’t apply to themselves (e.g., sociopaths, narcissists, addicts).

Interesting is to note that people who grew up in families of extraordinary wealth, power or fame as well as people of great talent of hard work that rise to positions of great power, may share the same beliefs but with no apparent diagnosis. Often, they act in the same way, and laws and rules don’t apply to themselves. In other words, they believe they deserve privileges. They may see themselves as being better than others (e.g., smarter, tougher, etc.). Therefore, they believe that they are more deserving. Many of these famous or powerful figures died with no diagnosis… As a matter of fact, often they are just recognized as eccentrics (e.g, Steve Jobs, John F. Kennedy), and this is still a millenary heritage of our culture.


We need Heroes. Let’s create them! [Precisamos de mais Heróis. Então, vamos criá-los!]

Team Justice League

Team Justice League

Heroes and evils are opposite extremes in the general population and are both very rare. The majority of the population does nothing but if so, they do without any imagination, just going with the flow. In other words, the key to figure out if you are going to follow Gandhi or Hitler is way more related to the circumstances than you can possibly imagine. But the fact is:


and according to Dr. Philip Zimbardo, we need to spread the word and show that our inner hero can be shut down by a negative environment. Moreover, we need to not let these happen and motivate the heroic action, transforming compassion into heroic action. With this purpose, Zimbardo and collegues created the Heroic Imagination Project based on scientific findings that people tend to do what the group decides to do even if they are sure that it is the wrong choice (Salomon Asch’s Conformity) or people tend to not help if the others do not help either (the Bystander effect). Worse, people tend to harm others under the obedience to unjust authority (Stanley Milgram Experiment). Therefore, what is necessary is to teach that no matter the circumstances:


and the right choice is the one that really matters and is capable to change the world for better.

The newest hero is Nirvan Mullick, a cineast that discovered the little persistent Caine and – after watching this video – you will know the 9-year-old Caine Monroy and his Caine’s Arcade:

Nirvan Mullick with Caine Monroy

Nirvan Mullick, the Hero who discovered the little artist and persistent Caine Monroy at Caine's Arcade.

Here is a big list of the CNN HEROES ARCHIVE for 2012 and past years.

3 not well known Heroes but amazing ones cited by Zimbardo: the 9-year-old-boy Lin Hao (2008), the 15-year-old-girl Claudette Colvin (1955), and Irena Sendler (1940-43) on her 30’s. It took decades for Claudette and Irena to be recognized:

Lin Hao, the Hero

Lin Hao, the Hero of China Earthquake 2008 who came back to save his classmates.

Claudette Colvin, the Hero

Claudette Colvin, the Hero of African-American Civil Rights Movement in the 50's who refused to give her seat to a white person in the bus.

Irena Sendler, the Hero

Irena Sendler, the Hero of World War II keeping more than 2,500 Jewish kids away from nazis concentration camps.

Heróis e vilões são extremos opostos em uma população qualquer e ambos são muito raros. A maioria da população não faz nada, mas se fizer, faz sem nenhuma imaginação, só indo com a maré. Em outras palavras, a chave para descobrir se você vai acompanhar Gandhi ou Hitler está mais relacionada com as circunstâncias do que você possa imaginar. Mas o fato é que:


e de acordo com o Dr. Philip Zimbardo, é preciso mostrar que o nosso herói interior pode ser destruído por um ambiente negativo. Além disso, é preciso não deixar que isto aconteça e motivar a atitude heróica, transformando compaixão em ação heróica. Com este propósito, Zimbardo e colegas criaram o Heroic Imagination Project baseado em descobertas científicas nas quais as pessoas tendem a fazer o que o grupo decide fazer, mesmo tendo certeza que seja a escolha errada (Salomon Asch’s Conformity) ou as pessoas tendem a não ajudar se os outros também não ajudam (the Bystander effect). Pior, as pessoas tendem a prejudicar os outros quando estão sob obediência à autoridade injusta (Stanley Milgram Experiment). Portanto, o que é necessário é ensinar que não importa as circunstâncias:


e a escolha certa é o que realmente importa e é capaz de mudar o mundo para melhor.

O mais novo herói é Nirvan Mullick, um cineasta que descobriu o persistente Caine e – depois de assistir a este vídeo – você vai saber tudo sobre Caine Monroy, um garotinho de 9 anos de idade  e sua Caine Arcade.

Aqui uma extensa lista de heróis da CNN HEROES ARCHIVE para 2012 e anos anteriores.

3 Heróis não bem conhecidos, mas incríveis citados por Zimbardo: o garoto de 9 anos Lin Hao (2008), a menina de 15 anos Claudette Colvin (1955), e Irena Sendler (1940-1943) nos seu 30. Claudette e Irena foram reconhecidas como heroínas muitas décadas mais tarde.







The Official Trailer: In the Land of Blood and Honey.


The Old Yugoslavia


Official website of the Movie:

Amazing Press Conference about the Movie and the Memories of the Cast

Zana Marjanovic as Ajla

Zana Marjanovic as Ajla

Goran Kostic as Danijel
Jolie in Action

Jolie in Action