If you are a heterosexual guy, you can skip this paragraph: So yesterday I went to the hairdresser. That is always a scary thing to do, to go to a new hairdresser. My hair does not grow as fast as I want it to, so every cm is holy to me. In order to be precautious I chose one that is a little expensive in KC terms (cheap if it was Norway, though!), expecting price and quality to be correlated. Didn’t help. This woman chopped off more (2cm more!) than I asked her to, and it happend too fast to stop it. She seemed more interested in telling me about her bipolar uncle (since I’m a psychology student), than paying attention to my hair. And I was sitting there (almost) biting my nails to begin with. When I asked her what she was doing (?!), she said it was uneven so she just had to cut off some more. I KNOW THAT THAT IS NOT TRUE!! I was so angry when I went home.. Just to realize: wow, the right side is actually 2 cm longer than the left one! Wtf!? NOW I was really pissed!! Went back today, to blow out my frustration, and get it evened out. That really hurt, taking off even more just to get it straight. The manager appologized a thousand times, and at least I got my money back. So now: back to waiting, letting it groooooooow (no photo here. Only makes me sad).

I have a LOT of reading to do.. I don’t really see how it’s possible to follow the schedule as it’s posted, I cannot read 200 pages every day.. I’ll have to distribute it my own way, somehow. Luckily, most of what’s discussed so far, I’ve already had. Three of the five classes I’m taking, I’ve actually had before. I do finally understand how highly intelligent kids feel in class now. Sitting there, knowing everything already, makes you bored. Me and the IQ 180’s.. But since we have weekly tests, quizzes and papers, you have to stay on track with the reading, and pay attention to what happens in class. Because you can’t fool these peeps, surprise tests are given when you at least expect it.

One of the classes I’m taking is personality psychology. This week we talked about personality tests and the psychodynamic approach. So when talking about the Rohrschach test (where you have to give your own interpretation of ink block pictures) I was waiting for the professor to start laughing. Because that’s what they do in Norway.

In Norway we learn that this test was used a long, long time ago, and doesn’t give ANY proper evaluation of ANYTHING. I carefully raised  my hand and asked whether this test still is used in the USA. Oh, yes! Very much so, every day!! I truly am psychodynamic at heart, and I love the fact that the professors here talk about Freud without a condescending smile. Show the man some respect! But when the professor hardly mentions that this test does have some limitations, I realize that I’m the one smiling… The attitude towards validity and reliability seems to be different over here, and there’s a lot more room for subjective interpretation. Maybe that’s a very good thing. I sure do love the fact that some good old psychodynamic theory still is alive over here! I just feel a big difference in how psychology is approached, and my preexisting opinions are challenged- which is exactly what I hoped to find going halfways across the world.

☝You go, Sigmund! ☝