This summer, I had the chance to participate in a study abroad program hosted by the Psychology Department here at OSU. This trip, called “Psychology and Culture in Europe,” takes a group of approximately 20 students on a tour through Europe to explore how psychology – which truly is everywhere – both influenced and is influenced by society at large.
This trip started in Cologne, Germany, a city that was ravaged by World War II. Naturally, many of the areas we explored in Cologne were opportunities to learn about and reflect on the rise of National Socialism (a.k.a. Nazism) in Germany. Hitler’s rise to power and the ensuing genocide were truly the catalysts behind the study of psychology, as the sheer atrocity of the Nazis’ actions left the international community asking “how did this happen?” and “how can we stop this from happening again?” While it was definitely a heart-breaking experience, seeing the Holocaust through the lens of Nazi Prisons and literal writings on the walls of victims was a reminder of the infinite power of the human mind – a power that can be used for good and evil.
This photo, which shows a wall etching in the former Nazi prison beneath the National Socialism Documentation Center, stood out to me, as it tells the story of a 16 year-old German boy who, while captured, was visited and brought food by his mother every single day. To me, this was a needed reminder of the goodness that exists in all of us.
After Cologne, we moved on to Gent, Belgium where we stopped specifically to visit the “Museum Dr. Guislain,” which is both a memorial to Dr. Guislain, a pioneer in “ethical psychiatry,” and a still-functioning asylum for the mentally ill. We visited the museum portion of the complex, where we were treated to a series of exhibits that told the history of psychiatry.
One portion of the museum that particularly stood out to me was the exhibit on old-fashion medicines, which can be seen in the photo below.
After Belgium, we headed off to London where our trip became a perfect blend of psychology and European culture. While much of our time in London was spent on “touristy” activities like visiting the Cutty Sark and Buckingham Palace, we still managed to build a variety of academically-engaging sites, such as The British Library (the British equivalent of the Library of Congress), The British Museum, and, my personal favorite, The Bethlem Museum of the Mind, into our agenda
The Bethlem Museum of the Mind, according to our tour guide, is the longest-standing mental hospital in the world, as it has been treating patients since 1337. Admittedly, the idea of what constitutes “treatment” has changed a lot since then, and the focus on ethics is a rather recent phenomenon, but the place is absolutely dripping with history nonetheless.
One portion of The Bethlem Museum of the Mind that truly caught my attention was a series of paintings on the wall that was crafted by one of the mental patients in the mid-20th century. These paintings all depicted cats, but as the patient’s state of mind deteriorated, the paintings became more abstract. These paintings show an easily-understood visualization of mental illness, as the first painting looked photo-realistic, but the later ones looked like this:
While London was the official end of the study abroad, one of my study-mates and I continued on to Madrid, Spain where we most definitely focused on the tourist aspect on the city. While I can’t say this was the most “academic” couple of days, it was still astounding to see how different Spanish culture was from anywhere we had been before. For example, most Spaniards don’t wake up until 9-10 a.m., and they don’t eat dinner until 8-10 p.m. – a huge change from London!
Aside from the culture shock, I think Madrid was the most beautiful portion of the trip. In particular, I was absolutely in love with the Palacio Real de Madrid which, fun fact, is actually the largest palace in Europe, standing at 1,450,000 square feet spanning over 3,418 rooms. I only got to see a few hundred of the rooms, and I was already over-whelmed; I can’t imagine living there! Unfortunately, they only allowed pictures in some of the rooms, but my favorite picture I took of the palace was actually the one above, which was taken from the gardens on the south side of the palace.
All around, this trip was an absolutely wonderful experience, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the financial generosity of Honors & Scholars in the form of the Eminence Enrichment Grant. This trip has not only served as an incredible opportunity to engage with the international community, but it single-handedly managed to instill me with an endless sense of wanderlust.
If you ever get a chance to take this trip, I couldn’t possibly recommend it any more highly! Additionally, if you’d like to learn more about all of the things I did during this trip, you can check out my blog here!
Finally, I’d like to give a huge thank you to my travel-mates, including our wonderful advisers, Ilana Seager Van Dyk and Dr. Mark Polifroni. This picture can only begin to describe what an amazing experience we all had!