On Learning Things You’ve Known Your Whole Life: Social Psychology at San Quentin

by Jorge Heredia

The word “psychology” used to sound to me as something supernatural, like a tool with which one can penetrate people’s mind, particularly when TV propaganda depicted those so-called mind readers with their crystal ball, or the fortune tellers with their tarot cards, promoting their superpowers. Currently, I am taking psychology with Ms. Carly Stair and Ms. Ashley Schappell. Their teaching method
makes it easy to understand because they’ve been using daily life examples that once you hear them, you go ¡Orale! (Okay, I get it!) Thus, everything becomes very clear and you find out that your entire life you’ve been applying these various methods of psychology (conformity, persuasion, social cognition, self-justification, aggression, prejudice, liking-loving-interpersonal sensitivity, social psychology
as a science) in your daily life, but the difference is that we might know them with a different name. For example, “introspection,” which is covered in chapter 4, deals with the contemplation of your own thoughts, desires, and conducts, we know it as our conscience, which we use to self-evaluate/ control ourselves. I’m not saying that this is an easy class, careful now, don’t you get confused, pal! What I am saying is that the teachers’ effectiveness inspires you to focus and
to engage in their class discussions, this is why it seems easy to understand social psychology.

I’ve been able to clarify my old belief about psychology, and in a way penetrate others’ mind to understand their behavior, especially in this prison environment. For instance, I can understand and relate in a way to their self-justification, the source of their discomforts, or even their conformity, among other things. Furthermore, this class has helped
me to monitor my own behavior, and awakened a clearer awareness of the society in general inside and outside the prison walls.

I used to have the wrong idea about psychology. I thought it was useful only for insane people. I can dare to say that somewhere out there, there are still many people with this same wrong perspective. I recommend this social psychology class to everyone, because once you take it, you’ll be able to save yourself countless conflicts in the environment around you, regardless of the place where you might be.
This class offers valuable information for our successful development and happiness.