Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 9. Source pages: 2, 7.
I have often wondered how does someone with a doctorate degree in psychology, specializing in Clinical and Industrial/Organizational, become the publisher of a news periodical. After having the privilege of chatting with Dr. Julie Nelson, I now know how it all came to be.
Julie Nelson is the creator and publisher of The Psychology Times, the embodiment of a lifelong passion. Nelson is the daughter of esteemed journalists Gordon Nelson and Lynn Hunter Nelson. Dr. Nelson grew up in a family that loved all things related to journalism, freedom of speech, and newspaper writing. Some of her earliest memories are from her experiences in developing and printing newspapers with her parents.
Although Nelson did not pursue journalism as a profession, she never lost her appreciation and love of it, and what it meant to her. In September 2009 she published the first issue of the Psychology Times.
Because of her background and love for journalism, one might expect that the development of the Times would have been a natural progression and blending of her two passions. Contrary to this notion though, when asked if she had planned all along to create the Times, Nelson remarked, “The idea [to create the Times] just popped into my head one day. Because I was totally frustrated with people in power and with the groupthink. Things changing seemed really bleak,” she said. “Since I tend to be an over-functioner, I rarely have the good sense to walk away from something. So, the Times gave me an outlet and direction.”
Nelson also explained that she took a step back and looked at the psychology community as a whole and realized that “Things weren’t good. Some people didn’t seem to even understand the group dynamics” or the role of communication in productivity. At this point, she said to herself, “Whoa. This community needs a community newspaper more than any system I’ve ever seen.”
“The Times is my way of waving the flag,” she said. “I look around and I see, at all levels of our society, that certain principles are being ignored. One principle that I committed to when I chose a career in psychology was truth. Newspapers push for freedom of information and truth. So it’s a fit for me.”
The combination of journalism and psychology may not be an intuitive twosome, but Nelson commented, “I’ve seen a lot of overlap between journalism and organizational psychology since I’ve been at this. It’s been very interesting.”
Nelson explained some of what she views as the links between journalism and social psychological phenomena. “… free flow of information is probably the most clear and basic key process [in a large social group]. It relates to quality of problem-solving and problem-finding, innovation, creativity, all sorts of stuff, [including] ingroup and outgroup bias, prejudice, and so on.”
Nelson went on to explain what she sees as another link between journalism and organizational psychology, states, “Information flow is also key for engaging people and their energy,” she said.
“So all this is just a basic benefit of community newspapers, and similar to organizational development. No one ever knows where the information is going or what the impact will be, we just know it is important for open systems and self-correction.”
She also sees a link between journalism and cognitive psychology. Nelson explained that often “People can’t remember the train of events by themselves. People are outraged today, then tomorrow they aren’t. All sorts of cognitive flaws, journalists help to lessen these. The newspaper helps our slow think processes, and keep the dots connected,” she said.
Overall, the connection between psychology and journalism boils down to the notion that, according to Nelson, “Good journalism and information flow, helps counteract deception and its cousin, self- deception,” she said.
“Journalism provides a detection system that can be an antidote to fast think errors and cheating. So journalists are like community group facilitators, or psycho- therapists, they point out things that shake up the self-interested viewpoint.”
Reflective of Dr. Nelson’s efforts and vision regarding the Times and how it can bring people together and encourage discussion and the sharing of ideas, today, The Psychology Times has developed into an award winning newspaper.
Now, coming full circle, the Times, which began as an endeavor to enlighten and inform the psychology community, is not only a way to pay tribute to individuals and accomplishments reported in the Times, but also a tribute to Nelson’s parents. Nelson’s parents, a major driving force behind her love of journalism’s ideals, passed away in 2009 and 2010.
Given all this, I personally feel extremely privileged to have the opportunity to be a part of The Psychology Times and share with you, our readers, the legacy of the Nelsons and their ability to enrich our community.
(Suzanne Booth, MA, is an IO psychology doctoral student at LSU Baton Rouge, and an intern with Times.)
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.