Wellbeing

What is "Attachment" and How Does it Affect our Relationships? 

Excerpt from an article by Gery Karantzas, Associate professor in Social Psychology / Relationship Science, Deakin University

Research across many years and many cultures has found around 35-40% of people say they feel insecure in their adult relationships. While 60-65% experience secure, loving and satisfying relationships.

How secure or insecure we are with our romantic partners depends, in part, on how we bonded with our parents at a young age. From the day we were born we turned to our parents (or guardians) for love, comfort and security, especially in times of distress. For this reason we call them “attachment figures”.

When our attachment figures respond to our distress in ways that meet our needs, we feel comforted and supported, our distress is reduced, and we learn our attachment figures can be counted on in stressful times.

But if parents often respond to a child’s distress by downplaying their emotions, rejecting their pleas for help, or making the child feel foolish, the child will learn not to trust their attachment figures for help, and to suppress their worries and emotions and deal with them alone. Read full article here

Deepfakes - The Blurred Line between Reality And Fantasy 

As the technology landscape rapidly evolves,  so too does the the rise of "deepfakes" or highly realistic fake content. This important article by Julie Inman Grant, e Safety Commissioner, addresses deepfakes in the context of cyberbullying and the misuse of online technology.

Editing our photos is not a new phenomenon. Making the sun shine just a little brighter in our holiday snaps, airbrushing out that pesky food stain or even superimposing an absent student from the class photo are things that can be done easily and quickly these days.

Modifications that we make to our own images and online records are one thing, but what about when others significantly alter our photos and reframe how we are represented online? What if images or videos of you were circulated showing you doing something you were never involved in, or saying words you never uttered?

Of course, context matters…..continue reading here

Drew Hanna

Student Wellbeing Team – Youth Worker