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The Psychologically Literate Citizen
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The Psychologically
Literate Citizen
EDITED BY
Jacquelyn Cranney
dana s. dunn
1
1
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______________________________________________________________
The P ro m i s e a n d P e r ils o f T h i n k i n g
L i k e a P s y ch ol og i s t
Anyone who plays golf or tennis knows that there are few better ways to make bad
shots than to think carefully and reflectively as one is making a shot. Analyzing
the shot as one makes it destroys the shot. The danger of psychology is that one
can over-analyze one’s life and the lives of others.
Many years ago, I was at a conference and found myself in a curious informal
dispute with a colleague. He was a developmental psychologist and said that he
and his wife, also a developmental psychologist, religiously applied what they
knew about developmental psychology to raising their children. He thought, in
particular, that their children could have an edge in school over other children if
the parents used their knowledge to push the children along at an accelerated pace
through the stages of cognitive development. He believed in the Piagetian stages,
but not in the idea that the ages at which children arrive at them are fixed. I said
that I sometimes applied the ideas, but was reluctant to use psychology in a highly
prescriptive way to rush along my children’s cognitive development.
I don’t know what ultimately happened to his children or to him. But I do think
there are advantages to joy and spontaneity in life that can be lost if one applies
one’s psychology too determinedly to one’s life. Indeed, in one of our studies of
love and close relationships (Sternberg, Hojjat, & Barnes, 2001), we found that a
lover’s story of a loving relationship in which scientific analysis of the relationship
is at the forefront of the relationship is not associated with satisfaction and suc-
cess. Green and colleagues’ chapter on positive psychology and psychological lit-
eracy argues for the integration of the science of positive psychology into
education; any psychologically literate graduate should appreciate the benefits of
creativity and spontaneity in everyday life.
The first semester of introductory psychology was a rough experience for me. When
I took it, in 1968, it was taught in a way that emphasized factual recall. The tests we
received were basically assessments of our factual recall. I received a C in the course
Foreword ix
and the professor informed me that there was one famous Sternberg in psychology
and that there was unlikely to be another. Thirty-five years later I was president of
the American Psychological Association and commented to my predecessor, Phil
Zimbardo, that it was ironic that the president of APA received a C in intro; he told
me that he, too, had gotten a C. Ironically, perhaps, the professor who gave me the
C was the chair of the search committee that later hired me to return to Yale, and
became one of the most valuable colleagues I ever had.
I would like to think that the teaching of psychology has changed greatly since
1968–69. Certainly, the content of the course has changed greatly. But from my
experience, the teaching methods used are extremely variable across professors
and institutions. There are some faculty members who teach it in a way that
inspires reflective thinking, and there are others who teach it for memorization of
“facts,” many of which, as I said earlier, will quickly become out of date. It is impor-
tant to teach psychological literacy in our courses because that is what most will
stay with our students, not knowledge of picky facts. One needs knowledge to
think reflectively, but rote memorization often leads to an inert knowledge base
upon which one is unable to draw to think reflectively. The chapters by McGovern
and Bernstein in this volume speak to the need for psychology educators to be
role models for psychologically literate citizenship, which would also include
taking on the approach of scientist-educator, thus acknowledging the literature on
the importance of student engagement and the effectiveness of active learning.
Much of one’s professional life is coming to terms with what one is as opposed to
what one hoped to be. When I started my career, I was thrilled with the big thinkers
x Foreword
I observed in the field, such as Roger Brown at Harvard, Irving Janis at Yale, Roger
Shepard at Stanford, Paul Meehl at Minnesota, and Bob Zajonc at Michigan, to
name just a few. But as the years went by, the focus of psychology seemed to move
to ever-smaller problems. More and more, the rewards seemed to be for extremely
microscopic analysis, in whatever domain. The era of the big thinkers seemed to be
over. Whereas the leaders of the previous generation were known to all psychology
students, more and more, thought leaders were known to students only in increas-
ingly more specialized fields. My hope is that the field, in its desire to mimic the
natural and especially biological sciences, will not increasingly lose sight of the
forest for the trees. Students need to be trained in broad areas of psychology, not
just in their own specialized area, and in thinking across areas, rather than only
within areas. Many of the greatest thinkers in the field—Herbert Simon, George
Miller, and Amos Tversky—became great in part because they worked across dis-
ciplinary boundaries. Desire for such breadth is implicit in many of the contribu-
tions in this book.
Psychological literacy is a good idea, but we need to nurture it, care for it, and
sometimes be wary of it, for the reasons I’ve just reviewed. In sum, I am delighted
that such an important volume on psychological literacy has appeared, and I hope
it will spawn many offspring that will continue to develop this important field.
Robert J. Sternberg
Oklahoma State University
Provost and Senior Vice President
Stillwater, Oklahoma
References
Arum, R., & Roksa, J. (2011). Academically adrift: limited learning on college campuses.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Sternberg, R. J. (1995). In search of the human mind. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace
College Publishers.
Sternberg, R. J. (2010a). Teaching for ethical reasoning in liberal education. Liberal
Education, 96(3), 32–37.
Sternberg, R. J. (2010b). WICS: a new model for cognitive education. Journal of Cognitive
Education and Psychology, 9, 34–46.
Sternberg, R., Hojjat, M., & Barnes, M. L. (2001). Empirical tests of aspects of a theory
of love as a story. European Journal of Personality, 15, 199–218.
P r efac e
Our hope for this volume is that undergraduate psychology educators, curricu-
lum designers, and policy creators will be inspired to re-examine the aims of
undergraduate psychology education, and as a consequence reshape pedagogy
and curriculum, thus better preparing our students for their increasingly uncer-
tain but potentially very exciting futures. This book was inspired by our involve-
ment in the project that produced the volume Undergraduate Education in
Psychology: A Blueprint for the Future of the Discipline (Halpern, 2010a). Jacky,
who has been involved in national psychology undergraduate education in
Australia for several years, was privileged to be invited to contribute to the first
chapter, which outlined the two key concepts pursued in this volume, psychologi
cal literacy and the psychologically literate citizen (McGovern et al., 2010). Dana
has long contributed to policy and guidelines regarding outcomes and assessment
in undergraduate psychology education in the United States, and he led the chap-
ter on defining a core curriculum for undergraduate psychology in the “Blueprint”
volume (Dunn et al., 2010).
The “Blueprint” volume has already been described as a classic in the field, and
was thus deserving of immediate follow-up, with the focus being on expanding
the theory and practice around the paradigmatic concepts of psychological literacy
and the psychologically literate citizen. McGovern and colleagues (2010) explicitly
referred to the global implications of those concepts, and the current volume
sought to extend the work of the “Blueprint” volume beyond the shores of the
United States. Although most of the chapters were written by U.S. and Australian
authors, there are several chapters written by education leaders on other conti-
nents, and the chapter by Dudgeon and colleagues gives a distinctly non-Western
perspective. Essentially, the primary aim of this volume was to provide some
answers from across the world on the “why” and “how” of educating the psycho-
logically literate citizen—the proposed universal outcome of the psychology
major. That is, this volume extends into global territories of the paradigm-shifting
disciplinary movement initiated by the “Blueprint” volume. It simultaneously
links traditional approaches and concepts in psychology to these new concepts in
a transformative manner, and provides practical suggestions for embedding these
concepts in everyday teaching practice.
xii Preface
that we know will improve our chances of achieving the goals of living a purposeful
and fulfilling life, and psychology education is one arena in which this perspective
can be shared and experienced. Building on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s claim that
“Intelligence plus character╯.╯.╯.╯is the goal of true education,” Sokol and Kuebli
explore the parallels between character development and psychological literacy.
They argue, in particular, that promoting the skills of psychological literacy must
be balanced against principles of citizenship and community in order to avoid the
dangers of instrumental reasoning. Bernstein extends the notion of the “scientist-
educator” introduced in the “Blueprint” volume and cogently explores the process
whereby a scientist-practitioner would seek to provide students with opportunities
to develop into psychologically literate citizens. McGovern argues that psychology
educators are ideal role models for the psychologically literate citizen and outlines
a program for faculty development and sustained renewal that can make explicit
the connections between psychological literacy, citizenship, and virtues and charac-
ter strengths. In their consideration of the alumnus perspective on psychological
literacy, Takooshian and Landi present data that clearly demonstrate the increasing
number of psychology honors graduates, which again raises the issue of what stu-
dents acquire during a psychology major, particularly as very few undertake further
study in psychology.
In the final chapter, we reconsider the concepts of psychological literacy and
global psychologically literate citizenship in light of the previous chapters. We argue
that there is a global need for the development of psychological literacy in the
general population, and undergraduate psychology education is an opportunity
that cannot be ignored if we as psychology educators are ourselves psychologically
literate. The aims of undergraduate psychology education in several countries are
briefly and selectively reviewed, and we argue that the development of psycho-
logical literacy is compatible with current aims. We then provide some examples
of renewed curricular and pedagogical strategies to enable undergraduate stu-
dents to gain psychological literacy. We build on Halpern’s (2010b) “Call to Action”
to psychology educators to reinvent their pedagogy and curriculum to better meet
the needs of our students who will best serve themselves and lead their local and
global communities by developing a high level of psychological literacy—that is,
by becoming psychologically literate global citizens.
References
Dunn, D. S., Brewer, C. L., Cautin, R. L., Gurung, R. A. R., Keith, K. D., McGregor, L. N.,
Nida, S. A., Puccio, P., & Voight, M. J. (2010). The undergraduate psychology cur-
riculum: call for a core. In D. F. Halpern (Ed.), Undergraduate education in psychology:
a blueprint for the future of the discipline (pp. 47–61). Washington, D. C.: American
Psychological Association.
Halpern, D. F. (Ed.). (2010a). Undergraduate education in psychology: a blueprint for the
future of the discipline. Washington, D. C.: American Psychological Association.
Preface xv
Jacky and Dana wish to thank the team at Oxford, particularly Abby Gross and
Joanna Ng, for shepherding the book to publication. Smitha Raj’s careful attention
to detail steered the book through the production process.
Jacky would like to thank the authors for their motivation to produce thought-
ful and original contributions to this volume—in taking up the challenge, the
authors ensured that both the process and the product surpassed the original aims
for this volume. Let’s continue to work toward achieving the promise inherent
in the concepts of psychological literacy and the psychologically literate global
citizen. Jacky is eternally grateful to Dana for being a wonderful co-editor—she
could not have wished for a better partner in this endeavor. Thanks also to Minshin
Song and Jun Mo Jeong for creative assistance with the original cover design
image. The University of New South Wales and the Australian Learning and
Teaching Council provided the space and stimulation that allowed these ideas and
this volume to mature. Jacky thanks her family and friends, including colleagues
(Diane and Sue–your encouragement is invaluable), who continually challenge
and support her learning–this would not have been possible without you all.
As always, Dana appreciates his family’s love and support of his scholarly work.
Moravian College continues to provide him with the freedom to pursue his interests.
He again thanks Abby Gross for being an ideal editor (third time is a charm, Abby).
He is also grateful to the Executive Committee of the Society for the Teaching of
Psychology for giving him a smooth presidency in 2010, which allowed him to find
some time to work on this book. And finally, Dana wants to thank his hardworking,
kind, and thoughtful colleague Jacky Cranney, for inviting him to be co-pilot on this
wonderful project; she is now an old friend.
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C on t e n t s
Contributors╇ xxiii
Index╇ 337
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C on t r i bu to r s
Introduction
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1
J ac qu e ly n Cr a n n e y a n d Da n a S. D un n
et al., 2008; Europe: Lunt et al., 2001). Although psychology educators interna
tionally have been working toward helping students to acquire these attributes for
at least the past 50 years, it has been only recently that educators have explicitly
delineated attributes and SLOs and have sought to develop appropriate teaching
and assessment strategies, including whole-program approaches. From some per
spectives, psychological literacy becomes the most important outcome of under
graduate education in the discipline.
The concept of the psychologically literate citizen, however, is more controver
sial than that of psychological literacy, for at least three reasons. First, it raises the
issue of the real purpose of UG psychology education (and perhaps higher educa
tion generally). Whether stated or implied, the aim in most Western countries is
for UG education to provide the foundations for graduate professional training in
psychology. Yet in North America, Australia, and Britain, only about one quarter
of psychology majors enter graduate professional training programs (e.g.,
Landrum, Hettich, & Wilner, 2010), so there must be other viable outcomes for
psychology major graduates. One purpose that fits particularly well in the
North American context is that of liberal education. Indeed, many have argued
that the psychology major is possibly one of the best forms of liberal education
(e.g., McGovern, Furumoto, Halpern, Kimble, & McKeachie, 1991). The purpose
of liberal education is to teach people to write well, reason logically, identify
connections among diverse sets of information, recognize what they know and
what they still need to learn, engage in critical thinking, and rely on research
and data analytic skills to verify observations and conclusions (Dunn & McCarthy,
2010). This notion fits well with the recently stated purpose of universities in
many countries to create the so-called “global citizen,” which has been simply
defined as “anyone who works to make the world a better place” (Victoria
International Development Education Association, n.d.), while global citizen
ship “involves understanding the forces that affect cross-cultural connections
and being committed to a global community based on human interdependence,
equality, and justice” (Franklin Pierce University, n.d.). We explore these concepts
further below.
A second reason for controversy is a reaction by many within and outside of
universities against the word “citizen,” and the implication that higher education
institutions should be promoting and encouraging citizenship. We argue, how
ever, that the purpose of colleges and universities is to provide students with
the kind of education that enables them to participate and provide leadership in
both their communities and their nations, whatever form that may take. Indeed,
for democratic societies, education is one of the cornerstones of citizenry.
A third reason for controversy is that McGovern and colleagues (2010) do not
really define “the psychologically literate citizen,” but rather give the sense of a
complex process that evolves over time:
If students encounter a concept or term that they know little about, they are very
likely to seek more information on the open-source community-driven encyclo
pedia, Wikipedia. Thus, as educators, we decided to embrace the role of student
as learner and approach the term “literacy” in the same way. Wikipedia states that
literacy has “traditionally been described as the ability to read and write. It is
a concept claimed and defined by a range of different theoretical fields” (see http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy). Interestingly, the entry then draws on a docu
ment authored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO), which defines literacy as the “ability to identify, under
stand, interpret, create, communicate, compute and use printed and written mate
rials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning
in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and poten-
tial, and to participate fully in their community and wider society” [italics added]
(UNESCO, 2004). It is well documented that this kind of literacy is associated
with better life opportunities and better physical health outcomes—which is why
UNESCO has a focus on such “basic” education in developing countries and also
why, in Western countries, we generally take this kind of literacy for granted
(despite the fact that a significant percentage of our populations remain illiterate).
In a similar way, we argue that, in the face of global problems that are the result
of maladaptive human behavior (Marsella, 2007), psychological literacy may well
Psychological Literacy and the Psychologically Literate Citizen 7
What are the implications of Kintgen’s (1988) analysis for the term “psychologi
cal literacy”? First, he acknowledges the importance of the development of a
“schema” regarding the discipline of psychology; we argue that his notion of
“schema” overlaps with the notion of the “culture” of the discipline, including the
sometimes-not-so-explicit rules about the way one thinks if one is a psychologist
(or psychological scientist; Cranney et al., 2005; Ewing et al., 2010). This aspect of
literacy, which acknowledges that part of the discipline knowledge is “ways of
knowing,” can be related to the notion of epistemology. Second, he emphasizes the
higher-order cognitive skills of analysis and evaluation, which can be related to
Krathwohl’s (2002) revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. In terms
of types of knowledge, the levels are factual, conceptual, and procedural knowledge,
and the highest level is metacognitive knowledge—the knowledge of cognition in
general as well as awareness and knowledge of one’s own thinking. In terms of types
of processes, the lowest level is remembering, whereas the highest levels involve
8 T he P s y c h o l o g i c a l ly Lite r ate Citi z e n
natural phenomena. Scientific literacy entails being able to read with under
standing articles about science in the popular press and to engage in social
conversation about the validity of the conclusions. Scientific literacy implies
that a person can identify scientific issues underlying national and local
decisions and express positions that are scientifically and technologically
informed. A literate citizen should be able to evaluate the quality of scientific
information on the basis of its source and the methods used to generate it.
Scientific literacy also implies the capacity to pose and evaluate arguments
based on evidence and to apply conclusions from such arguments appropri
ately (National Science Education Standards, cited by http://literacynet.org/
science/scientificliteracy.html).
This definition of scientific literacy fits well with both Kintgen’s (1988) defini
tion of literacy emphasizing its evaluative aspects, and our definition emphasizing
its adaptive application aspects. Many psychology educators have explicitly stated
that scientific literacy is a core attribute that should be acquired by every psychol
ogy major (e.g., Beins, 2007). There are challenges to educators in achieving this
aim, particularly with students who may not have a science background and who
expect primarily to learn “how to help people” during their UG program (e.g.,
Thieman, Clary, Olson, Dauner, & Ring, 2009); Holmes and Beins (2009) suggest
some potential solutions to these challenges.
During the week-long “camp” that produced the core drafts of the Blueprint book
(Halpern, 2010), there was some ambivalence about the word “citizen” as it
emerged in discussions from the developing chapter dealing with “The Psycho
logically Literate Citizen” (McGovern et al., 2010). This ambivalence no doubt
reflected different meanings associated with the term (keep in mind the likely
“small-L” liberal political leanings of most psychology professors present, in the
context of the dominant conservative U.S. government at that time). The notion of
citizenship is central in the development of Western civilization and in particular
democratic societies, and so has strong cultural meanings. A comprehensive treat
ment of this concept is beyond the scope of this chapter (but see Trapp & Akhurst,
Chapter 14). However, to introduce this section, we give the following definition:
a citizen is a “person owing loyalty to and entitled by birth or naturalisation to the
protection of state or nation” (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/citizen). Citizen
ship developed as a concept in the Classical era, where there were clearly signifi
cant rights and responsibilities (the former outweighing the latter, particularly
when non-citizenship often meant slavery) associated with Athenian and Roman
citizenry (see, for example, Scullard, 1982, pp. 16–18). Finally, we note that citi
zenship is one of the character strengths of the virtue of justice (Peterson &
Seligman, 2004; see also Dahlsgaard, Peterson, & Selgman, 2005).
10 T he P s y c h o l o g i c a l ly Lite r ate Citi z e n
If one conducts a search for “global citizenship,” one most often retrieves uni
versity or college statements of the aspirational capabilities or attributes they hope
to inculcate in their graduates. For example, Australia’s University of New South
Wales recently defined global citizens as having an appreciation of (a) relevant
applications of their discipline to problems in their local, national, and interna
tional context, and (b) the needs to respect diversity, be culturally aware, be
socially just/responsible, and be environmentally responsible (Marshall, 2010).
This definition pushes strongly into the “values” arena, and contrasts with unin
formative conceptualizations of global citizenship as being merely the conse
quence of study abroad experiences, or as reflecting the capacity to communicate
with people from around the world through Web-based social media (although
there is no doubt that these experiences and capabilities have value).
If we take Marshall’s (2010) definition, then how does this relate to the “psy
chologically literate citizen”? We build upon McGovern and coworkers’ (2010)
discussion around these issues by arguing that psychologically literate citizens use
their psychological literacy to solve problems in an ethical and socially responsi
ble manner in a way that directly benefits their communities. That is, they self
lessly and sometimes courageously share their psychological knowledge and skills
to directly benefit their communities, large or small. For an alternative but related
conceptualization of this concept, see Charlton and Lymburner’s (Chapter 17)
“psychologically literate global citizen.”
Conclusion
. . . we’ll need a fundamental change of perspective and attitude. It’s clear that
we need to build a new foundation—a stronger foundation—for our econ
omy and our prosperity, rethinking how we grow our economy, how we use
energy, how we educate our children, how we care for our sick, how we treat
our environment . . . I’m talking about an approach to life—a quality of mind
and quality of heart; a willingness to follow your passions, regardless of
whether they lead to fortune and fame; a willingness to question conven
tional wisdom and rethink old dogmas; a lack of regard for all the traditional
Psychological Literacy and the Psychologically Literate Citizen 11
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Fiona McDonald and Jun Mo Jeong for assistance with
this chapter. Jacky would like to thank Gail Huon for suggesting that we “unpack”
the notion of “literacy”. Jacky Cranney’s work on this chapter was supported
by funding from the Australian Learning and Teaching Council, an initiative of
the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Work
place Relations. The views expressed in this chapter do not necessarily reflect the
views of the Australian Learning and Teaching Council Ltd.
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PART TWO
Curriculum Perspectives
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2
Curriculum Matters
P sychology differs from many other disciplines in that students can readily
connect what they learn in their coursework to their own lives (Goldstein,
2010). This distinction is at the root of the idea of psychological literacy
as defined by McGovern and colleagues (2010). Promoting psychological literacy
entails reorienting what and how we teach students in a way that emphasizes
psychology’s relevance. To the extent that the acquisition of core psychological
knowledge takes place in the classroom, the obvious channel for cultivating psy-
chological literacy is the undergraduate psychology curriculum.
In this chapter, we begin by reviewing the history of psychology curricula in the
United States and then consider how learning outcomes related to psychological
literacy might shape disciplinary curricula for undergraduates. Such curricular
change must address the necessary balance between graduate and undergraduate
needs, and the balance between cutting-edge and core knowledge; for this reason,
we specifically discuss the range of learning outcomes a psychologically literate
curriculum should comprise. We then turn to the competencies that should
appear in psychologically literate curricula and address ways to give courses a
more global perspective. The next section of the chapter focuses on practical ways
to make a departmental curriculum more psychologically literate and offers advice
on assessing literacy. We conclude with a call to develop a psychologically literate
citizenry.
16 T h e P s y c h o l o gi c a l ly Lit e r at e Citi z e n
Curricula Then
The most recent curricular review (Dunn et al., 2010) was part of the APA’s
National Conference on Undergraduate Education in Psychology, which con-
vened at the University of Puget Sound in 2008 (see Halpern, 2010) and sought
to address key issues in undergraduate psychology education in light of recent
Curriculum Matters 17
changes and developments both within and outside the discipline of psychology.
The curricular report that emerged from the Puget Sound Conference reaffirmed
psychology’s place in the liberal arts tradition. Arguing that the increased frag-
mentation of the field, technological advances, and the rise of a consumerist cul-
ture have threatened the traditional identity of psychology, Dunn and colleagues
(2010) advocated a core curriculum that not only emphasized scientific method-
ology, but also ensured breadth and depth in substantive content areas of the field:
Biological Bases, Learning/Cognition, Developmental, and Sociocultural (see also
APA, 2007; Dunn, McCarthy, Baker, Halonen, & Hill, 2007). This recommenda-
tion was intended to provide greater coherence to the undergraduate psychology
curriculum in the United States, which could then be attuned to the specific needs
and resources of various programs.
Writing
It is important for students to have the ability to write effectively for a variety of
audiences and purposes. An essential skill for psychology students is to be able to
employ the discipline’s vernacular and writing style (e.g., APA, 2010; Beins, Smith,
18 T h e P s y c h o l o gi c a l ly Lit e r at e Citi z e n
Table 2.1╇ Learning Goals Advocated in the APA Guidelines for the
Undergraduate Psychology Major
& Dunn, 2010). Thus, the undergraduate psychology curriculum should provide
students opportunities to produce discipline-based writing samples, such as empir-
ical laboratory reports or critical literature reviews. Equally important as writing
professional discipline-based papers, which require the use of APA style, is the abil-
ity to write clear and effective prose in general. Such writing may include compos-
ing professional letters, e-mail messages, book reviews, or project proposals, and
may be intended for psychologists and non-psychologists alike. Accordingly, we
recommend that psychology instructors require students to write in a variety of
forms, including reflective or persuasive essays, book reviews, and blogs, in addi-
tion to the more traditional discipline-based papers. With respect to writing, the
goal of psychological literacy is to be able to write clearly and concisely about
psychology for professional and lay audiences alike.
Speaking
Pont St Louis.
Few will refrain from hiring a voiture to make a trip across the
frontier by the Pont St Louis, as far at least as that projecting part of
the mountains on which stands the old tower of Grimaldi. From the
level space in front of the hotels in the East Bay, the Corniche
ascends amidst gardens and villas until, at the distance of a mile,
arriving at the ravine of St Louis, it is carried by excavation along the
face of the precipice. It is really a grand work of art. The ravine,
rugged and singularly picturesque, is spanned by a bridge of a single
arch, connecting France and Italy. A rivulet trickling down the hollow
is conducted by artificial channels to the immediately adjoining
gardens, and issues some hundreds of feet below on the sea-beach.
To have a proper idea of the value of the road, we would need to
walk along the bottom of the cliffs bordering on the sea, making use
of fragments of that ancient Roman way which was the sole
thoroughfare previous to the construction of the Corniche. The walk
is a scramble, with barely footing for a single individual. It is,
however, in various respects worth seeing. We here have an
opportunity of visiting several caverns in the overhanging cliffs, in
which bones and flint weapons of the pre-historic era have been
discovered, and may likewise see the arch of a Roman bridge, which
spans like an attenuated thread one of the ravines.
The road from the Pont St Louis, cut by blasting out of the rocks,
is the finest part of the whole Corniche. On our left we have the
huge overhanging cliffs, and on our right the Mediterranean—view
superb. Tourists will remember that at the top of the ascent, the
road wheels round to the left, and becomes a little more tame in
character. Just at the point of turning, we are opposite the old tower,
which had been a residence of the Grimaldis. It resembles a Border
keep, stuck high on the side of the hill, with a good outlook seaward.
Adjoining it, and reached by an awkward pathway over some broken
rocky ground encroached upon by a quarry, is a garden made in the
face of the steeps by Dr J. H. Bennet. The thing is a marvel of
artificial beauty. Five hundred feet above the Mediterranean, and
with incalculable labour and taste, has this garden been established,
‘with a view to the cultivation of flowers, and to the tranquil
enjoyment of invalid lazaroni life.’ Such is Dr Bennet’s own
explanation of this singular garden among the rocks of Grimaldi. On
entering, you walk along an avenue with built pillars on each side,
whereon climbing plants are ingeniously trained. At my last visit, the
garden had been considerably extended by a fresh purchase of
rocks. Where the earth comes from, is at first sight a little puzzling.
It is discovered to consist of what through ages had accumulated
amidst small crevices in the gray limestone, and being carefully
preserved when making the pathways, is found to be of immense
fertility. Dwellers in northern climes can have no adequate idea of
the productive power of even a single handful of earth in this
favoured spot. A large bush will be seen growing out of a hole in the
rock barely sufficient for its stem.
Although the season is winter, when most English gardens wear a
doleful aspect, all around is gay with salvias, lavateras, geraniums,
myrtles, pelargoniums, and other plants less or more in blossom.
Specimens of the aloe and cactaceæ grow luxuriantly on the jutting
points of the rocks. The mesembryanthemum is in great profusion
on the terraces. Garden plants which with us are only small bushes,
grow here to the dimensions of moderate-sized trees. The grounds
are tended by a native gardener, who conducts the engineering of
the ascending and descending pathways, and has the whole in
charge during summer, when the rays of the sun blaze fiercely on
the gray limestone cliffs. I ventured to suggest to the doctor the
purchase of that time-worn ruined tower of the Grimaldis, which,
amidst a group of olive trees, overhangs the entrance to the
gardens. Cannot be done. The ruin, practically valueless, is held in
heritage by six individuals, whose demands are too enormous to be
dealt with. At an opposite corner of the gardens is a slip of flat
ground bounded by a wall on the verge of the cliff, and here, at a
projecting angle, stands a round pepper-box-looking turret, which in
the olden time had been a watch-tower of the Grimaldis,
commanding a fine view westwards as far as Cap Martin. From a
flag-staff on its summit, the union jack—‘the meteor flag of
England’—is unfurled on holiday occasions, and may have been seen
incomprehensibly waving far overhead by travellers along the
Corniche.
The level patch of ground which is so distinguished seems to form
a kind of open drawing-room or lounge, for playing croquet, reading,
and other recreations. At the inner side of it there is an arched
alcove with a slight trickle of water, affording growth to ferns and
some other plants; and here in the cool shade, swinging his
hammock, Dr Bennet at certain hours indulges in the pleasures of a
lazaroni existence. While his old friends the London physicians are
driving through drizzling sleets and choking smoky fogs, he, by an
intelligent if not compulsory restraint, is lolling in his hammock on
the cliffs of Grimaldi, enjoying the pure air and sunshine in the midst
of a little garden of Eden—the elegant pursuit of botanical science in
a bland climate skilfully protracting a life which had formerly been in
jeopardy. All cannot follow his example, nor is it desirable they
should do so, but to how many professionals approaching their
grand climacteric is the example, at all events, eminently
suggestive?
The slopes to the sea-shore, after passing Grimaldi, if less
picturesque, possess an interest from archæological circumstances.
The land, rich and beautiful, had pertained to a number of families
of distinction, each with a palazzo of old Italian architecture, the
approach to which had been by lofty gateways, surmounted by
heraldic devices, and opening on the old Roman way. As that way is
now broken up, and all but impassable, the palazzos are in the
awkward position of being left without a road. All that can be done is
to make pathways down to them from the modern Corniche, and in
a country where donkeys play so important a part in social economy,
the absence of regular roads is perhaps not esteemed a serious
inconvenience. If anybody wants to buy a palace with fifty to a
hundred acres of land on the borders of the Mediterranean, here is
his chance. Revolutions and what not have cleared out the old
families. The actual proprietors are living somewhere in penury and
obscurity; their palazzos are shut up, with boards in the windows
instead of glass; and the only major-domo is a peasant dwelling in
an outhouse, to take charge of the grounds. Several properties were
pointed out to me (1869) as being for sale.
The idea of making an investment in Italy may not be pleasing.
One never knows what may turn up. Possibly, this is being too
sensitive. Distance is said ‘to lend enchantment to the view,’ but it
sometimes also lends unnecessary apprehensions. On the spot,
everything looks as composed and harmless as may be, and
whatever political turmoils may occur, this cosy nook in the Riviera
offers a retreat not likely to be molested. It is a great thing to
acquire a palazzo and the importance of a seigneur for two or three
thousand pounds—to make your own oil and wine, eat your own
oranges and figs, and have boating and yachting to any imaginable
amount. It is something in the catalogue of recommendations, that
the authorities at the neighbouring town of Ventimiglia are delighted
(and no wonder) to see Englishmen buying properties about them;
any one, therefore, settling down in the neighbourhood, may expect
to be treated with profound civility and consideration. Then, think of
being within an hour’s drive of France—Mentone quite at hand,
whence friends can come to see you on all occasions during the
season, and the douaniers at the frontier giving no sort of trouble. I
retain a vivid recollection of the richly-prolific grounds which environ
these old and traditionally dignified palazzos. Peeping within the
gateway, you see an enclosure exuberant in orange, citron, and fig
trees, with vines trained from pillar to pillar over the silent approach.
Amidst the foliage towers the old gray battered edifice, shut up, and
sorrowful, with nothing to animate the scene but the swallows
wheeling in their busy flight around the deserted mansion. My visit
to these palazzos was in the month of January, when peas (probably
raised for market) were in full bloom.
An English gentleman has bought one of these properties, the
Palazzo of Orengo, near Cap Murtola, and renovated it in first-rate
style. The mansion occupies a site so prominent as to command a
view of Mentone. With the grounds and some water privileges, it
was a cheap purchase. Even with cost of repairs, it was a prodigious
bargain. Politely invited to the palazzo, we went in a hired carriage
from Mentone, but unexpectedly found that it could not take us
further than a point on the high-road overlooking the house, two
hundred feet beneath. A walk down, and the use of a donkey up for
Madame, made all easy. I was of course interested in the interior of
the structure, with its white marble stairs, its inlaid floors, and loggia
off the drawing-room, in the upper floor of the mansion. In every old
palazzo two things appear to have been essential, a draw-well and a
loggia. The draw-well is here situated at one side of the marble-
paved entrance-hall; being, however, tastefully enclosed, it does not
appear out of place. Without a loggia, it would be scarcely possible
to exist in the heats of summer. At Orengo, the loggia is a square
apartment, open on two sides, the roof being supported on pillars.
Seated in this shady retreat, the family enjoy the pleasures of the
open air, with a view of the gardens beneath and the adjacent sea-
beach. A flight of steps on the side next the sea leads down to the
original entrance to the grounds from the old Roman road, here
distinctly traced, about twelve feet wide.
Conducted over the gardens, I had the pleasure of being shewn a
variety of trees and shrubs natural to a tropical climate, and rarely
seen in the open air in Europe. During the short ramble, I learned
some facts regarding the antiquity of the water channels which one
observes everywhere, and of the punctilious way in which custom
and legal rights guard the privileges of the proprietors. The water for
the grounds is led from a torrent, which at certain times turns a mill
for pressing oil from the olives. In consideration of the priceless
value of water, something like a grudge was felt that there was
somewhere hereabouts a subterranean river which had its outlet in
the sea, where it could be seen boiling up and running to waste.
Nobody could tell where it came from. All that could be conjectured
was that it found its way through the limestone rocks from some
place far distant, it might be a hundred miles off. If that river could
be but tapped, and diverted to some useful purpose, what visions of
wealth for the neighbourhood! Perhaps, thought I, this may come
about. What a prize for the Mentonians if they could manage to tap
and impound a subterranean and ever-running river! A gold mine
would be nothing to it.
Palazzo of Orengo.
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