"What's eating Luis Suarez: the psychology of biting" via New Scientist
Sorry all, but I had to. The World Cup is pervasive enough, but as a psychologist this is just downright fascinating.
I have to admit, I'm not a huge football fan. I'll watch it if it's on and being a teacher it's usually good to keep relatively up to date so you can keep up with the students, the theatrics are always good to watch but I wouldn't replace another activity with football, nor do I actively seek games.
That being said...
Sorry all, but I had to. The World Cup is pervasive enough, but as a psychologist this is just downright fascinating.
I have to admit, I'm not a huge football fan. I'll watch it if it's on and being a teacher it's usually good to keep relatively up to date so you can keep up with the students, the theatrics are always good to watch but I wouldn't replace another activity with football, nor do I actively seek games.
That being said...
I was watching the England game that Suarez helped Uruguay win. Not being a football fan it was
the first time I'd put the face to the name and the first thing I noticed about
him was his rather large teeth. But he behaved himself that
game.
The next thing I hear is that he's biting another
player.
"Biting?" I inquired.
"Yup" was all I
got back from hubs.
Biting is an odd one. Watching the
footage back it's sort of like watching some sort of zombie flick. Zombie
apocolypse incoming and it all started with Suarez....
This article is great, I had a bit of a chuckle at the journalism who has a very
clear opinion on Mr. Suarez.
What the psychologist
interviewed is saying is that basically, like a child, Suarez is acting out and
he's using his teeth to do it.
Personally I'm
not sure that someone who can't contain themselves on a football pitch in front
of millions of people is completely sane but what does "sane" actually
mean.
The psychology of biting appears to be a release of
frustration, and in adults an inability to contain themselves in terms of
impulse control. Being a world class athlete there is a lot of stress and very
high emotional contexts. In this is it possible to lose yourself so completely
you revert to displaying toddler-esque behaviours? I've seen fully grown adults
throw tantrums (to the point of stamping feet), I have known adults who suck
their thumbs; in fact surely you could argue that smoking is a form of
replacement for such behaviour, I've seen adults who lose their temper in a
blink of the eye - all things we would expect from smaller children, but
displaying in adults.
Maybe Suarez isn't
*quite* as odd as we might originally assume. Just because it's not
"appropriate" doesn't mean the behaviours go away. Most people control them (I
know I was ready to have a knock-down temper tantrum a few weeks ago.....I
didn't, don't worry. And I only bit the cat.....j/k, he's too furry) but you do
see lack of impulse control in a lot of people, often it manifests in other ways
- for example emotional eating, control of "addictive" substances, swearing out
of the car window at the person who just cut you up (or in fact getting out of
your car to shout at them which I saw a fully grown adult man do the other
day).
Are we being too harsh on him? Or is this a price of
the position he occupies representing his country in a world class tournament.
What do you think?
Background references:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/players/luis-suarez/10925060/Luis-Suarez-needs-therapy-to-overcome-urge-to-bite.html
http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2014/06/why-luis-suarez-is-always-biting-everybody.html
http://www.newstatesman.com/future-proof/2014/06/you-are-more-likely-be-bitten-luiz-suarez-1-2000-shark-1-3700000
the first time I'd put the face to the name and the first thing I noticed about
him was his rather large teeth. But he behaved himself that
game.
The next thing I hear is that he's biting another
player.
"Biting?" I inquired.
"Yup" was all I
got back from hubs.
Biting is an odd one. Watching the
footage back it's sort of like watching some sort of zombie flick. Zombie
apocolypse incoming and it all started with Suarez....
This article is great, I had a bit of a chuckle at the journalism who has a very
clear opinion on Mr. Suarez.
What the psychologist
interviewed is saying is that basically, like a child, Suarez is acting out and
he's using his teeth to do it.
Personally I'm
not sure that someone who can't contain themselves on a football pitch in front
of millions of people is completely sane but what does "sane" actually
mean.
The psychology of biting appears to be a release of
frustration, and in adults an inability to contain themselves in terms of
impulse control. Being a world class athlete there is a lot of stress and very
high emotional contexts. In this is it possible to lose yourself so completely
you revert to displaying toddler-esque behaviours? I've seen fully grown adults
throw tantrums (to the point of stamping feet), I have known adults who suck
their thumbs; in fact surely you could argue that smoking is a form of
replacement for such behaviour, I've seen adults who lose their temper in a
blink of the eye - all things we would expect from smaller children, but
displaying in adults.
Maybe Suarez isn't
*quite* as odd as we might originally assume. Just because it's not
"appropriate" doesn't mean the behaviours go away. Most people control them (I
know I was ready to have a knock-down temper tantrum a few weeks ago.....I
didn't, don't worry. And I only bit the cat.....j/k, he's too furry) but you do
see lack of impulse control in a lot of people, often it manifests in other ways
- for example emotional eating, control of "addictive" substances, swearing out
of the car window at the person who just cut you up (or in fact getting out of
your car to shout at them which I saw a fully grown adult man do the other
day).
Are we being too harsh on him? Or is this a price of
the position he occupies representing his country in a world class tournament.
What do you think?
Background references:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/players/luis-suarez/10925060/Luis-Suarez-needs-therapy-to-overcome-urge-to-bite.html
http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2014/06/why-luis-suarez-is-always-biting-everybody.html
http://www.newstatesman.com/future-proof/2014/06/you-are-more-likely-be-bitten-luiz-suarez-1-2000-shark-1-3700000
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