Anti-bullying Play
Anti-bullying is a lesson that can be learned from play. Jaak Panksepp found play dominance emerges when two rats are allowed to play together repeatedly. One rat tends to become “the winner,” meaning it ends up on top more often during pins. “Winners” end up on top about 70% of the time, while losers win much less, ending up on top ablut 30% of the time.
Anti-Bullying Public domain image
What happens, though is a willingness on the part of the stronger partner to handicap itself. If the stronger rat does not allow his or her partner the chance to end up on top, playful activity diminishes because the weaker animal will no longer be willing to play. This is an important, albeit sometimes difficult lesson to learn. But it is crucial to learn, because though everyone likes to come out on top, nobody wants to play with a bully. Play can teach anti-bullying.
Primal Emotions
Jaak Panksepp did his primal-emotion research on animals, predominantly rats. But virtually all mamals have the same subcortical brain anatomies and basic primal emotions. He carried out his research on rats in order to be able to directly elecrically stimulate these subcortical areas and map the corresponding primal emotions. He was able to map these subcortical areas in the brain for seven primal emotinons:
Seven Primary Affect Systems
- SEEKING or expectancy
- RAGE
- FEAR
- LUST
- CARING
- PANIC/GRIEF
- PLAY
Play
Play is an urge that is both robust and fragile. It is fragile because it can be affected by negative emotional states such as anger, fear, pain, and separation distress. In his lab he insures that cat owners change their clothes before working in the lab. Even the smell of cats on clothing will set off the primal FEAR system and fearful rats simply do not play.
Play is an exceptionally sensitive mesure for all things bad. For example, rat that are hungry will not play. Play only occurs when rats or other mamals are healthy and feeling good. When these basic needs are taken care of rats will almost invariably play together when given the chance. They will play together in the most basic rough-and-tumble joyous form of play.
But much of the more boistrous forms of rough-tumble play in human children then to be discouraged by parents. And it is just about forbidden in schools. But the diminished opportunites for physical play may have undesirable consequences. Poorly controlled hyperactive urges can be come pathologized and kids labeled with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Then they are givenmediciations such as amphetamines, the same drugs that dramatically reduce play in rats.
ADHD
Panksepp fouund in rat models of ADHD that abundant daily play reduces the syptoms of hyperactivity. So wouldn’t it make sense to give at least this group of kids more play opportunities as opposed to the drugs that dampen the play impulse. Panksepp also discovered that the desire for play is quenched after juvenle lab rats are allowed free play for half an hour. Panksepp concluded from myriad studies tht the urge to play is like a kind of specific hunger for play and not simply a general social need.
Self-help books that help:
Total Self-Renewal through Attention Therapies and Open Focus
The Open-Focus Brain: Harnessing the Power of Attention to Heal Mind and Body
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