Social Psychology Network

Maintained by Scott Plous, Wesleyan University

Christopher J. Ferguson

Christopher J. Ferguson

My research has been on violent behavior. I am interested in examining violent behavior from a multivariate format, examining the combined impact of genetics, family environment, personality, mental health, and media violence. Much of my research lately has focused on positive and negative effects of playing violent video games.

Recent research I've been involved in has questioned the common belief in psychology that media violence contributes to aggression. I've been very interested in the sociology of media violence research itself...how the research field has become influenced by ideology and dogma, and how this relates to other research fields in psychology.

Primary Interests:

  • Aggression, Conflict, Peace
  • Applied Social Psychology
  • Culture and Ethnicity
  • Evolution and Genetics
  • Gender Psychology
  • Helping, Prosocial Behavior
  • Law and Public Policy
  • Personality, Individual Differences
  • Research Methods, Assessment
  • Self and Identity

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Speaking of Psychology: Suicide Contagion (APA Podcast)

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  • 11:17

    Speaking of Psychology: Suicide Contagion (APA Podcast)


  • 71:30

    When Leaders Go Mad


  • 7:45

    The Psychology of Trump


  • 33:43

    Social Censorship and How to Deal With Social Media Haters


  • 34:1

    Violent Video Games and Availability Cascades


  • 3:41

    How Violent Video Games Can Affect Gamers' Behavior


  • 94:10

    The Myth of Media and Violence


  • 91:14

    Violent Media and Its Effects, and How Madness Shaped History


  • 1:19:02

    How Madness Shaped History


  • 134:23

    Catastrophe! Why Good People Make Bad Situations Worse


  • 55:24

    Why Do Insane People Become Leaders?


  • 82:8

    Video Games Are Not Bad for You


  • 78:57

    How To Identify Toxic Masculinity and Bias


  • 08:08

    The Dangers of Intelligence


  • 142:12

    The Most Insane Rulers In History


  • 70:14

    On Resigning from the APA and the Effects of Media



Books:

Journal Articles:

Courses Taught:

  • Abnormal Psychology
  • Forensic Psychology
  • Psychology of War
  • Research Methods
  • Serial Murder

Christopher J. Ferguson
Department of Psychology
Stetson University
421 North Woodland Boulevard
DeLand, Florida 32723
United States of America

  • Phone: (386) 822-7288

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