Psychology

A post-operative transsexual, Michelle Dumaresq has provoked outrage by entering the sport of women's mountain bike racing. This program studies complex issues of gender identity surrounding the controversy and manifested in Dumaresq's personal and professional relationships. Commentary from her parents reveals unconditional support for her choices, while interviews with friends and rival cyclists indicate a wider range of positions-from confused ambivalence to a belief that Dumaresq is male and should be barred from competing. A candid look at clashing views of femininity, 100 Percent Woman explores challenging terrain in gender sociology. (60 minutes)

The events of September 11, 2001, have dramatically shifted the worldview of most Americans. This program by award-winning filmmaker Robert Parish promotes hope and healing in the aftermath of traumatic events such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Featured speakers include family advocate Jacki McKinney; Dr. Laurie Anne Pearlman, co-director of the Traumatic Stress Institute, in Connecticut; Dr. Frank Putnam, director of the Mayerson Center for Safe and Healthy Children, in Ohio; The Reverend Dr. Frederick Streets, a chaplain at Yale University; and Dr. Ervin Staub, professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and author of The Roots of Evil. (43 minutes)

Endowed with an elementary representation mechanism, the human brain is naturally predisposed toward mathematics. This program seeks to understand the biological basis of humankind's gift for math"-and why, beyond that baseline computational ability, some people are capable of scaling the highest peaks of mathematical comprehension. Experiments with animals, studies of very young children, cases involving patients with brain injuries, and analysis of brain imaging data are included. (52 minutes)"

For two years, the narrator of this program went through a nightmare, feeling a self-hatred and worthlessness beyond love and redemption that he described as the concentration camp of the mind." This video presents one man's attempt to convey the ordeal of severe depression by writing a memoir about the experience. Dramatic reenactments, along with interviews of the narrator's psychiatrist, fellow patients, and their spouses and friends, effectively show from all angles how this devastating illness takes its toll-and how it can be brought under control. (45 minutes)"

What does it mean to be a functioning" alcoholic? How does it feel to struggle with substance abuse day after day? What keeps addicts from truly recovering? This program explores such questions from a range of unconventional viewpoints, creating an honest look at addiction that avoids judgmental or strictly clinical approaches. At the center of the film is Jimmy, a 41-year-old surfer who describes the drinking problem he has had since age 13. The challenges of recovery are also discussed by several experts: a physician, a psychologist, a nutritionist, and a social worker-while unique and insightful commentary is provided by a Native American shaman, a stand-up comedian, and other voices of reason and personal experience. (47 minutes)"

Acute anxiety, one of the most common psychiatric illnesses, makes everyday experiences like walking down the street or talking on the phone a source of potential terror. This program explains how and why this happens as it examines the physiology and psychology of anxiety, its symptoms, its highly maladaptive consequences, and treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy. Case studies involving panic disorders and social phobia are spotlighted. (48 minutes)

Made up of several concise segments, this program deals with a wide range of drugs, addiction issues, and case studies. Viewers will enter a chaotic Dallas ER, where the majority of injuries are drug- and alcohol-related, and meet a desperate middle-aged woman who finally turns in her heroin-addicted daughter to police. Other segments focus on opiate addiction, drug abuse in adolescence, the reasons for relapse, the science of brain imaging, a potential treatment for alcoholism called topiramate, the disturbing lack of insurance coverage for drug and alcohol addiction, and other topics. Contains mature themes, occasional explicit language, and some graphic footage of injuries. An HBO Production. (87 minutes)

Featuring valuable case studies and expert commentary, this 14-part series offers a wide-ranging look at the science and the human face of addiction. Personal stories from drug users and their family members are combined with in-depth perspectives from leading psychologists, drug counselors, and other experts on substance abuse. Educators will find the series format-beginning with a comprehensive overview followed by 13 short documentaries-helpful for both group discussions and lectures. Contains mature themes, occasional explicit language, and some graphic injury footage. An HBO Production. 14-part series, 21-87 minutes each.

Award-winning director Lance Tracy balances serious science with tongue-in-cheek humor to create a documentary scrutinizing the scope and effects of pornography that is informative, compelling, and unsettling. Constructing an experiment to identify attitudinal and behavioral changes that manifest as a result of viewing porn-a study in the manner of the Annenberg School of Communications and California State University studies-Tracy tracks two men, one single and one married, for 60 days. The effects of a 30-day regimen of X-rated DVDs, Internet porn, adult mags, sex shops, and strip clubs, followed by a 30-day readjustment period, are both illuminating and dismaying. Porn addiction, the sex-industrial complex, and porn-related freedom of speech issues are also explored. Commentary by the University of Pennsylvania's Mary Anne Layden; Judith Reisman, author of Soft Porn" Plays Hardball; Robert Weiss, of the Sexual Recovery Institute; Michael Castleman, author of Great Sex; and psychologist Daniel Linz is featured. Contains mature themes and explicit language and imagery. Some language may be offensive. Also included are an expurgated audio track and 18 video clips on topics ranging from porn statistics, to the effects of porn on sexual and emotional intimacy, to the influence of porn on children (DVD only). Viewable/printable documents such as the actual 88-question study survey and the survey results for the single subject, the married subject, and his wife are available online. (55 minutes + 24 minutes of bonus material)"

This video analyzes the links between biological and cultural development in boys, and addresses problems-such as Attention Deficit Disorder and behavioral difficulties in schools-that tend to involve boys. (22 minutes)

This video explores conflicting definitions of femininity and what it means to be a girl, and discusses how parents can help their daughters grow into healthy and well-adjusted adults. (22 minutes)

Trying to find happiness is the search of a lifetime, and in this multi-segment ABC News program, a diverse cross-section of experts shares insights into the psychological and physiological constituents of happiness; the effects of genes, life circumstances, and intentional activities on happiness; where on Earth the most-and least-happiness is said to exist; and the story of one person who followed his bliss by building a two-ton boat out of...wine bottle corks! Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness; Sonja Lyubomirsky, author of The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want; and Eric Weiner, author of The Geography of Bliss, are featured. Original ABC News broadcast title: Happiness. (37 minutes)

Whether it's caffeine, nicotine, or morphine, drugs of choice have defined our lives and history, with sometimes benevolent, sometimes tragic results. This program focuses on the history of America's drug use and abuse, from the days when the early European settlers became enamored of tobacco, through Prohibition, and up to today. The problems we see today existed in other forms and with other drugs throughout our history. The reasons for using drugs have also remained constant: to ease pain, alleviate boredom, or to expand our consciousness. The program traces the patterns of American drug use and abuse and documents the cultural, social, and political movements that impacted, or were impacted by, the use of drugs. (58 minutes)

In this program from The Doctor Is In, families who are caregivers provide practical information on how to manage the in-home care of a loved one who has Alzheimer's. Important decisions, such as whether to use outside day care or in-home health aides, are discussed. Several hints on how younger family members can participate in the caregiving include reading or telling stories to the patient. Two Alzheimer's specialists describe the stages of the disease, and discuss how caregivers can modify its effects on both the patient and the family. A Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center production. (29 minutes)

A rising divorce rate, frequent relocation, and a fascination with TV, video games, and computers are leaving more and more teenagers under-supervised, rootless, and isolated. Increasingly detached from traditional values and lifestyles, these young adults face daunting obstacles without the support base enjoyed by previous generations. This program investigates the hurdles faced by today's teens and discusses how their hopes, fears, and expectations will shape American society. Experts include top officers of the Families and Work Institute, National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Research Center, and National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse Control. (30 minutes)