June 8, 2000
By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
Think ``Survivor'' is about
survival of the fittest?
Not necessarily, according
to the series' consulting psychologist.
``It's not about the fittest,''
says Dr. Gene Ondrusek of the Scripps Center for Executive Health in LaJolla,
Calif. ``It's about who's the most adaptive. From what we knew of these
participants, my colleagues and I had our early picks back in January.
But these are not the people who ended up winning.
``Social environments aren't
static--they constantly change. What works early won't work later. That's
why the most adaptive person wins.''
Based on the premise that
the contestants will band together to survive, but also boot off one member
on each of the 13 episodes until only one is left, the show has a titillating
concept.
Experts predict that the
weekly casting off of a castaway will take on a primitive dimension.
``It's called scapegoating
in group dynamics,'' says Hylene S. Dublin, a Winnetka-based clinical social
worker specializing in group therapy. ``What happens is that everyone projects
onto one person the least desirable aspects of themselves and their fears.
Then rejecting that one person is as if they get rid of the troublesome
part of themselves.''
Dublin adds that rather
than becoming sympathetic to the person who needs the most help, members
in group situations tend to become angry at the person who appears the
weakest, complains the most or is the most demanding.
``People don't like these
qualities in themselves, so they punish others for them,'' she says. ``That's
the basis of prejudice and alienation.''
Despite the contestants'
ultimate goal of being the last one left on the island, the producers have
hinted that several members paired off romantically.
Don't expect these romances
to last. Or even to be real.
``The competitive nature
that has been built into the show would probably get in the way of sexual
actualization,'' says Bernard Beck, associate professor of sociology at
Northwestern University. ``And if it does, it could become a part of a
tactic to build alliances, especially at the beginning of the show. When
you have large numbers, there's always the possibility of forming temporary
alliances to clear the deck.''
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