The Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, through its Center for Public Mental Health (CPMH) team, has once again received international recognition with the successful awarding of funding for the proposal “Religion and Healing: Collaborative and Participatory Methodologies (RHEAL)” from the Horizon Europe Framework under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Staff Exchanges scheme. The RHEAL program focuses on developing cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approaches to healing in the field of mental health.

The Faculty of Psychology at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and TVRI Yogyakarta once again present OPSI: Psychological Talk, a weekly interactive talk show. The second episode aired on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, from 3:00 to 4:00 PM WIB, featuring the theme "Click, Borrow, Regret: Understanding Online Loans through Neuroscience."

The Faculty of Psychology at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), in collaboration with TVRI Yogyakarta, presents a weekly interactive talk show titled OPSI: Psychological Talk. The premiere episode aired on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, from 3:00 to 4:00 PM WIB, featuring the theme "Unveiling the Phenomenon of Brain Rot."

The Center for Public Mental Health (CPMH) at the Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, once again demonstrated its commitment to improving mental health and disability literacy among adolescents through the organization of the Adolescent Mental Stability Advocate Competition (AMSAC) Vol. 2. Carrying the theme “Breaking Barriers, Opening Opportunities: Realizing a Generation that Cares about Mental Health and Disabilities,” this year’s AMSAC series took place from April 10 to May 25, 2025, with the main event held at Joglo GIK UGM.

AMSAC Vol. 2 was designed as a platform for junior and senior high school students from across Indonesia to express their concern and ideas on mental health and disability issues. Through various creative competitions such as essay writing, digital poster design, reels, and short story contests, participants were encouraged to highlight the role of youth in building inclusive environments, fostering appreciation for mental health warriors, and breaking down the negative stigma that still exists in society. All submissions were collected online from April 20 to May 4, 2025, and the enthusiasm was evident with around 200 participants taking part.

The program focused on drafting manuscripts from prior research titled “Culture and Morality: A Comparison of Moral Endorsements and the Formation of Moral Intentions in Australia and Indonesia.” In addition, plans for collaborative research were developed with universities and institutions across various countries, including Australia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, the United States, and Europe. This research aims to map moral judgments and moral endorsements among adults in different cultures, representing both Western and Eastern perspectives. Understanding the endorsement of moral values is crucial for comprehending societal differences regarding what is considered right and wrong. For example, some societies view LGBT issues as merely variations and not something inherently bad, while others strongly oppose LGBT and seek its eradication from society. Such differences are expected to become increasingly diverse and intense in the future, necessitating anticipatory measures to prevent conflicts that could disrupt societal harmony at both national and global levels.

This research is expected to provide insights into the shifting moral values in society over time. Understanding these changes is particularly important for analyzing societal transformation patterns, especially among adults. Moving forward, the research design will be expanded to include adolescents and children in Indonesia to fully comprehend the developmental patterns of moral values in the country. This knowledge will make a meaningful contribution to efforts aimed at enhancing socio-cultural resilience.

Furthermore, through planned research collaborations, the publication of future research findings is expected to have a positive impact on a broader audience, fostering partnerships among various stakeholders and strengthening the institution’s position both nationally and globally. As such, this program supports the achievement of SDG No. 16 (“Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions”) and SDG No. 17 (“Partnerships for the Goals”).

its commitment to supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by researching the adaptation of financial well-being measurement tools. This research focuses on Indonesia’s growing middle class, which plays a critical role in national economic growth. read more

The 10th Gebyar Brawijaya Qur’ani Nasional (GBQN X) 2024 was held at Samantha Krida Hall, Universitas Brawijaya. This year’s theme was “Grounding the Heart in Upholding Eternal Civilization of the Quran.” The event aimed to strengthen Quranic values among students and university youth through nine competition categories focused on religious and Islamic artistic skills.

GBQN X attracted 1,465 participants from 16 provinces across Indonesia. The competition series included registration, administrative selection, submission of written papers (for the Musabaqah Karya Tulis Ilmiah Al-Qur’an or MKTIA), announcement of finalists (for MKTIA), competition rounds, and the final announcement of winners. Universitas Gadjah Mada sent nine delegates to compete in the categories of Musabaqah Tilawatil Qur’an (MTQ), Musabaqah Tartilil Qur’an (MTrQ), Musabaqah Karya Tulis Ilmiah Al-Qur’an (MKTIA), and Musabaqah Khattil Qur’an (MKQ) – Decorative Category.

The mixed event was attended by 72 participants from various professional backgrounds and institutions, including researchers, doctors, and psychologists from puskesmas, hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, universities, companies, and professional organizations.

Prof. Dra. Kwartarini Wahyu Yuniarti, M.Med.Sc., Ph.D., Psychologist, as Principal Investigator of HGI Studio and workshop moderator, opened the event by providing an overview of the research that has been carried out since 2019. This research is funded by the Productive Innovative Research of the Education Fund Management Institution of the Indonesian Ministry of Finance (RISPRO – LPDP). This research aims to develop measurements of human emotions using psychophysiological equipment such as EEG, HRV, GSR, and body temperature.

The research, which has entered its third year, is also supported by nine research centers from various universities in Indonesia, including North Sumatra University, Gunadarma University, Padjadjaran University, Maranatha University, Diponegoro University, Widya Mandala Christian University in Surabaya, Udayana University, and Ganesha University of Education.

Prof. Kwartarini explained that the rampant phenomenon of gendam and fraud became the basis of her interest in studying hypnosis further. From her findings, the use of hypnosis in therapy resulted in rapid changes for cases such as smoking cessation or specific phobias through memory reconstruction. In her exploration, Prof. Kwartarini met with various experts and realized the need for in-depth understanding so that clinical hypnotherapy can be utilized optimally. Therefore, in this workshop she invited Prof. Ismail to explain the process of memory reconstruction from a physiological perspective.

Prof. Dr. dr. Ismail Setyopranoto, Sp.S (K), is a professor of Neurology from the Department of Neurology, Faculty of Public Health Medicine and Nursing (FKKMK) UGM.

“Our organs other than the brain only receive orders,” explained Prof. Ismail. When the body receives a signal such as pain, there is a process where the signal can be amplified or ignored. This process involves chemicals such as tnf alpha and tnf beta, where tnf beta acts as a protector. With proper regulation, stress, confusion or pain can be minimized.

Furthermore, Prof. Ismail explained about the concept of balance in the body, called the interior milieu. According to him, it is important not to see bacteria as an enemy that must be eliminated immediately, because our bodies need antibodies to fight infection. The same goes for stress, which is important to manage well in children in order to maintain their mental health.

“Don’t assume that a child who learns to walk and then falls is stopped. It is a process of balance between inhibition and excitation,” she explained.

This workshop is expected to provide a deep understanding of the integration between clinical hypnosis and neuroscience and its application in modern psychological practice.

The first part of this workshop can be watched through the Knowledge Channel of the Faculty of Psychology UGM.

Author: Edwin Gandawijaya

Editor: Erna Tri Nofiyana

Photo: Yunissa Meganingtyas

The Dean of the Faculty of Psychology UGM, Rahmat Hidayat, S.Psi., M.Sc., Ph.D., expressed his appreciation to the students for this achievement.

“Congratulations to the students who received IISMA this year, from year to year students from the Faculty of Psychology show high ability to get a program like this. “This year, when compared to the number of students, including the high ratio at UGM, 33 out of 250 students, more than 10%,” said the Dean on Tuesday (4/6).

The Dean also hopes that the students who receive this scholarship can make the best use of the opportunity to study abroad and become an inspiration for fellow students at the UGM Faculty of Psychology.

Faculty of Psychology students who win IISMA 2024 scholarships will study for one semester in various countries, including the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, as well as countries in Asia and Europe.

One of the students who received the scholarship, Pramudyawardhani Mahira Kusumaningtyas (2021) shared his experience in taking part in the IISMA selection, “Actually, this is not the first attempt at IISMA, last year we actually registered but haven’t been accepted yet. “Last year there were many evaluations that needed to be improved,” he said.

Armed with self-evaluation, thorough preparation, support from her fellow students, as well as support from the Faculty of Psychology, Mahira succeeded in achieving one of the various goals she wanted to achieve while studying. “It turns out that the milestones that I wrote as an assignment yesterday actually happened, it turns out that I also wrote ‘participate in student exchange’, and that happened,” he said happily.

Currently, Mahira is preparing for her studies at the University of Padua, Italy, which will start in October 2024.

The following are the names of 33 UGM Faculty of Psychology students who successfully received the 2024 IISMA scholarship:

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The discussion in the Auditorium of the UGM Center for Environmental Studies was motivated by the lack of representation of inclusiveness in the creative world. This gives rise to society’s view of disabled people as individuals with shortcomings that must be corrected.

“This activity is intended as a solution in providing education at the intersection of understanding ableism and the creative industry,” explained Janur Kesumadadi (2022), Deputy Head of the UGM LM Psychology Strategic Studies Department, Monday (27/5).

This discussion includes a presentation of material and questions and answers involving participants directly. One of the interesting points is the question regarding the existence of dark jokes in the creative industry. Senoaji explained that producers often use certain formulas to make blockbuster films based on algorithm analysis. Dark jokes have become popular because they are in great demand by the public, so there is a high demand for them. This public enthusiasm is what makes the existence of dark jokes continue. “Films do provide experiences, but they don’t always provide good experiences for everyone,” said Senoaji.

Elga added that dark jokes could be an intellectual exercise for film watchers to criticize. Not only do films contain dark jokes, but all films receive comments to advance inclusion. He also emphasized the importance of considering the views of discredited parties, especially in the modern creative industry.

“Persons with disabilities are starting to be shown with good character, bringing a positive atmosphere and resilience as is present in several K-Dramas,” said Elga.

Today’s creative industry is not only entertainment but also functions as an educational medium. Through this discussion, it is hoped that society will become more sensitive to micro issues that still exist in everyday life.

The success of the Ngariung 2024 event cannot be separated from the assistance and support of the Faculty of Psychology UGM, PT Komatsu Indonesia, and Arsana Ecosystem. This shows the importance of cooperation between various parties in supporting activities that promote social understanding and awareness.

Source: Department of Strategic Studies LM Psychology UGM

Editor: Erna