Psychology podcast explores the showdown in the Traitors turret

In The Psychology Of... The Traitors podcast Dr Kevin Hochard, Head of Psychology at the University is joined by Forensic Psychology Lecturer Connor Pell and Professor Lisa Oakley to discuss episodes four, five and six of the hit BBC show. 

They discuss the revelation of the Secret Traitor with Lisa noting she wished the mystery had lasted longer to enable viewers to feel in the same position as the Faithful in working out who the Traitors were. 

In episode four Lisa said she enjoyed the switch with the roundtable early in the episode as it mixed up the format meaning that the players had to be adaptable to twists and turns to survive. She praised the show’s production team adding: “Whoever is designing the game is a genius”. 

The Psychologists discuss the theory of ‘learned helplessness’ in relation to Reece battling the players believing he is a Traitor. This theory, where a person feels they can’t control a situation and begin to spiral, is illustrated by him giving away his skulls and lighting his own shield in the missions.  

They also explore the impact of the Rachel and Fiona fallout with Kevin suggesting that this was due to Fiona’s need to feel in control. Connor described the confrontation as an “emotional explosion” and how motivations can change as the game progresses. 

The three go on to discuss Freudian slips; selective attention and the importance of the Who’s Who book often featured in cut-away scenes and the possible relationships between players. 

With the cliffhanger of Matt asking to join the Traitors and former barrister Harriet about to question them, the Psychologists also discussed how they see the game playing out. 

Kevin said: “We’re fascinated to see what happens in the next episodes and if Matt gets his wish to join the Traitors along with Harriet’s long-term game plan. This is a fantastic series so far from a Psychology point of view.” 

To listen to The Psychology Of... The Traitors, visit the team’s Spotify page at https://open.spotify.com/episode/0iqgbH8dyOdxxi35UqEF9Y?si=_kyRlRsMTQ-gx0gMJNIsUw&nd=1&dlsi=ec7504b8034747cf 

Caption: Left to right: Connor Pell, Professor Lisa Oakley and Dr Kevin Hochard.