What does it mean to accuse someone of being on an “ego trip”? Let’s start with the concept of “ego.” In the original Greek definition of the term, “ego” basically refers to the self, or “I.” In the Freudian version … Continue reading
Dear Dr. Hurd, I was wondering if you could provide some advice as to my dilemma: I’m a 25-year-old adult who is still living with his mother, but contrary to most young adults out there, I’m not depending on her … Continue reading
My articles on psychology and human affairs all rest on one implicit premise: That free will exists, not as an article of faith, but as an observable, provable fact. Not all writers in psychology, and not all biologists, agree. Biologist … Continue reading
“He’s trying to get something for nothing.” It’s usually said with an air of disapproval — and not without good reason. However, people who seek something for nothing are naive and foolish, more than anything else. They’re at war with … Continue reading
A website on psychology and mental health based in the Phillippines says the following: In my workshops on psychological well-being, there’s one question that keeps popping up: “Should I still support my family? I already feel drained and stressed but … Continue reading
Here’s another gigantic myth about capitalism: That those who innovate and create owe others for the fact they made a lot of money. In other words, they create something that’s so valuable, that so many people need and wish to … Continue reading
“Two wrongs don’t make a right.” It’s a fallacy that gets a lot of people into trouble. Taken at face value, it makes a certain kind of sense. If something is wrong, such as initiating violence against another, it’s wrong … Continue reading
Denverpost.com report [12/13/13]: The teenage gunman [Karl Pierson] who entered Arapahoe High School on Friday afternoon and shot two fellow students with a shotgun was outspoken about politics, was a gifted debater and might have been bullied for his beliefs, … Continue reading
For a fascinating social psychological study, I suggest you view the following video on You Tube: “Guy Brings His White Girl to Barbershop in Harlem.” To summarize, an ABC news team staged an incident where a black hairdresser (played by … Continue reading
One of my favorite sayings (I don’t know the author) is, ‘If you subsidize something, you’ll get more of it.’ I’ll expand the saying to a wider realm than economics: ‘If you excuse something, you’ll see more of it.’ Excuses, … Continue reading
Does money buy you happiness? No. But money is not irrelevant. Money buys you choices. People are happier when they have more choices. It’s not money itself that makes someone happy; it’s the ability to spend it that liberates one … Continue reading
A reader asks: Do we have a responsibility to help our parents out as they age because they raised us and helped us become adults? I know you don’t subscribe to an ethical system of self-sacrifice, and wonder where you … Continue reading