The key to understanding what makes a person ‘tick’—yourself, or another—is motivation. Motivation refers to why you do what you do—on the most fundamental and emotional of levels. Motivation is a fact of one’s psychological make-up. It’s not unchangeable. Motivation … Continue reading
The impending war in Syria seems like a good time to revisit environmentalism. Although Obama may be foolish enough to believe America has an obligation to invade Syria in the absence of any threat to American interests, the continuing high … Continue reading
A narcissist is someone who (a) thinks he’s smarter or more skilled than he is; and/or (b) thinks he has power or knowledge that nobody else can have. At the root of narcissism is a false belief that something other … Continue reading
A journalist from Cosmopolitan Magazine/U.K. recently asked for my feedback on the issue of honesty. Here are the questions, along with my answers. Why do some people find it difficult to be honest? The most common reason is fear of … Continue reading
Dear Dr. Hurd: I am a 60 year-old-male considering a career change. I am interested in acquiring a degree and becoming a therapist. I am most interested in childhood trauma and its connection to PTSD if there is any. Much … Continue reading
Many have written about romantic love, or all love, as a ‘mystery’. Or a product of ‘fate.’ Or ‘divine guidance,’ ‘karma,’ or other impossible-to-comprehend factors. But how about trying to explain this mystery called love? Why surrender all understanding of … Continue reading
Bloomberg News reports: President Obama, speaking from the same Washington stage where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a defining speech of the civil rights movement, said that even as the nation has been transformed, work remains in countering growing economic … Continue reading
…in these words, “the motive force of society is the government”; once men consider themselves as sentient, but passive, incapable of improving themselves morally or materially by their own intelligence and energy, and reduced to expecting everything from the law; … Continue reading
Any U.S. strike against Syria is ‘likely to last hours not days’ and probably would not come before the British Parliament votes on military action Thursday, a senior U.S. defense official told Fox News. Four U.S. Navy destroyers are in … Continue reading
Should the U.S. intervene in Syria? The proper standard for military intervention is: What serves the interests of the nation? If the nation defending its interests supports individual rights—and is the government of a free, democratic republic—then by definition such … Continue reading
The conventional ‘wisdom’ suggests that self-interest destroys a society; and self-sacrifice preserves it. Let’s apply this idea to daily life. When I’m driving on a highway, I’m counting not only on my own sense of self-interest and self-preservation, but also … Continue reading
Dear Dr. Hurd: I know that you focus on present issues, not childhood issues. But sometimes childhood issues are alive and ‘well’ in the present. Let me give you a couple of examples. Ever since I was very young (my … Continue reading