President Obama is warning Libyan dictator Qaddafi to “fully comply” with a new U.N. resolution that calls for him to cease fire against rebels or …. Or what? This is a president who has apologized to the entire world for … Continue reading
Category: Daily Dose of Reason
Is Freedom Irrational?
Michael Ignatieff, of the Kennedy School of Government at (surprise, surprise) Harvard, wrote a few years back: ‘[Thomas] Jefferson airily assumed that [American] democracy would be carried on the wings of enlightenment, reason and science. No one argues that now.’ … Continue reading
Narcissism vs. Self-Esteem
Some psychologists, and other moralistic alarmists, continue to be concerned about the presence of ‘too much’ self-esteem among today’s youth. They cite, as evidence, the responses of 16,475 college students nationwide who, between 1982 and 2006, completed an evaluation called … Continue reading
The Psychology of Anger (Part 4 of 4)
Continued from yesterday’s Daily Dose of Reason, concluding today. Defensiveness and Anger A final issue with anger involves defensiveness. Defensiveness is particularly relevant to marital or romantic relationships, though it can come up in friendships and business relationships as well. … Continue reading
The Psychology of Anger (Part 3 of 4)
Continued from yesterday’s Daily Dose of Reason When There Are No Solutions Another issue with anger involves the solution-oriented approach. Although focusing on solutions over being angry is a psychological cornerstone of anger management—for example, finding different routes to work … Continue reading
The Psychology of Anger (Part 2 of 4)
Continued from yesterday’s Daily Dose of Reason What are some antidotes to irrational anger? The most effective, but also the most difficult at times, is simply changing the way you think. Use your irrational angry outbursts—or the threat of one—as … Continue reading
The Psychology of Anger (Part 1 of 4)
Why are Some People Angrier than Others? According to Jerry Deffenbacher, Ph.D., a psychologist who specializes in anger management, some people really are more ‘hotheaded’ than others, becoming angry more easily and more intensely. There are also those who don’t … Continue reading
Lessons Still Not Learned from Wisconsin
Lessons from the Battle of Wisconsin, where the standoff took place between Republicans and Democrats over the alleged rights of public union workers: 1) When the Obama Administration and union officials make threats, including reportedly physical threats, against their political … Continue reading
Why Republicans Blink
The bad news I feared is here. Republicans are wobbling, and Republicans are disappointing. This isn’t true everywhere (such as New Jersey), but it’s true in most places. The House leadership has put forth a bill cutting about $60 billion … Continue reading
Signs of the Times
An email with photographs of pro-Islamic protesters in England displays the following signs and slogans of the protesters: “Freedom Go to Hell” Now that’s interesting. These pro-Iranian and pro-Islamic dictatorship protesters want freedom to do what they please. They want … Continue reading
What Are Republicans Waiting For?
Principles matter — but so does strategy. In order to avoid a government shutdown, House Republicans keep extending existing big spending budgets every two weeks. These “stopgap” budgets may have some cuts, but not nearly what Republicans are proposing and … Continue reading
Things Psychiatrists and Therapists Do to Help You Stay the Way You Are
1) Call your troubling emotions an “illness.” An illness is something that happens to you independent of your control. While certain behaviors under your control (smoking, for example) may bring on illness, once an illness develops it runs its … Continue reading