Many otherwise healthy and admirable people, when they become aware of “feeling sorry” for themselves, squelch it right there. In some ways that’s a good thing, of course. But here’s the problem: You ought to have empathy and compassion for … Continue reading
In an article entitled, “What the Self-Esteem Movement Got Disastrously Wrong,” Dan Sanchez, of the Foundation for Economic Education, writes: The self-esteem movement is … widely blamed for its influence on American schools and families. In the name of building … Continue reading
One of the least likable types of people is the “gotcha” personality. A “gotcha” personality seeks to catch you in a mistake. The motive of such a person isn’t to help you, but to make him- or herself look and … Continue reading
A motivational speaker candidly writes, I often bring a magic wand to my face-to-face seminars and university classes. The audience usually emits a loud chuckle when I ask for a volunteer and proceed to wave my magic wand over their … Continue reading
Abandonment is awful. Nobody likes it. When therapists speak of “abandonment issues”, they’re generally talking about childhood. Real or perceived abandonments by one’s parents, when one is a child, can have lasting effects. As Italian athlete Mario Balotelli put it, … Continue reading
I actually heard this in an advertisement on a YouTube video. It’s a great question! Kudos to the advertising executives who came up with it. Who says business is not a creative enterprise? Here it is: “When was the last … Continue reading
It’s tempting for many to ask for personal advice. But what is “advice” exactly? You get advice from a tax accountant. Why? Because the tax accountant knows about laws and procedures that you probably don’t know. You get advice from … Continue reading
“The worst guilt is to accept an unearned guilt,” said philosopher and novelist Ayn Rand. What makes unearned guilt so bad? When you accept unearned guilt, you hurt yourself. You take responsibility for something you did not cause. Many things … Continue reading
According to Edward Hallowell, M.D, the Harvard psychiatrist who wrote the highly influential “Driven to Distraction”: …You can’t have intimacy without attention. This sounds obvious but it’s worth emphasizing because in today’s world attention can’t be taken for granted. We … Continue reading
The latest up and coming psychological disorder? It’s called “shame attraction.” The idea is that if you aren’t attracted to a given person for whatever reason, you should be shamed for it. Everyone is supposed to be attracted to everyone … Continue reading
Most psychiatrists and psychologists insist there’s no such thing as laziness. Everything is depression, they claim. Others say there’s no such thing as depression, and that it’s all laziness. What’s the truth? Is there such a thing as being lazy? … Continue reading
Dear Dr. Hurd, While waiting in line recently, a woman and I were having a casual conversation. In response to my question, she said she was a Job Coach and worked with students with ED, then further defined the acronym … Continue reading