I keep hearing the question: How to weather political differences with friends and associates, given this combative presidential election year? Then I read this at Psychology Today online, by Susan Heitler Ph.D.: The impulse to convince others of the rightness … Continue reading
Don’t you hate it when people interrupt you? Is it just rudeness? Or is it something more? Something can be rude, but also have an explanation. An explanation does not have to be an excuse. With interruptions, the most likely … Continue reading
What makes people want to be lied to? The presidential election is an obvious example. The candidate ahead in most of the polls is a woman most of the same people polled regard as a liar. It happens in everyday … Continue reading
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” –Mahatma Gandhi “There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved.” –George Sand “Happiness depends upon ourselves.” — Aristotle “Most … Continue reading
People talk about the psychological importance of humility. For example, reformed alcoholics or drug addicts will say, “Until I learned humility, I could not become sober.” They’re certainly on to something profound and important here. But is it really humility … Continue reading
Dear Dr. Hurd: Your article, “The Generation that Isn’t Growing Up,” speaks directly to our situation. We have a 24-year-old son who has no friends (beyond those he has met online), no girlfriend, no driver’s license, no job, nothing. He … Continue reading
In an article on children, philosopher Stephen Hicks makes an interesting case against homework for school-aged kids. Less interesting than the argument itself are the reasons Hicks provides. He writes: Everyone says that they want children to grow up able … Continue reading
Roughly 20 veterans a day commit suicide nationwide, according to new data from the Department of Veterans Affairs — a figure that dispels the often quoted, but problematic, “22 a day” estimate yet solidifies the disturbing mental health crisis the … Continue reading
Athlete and activist Christopher Bergland recently wrote an article entitled, “5 Ways Outdoor Learning Optimizes Children’s Well-Being.” In the article he says: In my opinion, the most poignant research on the benefits of spending time outdoors are reports that being … Continue reading
People who judge others without working on themselves are hypocrites, Pope Francis recently said. And unlike God’s judgment, he added, theirs lacks mercy — a theme close to the pontiff’s heart. Instead of judging, Francis suggested that people love and … Continue reading
Cultural elites, our President and Attorney General have been so busy trying to prove the Orlando shooting had nothing whatsoever to do with Islam that they’ve forgotten an earlier narrative: “Most shootings are due to mental illness; therefore, we must … Continue reading
Some people are inclined to ask a therapist, “Can you help me?” The answer, in all honesty, is “no.” Nobody can help you, not in the sense of rescuing you from your own mistaken choices, maladaptive behavioral patterns or irrational … Continue reading