The prevailing idea about addiction is that it’s not a choice, but an illness. By and large, this idea is promoted by the mental health industry, the prevailing academic establishment, organized religions and Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous. Yet are they right? … Continue reading
Do you and your spouse argue over money? Perhaps you have heard of couples who find it helpful to have separate finances and bank accounts. What makes certain couples reach the decision to handle money in this way? Many reasons … Continue reading
Two approaches to life, especially in the business or professional environment, characterize most human interactions. The first is the adversarial mentality; the second is the realistic mentality. The adversarial mentality rests upon a series of illogical but (to some people) … Continue reading
The addictive experience, according to drug and alcohol addiction expert Stanton Peele (see www.peele.net), is characterized as follows: 1. Powerful and all-encompassing; 2. Inspires a sense of well-being, such as through conveying an artificial sense of power or control; 3. … Continue reading
“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” So goes conventional wisdom. This statement summarizes the dominant idea underlying many of today’s widely acknowledged social and psychological problems. To place an emphasis on who you know instead of what … Continue reading
We finally have some good economic news: The price of oil (and therefore gas) is going down; way down. Wholesale oil prices dropped from about $100 a barrel to $66, but gasoline prices have fallen from near $4 a gallon … Continue reading
Psychologytoday.com recently posted an interesting article entitled, “The 11 People We Love to Hate at Work” by business psychologist Steve Albrecht, D.B.A [11-26-14]. You can read the article for yourself. I’d like to go a little deeper, and a little … Continue reading
Recently, several readers have asked if I’ve written anything on children and divorce. A few years back, I did this interview with my friend and associate Dr. Stanton Samenow, author of the now classic (and recently revised) Inside the Criminal … Continue reading
When experiencing doubts about a relationship or marriage, here’s a question you might not have considered asking yourself: Does the existence of my relationship/marriage make my life better than it otherwise would be? It’s so easy to lose perspective; to … Continue reading
Dear Dr. Hurd: I enjoyed your article “Owning Your True Feelings..” regarding passive-aggressive behavior. In the last paragraph, you wrote: “You can’t change passive-aggressive people, but you can make it a lot harder for them by being forthright and direct. … Continue reading
Here’s a question people ask too infrequently in the area of romantic love: Do I admire and respect my partner/spouse? We are all taught that love means warmth, support, and sex. Of course romantic love does include these things. But … Continue reading
Most people think of the victim mentality as something of a modern development. Perhaps some of its more bizarre manifestations have come to the surface in recent years. Today we do hear more about silly lawsuits and the plight of … Continue reading