Teenage rebellion and obnoxious behavior are considered a normal and universal part of growing up. But is this assumption valid? First of all, we have to distinguish between rebellion and individuation. Individuation refers to the inevitable and necessary psychological (and … Continue reading
A number of readers ask: Why do I care so much for the opinions of other people? I am profoundly anxious about others’ opinions and judgments about me. What can I do to change this? The reason you want to … Continue reading
“It’s all ego.” “He did it out of ego.” “I don’t want this to be about ego. I want it to be about something better, or higher.” We hear these things all the time. Many of us even say this … Continue reading
Dr. Hurd, here is a related issue to what makes people succeed. I take issue with parents/teachers who tell their young children/students: “You can be anything you want to be in life.” Some of these adults add: “ … as … Continue reading
A lot of people wonder what causes depression. One of the major contributing factors is a certain way of thinking. If I had to boil it down to a single phrase, I’d call it: victim-think. Another term, more popular in … Continue reading
The headlines read: Man falls ill with Ebola after arriving in Texas from Liberia. A reader and Facebook friend of mine wrote on her timeline: I’m not panicked about this, because I think the reason this disease spreads so far … Continue reading
What leads to murderous mayhem? What is a “Messiah” complex, and why do so many fall for it, even if not always in extreme forms? Whether it’s Osama bin Laden, the leaders of the up and coming terrorist group ISIS, … Continue reading
A fellow psychotherapist writes, “I am wondering what your thoughts are with regard to famous cognitive psychotherapist Albert Ellis and his expressed hostility toward the concept of self-esteem, at least as he understands (or misunderstands) the term. As a psychologist, … Continue reading
When having a stressful day, or when a lot of things go wrong — perhaps seriously wrong — all at one time, many people ask themselves the question, “Why me?” Or, “Why is this happening?” To me, the interesting thing … Continue reading
Adrian Peterson is now coming back to the Minnesota Vikings two days after he was charged with child abuse for using a wooden switch to spank his 4-year-old son, and the star running back said Monday he is not a … Continue reading
Some people dislike dissension and approve of conformity. And the psychiatric profession has been known to get into the act. A few examples: In his 2010 book The Protest Psychosis: How Schizophrenia Became a Black Disease, psychiatrist Jonathan Metzl explored … Continue reading
The Washington Post [9-2-14] ran an interesting article recently on “helicopter parents.” Helicopter parents are parents of young adult children (usually college age) who rush to solve problems for kids without first checking if the kids are able and willing … Continue reading