In just a week, the high holy days of masquerade will be upon us. Rarely does a Halloween go by without people asking me about the psychology of costumes and disguise. Ancient mystical beliefs held that if you disguised yourself … Continue reading
Couples, families and friends tell me that they fight over money more than anything else. But when I look closer, it becomes evident that the fighting is less about actual money and more about personal expectations and priorities. If differences … Continue reading
A Delaware Wave reader emails, “Dear Dr. Hurd, my “new age” friends are always telling me to “go with my feelings and say what I feel.” But is it advisable to just blurt out whatever happens to pop into your … Continue reading
It’s a rare week in my office when couples don’t ask me how to make – or keep – a marriage happy. My first reaction is to remind them that they are on the same team; that they share the … Continue reading
Some of the best times I had as a kid were spent in the movie theater, escaping into the realm of fantasy. Professional filmmakers refer to that sense of escape as the “willing suspension of disbelief,” where, for ninety minutes … Continue reading
Occasionally, a parent or a spouse will tell me that their child or partner “needs help.” When I ask them why, they either don’t answer, or they say that they can’t get their loved one to “make sense.” Over the … Continue reading
Lately it has become fashionable to label people who have accomplished great things as being “arrogant.” The reason for this is best left to another column, but I suspect we wouldn’t be enjoying many of our conveniences and comforts were … Continue reading
Recent medical/psychological research and studies are finally suggesting what I’ve been saying for years: Much of the psychobabble surrounding fashionable labels like “ADD”, “ADHD”, etc. are nothing more than haphazard “diagnoses” of teenagers’ behavior, triggering a flurry of needless prescriptions. … Continue reading
A few years ago I spoke to a woman who was thoroughly fed up with a friend of hers. She just didn’t enjoy being with him any longer. Though she had already decided to back away from him altogether, she … Continue reading
A Delaware Wave reader emails that insignificant things often annoy her. She writes that she was upset in a restaurant recently because a child was making some noise. She admits that the kid was just being a kid, and that … Continue reading
I see so many people in my office who spend more years caring for their elderly parents than they spent raising their own children. This is becoming more and more commonplace as advances in medical science continue to extend the … Continue reading
A reader asks me why some health professionals refer to her son’s behavioral problems as a “disease.” She says it makes her son feel worse about himself and even seems to deepen his depression. The whole idea behind calling behavioral … Continue reading