Faulty Thinking and Addiction

search to date takes it for granted that alcoholism and drug addiction are simply medical diseases. Neither free will nor psychology have anything to do with addiction, according to prevalent assumptions today. Then there’s AA, which focuses on the role of the undefined and indefinable Higher Power. This tends to make study of faulty beliefs irrelevant to research as we know it. This is a shame, because the lack of research which asks the right qu… Continue reading

The Dangers of Perfection

…rrent research takes it for granted that alcoholism and drug addiction are simply ‘medical’ diseases, and that free will and psychology are irrelevant. Twelve Step programs such as AA have their good and bad points, but they all focus on the role of an indefinable ‘Higher Power.’ Sadly, all this groundless distraction tends to overshadow any serious examination of faulty beliefs. And it’s a shame, because the lack of research that dares to ask the… Continue reading

Do People With Authentic Self-Esteem Feel Shame?

…of the world either. You didn’t betray any fundamental or core values. You simply made a mistake, and you feel a little silly. Shame cuts more to the core. When you’re ashamed, you perceive yourself as having acted against your own most fundamental, core values. Again, not everyone has thought out what their values actually are. But somewhere along the way they internalized some basic ideas. A common one is the idea that it’s wrong to be ‘selfish…. Continue reading

Little Kings With Huge Budgets

…there’s not enough money in the federal budget, the Federal Reserve Chief simply clicks a computer key — and magically, there’s more. Are money and currency the same thing? Are political actions equivalent to value? No, but nobody seems to care. Are there consequences to the currency and the economy, over time, for this theft of the value of people’s money? Of course, but no matter. Federal Reserve chieftains will just click a different button wh… Continue reading

“Immigration Reform” Means: More Freebies, More Power

…amous “healthcare.gov.” But have you checked out the page informing soon-to-be-legal immigrants of the freebies awaiting them upon citizenship? Click on: WelcometoUSA.gov and see for yourself. For those of you who pay taxes — you paid for this. Depending on your immigration status, length of time in the United States, and income, you may be eligible for some federal benefit programs. The website goes on to provide information about immediate acces… Continue reading

Excel at your Work and Success will Follow

…else out. And it supports what I’ve been telling people for years: If you simply concentrate on enjoying and excelling at your work, success will almost always follow.   Michael J. Hurd, Ph.D. can be reached by phone or text at 301-343-4171 and by email at DrHurd@DrHurd.com.   Follow Dr. Hurd on Facebook. Search under “Michael Hurd” (Charleston SC). Get up-to-the-minute postings, recommended articles and links, and engage in back-and-forth discus… Continue reading

“Hope and Change” Means No Jobs and a Dependent People

…jobs. They are learning to do more with fewer employees. They are creating high-tech businesses that don’t need employees. And many business owners are making plans to leave the country. In a high-tech world where businesses can be run from anywhere, Obama has a problem. His one-trick pony — raise taxes, raise taxes, raising taxes — is chasing away the business owners he desperately needs to pay his bills.” (columnist Wayne Allyn Root) The issue i… Continue reading

Gossip: The Hobgoblin of Insecure Minds (DE Wave)

…rry about them. People who gossip have already revealed something about themselves. And what they reveal proves that you have nothing to fear from them.” Follow Dr. Hurd on Facebook. Search under “Michael Hurd” (Rehoboth Beach DE). Get up-to-the-minute postings, recommended articles and links, and engage in back-and-forth discussion with Dr. Hurd on topics of interest. Also follow Dr. Hurd on Twitter at @MichaelJHurd1 Dr. Hurd is now a Newsmax Ins… Continue reading

Immigrants Come to the USA for a Reason

…nd his political party, the party of an ever-expanding entitlement/transfer-of-wealth state, stand to benefit the most (or so they think, at least.) Obama’s passive-aggressive resistance to doing anything about the immigration and border crisis will ultimately backfire on everyone, including his own party. Yes, his party will probably continue to gain in its control over the mass of the population, particularly as the number dependent on governmen… Continue reading

Self-Esteem vs. Narcissism

…o more likely to show evidence of self-image problems than are respectable high-achievers. Though this flies in the face of conventional wisdom, it fits with what I’ve been writing about for years. Psychotherapists define self-esteem in the wrong way. For the last four decades, psychology has viewed self-esteem in entirely subjective terms, i.e., if you feel good about yourself, then you have good self-esteem; if you feel badly about yourself, the… Continue reading

Gossip vs. Self-Esteem (DE Coast Press)

…have already revealed something about themselves. And what they reveal proves that you have nothing to fear from them.” Follow Dr. Hurd on Facebook. Search under “Michael Hurd” (Rehoboth Beach DE). Get up-to-the-minute postings, recommended articles and links, and engage in back-and-forth discussion with Dr. Hurd on topics of interest. Also follow Dr. Hurd on Twitter at @MichaelJHurd1… Continue reading

Self-esteem triumphs over gossip

…hat might or might not be true, and are rarely verifiable. For example: “So-and-so says’.” Or, “So-and-so feels’.” Or, “I heard that so-and-so’.” Gossip might start as an attempt to know the truth, but it collapses under the desire to paint fantasy as fact; relying on the unspoken premise that partial fiction is better than no information at all. Gossip, as the saying goes, is the “hobgoblin of little minds.” There’s no question that the minds tha… Continue reading