Psychology Articles

People suffering from the Avoidant Personality Disorder feel inadequate, unworthy, inferior, and lacking in self-confidence. As a result, they are shy and socially inhibited. Aware of their real (and, often, imagined) shortcomings, they are constantly on the lookout, are hypervigilant and ...

What is the inner child? “Inner child” is a psychological term used to describe the part of our adult psyche or personality that remains from our childhood self. It represents the child we once were and it remains with us throughout our lives regardless of our age. Consequently, every adult has an inner child within their psyche that was created from their childhood experiences and relationships. For this reason, everyone’s inner child is different with their own person

Ambient abuse is the stealth, subtle, underground currents of maltreatment that sometimes go unnoticed even by the victims themselves, until it is too late. Ambient abuse penetrates and permeates everything – but is difficult to pinpoint and identify. It is ambiguous, atmospheric, diffuse. Hence ...

Try to assess people fairly and look inside yourself to find out where your expectations and disappointments really come from. All of us get disappointed sometimes, but if it happens very often or if it hurts too much it might become a problem. What we don’t realize is that our expectations ...

Trichotillomania (TTM), what I’ll call “trich,” is a fascinating, albeit brutal, mind variance (my stigma-reducing term for “mental illness”). Now, if you’ve elected to read an article addressing treatment you more than likely have a pretty good idea as to just what trich is. But to make sure no one’s left in the dark I’m going to offer some details. The DSM-IV-TR, the book of formal psychiatric diagnoses, categorizes trichotillomania as an impulse control disorder. That wou

A common misconception is that the assessment of a person's competence and ability is equivalent to a value judgment of the worth of the actual person. Any self-esteem that results from such an identification is a house built of cards that may instantly collapse, when the next action is judged ...

New moms have specific contraceptive needs. They want birth control that is effective, simple to use, can be used over a long period of time, and allows for sexual spontaneity. An important question often asked by new moms is, “How soon after giving birth do I need to start using birth control?” Usually, doctors recommend that birth control be started six weeks after giving birth (if medically it’s okay to have sex) or when menstruation resumes.

Women’s minds are often on overdrive. We notice details. We have high expectations. We expect fai ess. We become frustrated when things aren’t the way they’re supposed to be. What does this all add up to? Frustrated women! Upset women! Mad women! Gone are the days when women would simply demure to others’ wishes. Gone are the days when women would squash their feelings in the name of femininity. Today’s women speak up. They vent their anger, even at the risk of gaining a reputation as a shrew, a nag, a bitch, a ball-buster.

The Negativistic (Passive-Aggressive) Personality Disorder is not yet recognized by the DSM Committee. It makes its appearances in Appendix B of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, titled "Criteria Sets and Axes Provided for Further Study." Some people are perennial pessimists and have ...

Most of us know or have known someone we care about who has come under the influence of a perpetrator using him/her for self-serving purposes. Very smart, educated, healthy people can, for some unknown, reason come under the spell of opportunistic, toxic, and insecure people. It is very puzzling for an observer of this phenomena to understand how the brainwashed person can’t see what is happening.

How can anyone with the brain of a cockroach make such a stupid statement? So rang out the sco of a killer talk show host on a television station in Cleveland. When I was on tour in his city, John Kelly quoted Leo Derocher who said just the opposite -- “Nice guys finish last.” Kelly also ...

It's not having been in the dark house, but having left it that counts.n -- Theodore Roosevelt I have been thinking a lot about courage lately. In part it is because of the work of Sandra Ford Walston, and her ...

The negative effects of overwhelming emotions often have more to do with our reaction to the emotion than to the emotion itself. If you feel extreme rage and act on that rage by breaking a window or physically assaulting the person you’re angry at, the problem then becomes the damage you’ve caused rather than the emotion of anger. If you allow the anger to pass through you without reacting to it, there would be no problem. Emotions themselves, even the painful ones, can be neutral and soon pass.

There are many ways to increase IQ and here, we aim to reveal and explore some of the things which you can do right now, which will help to enhance and develop your mental powers going forward. Use The Square Attention Game This is a very unique mental training technique, which, in the scientific community is known as "N-Back Training". It was invented in its original version by Dr Jaeggi at the University of Michigan, and has been shown in clinical trials to lead to improvem

In today’s hectic life, there are many people who are time poor. They are rushing around so much and getting stressed, that they do not realize that they are in need of help, and even if they do, they may not know where to go to get help or even what type of help they require. The first ...

We are constantly bombarded with statistics regarding the harmful effects of stress on our health, both mentally and physically. We know that stress is one of the leading contributors to 8 of the most life threatening illnesses, including cancer, heart disease, strokes and contributes to many chronic diseases and anxiety-related illnesses. I even wrote a book, "The Teacher’s Ultimate Stress Mastery Guide”that teaches how to prevent and eliminate stress from one’s life.

© 2002 WorldNetDaily.com \ From the Klickitat Wildlife area of Washington state comes this startling fact about gray squirrels: It seems that male squirrels are eager to mate two-thirds of the year, while females get passionate for less than a day … actually, for six hours. \ This is the ...© 2002 W

Reflect or Affect? It’s similar to the age-old question about films. Do movies affect society or are they simply mirror society as it is? The answer, in both cases, is that it’s probably a little bit of each. Facebook is a social networking site that hooks members up with their friends and helps them make new friends. Just about everyone is on Facebook, and many people have a LinkedIn profile. Linkedin is the largest professional network on the globe. Millions of people u

Back in the 1980’s, the Dalai Lama asked a group of world class neuroscientists if the mind could change the brain. It is a critical question. Does the brain direct us, or do we direct the brain? Are we genuinely free? Or are we stuck with the way genetics and early childhood wired our brains, with no real potential in our makeup for personal growth and spiritual transformation. The latter is the answer the scientists gave the Dalai Lama. They said the mind cannot change th

Living with chronic pain is draining, disturbing, frightening, debilitating and terribly disruptive. Sometimes the injury or ailment is visible like the results of a severe automobile accident or stroke. Frequently there is no apparent "cause" as the pain results from stenosis, immune disorders ...

An article by Jay Tow, M.S. Certified Sexologist

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it’s the hushed voice at the end of an exhausting day that says, “I’m still here. You can count on me.” Heroism doesn’t always bellow. Sometimes it’s the quiet stillness at the end of a tough road that says, “I get it. I accept it, even though it's hard for me.”

As a psychotherapist, I’m in the business of hearing how people, especially women, talk about their bodies using hateful and disparaging terms. They aren’t alone. I’ve done the same myself, and so I know how hard it can be to make peace with our imperfect bodies (are they ever anything else?) let alone feel loving toward it.

"I just let him handle things his way." "We're not very good at resolving problems, so I let it go." "I just hate confrontation!" Listening, talking, communicating, resolving problems, making joint decisions... these are requirements for all business owners, not just entrepreneurial couples. ...

FINDING THE LIGHT: OVERCOMING DEPRESSION By Laura Schultz, MFT “We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope”---Martin Luther King

ADD or ADHD is a common and serious problem that causes difficulty at home and in school. The hallmarks are distractibility and impulsivity. “You don’t listen” or “Sit still” are commonly heard. Variants of ADHD may involve mood problems, defiant attitudes or ...

Do you remember when you and your partner were getting to know each other? I bet that, when you think back to those early times of your love, you remember what you did together: perhaps you both liked the same music and went to concerts together; or you liked the theater, and went to many plays; or you had meals at favorite spots, or you cycled, hiked, walked, worked out together, sailed or went out for happy hour and these turned into whole evenings of conversation and fun.

A New Normal - for kids and for adults. Constantly busy. Always on the go. Rush, rush, rush. So much to do. We don’t “go” to the store anymore; we “run” to the store. We’re not just “busy” anymore; we’re “crazy busy.” We don’t rest and relax anymore; we have stuff to do 24/7. We don’t pay attention to just one thing at a time; we’re tuned in to multiple things. Have we all become ADD (attention deficit disorder)? Check it out. Here are a dozen symptoms of the disorder that have become the norm in our overly stressed lives.

A few years back, preparing for a talk on “How to Give Exciting and Engaging Presentations,” I asked myself a fundamental question: what are the essential qualities that I bring to a speaking program? In general, my goal is to help people become more FIT, that is, how can attendees have “Fun” ...

Question: In his drive for Narcissistic Supply, would the narcissist be callous enough to exploit the tragedy of others, if this were to secure him a new Supply Source? Answer: Yes. I compare Narcissistic Supply to drugs because of the almost involuntary and always-unrestrained nature of the ...

As we become more and more technologically connected – to our smart phones, our computers, our IPods and IPads, our Kindle and our video games – are we becoming more disconnected from real life and real people? Or is technology facilitating and enriching human relationships?

Step One We admitted that we were bound by the illusion of ego-created pleasures and that our life was full of suffering. Step one allows an individual to admit and recognize what is controlling his/her life. It is a chance for the person to become aware of the immense control that the ego ...

The truth is, self esteem is a mental fabrication. It has no objective existence of its own like might a part of the body or something in the natural environment. We can all agree on a person’s height, weight or even how fast he or she can walk a mile. But, there is no way to measure self esteem that is objective or standardized. That’s actually a good thing because it means any person can make self esteem to be what they choose. But, therein lies the problem as well. We might think a person who is successful in business, productive and wealthy, has “high” self esteem.

Dyslexia can be a conditioned way of acting Dyslexia has in many cases been shown to be caused by a subconsciously learnt behavior where the memory is accessed in a neurologically inefficient or even dysfunctional way. The access mechanism does in these cases not utilize the whole capacity of the brain, especially the co-operation of the two brain hemispheres. Other causes can also have an influence. Working with memory access in these cases can have small or even negligible effect, but it has on the other hand no negative side effects either.

Recently writing about “Bully Types” resurrected an emotio I have grappled with much of my life: a) being part of a family, especially as a child and teen, riddled with mental illness and shrouded in family secrets, b) as a child and young teen, threatened and emotionally bullied by peers for too many years, c) as an oft underachieving student and, finally, d) as a financially vulnerable speaker/word artist. The emotion is “SHAME!” And the crown with the cross: The ability to harness shame for uncommon empathy as well as creative and inspiring performance.

When to seek treatment: I recently received a call from a woman who was interested in couple therapy. She and her partner were planning a wedding and thought it would be a good idea to have pre-marital counseling "to iron out a few problems." After a few months in treatment, they agreed that ...When to seek treatment:

We all heard the terms "psychopath" or "sociopath". These are the old names for a patient with the Antisocial Personality Disorder (AsPD). It is hard to distinguish narcissists from psychopaths. The latter may simply be a less inhibited and less grandiose form of the former. Indeed, the DSM V Committee is considering to abolish this distinction altogether. Still, there are some important nuances setting the two disorders apart: As opposed to most narcissists, psychopaths are

Brain training is a general term which refers to any strategy which can help improve the performance of your mind. Generally, there are written exercises, mental techniques and physical or behavioral components involved in any effective program. Below, we aim to share some of the key methods you can begin to use right now, to help improve the performance of your mind. This in turn will lead to greater intellectual, academic, career and relationship success, in any way you wis

Anxiety isn’t all bad; it has an upside. Anxiety can be viewed to have a functional use. It is not arising out of nothing for no purpose. Anxiety is a kind of low grade fear; an apprehension. It is a form of caution. It is an awareness of possible threat, of potential danger. This wariness of our environment goes way back and may, in fact, be at least in part, responsible for our survival. The issue with anxiety is not so much about having it as it is about having it in a particular context, a specific setting, a time and a place.

If your relationship is on life support, it’s time for serious remediation. Here are two “must-do” assignments for you. 1. Stop the Zero Sum Game. Start a Team Effort A zero sum game is a game where there’s a winner and a loser. It’s a great model for competitive sports but a miserable model for personal relationships. So, if you’ve been playing a zero sum game or a game of tug-of-war with your spouse, quit. Right now. Quit. Simply drop the rope.

A No Nonsense approach to Making Decisions. A Self Help Guide to having Backbone and Integrity in all your choices, short term and long term. Is this decision going to be good for Me? To help Me be successful? How do I make the right choices? What are the effects and the outcomes. Ask yourself, Who am I really making these choices for?

For far too long “vs.” has designated a combative stance which has interfered with a useful combination of psychotherapy and medication. Medication can be a vital aid when prescribed properly especially for severe depression, bi-polar disorders and psychosis. Of course each patient ...

Add Sales TRIUMPHS Model to Your Selling Skills Repertoire

Do you prefer your fish broiled, fried, or blackened? How about your steaks? Do you like them rare, medium, or well done? What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Are you an early riser or do you prefer to sleep in when you can? Do you tend to be attracted to slim people or someone with a little meat on their bones? I doubt that these questions or the way someone would answer them would be judged and would raise any eyebrows.

There is little debate that most anxiety is a symptom of internal cognitive/psychological machinations. That is, we are thinking in a way that is generating the anxiety. We think in both mental pictures and internal dialogue and depending on what we are telling ourselves, and what we are seeing, we may generate irrational anxiety. We often do not hear what we tell ourselves, or see those internal mental images, consciously; but they nevertheless exist as a subconscious process and have tremendous power over our moods and emotions.

Physical/aggressive bullying is easy to identify. We can all see the broken bones, blood, and bruises. This type of bullying is most often chosen by men.

Notice the vertical letter pattern to the right of the first “Preamble” stanza. It’s the rhyme scheme: A-B-CC-A-B-CCC. This is the basic scheme throughout the poem. Also, it’s one reason the poem is subtitled, “The ABCs of Designing Disorder.”rn~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Courageous Resilience & Creative Risk-Taking (CR2): The ABCs of Designing Disorder Preamble Trio: 1) Weariness… 2) Uncertainty… 3) Failure A Resilience and Risk B The new “R & R” C Where effort and pluckr C With guidance and luckr A Help you stretch and stickr B To that rising starr

nYour brain exists in different stages that are determined by the state that you are in. Conscious, walking around or even in deep sleep - our brains produce electromagnetic waves in differing frequency ranges that have been scientifically marked as Alpha all the way to the Theta stage. From mental focus to alertness and emotional stability, each frequency has a function which seems to be optimised when produced. What this means is that brainwaves can produce an enhanced reac

This question fascinates me because I have observed over many years many jou eys where people struggle with this task (myself included.) Let’s take a look at some of my speculations and see what your thoughts might be on why this is so challenging. Our History and Teachingsr For women, it is easy to look back at the history we are and see that we have had to work hard for our rights. We have been considered an extension of our marital partners, the gender to be educated last in some cultures, the gender to serve, the gender to be barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen for starters.