Now You're Just A Moral Rule I Used To Know
At one point in my academic career I found myself facing something resembling an ethical dilemma: I had, what I felt was, a fantastic idea for a research project, hindered only by the fact that someone...
View ArticleLearning a language for grief
After the tragedy in Newtown we are hearing a good deal about children and their reactions to death. It is on the radio, in our daily newspapers, and in many ways all around us as the citizens of...
View ArticleIs Public Speaking Scary?
It’s an often-quoted fact that the fear of public speaking is a top fear amongst the general population. Sometimes referred to as “social phobia” or “social anxiety”, the thought of getting up in front...
View ArticleIs Internet Addiction Disorder a Valid Idea? Part 2
Be sure to read Part 1: A Description of the ProblemThe question remains: Is this skein of problems an addiction? When parents try, often with my facilitation, to set limits on their kids’ access to...
View ArticleHow to Increase Your Luck: Q&A with Frans Johansson
After reading this blog post by Cal Newport, I knew I had to read The Click Moment: Seizing Opportunity in an Unpredictable World. Although Frans Johansson reportedly only had $2.45 to his name when...
View ArticleLance Armstrong: Narcissism and What Lies Behind It
Public reaction to USADA's reasoned decision and now to the first part of the Oprah Armstrong interview last night have completed the familiar arc of celebrity worship: first we raise our heroes to the...
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Infidelity!
An infidelity guarantees the death of a marriage. Infidelities, emotional or physical, can kill a relationship like a knife in the heart can kill a person. But don't panic. Healing after affairs is...
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Social Media Doesn't Have to Make Breaking Up Harder to Do
Moving on emotionally after a break-up is hard, with or without social media. But the easy access and speed of social media sites, like Facebook, can make it easier to torment yourself and harder to...
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The Invisible Suffering of Children
Intense and terrible, I think, must be the lonelinessOf infants… – Edna St. Vincent Millay (untitled) ...by the time [the infant] is taken to his [sic] mother’s home (surely it cannot be called his) he...
View ArticleVideo Game Guns and Realistic Guns
“I just bought Modern Warfare 2, the game. It is probably the best military simulator out there and it's one of the hottest games this year. ... I see MW2 more as a part of my training-simulation than...
View ArticleThe (Only) Seven Spiritual Principles We Need to Succeed
Some people call them spiritual laws, spiritual principles, spiritual truths – I sometimes call them spiritual strategies.They’re part of our approach to life – ways of being, doing, thinking,...
View ArticleThe "Weapons Effect"
“Guns not only permit violence, they can stimulate it as well. The finger pulls the trigger, but the trigger may also be pulling the finger.”—Leonard Berkowitz, Emeritus Professor of Psychology,...
View ArticleCatfish Job Scams
The recent story involving Notre Dame football player Manti Te’o’s fake internet girlfriend has brought the term “catfish” to a mainstream audience. The Urban Dictionary defines catfish as “someone...
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Murder Rampage: Who's Responsible?
In July in Aurora, Colorado, an armed man went on a shooting rampage inside a movie theater, killing 12 and wounding 58 others. The suspect is James Holmes. Allegedly, he’d been under psychiatric care...
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Lance Armstrong and the Ill-Fated Pursuit of Perfection
Although my blog is generally about the psychology of weight loss, I’m always struck by the parallels between the weight loss journey and other life journeys. We all run into the same challenges,...
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Response to an Op-Ed: "Please Take Away My Right to a Gun"
There was an Op-Ed in the New York Times on January 18, 2013 titled “Please Take Away My Right to a Gun” by Wendy Button. The teaser intrigued me and sparked some long-time buried memories and...
View ArticleCookies and monopoly to stop the killing
My father's family came from Aleppo. They left it in the early 20th Century, went to Mexico to seek their destiny, as many families did. My father was born there, in Mexico City, and when he was five,...
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The Media and Dissociative Identity Disorder
-- Reprinted from the online magazine, "The Trauma & Mental Health Report"“Put away the myths the media has created… The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.” –...
View ArticleA Life-affirming Investment
There are plenty of ways to get lost, seduced, bought off, and dead-ended in a lifetime—some of them involve money. And there are also lots of ways to be inspired, connected, invigorated, and...
View ArticleGoldilocks and Controlling Intrusive Thoughts
Goldilocks wanted everything to be just right. The chair shouldn’t be too large or too small. The porridge shouldn’t be too hot or too cold and the bed shouldn’t be too hard or too soft. Goldilocks...
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