Wealth disparity continues to grow in developed nations. By next year, as Oxfam reported this month, the richest one percent will likely control half the world’s total wealth. This disparity is happening, in part, because money, when used neurotically, is overrated, desperately … [Read more...] about The Psychology of Wealth Disparity
Consciousness
How Do We Achieve Self-Control?
“If self-control is so important,” a reader asks, “how are we supposed to achieve it?” Personally, I don’t much like the term “self-control.” It suggests a desperate struggle between willpower and cravings, or between restraint and impulses. The term promises endless … [Read more...] about How Do We Achieve Self-Control?
A Painful Game People Play (Part I)
People frequently play painful games with one another—and they don’t have a clue what they’re doing. Psychological insight can help avoid such clueless behavior. One such game involves the readiness to devalue another person—and then to identify with what that person is likely … [Read more...] about A Painful Game People Play (Part I)
Neurosis Unbound
One of the obstacles to human progress is the widespread extent of neurosis. It’s important that we clearly see the nature of this psychological impairment—this common virus of the psyche—in order to overcome it. Amid the world’s turmoil, we need signposts for orientation and … [Read more...] about Neurosis Unbound
The Lingering Pain of Old Shame
We have all experienced, like a punch to the gut, old feelings of shame for things that happened long ago. Of course, everyone has committed past blunders or acts of negligence, cowardice, or foolishness. A lot of people hold on to these memories, and they continue to be … [Read more...] about The Lingering Pain of Old Shame