Stubbornness is, essentially, a determination to fight a losing battle with reality, while accepting as a “reward” for the effort the gift-wrapped deadweight of rigidity and resentment. My apologies to Frank Sinatra fans, but I believe the theme song or anthem for … [Read more...] about Stubbornness: The Guts to Fight Reality
A Participant in National Self-Sabotage
Who dares suggest the American dream could be thwarted by an indistinct entity a mere two letters long? The CIA certainly doesn’t have a dossier on it. Yet one ingredient of personal suffering and national self-sabotage is the id. Yes, I know that’s an odd, whimsical word, one … [Read more...] about A Participant in National Self-Sabotage
Underlying Dynamics that Breed Bullies
If we want our society to put a stop to bullying—an excellent goal, of course, one embraced by President Barack Obama, educators, and celebrities—we can help the cause by better understanding the underlying psychological dynamics of bullying and by teaching this knowledge to our … [Read more...] about Underlying Dynamics that Breed Bullies
Deliverance from Low-Level Anxiety
Many people suffer from low-level anxiety, which produces, as one sufferer said, “a frequent feeling of dread, a sense that I’m not up to the challenges that face me, a fear that I won’t make it, that everything will crumble.” I had this distress and tension in my mind and … [Read more...] about Deliverance from Low-Level Anxiety
The Politburo in Your Psyche
A politburo is an unelected body of communist party leaders—an executive committee—that rules with a totalitarian mindset in a one-party state. Fortunately, there are not many politburos left (according to Wikipedia, China has one, along with North Korea, Laos, Vietnam, and … [Read more...] about The Politburo in Your Psyche