Relationship Dependence: I’m Okay if You’re Okay, “The Pact”

Relationship Dependency: “I’m Okay if You’re Okay” The Pact by Jodi Picoult Part One What I’m Reading . . .  **This article is not a standard review of the book but a discussion of how the story weaves in lessons in psychology and behavior. The Pact tells the story of a teen couple, Christopher …

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Coffee: Gateway to Heroin

Coffee:  Gateway to Heroin Useful Psychology Teaches Us ‘How to Think,’ Not ‘What to Think’ The problem with Nancy Reagan’s ‘Just say No’ anti-drug program was that the focus was on blind obedience. This method works well with children still in the ‘concrete thinking’ stage of development, but does not …

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Dreams, Goals. How to Get Stuff Done (Re-set. Accidental Deletion)

Dreams, Goals. How to Get Stuff Done  (Re-set. Accidental Deletion) mysteryshrinkJune 11, 2015Anxiety, Depression, Front Page Dreams, Goals. How to Get Stuff Done The lead photograph is a picture of Alvin Bailey, the head groom at the stable when I was a kid, a beloved friend, and one of my …

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Self Regulation: How Can I Do a Better Job of Managing Emotions?

Self Regulation: How Can I Do a Better Job of Managing Emotions? Notes on Bowen Theory.  Hal DeShong, Ph.D.  Psychology for Dummies Entry Note:  This entry outlines elements of self-regulation (a.) through (g.), each of which will be clarified with painful examples in upcoming articles. For example, to illustrate ‘Decreasing …

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Should I Apologize?

Should I Apologize? Well, of course. Unless you are that one perfect person you make mistakes all the time. So, I ask you, can you give me one rational reason why you shouldn’t apologize? When I ask this question in my office I usually receive one of those ‘I’m-paying-you-and-this-is-what-I-get?’ expressions. …

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Did You Ever Want to Be Anyone Else? (Re-post Due to Technical Send Error)

Did You Ever Want to Be Anyone Else? Did You? The Story: Easy Rider meets The Quiet American and both dance with Little Miss Sunshine. How to Choose a Psychologist: I ask you, “What possible good can any psychologist be to you if she can’t– out of nowhere, out of nothing, ‘back into’ …

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The Myth that ‘More Attention Is Always Better’

The Myth that ‘More Attention Is Always Better’ Before going forward, you’d do well to read: What? Are You Crazy? Me host Thanksgiving? ; The Weird Sisters, Sibling Position, Part 1;  The Weird Sisters, Sibling Position, Part 2;  What Does Birth Order Have to Do with Relationships Now? The Test;   What Does Birth …

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