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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Why Do They Have Television on Christmas?

Anytime I work with a personal story I remember my father’s caution against ever thinking my life is any more interesting than anyone else’s. I hope I haven’t slipped up. Maybe my little story will awaken a place in others where their stories hide. After the New Year I will …

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Medication, MysteryShrink in Real Life

MysteryShrink in Real Life Every year I do at least one tribute to people who are willing to take medication to deal with all sorts of disorders, particularly depression. No one wants to take medication. Certainly no one wants the side effects. Those who are willing are heroes and heroines …

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Why I Wrote The Mercy

Why did I write The Mercy? Well, first of all, I’m crazy. What it takes to write and re-write a book requires a certain loose relationship with reality. I love people and stories. I don’t delude myself into believing that my stories will make a dent in the admirable goals …

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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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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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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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