Category Archives: psychology

Habits and Metaphor: Constructing the Person

Posted on 15 December, 2022 by alfin2101

Rule One: Patterns of Action are Built on Habits It starts in the womb, as young minds construct habitual patterns of behavior — and create a new self-identity, with growing memories of “me.” The process continues throughout life, as ongoing … Continue reading →

Posted in Metaphor, Philosophy, psychology | 1 Comment

We Spend $Trillions/Yr on Mental Health Pseudoscience

Posted on 13 November, 2022 by alfin2101

In the Soviet Union, psychiatrists were used by the state to “put away” anyone who did not have their minds right, according to the dictates of the party. We are approaching the same mile marker in the west, where pseudoscientific … Continue reading →

Posted in psychology | 1 Comment

A Trendy Left-Wing Child Sacrifice: Transgenderism

Posted on 18 June, 2022 by alfin2101

I saw a video the other day featuring an American surgeon bragging that he had performed more than 3,000 double mastectomies on young women who had paid for gender reassignment, individuals confused – one might say encouraged – by those … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood Development, Climate, Energy, Everything You Think You Know Just Ain't So, Future, Germany, Green Quagmire, Ideology, Jordan Peterson, Nuclear Power, Postmodernism, psychology, Russia | Comments Off on A Trendy Left-Wing Child Sacrifice: Transgenderism

The Psychopath and “Cluster B” Disorders

Posted on 5 February, 2022 by alfin2101

These people live among us. They always have been and they always will. We need to understand them for our own well-being, and that of our loved ones. Psychopathy has always been part of human society; that is evident from … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, psychology | 3 Comments

The Flexible Optimist vs. Naive Optimism

Posted on 31 January, 2022 by alfin2101

In the long run, a person with a generally optimistic outlook will experience more opportunities in life for careers, friendships, and positive life experiences, than the chronic pessimist. But pessimism does have its uses for the flexible optimist. The wise … Continue reading →

Posted in China, psychology | Comments Off on The Flexible Optimist vs. Naive Optimism

Get Hardy, Get Gritty

Posted on 22 November, 2021 by alfin2101

Author Paul Tough (!) wants to help parents and children understand what it takes for kids to succeed in life. The video above is the full 8 hour audio book of one of his books, “How Children Succeed.” The book … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood Development, psychology | Comments Off on Get Hardy, Get Gritty

Natural Immunity to COVID: 30 Studies

Posted on 13 October, 2021 by alfin2101

Governments are going insane with vaccine mandates, while ignoring the reality of natural immunity to the Wuhan virus which comes with recovery from illness. The following linked article provides some information on this topic — which government functionaries wish would … Continue reading →

Posted in Pandemic, psychology | 4 Comments

What Do Women Want? Part III

Posted on 15 July, 2021 by alfin2101

In the first two parts of this series, we discovered that women want security and intimacy. But that is not all they want. The list is long, and tends to grow with every new item that is added to what … Continue reading →

Posted in psychology, Sex | Comments Off on What Do Women Want? Part III

Paranoia: The Flip Side

Posted on 17 June, 2021 by alfin2101

It seems to me that we are living in an age of paranoia, which is likely to get worse with time. Too many people are mainlining their thinking and decision making directly from a 6.7 inch screen. Is that why … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, psychology | Comments Off on Paranoia: The Flip Side

Ask Me and I Will Play

Posted on 19 May, 2021 by alfin2101

Everyone has a song to sing, a story to tell, and love that they hold inside. Whether they are willing to bravely take the stage and put it out there for everyone to see, depends upon how their brain weighs … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood Development, Optimism, psychology | Comments Off on Ask Me and I Will Play

A Deeper Level: Conversation Without Words

Posted on 29 April, 2021 by alfin2101

What are some alternative ways that we can use to understand each other and the world around us, besides using words in verbal communication? First, consider nonverbal communication in general: Facial Expressions Tone of voice, inflection, etc. Posture, Body Language … Continue reading →

Posted in Cognition, psychology | Comments Off on A Deeper Level: Conversation Without Words

New Treatments for Depression: DBS and Ketamine

Posted on 27 March, 2021 by alfin2101

Numerous studies have investigated deep brain stimulation (DBS) as a therapy for TRD (Treatment Resistant Depression). We performed a meta-analysis to determine efficacy and a meta-regression to compare stimulation targets. We identified and screened 1397 studies. We included 125 citations … Continue reading →

Posted in emotions, psychology | Comments Off on New Treatments for Depression: DBS and Ketamine

Toxic Secrets: The Profound Burden on Physical and Mental Health

Posted on 19 February, 2021 by alfin2101

When people feel forced to keep dark secrets from people they care about, they carry a painful burden of guilt and shame. This can make them feel cut off and isolated emotionally from loved ones, and often keeps them from … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood Development, Incest, psychology | Comments Off on Toxic Secrets: The Profound Burden on Physical and Mental Health

You Don’t Know Me

Posted on 2 February, 2021 by alfin2101

Of course you don’t know me. I don’t even know myself. Here are some of the reasons why: Philosopher Thomas Metzinger makes an interesting case in his book The Ego Tunnel that we really have no selves at all, in … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, psychology | Comments Off on You Don’t Know Me

Worst Torture: Alone With Your Thoughts

Posted on 30 January, 2021 by alfin2101

Most people would rather self-administer painful electric shocks than to be alone with their thoughts. In the short charming video above, a normal person was placed in isolation to determine the strategies he would use to escape the crazy-making effects … Continue reading →

Posted in Pandemic, psychology | Comments Off on Worst Torture: Alone With Your Thoughts

A Powerful and Wise Guided Missile: What Every Child Should Learn About Himself

Posted on 3 October, 2020 by alfin2101

The following are some more thoughts that originated in Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”. Most children are given a horrible start in life. Left largely to the mercy of schools, peers, social media, mass media and … Continue reading →

Posted in Competence, psychology | 1 Comment

The Illusion of Control and the Circle of Influence

Posted on 1 October, 2020 by alfin2101

Some Things Cannot Be Controlled — Even By the US, the EU, or the UN In the 1970’s, Ellen Langer, a researcher from UCLA, demonstrated evidence for a phenomenon she called the illusion of control… Time and again, research has … Continue reading →

Posted in Competence, Politics, psychology, University | Comments Off on The Illusion of Control and the Circle of Influence