We all want to help others – especially those in the “helping professions” – but what’s the best way to do that? Therapy? Medication? How about setting up an entire fake village set up to look like the ’50s with helping professionals dressed up to look like grocers? Sound bizarre? Well, they’re doing it in Amsterdam. Get All of My … Read More
Ep: 231: Multiple Personalities and Tips on Getting People to Help
Is there such a thing as a person having multiple personalities? What about Sybil and “All About Eve” – did they really have multiple personalities? The idea makes for great headlines and fascinating talk shows, but what’s the real story? I talk about that in this episode of The Psych Files along with giving tips on how to maximize the … Read More
Ep 224 (Video): If Freud Worked Tech Support
A humorous way to learn about the Freudian defense mechanisms (actually elaborated by Anna Freud) of Displacement, Denial, Sublimation, Reaction Formation, and Projection. A little dream analysis thrown in. Who knows? Maybe Sigmund Freud would have been good at customer service…(technically, this is a video version of episode 209). Â Â
Ep 219: Mental Health Professionals: Why So Liberal?
Surveys find that psychologists tend to align themselves with a liberal political orientation. Why is that? Are liberal-minded people drawn to human service professions or is there something about working in human services that causes people to become more liberal in their political views? In this episode I propose a few ideas that I think explains why mental health professionals … Read More
DSM5: Get Up To Speed Quickly. A Curated List of the Best Resources
There’s lots of talk about the DSM5 – the new version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. I put together this list of what I consider to be the better resources. Includes links to articles both critiquing and supporting the changes. Also: a downloadable PDF and two videos.
Ep 192: An Example of How Psychoanalysts Really Interpret Dreams
What do psychologists really think about your dreams – do they have meaning? In this episode I talk about what psychologists think today about dreams. You probably know that Freud thought that dreams had a manifest content (the people and things that happened in the dream that you remember) and a latent content (the unconscious meaning of the dream). Do … Read More
Ep 186: The Shootings at Newtown – Could We Have Prevented It?
“Hurt people, hurt people” – The Sanctuary Model Everyone was horrified to hear that an adolescent, Adam Lanza, walked into an elementary school and killed 20 children and 6 adults as well as killing himself. Many people have offered their view as to what was wrong with Adam and about what we could have done and should do to prevent … Read More
Ep 185: The Dynamics of Therapy: Transference and Counter Transference: An Interview with Kerry Malawista
Transference and countertransference are two key concepts in psychoanalysis and they are fascinating. If you’re interested in the therapy side of psychology – particularly psychoanalysis – this is the episode for you. Kerry Malawista, psychoanalyst and author, along with Anne Adeleman and Catherine Anderson, talks about their new book, “Wearing My Tutu To Analysis“. In this episode we focus … Read More
EP 176: Why Psychology Annoys You: Clearing Up Self Esteem and Positive Thinking
Why do so many people have a negative attitude about the field of psychology? I think there are a handful of reasons and here I talk about two of them: the so-called “self-esteem movement” and the “positive thinking” movement. Are psychologists responsible for why “kids today” appear to be so self-centered? Do psychologists think that changing yourself is as simple … Read More
EP 161: Self Help You Can Believe In: Interview with Dr. Tim Wilson, Author of Redirect
Looking for a self-help book with some meat? One that won’t insult your intelligence with flowery words and hyped up promises and pseudoscience? Take a look at the book Redirect by psychologist and author Tim Wilson. Redirect will give you a lot to think about and some new insights into human nature. Why Do We Keep Trying What DOESN’T Work? … Read More
