So now that we know a lot about why individuals join extermist groups, what can we do about it? How do we bring them back to society and help them have meaningful lives again? This is the second of 2 episodes on this topic and what we learn here also applies to school shooters. Here are some concrete suggestions, supported … Read More
Ep 293: Emotional Intelligence – How Is It Taught?
One of the hardest challenges as we grow up is to know how we feel and to understand how others feel. The next step after we’re aware of our feelings is knowing how we’re going to best act on them. That’s the essence of Emotional Intelligence and in this episode, school psychologist and author Kyle Carlin talks about a book … Read More
Ep 276: “Because I Said So” Doesn’t Work for Teens
How many times when a parent is arguing with a teen has the parent either said – or wish they could say – “Do it because I said so!”. As a parent myself, I’ve had more than a few of those times. But it just doesn’t work – especially with teenagers. In this episode I explore the classic three parenting … Read More
Ep: 258 – Why It’s So Hard To Put Those Damn Phones Down!
Do you have a really hard time getting away from your phone? Why do we find it so hard to put down our phones? I’ll give you 5 reasons drawn directly from psychological theories on how we learn, how teenagers are strongly affected by reward and how we are all drawn in by mystery. There is of course no easy … Read More
Ep 254: How to Create Great Ways for Seniors to Live
What comes to mind when you think “nursing home”? Not so good, right? Let’s change that. Let’s use what we learn from psychology to create exciting places for seniors to live. We’ve got the tools provided by Maslow’s Hierarchy and by Self Determination theory. Here’s one way we could revolutionize the “senior years”. Motivation Theories Maslow’s Hierarchy: Physiological needs, Safety … Read More
Ep 228 (video): Did B.F. Skinner Raise His Children in a Skinner Box?
You may have heard this rumor about B.F. Skinner raising his children in one of his (presumably oversized) “Skinner boxes”. Is there any truth to this? Related rumors: that Skinner’s daughter became mentally ill as a result of being raised in this box and that she sued her father when she became an adult. We finally find the answer to … Read More
Dementia: When “Living in the Moment” is Not A Good Thing
Tomorrow my mother turns 94 and her physical health is amazing. I have spoken about my mother and her husband Roy (who turns 99 next Spring) on this podcast several times including this episode where I interview him since he is in the final stage of Erikson’s Eight Stages of PsychoSocial Development. Like many people her age my mother suffers … Read More
220: More Evidence That Animals Think and Feel
In episode 217 I asked you to be frank with yourself: Does your animal really think? It’s easy to believe they do, but if you’re going to study this issue scientifically you have to eliminate our human tendency to anthropomorphize – to want to believe that animal actions are motivated by internal states. Articles Mentioned In This Episode Chickens and … Read More
Ep 214: Your Adolescence is Giving Me A Mid-Life Crisis!
We all know that adolescence is a time of change and often a tough time for the teen. But what about the parent? Today’s parents are often older than years ago, and today’s parents are sometimes going through their own self-examination, their own doubts, their own exploration. What happens when you bring those two together? Sometimes a lot of yelling … Read More
Ep 211: Is a Little Deception Okay? Paid Crowds and Native Advertising
We face more moral “dilemmas” in everyday life than maybe we don’t realize. How do we resolve them? In this episode I discuss two interesting moral dilemmas: a) should you employ for-hire crowds of actors to attend your event in order to make it look like you’re more popular than you really are? and b) should you place your advertisements … Read More
