Does it matter if a robot looks male or female? You might not think so, but are we perpetuating stereotypes if if we create a robot that looks “feminine” to help the elderly aren’t we continuing the stereotype that these types of jobs are “women’s” jobs? If we create “masculine” looking robots to work outside and do adventurous, heavy lifting … Read More
Ep 237: What is Misophonia? More on La Cage, Empathy, and the Milgram Studies
Does the sound of other people’s mouth noises really drive you crazy? Honestly, it does to me. Things like lip smacking, swallowing, cracking and crunching really annoys me. If it annoys you too then you’re not alone. Learn about misophonia in this episode. Also, a little more about my experiences playing Albin/Zaza in the musical La Cage Aux Folles, more … Read More
Ep 234: Transvestism – Is It Normal? What Is Normal Anyway?
A small number of men cross dress and many movies and broadway shows feature cross dressers (often referred to as tansvestism), so obviously many people find it fascinating and those who cross dress typically enjoy it. Why? What does it mean about the people who do it? I was recently cast as Albin/ZaZa in the musical version of the movie … 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 227: I Remember How I Felt (Or Do You)?
Do “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation” or are we actually pretty happy most of the time? As it turns out humans are far more resilient than you think. Ever heard of the term “affective forecasting“? It’s something we do every day and very often we make mistakes doing it. In this episode you’ll learn more about positive psychology … Read More
Ep 206: What It’s Like to Have Autism – Interview with Alex Lowrey
Its time to hear from someone who has been diagnosed with autism what life is like. Alex Lowery joins us to talk about growing up with autism – about the heightened sensations, the frustrations of not being understood and what has helped him get to where he is today. At 20, Alex gives talks about his life. This is a … 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 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 146: Borderline Personality: What is it? Could Your Cell Phone Help Deal With It?
Borderline Personality Disorder is a difficult disorder to understand and treat. Briefly, people who suffer from BPD tend to have a heightened sensitivity to rejection. When they feel that they are being rejected they can react with strong feelings of anger. Their emotions can be very intense and vary widely during the day. This can also make their relationships very unstable.
Episode 122: DSM-V and On Being Sane – Are Psychiatric Labels Really Harmful?
What does the movie Shrek have to do with labeling, the DSM-V and the self-fulfilling prophecy? In this episode I take a close look at the well-known Rosenhan study. This was the study in which “pseudopatients” pretend to hear voices and on the basis of this they get admitted to psychiatric centers.
