Six Steps Every Drug Addict Could Take
Psychology should ALWAYS be part of managing an addiction: not just fighting it but really managing it in due respect for yourself as a ‘total human being’. Thus, in every case, if you want to overcome an addiction, it’s good to take the psyche into account. First step: it’s you. Within the totality of your Read the full article…
A Leader’s Anxiety
As a leader, you are always closer to a feeling of anxiety. As a leader, you look more than others into uncharted territories. There you encounter the unknown, which always brings nearer the unknown within oneself, the principally not knowable within oneself, the own part of psyche that one is not conscious of. Psychologist C.G. Read the full article…
Is Competition Out?
‘Caring competition’ is a competition between people’s actions and competences, not between their dignities. Competition is natural. That doesn’t mean that an aggressive struggle is intrinsically good. I dare say it’s not. Even if it were all-pervasive in nature – which it is not – within human society we better transcend it. We humans have Read the full article…
Always Responsible, Never Guilty
The difference between guilt and responsibility is very important, yet frequently it’s barely acknowledged. You are guilty when having committed a crime. What is denoted as a crime may vary. Sometimes homosexuality is seen as an awful crime. At another time and place, it’s normal behavior. Crime does not exist without cultural definition. A set Read the full article…
Why Motivation Doesn’t Work… and What Does.
Deep motivation is invitation, no push nor pull. Ancient Greeks talked about ‘willing obedience’. Knowledge about this was deemed to be the quintessential leadership quality. As indeed it is. It’s also the issue that ‘leaders’ have the most difficulty with and questions about. How do I motivate these people who do not want to listen? Read the full article…
Building Consensus at the Level of Deep Motivation
Superficial consensus may create resentment. Deep consensus brings people closer to each other… … as well as to their own true motivation. Building consensus is about finding true motivations. What motivates people may be quite different from what they think to be deeply important to them. Much research points to this fact. For instance, at Read the full article…
Teen Spirit
An adolescent brain is not just an immature brain. There is a purpose: daring to experiment in an open quest for meaning. The term ‘adolescent,’ etymologically ‘one who is becoming an adult’ arguably puts the norm on adulthood: adolescence as a preparation for adult life, complexified by hormonal changes and an ongoing cognitive and emotional, Read the full article…
8. Erectile Disorders : Between Legs or Ears?
Between the legs. Between the ears. Between the blankets. The total picture is always important. We observe a swing motion in this. Nowadays the phrase ‘between the ears’ is not much appreciated. Twenty years ago this was different and within twenty years… well, who knows. But not now. However I know – just like every Read the full article…
7. Epilepsychic Reflections
Taking the mind-body unity into account leads to a more patient-friendly environment. State of affairs according to PubMed referenced literature: PNES-patients (Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures) suffer seizures that resemble epilepsy but EEG does not show typical anomalies related to epilepsy. These people are believed to have psychic problems that cause these seizures. According to literature we Read the full article…
Is Empathy a Force of Evil?
Of course not. Still, some describe it this way. The main – but not all – disagreement is one of terminology. Terms matter. Concepts are important. See ‘Landscape of Empathy’. In that drawing, I’ve distinguished some related concepts. Others may put other terms to these concepts. Empathy devoid of rationality is impossible in my conceptualization, Read the full article…
Think Yourself Slim.
If you want a slim body, it’s better to start with a slim mind. You want to fully enjoy eating and you want to slim down… Of course, slim people eat too. They may even enjoy eating. They only don’t eat too much (calories), in the long run. So what is the real job if Read the full article…
You Are an Organism, Not a Mechanism.
The difference is relevant to every aspect of life. You are an organism, not a mechanism. Though this seems the most obvious insight, still we mostly act as if the reverse is true. Even the working of the brain used to be understood as some kind of hydraulic system with pressure valves and the like, Read the full article…
Body-Talk
Whether on stage or in love or in company or before a church or anywhere: the body speaks. Even more: it is heard. [DISCLAIMER: There are experts with far more expertise than me. My broad interest is where my audacity comes from.] The body is indeed heard. Thus, it’s important for you to also listen Read the full article…
Is ‘Open Religion’ the Future?
In a world replete with separate religions, that what overlaps-in-depth may show a way towards Open Religion. Being an adherent of one specific religion at the principled exclusion of others, is definitely not open. ‘Inter-religious dialogue’ is in many cases just a kindly disguised way to (non-)accept each other for some specific common goal. We Read the full article…
Monogamy?
You might not like this. Please bear with me until the end. I will repeat that this idea is not unconditionally applicable. About ‘mono’ in monogamy Is it merely about a one-on-one relationship at a superficial level? As in “Thy Shall not Covet Thy Neighbor’s Consort”? Or is it primarily about a deeper level, as Read the full article…
Against Aggression Against Terrorism
Aggressively fighting terrorism is putting fuel on terrorism. There are other ways. Relatively (!) seen, terrorism is not the biggest problem. Worldwide, there are 11.7K terrorism deaths per year – mostly in Africa, versus for instance 450K through homicide, 1.3M through traffic accidents, 184K through drinking sugary beverages… Of course, each premature death is one Read the full article…
The End of War
War is not inevitable. At some point in the future, there will be no war ever anymore. We can think about what is needed towards that. No war is worth it. Let’s be reasonable. However, an argument against pacifism is that it leads aggressive opponents to seek their chances on war or economic invasion. Right. Read the full article…