Throughout human history, a widespread belief has been that differences exist between the sexes. In the mid-twentieth century, however, various political and social movements sought to close the so-called “gender gap.” And why not? On average, women still earn less money than men, and globally, some countries maintain draconian customs that strip women of political […]
Achieving Insight through ‘Lateral Thinking’ When a person thinks of “lateral thinking,” one name may come to mind: Edward de Bono. In the 1960s, in the era before books of popular psychology began to dominate, De Bono remained one of the first psychologists to have his ideas reach a mainstream audience. In his books such as […]
In 1951, a virtually unknown dock laborer in San Francisco published a book that would have a wide-ranging impact in psychology, politics and philosophy. That book was “The True Believer” by Eric Hoffer. Hoffer, who did not receive a formal university education, probed into the nature of mass movements, and pondered why anyone would give […]
Developing Good ‘People Skills’ Whether dealing with co-workers, family members, friends or any other conceivable group of people, communicating well—or, having strong “people skills”—does seem to go a long way. Often times, interpersonal conflict arises when we fail to communicate properly, or so psychologist Robert Bolton would argue. Bolton, who published his seminal work in 1979, “People […]
The concept of self-esteem remains cloudy: some individuals seem not to have enough while others have so much that it may resemble something more like narcissism. That said, however, defining and implementing self-esteem may not remain an easy task, which is what brought psychologist Nathanial Branden to publish his seminal work, “The Psychology of Self-Esteem,” in 1969. […]
For many years, researchers and others have used the standard IQ (intelligence quotient) test to measure an individual’s intelligence and the likelihood that they will succeed in life. That said, however, in the 1980s, psychologist Howard Gardner threw out a radical new approach to human intelligence. Gardner proposed that the standard view of human intelligence had been […]
David D. Burns, M.D., first published “Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy” in 1980. Since then, the book has gone on to sell millions of copies and has inspired countless spinoff workbooks and seminars. In fact, the book’s popularity remains epitomized by a quote from the Los Angeles Times on its back cover: “A book […]
Many have asked the oft-cited question: What makes a good marriage? And for many couples, answers to this question do not come easily. With the aim of saving their marriage, many couples seek therapy—secular or religious—purchase books, attend seminars and invest lots of time and emotional energy in to their relationship. Sadly, not everyone succeeds, […]
Epictetus’ Strangely ‘Modern’ Psychology Although the field of psychology is more than a century old, its roots, arguably, can be traced back even further. Psychology, much like the natural and physical sciences centuries earlier, split off from philosophy in the late 19th Century. Williams James, many histories argue, remains the first “true” psychologist in the modern […]
For several decades, psychologists in the western world have been turning eastward in an effort to better understand the psychological offerings of Buddhism. Buddhism, in short, contains a broad range of concepts, many of which have direct import for contemporary psychology. Indeed, often described as a “religion,” “spiritual practice” or simply as “a way of life,” Buddhism tends […]