At first glance, psychology and politics may not appear to have much in common, but look a little deeper, and one finds an interesting world of intersections and commonalities. Indeed, politics, policy decisions, and political ideology have roots in how people think, the way we view the world, and that’s where psychology enters in. And […]
A new school year is quickly approaching, and as it does, many students may be facing a new learning environment with a series of new challenges. From a psychological perspective, there remains many different psychological schools and approaches that either explain how we process, absorb and retain information (i.e., learning), and how we navigate through new […]
How an emerging scientific theory can shape counseling approaches and interventions “If a butterfly flaps it’s wings in Brazil, will it cause a hurricane in Texas?” This question, posed by earlier proponents of “chaos theory,” illustrates how sensitive initial conditions may emerge into something larger and unpredictable. Earlier chaos theorists began in the unrelated fields of […]
Spiritual practices—activities such as prayer, meditation—and their influence on a healthy mental life have been investigated by researchers for several decades, but, according to a study published earlier this year titled, “When Trauma, Spirituality, and Mental Illness Intersect,” “little remains known . . . about the relationship between trauma and spirituality among people with severe psychiatric […]
Insomnia is more than just not sleeping well. It remains a mental health disorder that is classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, and it is also a problem that many Americans suffer from. In order to meet the criteria for insomnia, Haynes, et al. (2011), describes: “Insomnia complaints must last [at least] […]
As a psychological tool, Projective techniques have been in use for decades, and their usefulness has been championed by those such as Harold Pepinsky, who has been described as a “pioneer in the counseling profession.” In short, projective techniques are used in the therapeutic context “as a means to advance the counseling relationship and to maintain an understanding of […]
For a long time, a social stigma persisted about a person’s mental health. Those who suffered from then-undiagnosed disorders such as depression, autism, ADHA, and bipolar disorder would surely face discrimination or worse . . . perhaps forced institutionalization or social marginalization. The tide, however, began to turn in the late 19th and early 20th […]
An emerging form of therapy for children (particularly those with autism spectrum disorder) is the use of animals, particularly dogs. In recent years, therapy dogs have become a popular form of treatment with children with autism spectrum disorder. One group of researchers, recently conducted a review of the evidence for using therapy dogs, and the […]
In the wake of the mass killing that took place in Orlando, Florida, last week, questions regarding gun laws in America, LGTB rights, and other related questions have been brought to the forefront of the discussion. What remains remarkable, however—if not outright frightening—is an obscure piece of social science research that underscores a specific psychological problem […]
Veterans dealing with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) may have an alternative option for their healing process. According to a study published earlier this year in Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy—an a academic journal devoted to issues of psychological trauma—researchers reported that VA-sponsored meditation programs “show promise for reducing PTSD severity in Veterans receiving mental health services.” The […]