One of the more important dimensions of psychology operates not so much in the mind of the individual but rather in the interpersonal field. (This is perhaps why it was missed by the psychoanalysts.) One pioneer, Dr. Jacob L. Moreno, in the 1930s, noticed this dynamic and tried to find ways of measuring it. It’s […]
In the early 1970s a major shift occurred politically regarding the status of the acute and chronically severely mentally ill—especially those with active uncontrolled schizophrenia or active bipolar illness. Many were responding to the medications they were given in the hospital, becoming more stable, so it seemed that it was unnecessary to keep them in […]
Joel Waldfogel recently published a little book titled Scroogenomics: why you shouldn’t buy presents for the holidays. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press (2009). The author presents results of his research showing what I’ve become aware of for years: Folks frequently get gifts that they don’t care for that much. The author finally suggests, why don’t […]
In the June 7, 2010 issue of the New Yorker on page 21 there is an article about whether college is really cost effective. My attention was caught by the statement that skills appropriate to the workplace include the ability to “resolve conflict and negotiate,” “cooperate with others,” and “listen actively.” What strikes me here […]
America is going through an interesting developmental phase, akin to the early teen years. The era of the cost of living being cheap and easy is drawing to a close, because (1) natural resources are less plentiful and cheap; (2) the expectations of the people have gone up significantly; (3) services (especially health) are more […]
I’m dismayed at the sheer volume of spam email about “genuine” diplomas for sale—cheap! On one hand, I playfully want to join the bandwagon: I’m allied with The Wizard of Oz who created a Diploma for the Scarecrow because of his “cleverness” in rescuing Dorothy. Hey, why not? I can make up one for you […]
We need to get out of Afghanistan, because its prevalent culture is essentially corrupt and our efforts to change it only result in our pouring money into the pockets of local politicians—who then give kickbacks to opium-growing warlords. Related to this, we should legalize drugs—including opium products such as heroin—and re-channel funds away from trying […]
Forgive me, but this is a pro-Obama piece in the run-up to the 2008 presidential election. Still, it presents some interesting perspectives that haven’t sufficiently been addressed in the news:
One of the major elements in actual political life involves the choice by the winning politician—especially in the election of a United States President—of members of […]
Here we are at the peak of the controversy whether to okay the Bush Administration’s proposal for a 700 Billion Dollar Bail-Out. It’s a conundrum, indeed, as it is possible that if we don’t keep up the general level of confidence, banks will tighten credit so much that we’ll plunge ourselves into a depression. But […]
Recently John McCain, the Republican candidate for the Presidency, responded to controversy about Bush’s proposed 700 Billion Dollar rescue package by saying, “Let’s not play the blame game.” I was intrigued, because in many situations, especially in dealing with family conflict and other situations, it is indeed unwise and not productive to engage in simplistic […]
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