http://www.AskEdahn.com
This site is an advice column that deals with relationships, sex, spirituality, dating, and others awesome stuff. Please check it out and follo...
Monday, October 12, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Closure and Contentment
This post isn't going to be about research as much as philosophy I've drawn from my experiences and observations.
Though we tend to reserve the word closure for relationships, closure is, in my opinion, the most important concept in someone's quest to overcome life-struggling. To see why, we have to consider what causes struggling in the first place.
The...
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
What is Mindfulness?
Unless you're deaf or live in a cave, you've heard the word mindfulness. The term has started creeping its way into psychotherapeutic vernacular. Originally an Eastern mystical exercise, it has now forms the cornerstone of some major Western psychotherapy techniques including Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness Psychotherapy. What is it?...
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Transference in Online Relationships? (user submitted)
Dear AmateurShrink,What are your thoughts on transference and countertransference with particular regard to online friend/relationships?Attentively yours, Lustful in London~ ~ ~ Dear Lustful, Lets quickly define the terms tranference and counter-transference. Webster's defines transference as "a reproduction of emotions relating to repressed experiences,...
Monday, August 31, 2009
Venting makes you MORE angry?
Have you ever had a friend/girlfriend/homeless person ask you if they could just "vent" for a minute about something that bothered them? Have you ever heard someone say they're going to the gym to hit a punching bag for a while to get out some frustration?We commonly call these behaviors "venting." The idea behind venting is that by expressing anger...
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Why can't I cry? (user submitted)
Dear Edahn,Why can't I cry? I get close, but I just get choked up. Sincerely, Choking in Chile ~ ~ ~ Dear Choking, Crying is kind of like an orgasm except you don't feel guilty afterwards. If you are too self-conscious, you'll be tense and your awareness absorbed in your mind rather than in your body. I'm going to assume safely that as you approach...
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Have a question?
Whether it's a personal issue that you're seeking insight on, an interesting situation you encounter, or just intellectual curiosity, feel free to ask a question. I shall do my best to answer it. You can either comment under this post or send an email to TheAmateurPsychologist@Gmail.com . I won't publish your name unless you expressly authorize i...
Monday, August 24, 2009
Narcissism: Think "Alpha-Envy"
On the surface, Narcissism can be thought of a condition of excess vanity. The term is based on the Greek myth of Narcissus. Narcissus was a sexy but cruel guy. As punishment, the gods make him fall in love with his reflection in a pool, where he ends up dying. Shoulda brought a Snickers.The DSM-IV defines Narcissistic Personality Disorder a “pervasive...
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Homework #1
I tried this when I was bored waiting for court to start one day. It got really interesting and I felt like I had some immediate insight into people. Imagine everyone around you was stoned. Some people talk a lot about themselves, others relax, others start chasing women, others might become sexually aggressive, some chat, some cry, some just want...
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
How Memory Works
How do cognitive psychologists think about memory? I'm going to present the dominant models of memory and then end with some neat facts about memory that'll impress your friends, if you have any. I've put the psych jargon in italics for those who are interested.Atkinson & Shiffrin's Stage Theory There are a few popular models of how memory works....
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Transactional Analysis: A Guide to Deconstructing Dialogue
In the 1960, Erick Berne (formerly Bernstein) wrote an immensely popular book called Games People Play that kicked off the Pop Psychology movement. His book laid the foundation for a new set of tools to codify and understand human interaction, collectively named Transactional Analysis.At the core of Transactional Analysis lies Berne’s idea of “Strokes.”...
Monday, August 10, 2009
Freudian Slipping
"Yesterday I had a Freudian slip at my in-laws' place over dinner. I meant to say 'please pass the carrots' but I accidentally said 'your mother's a stupid hooker.'" Ah yes, the Freudian Slip. Freud called it fehlleistung which I think is German for completely bullshit theory. While I dig a lot of Freud's work, I'm not a big fan of this particular...
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Why do men go for needy girls? (user submitted)
Dear Edahn,Why do men sometimes like women who I would characterize as crazy or disturbed or excessively needy? I have my own theory, but yours is probably more informed/better articulated. Curious in Cali ~ ~ ~ Dear Curious, To make sure I understood your question, I interpreted "crazy, disturbed, and needy" as the kind of girl who is always making...
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
A Social Psychological View of Burnout
Have you ever been in this situation: you figure out something you love and decide to make it into your profession; soon thereafter, you find yourself diappointed and no longer deriving the same enjoyment from once once beloved activity.Psychologists have studied these types of phenomena with children and adults. They call it the Overjustification...
Friday, July 24, 2009
What exactly is an Identity Crisis?
The term "identity crisis" was coined by Erik Erikson (1909 - 1994) a German-Jewish psychologist who was educated and was analyzed by Anna Freud, Freud's daughter. Erikson is famous for his contributions to personality and developmental psychology. He proposed that development occured in a series of 8 psychosexual stages. Each stage proposed a certain...
Thursday, July 23, 2009
How to Diagnose Your Friends with OCD
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder ("OCD") is a pretty fascinating disorder. One in 50 people are said to have it and if you've ever taken a class in Abnormal Psychology, you probably diagnosed yourself with it too. Here's the nuts and bolts of the disorder, including some tips for identifying it.DSM-IV CriteriaThe predominant guide to diagnosing psychological...
Hello World!
I am pleased to announce the creation of my new blog, The Amateur Psychologist. I have a few aims for this blog that I would love to share with you.1. Bring research to the people. Researchers in psychology tend to do most of their "posting" in academic journals. As fun as they are to read (yawn), most people don't subscribe to these journals. There is a wide chasm between rigorous, academic research and mainstream understanding of psychology and human behavior. We need a conduit to escort research...
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