Description: Have you read anything about Positive Psychology? It is a relatively new sub-discipline within Psychology that is based on the idea that Psychology can do more that focus in on the ways in which things can go wrong for us in terms of things like mental illness. Research in Positive Psychology looks at what… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Development of the Self
Psychology and Covid-19: Uncertainty is Certain
Description: Suppose you were told that a friend of yours was anxious, just generally anxious. In preparing to talk with them about how they are doing you are thinking a bit about the sorts of questions you might ask them in order to better understand their situation and their mental state. What are you anxious… Read more »
Problems With Listening and Empathy: Psychology needs Philosophical Friends
Description: Empathy is a very challenging concept for Psychology and being empathic is a very challenging thing for many people to figure out how to do. Empathy is challenging Western Psychology because Western Psychology focusses best and most intently on individuals and on their self-understandings and self-management practices. This means that when Psychology trys to… Read more »
Social Media and Self-Esteem: A BIG picture Perspective
Description: You have most certainly heard more than a few concerns offered or even alarms raised regarding the potentially negative effects arising from social media use particularly among teams. Many have arisen from population level observations of correlations between rates of social media use and anxiety or depression or other negative outcomes, but such studies… Read more »
Indigenous Psychology and Psychological Ethics
Description: How does (or just Does) Psychology deal with culture? How does (or just Does) Psychology deal with historical trauma? How universal are Psychology theories and applications? How these questions are understood and how they are addressed are important for how Psychology comes to terms with its past, present and future engagements with indigenous persons…. Read more »
Screen Time, Social Media, Depression and Development: LOTS of Research Needed
Description: The media storm of concern over the ways in which screen time might be related to levels of depression and anxiety among teens and emerging adults has been heating up in recent months. As has been the case before with other global technological innovations (TV) good research on the questions being raised is hard… Read more »
Teen Dating and Development: Normative?
Description: Often when we are looking at what is going on at certain points in human developmental trajectories, we make assumptions. We assume that something that most individuals at that particular age or stage are doing is normative. Normative technically just means most frequent but additional meaning is usually included with term. We frequently assume… Read more »
Genes and Sexual Orientation: It is VERY complex
Description: What does it mean to say that some human trait or behavior is partially genetically linked? Does saying that change or influence how we think about the trait? Looked at another way what would the socio-cultural (and perhaps political) implications be of a trait or behavioral tendency being partially genetically linked? Would your answers… Read more »
School Recess is Not Just a Break, It is Very Important
Description: Think back to when you were in elementary school. What did you do during recess? Did you ever think of recess as an important component of your educational day or just as a cherished break away from the demands of the classroom? From a developmental psychological perspective how should we look at, think about… Read more »
Is Tech Dangerous or Should We Be Asking Different Questions?
Description: Here is a research-based claim you may have heard about recently. Jean Twenge, based on data she drew from several huge population (big sample) surveys, suggests that 5 or more hours of daily involvement with social media is having negative impacts on teenagers these days. Now, rather than thinking about whether you agree or… Read more »
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