In “The Feeling Good Handbook,” American psychologist David D. Burns describes how the mind…
Blog articles
Friendship Break, The Absence Test
It's possible that friendships possess qualities of passion or commitment, allowing friendship to go beyond mere liking. One test that can distinguish mere liking from love that goes beyond liking is the absence test. When a typical friend you like goes away for a long period, we miss […]
Bobo doll study, distinction between modeling and performing
To understand how modeling works, a distinction must be made between learning and performing. Whether the person actually performs the learned behavior, however, depends on the consequences at the moment of performance. Bandura (1965) demonstrated this distinction between learning and performing with his classic Bobo doll study. A Bobo doll is a life-size, inflatable plastic doll […]
When is it time to seek help?
Many people wait a long time before seeking help. We try to solve things ourselves, we put things into perspective, or we think…
Four types of communication to avoid in a conflict.
Renowned American relationship therapist John Gottman uses the metaphor of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse to…
Healthy Thoughts: Maultsby's Five Rules.
The American Maultsby developed five rules to determine whether a thought is healthy…
Intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation.
Within self-determination theory, a distinction is made between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation…
Ontological abandonment
The emergence of ontological abandonment at a micro-level is seen in Eugene O'Neill's play The Hairy Ape. The story concerns Yank, a stoker on a luxury liner. Although Yank is the lowest human being within the ship's milieu, he has faith in the world and in himself. The ship could not […]
People who don't listen to each other
The most common mistakes people make when they don't listen to each other….