Being a faithful, committed participant in a life partnership has never been an easy task. It takes integrity of character to resist the many temptations one faces on a daily basis, to honor one’s vows and to genuinely love.
Knowledge is power. But to be fully empowered you have to understand what’s really going on with someone and how to appropriately interpret and label their behavior. That’s why it’s so important to understand certain psychological terms and concepts correctly.
True “acting out” is the expression through actions of an emotional conflict a person can’t consciously own. Unfortunately, these days, even professionals erroneously use the term to describe all sorts of misbehavior. But most of the time, “acting-up” is NOT acting-out.
The judge’s decision in the Ethan Couch case left many wondering whether being “spoiled rotten” will become the new defense for delinquent juveniles hoping to evade accountability for their actions.
When you’re entertaining various notions about why something is happening, the simplest explanation – requiring the fewest assumptions on your part – is probably the best.
Our preconceptions about human nature, most of which have been endorsed or promoted by traditional psychological schools of thought, are actually our worst enemies when it comes to understanding the disturbed characters among us.
The way that most of us, and most especially, mental health professionals, have traditionally been taught to view human nature and behavior is actually the biggest obstacle to understanding and dealing effectively with the unscrupulous and devious folks among us.
Society can set all the limits and boundaries it chooses. But the willingness to respect those boundaries and limits instead of trying to get around them is an a matter of each individual heart.
An offense involves fighting hard enough to secure a goal and remove obstacles to that goal. A defense involves expending just enough energy to ward off an attack or prevent injury.
