The Time Paradox: the new psychology of time that will change your life.
The Time Paradox: the new psychology of time that will change your life.
Not by chance did I read the latest book by Zimbardo and Boyd, called The Time Paradox: The New Psychology of Time That Will Change Your Life shortly before Christmas. Doing so, I had two goals in mind. Firstly, I am establishing a custom of giving personal Christmas gifts, i.e. books that I like and specifically chose for someone in particular. Therefore, when Christmas approaches my books-to-read list is filled with titles that I have gathered throughout the year as... / more
BLINK: The power of thinking without thinking
BLINK: The power of thinking without thinking
Malcolm Gladwell is a well-known journalist. His writing skills are extraordinary. Consequently, his book BLINK is well readable and describes the concepts Gladwell presents in a way that is easy to understand. I don’t think I would go too far by calling BLINK one of the grandmothers of modern popular scientific books that deal with psychological matters. The term blink refers to the blink of an eye, that is, to a very short moment that leaves no time for conscious... / more
Depression as a spiritual journey
Depression as a spiritual journey
Is human suffering an inevitable manifestation of life, or is it a divine and sadistic test of human faith and will to survive? Are suffering and pain the great sanctifiers that cleanse the soul from impurities, or are they the masochistic and mandatory passages toward maturity, wisdom, and emancipation from the banalities of life? Unfortunately, human suffering is multifaceted and assumes many shapes. Whether it is physical, emotional or mental the ensuing results would be either an utter anger and... / more
The meaning: poetic and spiritual reflections
The meaning: poetic and spiritual reflections
The search for meaning is a journey that every human being must take in order to make sense of the futility, the emptiness, and the alienation that an indifferent universe has imposed us by random or by divine retribution from the moment of birth and until death. It is often lauded when a skilled author is able to capture his inner most experiences and transduce it into meaningful words that communicate the strangulated truth that was once stifled by a... / more
Psychotherapy: lives intersecting
Psychotherapy: lives intersecting
As a psychotherapist you come into contact with your clients and build a high level of intimacy within a relatively short period of time. You try to use all your professional skills to help the client build up their ressources or resolve their inner conflicts in order to live a more happy and fulfilled life. The shortcoming is that, in case you are succesful, you never see your clients again. Most practitioners accept that fact without a further ado and... / more
Skill sheets. An integrated approach to research, study and management
Skill sheets. An integrated approach to research, study and management
When it comes to studying skills, usually psychologists are asked for advice – cognitive and developmental psychology provides insights into how we think and learn new things. Therefore, the fact that this book was written by an economist is somehow surprising. But it shows that psychology can benefit from adopting the economical point of view on the market of knowledge. / more
Handbook of cxperimental existential psychology
Handbook of cxperimental existential psychology
Existentialism as a philosophy was made popular by the writings of Kierkegaard, Heidegger and Sartre. However, existentialism as a tradition has also had a great impact on psychology, as evidenced by the creation of existential psychotherapy as well as the present work on experimental psychology. How do we define existentialism in relation to psychology? We can say that the common denominator of existential philosophy as compared to existential psychology is what Jean Paul Sartre described as “Existence precedes essence”; “We... / more
Free will and consciousness: how might they work?
Free will and consciousness: how might they work?
During the time I was reading this book, I came across an article in my daily newspaper suggesting that people should begin to worry that free will is an illusion. According to this book, the reporter fell victim to the ill-sketched portrait of the topic drawn by some of the leaders in the debate. The collection of essays (13 of them) in this book emphasize that the discourse concerning free will is still lively and heterogeneous in content and offers... / more
On the dark and bright sides to vengeance: Cognitive, behavioral and affective consequences of aggression
keywords:
Aggression / Catharsis / Goals / Knowledge Activation
On the dark and bright sides to vengeance: Cognitive, behavioral and affective consequences of aggression
In the present article it is argued that aggression or more specifically, taking revenge has contrary to previous research findings not only negative (i.e., aggression increasing) but also positive (i.e., aggression reducing) consequences. Whereas aggressive thoughts and aggressive behavior might be reduced by taking revenge, negative feelings most likely increase. Thus, a fine-grained analysis of the consequences of revenge is warranted. / more
General action and inaction goals: Definitions & effects
keywords:
action / energization / Goals / inaction / priming
General action and inaction goals: Definitions & effects
What motivates a person to go out and do the things that they do? This is a deceptively simple question that has kept scientists and philosophers busy for thousands of years. We discuss the role of activity and inactivity in goals. / more