communication

Understanding Our Style of Relating When Triggered

When we are triggered emotionally, it can all feel sort of choiceless; like we have lost control of ourselves. Even if we have the awareness of our reaction, it is difficult to stop our emotional response, because the nervous system, the brain, the memory centers are all interacting. Our learned style of relating Most often… Read more »

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The Over-Parenting Syndrome

Recently several best-selling books as well as a number of child development experts have focused their attention on the growing trend of “helicopter parenting” and have described its negative effects on children and adolescents. These writers point out how parents’ tendencies to hover and overprotect their kids are destroying children’s initiative and making them feel… Read more »

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The Beginning of the End of Mass Imprisonment and the Misuse of Prisons as Our De Facto Mental Health Care System

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Plata on May 23 ordering the state of California to reduce its prison population by more than 30,000 (from more than 140,000 to 110,000 inmates) over the next two years has received headlines, editorials and letters to the editor in newspapers around the country, as it should have…. Read more »

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A Parent’s Shorthand Guide to the College Transition

High school graduation is a culmination of emotions, a push-and-pull of opposing feelings on the human psyche. There’s a mixture of anxiety and excitement, happiness and sadness, regret and expectation, and relief and concern. And this doesn’t just apply to the grad either; parents are equally if not oftentimes more immersed in this emotional tug-of-war…. Read more »

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Infidelity in the 21st Century

On May 9th, Former California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, announced that they would be filing for divorce. While exact reasons were unknown at the time, only days later on May 16th, The Los Angeles Times revealed that Schwarzenegger had fathered a child with a household employee more than a decade earlier…. Read more »

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Remember the Kids: Easing the Adjustment of Divorce for Children

In 1967, in order to study the relationship between stress and physical health, researchers Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe examined medical records of more than 5,000 patients. In order to determine whether stressful life events could cause illness, they developed a stress scale or “social readjustment scale” which assigned numerical scores of 1-100 to stressful… Read more »

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The Facebook Effect: Benefits and Risks of Social Networking

In the age of social media, one can hardly finish a conversation with another individual without the other or oneself indiscreetly checking their smartphone. This scenario has become commonplace in everyday interactions, even in older generations, and begs the question “Is checking your Facebook mid-conversation keeping you socially connected or disconnecting you from relationships?” While… Read more »

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Your Child and Self-Control: Job or Jail?

Whether your child grows up to lead a productive, satisfying life — or instead grows up to lead a life of crime — a new study shows that self-control is a determining factor.  An added benefit for those who have learned this form of personal power at an early age?  Fewer health problems and fewer… Read more »

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Exclusive Interviews with Carol and James Gilligan

This exclusive video series features psychology experts Dr. Carol Gilligan and Dr. James Gilligan, who offer a unique window into their remarkable relationship and marriage of more than 50 years. Watch more videos from Dr. James and Drs. Carol Gilligan on PsychAlive’s YouTube Channel   Order the Full DVD Interview with Drs. Carol and James… Read more »

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Quiz: Are You Open with Your Partner?

Openness and honesty are integral parts of making a relationship work. When a relationship stops working, you often hear of couples arguing or ignoring each other to an extent in which it no longer seems possible for them to communicate clearly. Common communication hazards in couple relationships include: the surfacing of critical attitudes, harsh, insensitive… Read more »

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