Your Sixth Sense

Perhaps you've lived this moment before. Perhaps you're seeing yourself at a distance, as never before. Anomalous experiences are real and life-changing. That doesn't mean they occur outside your own head.
By Matthew Hutson, published on July 03, 2012 - last reviewed on July 09, 2012

Chances are, at some point in your life, you've felt someone staring at you. Maybe you were at the grocery store. Maybe walking along the sidewalk. Maybe sitting on a bus. And sure enough, when you turned your head to look, the suspect's eyes met yours.

You just had an anomalous experience.

The job of the conscious mind is to form a story out of all our sensations and reflections. Life as we experience it is not just a series of unconnected thoughts and events; it's a coherent narrative unfolding in an orderly universe. But sometimes we have experiences that don't fit our expectations and may even contradict what science has taught us is possible. In our attempts to accommodate such outlier phenomena, we often turn to unproven forces or entities. We start to believe in the paranormal.

Anomalous experience of this sort ranges from sensing a strange vibe in a room to feeling outside your own body. We often explain such experiences using concepts related to spirits, luck, witchcraft, psychic powers, life energy, or more terrestrial (and extraterrestrial) entities. Such explanations are often more appealing, or at least more intuitive, than blaming an odd experience on a trick of the mind.




Read whole article here: Your Sixth Sense

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90 Percent of a Person's Traits Can Be Judged with Their Shoes

90 Percent of a Person's Traits Can Be Judged with Their Shoes

Denise Baker
First Posted: June 13, 2012 7:52 PM EDT

A new study says that a person can be accurately judged just by the choice of his shoes.

According to a study by researchers at University of Kansas, people could judge a stranger almost exactly by looking at their shoes. A person's age, gender, income, political affiliation, emotional and other important characters were among the personality traits that could be judged by just his/her shoes.

Omri Gillath, lead researcher of the study, said that the style, cost, color, and condition of the shoes were the determinants of the owner's nature. Participants were able to rightly tell about 90% of the owner's characteristics.

For the study, 63 students were given pictures of the most frequently worn shoes of 208 volunteers for the study. The volunteers had filled up a questionnaire consisting questions about their personal traits, choices, lifestyle, etc.

The 63 students then observed the pictures of the shoes of the volunteers and were asked to guess the age, gender, social status, emotional stability, openness, etc. Their answers were matched with the questionnaires filled by the volunteers.

The observers were found to guess the characteristics of the volunteers correctly in almost all categories, and hence the researchers concluded that a lot can be told about a person from the shoes they wear, even if they intend it or not.

Some of the general observation results were
Expensive shoes belonged to high earners,
Flashy and colorful footwear belonged to extroverts
Shoes that were not new but appeared to be spotless belonged to conscientious types
Practical and functional shoes generally belonged to agreeable people.
Ankle boots fitted with more aggressive personalities
Uncomfortable looking shoes were worn by calm personalities.

The report further stated that people who were most worried about their relationships, or people with "attachment anxiety" had well-kept shoes. This could be possibly because they are too concerned about what others think of them.

Also, liberal thinkers wore shabbier and less expensive shoes.

"Shoes convey a thin but useful slice of information about their wearers," the authors wrote. "Shoes serve a practical purpose, and also serve as nonverbal cues with symbolic messages. People tend to pay attention to the shoes they and others wear."

"Shoes have great variety of styles, brands, looks, and functions. Because of this variety, shoes can carry individual difference information, but do they? We suggest that the answer is yes," they concluded.

The study was published online in the August 2012 edition of the Journal of Research inPersonality.

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Social Networking Sites Can Increase Anxiety

Social Networking Sites Can Increase Anxiety

Drishya Nair
First Posted: July 9, 2012 4:45 AM EDT

From time immemorial, it is a common notion that being with friends is perhaps the best therapy for anyone who is going through a low phase of life, and anyone who needs to be pepped up.

Ever since social media has taken over the internet world, it has certainly changed the meaning of the words 'friends' and 'friendship.' While there was a time when friends were the reasons to boost up confidence in people, mingling with a large social group is the reason people feel inadequate these days, says a latest research.

A latest survey has found that social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter feed anxiety. The survey showed that more than 50 per cent people surveyed blamed social media for a change in their behavior and half of those even said that their life had changed for the worse due to same reason.

Mostly, people who reported a negative impact of social networking sites said that it was the comparison between themselves and the achievement of their friends online that caused deterioration of their confidence.

Two-thirds reported difficulty in falling asleep or relaxing after spending time on the sites, while a quarter said they encountered difficulties at work place and relationships after becoming confrontational online, according to Telegraph.

The research also found that internet is addictive with about 55 per cent of people reporting feeling of being "worried or uncomfortable" when they could not access their Facebook or email accounts.

Also, it was found that more than 60 per cent of people switched off their electronic gadgets like phones or laptops several times a day so that they could get a break.

"If you are predisposed to anxiety it seems that the pressures from technology act as a tipping point, making people feel more insecure and more overwhelmed," Nicky Lidbetter, the charity's chief executive was quoted as saying by Telegraph.

She expressed surprise at finding that people had to switch their gadgets off in order to get a break and were incapable of simply ignoring the demands of their devices.

"I think one of the key things is that people have begun to behave as though technology is in control of them, instead of the other way round. We can switch the gadgets off but a lot of us have forgotten how to," Dr Linda Blair, a clinical psychologist explained.

According to the findings of a study conducted last year, abstaining from technologies such as mobiles, internet and television can leave people suffering from symptoms similar to those seen in drug addicts attempting to give up.

Scientists found that the majority of participants who were asked to stay away from their gadgets for 24 hours could not even last for that much time without demanding them back.

The survey was conducted by Salford Business School at the University of Salford, for the charityAnxiety UK.

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What Do Men Really Want?

By Eric Jaffe, published on March 13, 2012 - last reviewed on April 30, 2012

The study of male sexuality really should have ended in 1989. That year psychologists Russell Clark and Elaine Hatfield reported the results of a social experiment conducted on the campus of Florida State University. For the study they recruited young women to approach male students at random and have a brief conversation. Average-looking women, mind you—"moderately attractive," even "slightly unattractive"—in casual clothes. No supermodels; no stilettos; no bare midriffs. It was important that the young man remain coherent. The ladies all told their guy they'd seen him around campus. They said they found him very attractive. Then some asked their man on a date. Some asked him to come over that night. And some asked him, point blank, to go to bed.



Cue the incoherence. Nearly 70 percent of men agreed to visit the lady's apartment, and 75 percent accepted the sexual proposition. At least one man asked why wait until the night. Another checked his mental calendar and said he couldn't today but what about tomorrow. Another who refused on account of being married apologized for having to refuse on account of being married. Meanwhile just half the men agreed to go out sometime. Extrapolating the finding to the real world means that on any given first date, the man would sooner sleep with the hostess than dine with his companion.

Read whole article here:  What Do Men Really Want?

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LeBron James: The Making of a Narcissist

Evolution of the Self
On the paradoxes of personality.
by Leon F. Seltzer, Ph.D.

When we consecrate someone as "King"--even if just metaphorically--he's likely to begin acting like royalty. Similarly, if we, figuratively, put him on a pedestal, we're literallymaking him higher than us. However unwittingly, we're actually inviting him to look down on us "common folk," and to view our needs and preferences as mattering far less than his own. It's hardly any wonder, then, that his behaviors may end up seeming self-centered, arrogant--and woefully lacking in empathy.

Obviously, the above characterizations are meant to describe something essential about NBA demigod, LeBron James--and considerably prior to July 8th when he formally (and rather callously) announced his departure from the Cleveland Cavaliers to pursue future championships with the Miami Heat. If James has in fact demonstrated increasingly narcissistic proclivities since he began playing with the Cavs seven years ago, I believe it's because his many devotees, though unknowingly, have in so many ways encouraged him to do so.

Read whole article HERE: LeBron James: The Making of a Narcissist

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Freud & Women: Freud's Perspective on Women

Freud & Women: Freud's Perspective on Women
By Kendra Cherry, About.com Guide

"The great question that has never been answered, and which I have not yet been able to answer, despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, is 'What does a woman want?'"
-From Sigmund Freud: Life and Work by Ernest Jones, 1953

Sigmund Freud’s views on women stirred controversy during his own lifetime and continue to evoke considerable debate today. "Women oppose change, receive passively, and add nothing of their own," he wrote in a 1925 paper entitled "The Psychical Consequences of the Anatomic Distinction Between the Sexes."

Donna Stewart, M.D., a professor and chair of women’s health at the University Health Network, explained, "Freud was a man of his times. He was opposed to the women’s emancipation movement and believed that women’s lives were dominated by their sexual reproductive functions" (Lehmann, p. 9).

Penis Envy:

Penis envy is the female counterpart to Freud’s concept of castration anxiety. In his theory of psychosexual development, Freud suggested that during the phallic stage (around ages 3-5) young girls distance themselves from their mothers and instead devote their affections to their fathers.

According to Freud, this occurs when a girl realizes that she has no penis. "Girls hold their mother responsible for their lack of a penis and do not forgive her for their being thus put at a disadvantage," Freud suggested (1933).

While Freud believed that his discovery of the Oedipal complex and related theories such as castration anxiety and penis envy were his greatest accomplishments, these theories are perhaps his most criticized. Female psychoanalysts such as Karen Horney and other feminist thinkers have described his ideas as distorted and condescending.

Hysteria:

Freud’s revolutionary talk therapy evolved in part from his work with Bertha Pappenheim, who is known as Anna O. Suffering from what was then referred to as hysteria, she experienced a variety of symptoms that included hallucinations, amnesia and partial paralysis.

During sessions with one of Freud’s colleagues, Joseph Bruer, Pappenheim described her feelings and experiences. This process seemed to alleviate her symptoms, which led her to dub the method the "talking cure." Pappenheim went on to become a social worker and made significant contributions to the women’s movement in Germany.

Initially, Freud suggested that the causes of hysteria were rooted in childhood sexual abuse. He later abandoned this theory and instead emphasized the role of sexual fantasies in the development of a variety of neuroses and illnesses. "His understanding of women was notoriously inadequate, but he did make great steps beyond what was understood about women when he came on the scene. It was very unusual in Freud's time even to acknowledge that women had sexual desire, much less to say that the repression of their sexual desire could make them hysterical," explained historian Peter Gay (Grubin, 2002).

Women in Freud’s Life:

While Freud often claimed that he had little understanding of women, several women played important roles in his personal life. Freud was his mother’s eldest child (his father had two older sons from a previous marriage) and has often been described as her special favorite. "I have found that people who know that they are preferred or favored by their mothers give evidence in their lives of a peculiar self-reliance and an unshakable optimism which often bring actual success to their possessors," Freud once commented (Grubin, 2002).

Freud’s relationship with his wife, Martha, was very traditional. "She was a very good hausfrau (housewife)," explained his granddaughter, Sophie Freud. "She was very thrifty. And my father would say that his mother would rather poison the whole household than throw food away" (Grubin, 2002).

Freud was raised with several sisters and later became the father of three sons and three daughters, including Anna Freud, who played a major role in carrying on her father’s work.

Women in Psychoanalysis:

While Freud described women as inferior to men, many women were instrumental in the development and advancement of psychoanalysis. The first woman to join Freud’s Vienna Psychoanalytic Society was Helene Deutsch in 1918. She published the first psychoanalytic book on women’s sexuality and wrote extensively on topics such as the psychology of women, female adolescence and motherhood (Sayers, 1991).

Psychoanalyst Karen Horney became one of the first critics of Freud’s views on feminine psychology. Melanie Klein became a prominent member of the psychoanalytic community and developed the technique known as "play therapy, which is still widely used today. Additionally, his own daughter, Anna Freud, played a vital role in advancing many of her father’s theories and contributed greatly to child psychoanalysis.

Opposing Viewpoints:

• Karen Horney - Freud’s concept of penis envy was criticized in his own time, most notably by psychoanalyst Karen Horney. She suggested that it is men who are adversely affected by their inability to bear children, which she referred to as "womb envy."
• Freud's Response - Freud responded, although indirectly, writing, "We shall not be very greatly surprised if a woman analyst who has not been sufficiently convinced of the intensity of her own wish for a penis also fails to attach proper importance to that factor in her patients" (Freud, 1949). According to Freud, Horney’s concept of womb envy emerged as a result of her own supposed penis envy.
• Sophie Freud - While Freud’s notions of female sexuality often ran contrary to the patriarchal tendencies of the Victorian era, he was still very much a man of his time. His work is often dismissed as misogynistic and his own granddaughter, Sophie Freud, described his theories as outdated. "His ideas grew out of society. He mirrored in his theories the belief that women were secondary and were not the norm and didn't quite measure up to the norm," she explained (Gretel, 2003).
• Final Thoughts - Even Freud himself admitted that his understanding of women was limited. "That is all I have to say to you about femininity," he wrote in 1933. "It is certainly incomplete and fragmentary and does not always sound friendly... If you want to know more about femininity, enquire of your own experiences of life, or turn to poets, or wait until science can give you deeper and more coherent information" (p. 362).

Understanding Freud's Views Today

Today, many analysts suggest that rather than reject Freud’s theories outright, we should instead focus on developing new views on his original ideas. As one writer said, "Freud revised his theories many times as he accumulated new data and reached fresh insights. Contemporary analysts should do no less" ("Liberating women," 1977).

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Addiction in Society

Addiction in Society
Addiction—the thematic malady for our society—entails every type of psychological and societal problem.
by Stanton Peele, Ph.D., J.D.




Abraham Lincoln is an unusual psychological case study. He was both chronically melancholy, and yet among the strongest people in history.

Lincoln lost perhaps his one true love, and married a mentally unstable woman who abused him. He loved his sons - indulged them ridiculously - but one died very young, and another (Willie) died at age 11 in the White House, almost breaking Lincoln.

Oddly, the same philosophical-psychological outlook caused Lincoln to be both depressed, and incredibly strong. Lincoln was not a Christian, as he was raised. But it is not accurate to call him a disbeliever. His parents were hard-core Baptists, and Lincoln rejected their church. But their Calvinist views of predestination had an indelible impact on Lincoln.

Throughout his life, Lincoln was stricken with bouts of sometimes paralyzing melancholy. And although he enjoyed reading, telling stories, practicing law, political machinations - and playing with his children above all - Lincoln was never a cheerful person.

Read whole article here.  Addiction in Society

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