Personality Blog

Researchers enthusiastically debate the etiology of phobias. Behaviorists point fervently to a pairing of a neutral stimulus and a frightening stimulus as the raison d’être of a phobic reaction. For example, an experiment performed in the experimental dark ages of the 1920’s paired a little fuzzy rabbit with a frightening noise. The subject was a young child, little Albert. He exhibited no fear of the rabbit until the loud noise was repeatedly paired with the animal. He learned to fear the rabbit, even when it was …

Individuals who are diagnosed with Avoidant Personality Disorder (APD) are frequently diagnosed with Dependent Personality Disorder too. They can become very dependent on the few people in their support system. Only 0.5% to 1.0% of the general population is likely to receive this diagnosis. This is another of the personality disorders that may become less evident with age.

These individuals may respond well to anti-depressants (when indicated) and psychotherapy. Both Social Phobia and Avoidant Personality Disorder are very treatable, my advice to individuals who have …

Recently I read a “cool” list, written by successful author Stephen King. I began pondering what makes someone cool. Alas, I discovered that, “cool” is impossible to define. We know it when we see it, but we become tongue tied and very uncool when we attempt to define it. There are some things in this life that simply “are” — and that is that. The word “cool” first became popular with jazz and soul musicians in the 1930’s and 1940s. It spread from there and …

I have just added the third personality disorder in our series, Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD). If you have not read the first two — Psychopaths and Borderline Personality Disorder — you are behind by two.

As Pat Conroy said:
I’ve always found paranoia to be a perfectly defensible position.

In some situations Pat is entirely correct, though there are individuals who trust no one under any circumstance. We don’t know what causes this disorder, however we are aware that the incidence is increased in families …

Two percent of the population, more women than men, suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Even mental health professionals are challenged in attempting to help these emotional individuals while maintaining their professional detachment and compassionate manner. Also, individuals who have been abused sometimes present with similar symptoms and their symptomology may be due to a trauma reaction or even Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

People with BPD are likely to have highly unstable patterns of social relationships. They may develop very passionate but unstable attachments; their …

If you are a post menopausal woman, it may not be a good idea to drink alcohol every day. Women in this age group, who averaged one to two drinks per day, were 32 % more likely to develop the most common form of breast cancer. For younger women, I would suggest being very careful.

Physical exercise, even 20 minutes per day–this includes all activates– improves our mental health. This is a good thing. Depression and anxiety respond well to physical activity–get busy and stay well.

A recent report by the nonprofit …

Ever since early man drew on cave walls we have attempted to express our inner artistic souls in song, art and words (or in their case grunts). We all have a bit of the artist in us; it is simply more developed in some individuals than in others. Discover how creative you are by taking our “Do Have the Soul of a Poet” test. You will have great fun, ask a friend to take the quiz with you and double the fun.

John Keats, born in …

All of us want to be healthy, slim and our prettiest, unless of course, you are a guy. Then you want to be a buff, muscular stud. Part of the answer may be in learning how to turn on and up your metabolism. Increased metabolism means more calories burned. The changes you may need to make in eating habits and activities really aren’t that time consuming or painful. Perhaps, you just need a little more direction on achieving wellness and a great body (or better). Remember, …