Personality Blog

The key to being a fabulous date is taking a genuine interest in the person sitting right there in front of you. OK, I will admit you may realize in the first ten minutes of date Number 1, that this guy is not for you. However, linger a minute before you lunge for the door. You are spending some time together — you might as well attempt to make it an enjoyable, learning experience. No one appreciates insincerity, so …

Would you like to makes tons of money, drive a low slung sports car and visit exotic locations? Perhaps your key to the good life is writing mystery stories. The best writers are unlikely to need help from the President’s stimulus package. A best selling author can make millions–just ask Rowling. I believe she owns Scotland. You may very well have what it takes to run with the big dogs of murder–Dean Koontz, Agatha Christie, Patricia Cornwell, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Anne …

Do you envy Captain Jack Sparrow and wish you had his freedom from the mindboggling technology of the 21st Century. Would you rather set sail and challenge the wind, the sea and various monsters? According to Pirate expert Dr. Peter Leeson of George Mason University, “Unlike their Somali successors, early 18th Century pirates, men like Blackbeard, “Black Bart” Roberts, and “Calico” Jack Rackam, weren’t only thieves. They were also early experimenters with some of the modern world’s most cherished values, such as liberty, democracy, and …

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder is the 8th personality disorder in our series. You don’t want to miss any of them. People with OCPD have impossibly high standards for themselves and others. Personal relationships are a challenge for them because of their tendency to be critical of others who do not share their inflexible standards. They are convinced of the rightness of their beliefs, therefore they can be contentious. There are few gray areas as far as OCPD individuals are concerned. They perceive everything as …

Emotions are, according to Cognitive Theory, created by our thoughts. If you want to control your emotions, become aware of the thoughts that create (within the context of your environment) your feelings. Listen to what you are thinking. Write down your thoughts and check them for accuracy and rationality. If they are not accurate and/or rational, change them to fit reality. We have 50,000 thoughts a day (give or take one or two), how many of them did you really hear today?

Face reality …

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 …

What are companies looking for when they hire a new employee? What makes a 5 star worker? Naturally, a lot depends on the job. Nonetheless, there are some basic qualities and characteristics sought by the corporate world, law enforcement, government agencies and small businesses. If you were hiring, what would you look for in the ideal employee? Probably some of the same qualities deemed valuable by HR departments everywhere.

No doubt you would choose someone who was pleasant, cooperative, a team player, …

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 …

Narcissists are found at all economic levels and in many and diverse careers. Naturally, politics, acting, recording, higher education and religion have a ready audience to admire and pamper them. Though, physicians, teachers, attorneys and executives are not without their Narcissists, in fact, these careers could lure an individual with an overachieving ego. Narcissists can have a wonderful façade, much like the Wizard in the Wizard of Oz. He was just a lonely little man behind a curtain …

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 …