In the city where I live there is a current electoral race going on for Lord Mayor and homelessness is a key election issue. All the various candidates are vowing to “solve the homeless problem” in the city. I fear this may be a bad time for the homeless as this means the homeless are …
The politics of diagnosis.
othing has actually changed in Australians. All that has changed is the diagnosis to include more people.
The anti smoking lobby prohibitionists
But this time is is prohibition by stealth, they have not sought to have tobacco made illegal but they have sought to make tobacco prohibitively expensive.
Radicalisation and the life script
Once upon a time there was thing called the anti war movement, it happened with the Vietnam war.
Psychotherapy and the pursuit of happiness
If one can accept their flaws and bad points that is a very good psychological state of mind to be in.
The sociology of graffiti
Sociologically that is a remarkable achievement. A group with little or no power has forced those with the power to behave a particular way.
The price of privacy
As a general rule, In Australia, police do not have the powers to require health professionals to provide them with information about a client.
Human courtship and attraction
The best advice for this is simply to be happy and confident in your body. Some men will find it erotic and some men wont no matter what shape or size it happens to be.
Homicide suicide decisions
In the search for a more robust definition or understanding of suicide it seems imperative to acknowledge the role that homicide can play in certain instances of suicide. As well as acknowledging the role accidents can play in the expression of suicidal ambivalence
Implied communication in psychotherapy
Mother and father can say and do all sorts of different things to the child – good and bad – those actions tell the youngster if he is OK or not OK. But it is ultimately the youngster who chooses whether to accept or not accept the psychological message.
Suicide – homicide
People can use a car to act out their suicidal urges and drive at high speed into a solid object. This is then an expression of suicidal urges. However there are others who will drive such that their own and others lives are put at risk and some times people are killed. This is different as it is an expression of homicidal – suicidal urges.
The two sides of goodbye work
Full contact in relationships is something that many humans seek but at the same time can be frightening. It seems safe to say that the natural human condition is to have quite a strong ambivalence about emotional intimacy in relationship.
Men, women and attraction
A man will usually use a woman as a trophy because of his own insecurities and magical thinking as this diagram shows. He has doubts about his own worth and OKness.
Christmas leisure time
The teenager is meant to learn how to make wise use of his leisure time. This is psychologically important because it reflects the development of the Free Child ego state in the personality.
Smacking children and the power differential
I am not arguing for or against laws about smacking of children. What I am saying is that at some point it has to stop. Using the law to take away more power from the parents simply leaves a child feeling more insecure.
Adolescence, collectivism and individualism
Of course this has significant implications for therapists in countries like Australia. We have long been indoctrinated by the theories of Margaret Mahler and John Bowlby who both adopt a very individualistic approach in their theories. It would seem wise to be much more understanding of the communal family structures.
Two models of adolescent development
First, this is better for the parents (which in turn is better for the children) because there is usually more support readily available. Second, from an attachment theory point of view it is better if children are raised in a polymatric family rather than a monomatric family.
To go, where no man has gone before
It seems people like the whale sitter are the sign of a healthy society. A sign there are people in our society who will – Go where no man has gone before!
Psychotherapy & those who don’t fit
People are a diverse group. Maybe our psychological theories need to reflect that more so
Graffiti and collectivism
Four or five months ago I went on a graffiti photographic shoot. I went through parts of the the city to find the best graffiti artwork to use them on my website and so forth. In my two day effort I found many high quality pieces and photographically recorded them. Included were 16 photographs I …