All posts tagged: Psychology

Depression as a Philosophical Problem: Rethinking the Meaning of Suffering in the Era of SSRIs

Depression as a Philosophical Problem: Rethinking the Meaning of Suffering in the Era of SSRIs

Published by Jenni Sidey

https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-with-bunch-medication-pills-on-hand-3683101/ When I was sixteen, I was hospitalized for depression for six weeks and put on Prozac. At the time, I was taught that depression is, first and foremost, a medical problem. It was a sign that my brain was broken, and that I needed doctors to fix me through a combination of drugs and therapy. I’ve taken antidepressant drugs on and off throughout my adult life. But over the last decade, I’ve come to think of depression as, primarily, a philosophical problem. Depression and its treatment engage some of the deepest questions philosophers ask, such as questions about agency, selfhood, and the good life. To appreciate the philosophical dimension of depression, it’s helpful to take a step back and consider two contrasting paradigms of depression. This helps us see how each one involves distinct, implicit answers to those questions. Two Paradigms of Depression The first picture is the chemical imbalance view—or more generally, the brain dysfunction view. It holds that depression is a brain disease, kind of like epilepsy or Parkinson’s disease. The idea …

Using Empathy to Connect | Psychology Today

Using Empathy to Connect | Psychology Today

Published by Jenni Sidey

There is no single, universally accepted definition of empathy. What we do know is that empathy is some combination of perspective-taking, being non-judgmental, and the ability to recognize and communicate understanding of someone else’s emotions. Research consistently links empathic leadership to trust, psychological safety, engagement, and performance (Edmondson, 2018; Goleman, 1998). In my work coaching leaders across the globe, I hear leaders struggle with what to say/do to demonstrate empathy. I often have to explain that empathy is not an innate personality trait or a soft add-on—it is a set of skills and a learnable practice. And empathy shows up most clearly in behavior, especially through language. We can build connection and strengthen shared understanding by tending to our language, both what we say and how we say it, to help translate empathic intent into empathic impact. Empathy and AWE Empathy is conveyed not only through actions but through everyday language. Words can strengthen trust or quietly erode it. Paying attention to what I call AWE language is one way we can demonstrate empathy: Avoiding …

Can Psychopaths Work Together? | Psychology Today

Can Psychopaths Work Together? | Psychology Today

Published by Jenni Sidey

Psychopaths usually do not get along well with each other. But sometimes there are occasions when this happens. According to preeminent psychopathy expert Dr. Robert Hare, “Occasionally, psychopaths become temporary partners in crime—a grim symbiosis with unfortunate consequences for other people.”1 One psychopath acts while the other abets and enables the other. Badlands, an enduring film The 1973 film, Badlands,2 written, produced, and directed by Terrence Malick, is a graphic example of how this interaction can work. Badlands was inspired by the 1958 killing spree of 19-year-old Charles Starkweather and his 14-year-old girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate.3 The film depicts a partnership in crime when Kit Carruthers, 25, meets Holly Sargis, age 15. The movie begins in the fictionalized, sleepy town of Fort Dupree. Kit leaves his job as a garbage collector and introduces himself to Holly. The two strike up a friendship, and Holly becomes Kit’s “girl.” Holly’s father disapproves, and Kit kills him in Holly’s home, shooting him in front of Holly, who offers no resistance to her father’s murder. Kit then plans their …

11 Phrases People With Zero Street Smarts Say Often

11 Phrases People With Zero Street Smarts Say Often

Published by Jenni Sidey

We all know someone who is incredibly book smart, maybe even someone with a doctorate, who has absolutely zero street smarts. They often can’t change a tire or even figure out how to order food on their phones. But they do seem to say the same things over and over again.  The specific phrases people with zero street smarts can’t seem to stop saying: 1. ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ Krakenimages | Shutterstock People with zero street smarts can’t seem to stop themselves from saying, “What’s the worst that could happen?” Often, they have no idea how bad the worst thing can be. They believe that the world is inherently fair and that other people are guided through the world by a strong moral compass. People with zero street smarts underestimate how often things can go wrong. Their inability to consider worst case scenarios means they don’t put any contingency plans in place. According to the Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence, having street smarts means people have common sense, plain and simple. Someone with an …

When the Truth Hurts | Psychology Today

When the Truth Hurts | Psychology Today

Published by Jenni Sidey

What happens when our minds attempt to reconcile logically opposing beliefs, values, or behaviors? How does a glaring internal inconsistency feel? It often causes an unpleasant sensation called cognitive dissonance. Everyone experiences it, and nobody likes it. It’s important to be aware of this common psychological friction, because every episode presents a chance to grow wiser. Let’s consider two hypothetical scenarios. First, you take a brain-enhancement supplement daily because your favorite podcaster said it’s great. This morning, however, you inadvertently came across a news article about a rigorous, randomized controlled trial that found no health benefits. You feel unsettled, a little out of balance. Something has to give. Second, you voted for a candidate you believed was successful, intelligent, honest, and uniquely competent. But so much contradictory evidence has recently broken through your echo chamber that defending the indefensible isn’t as easy as it used to be. Just thinking about this politician makes you feel uncomfortable now. Do you dismiss the experts and double down on the podcaster’s junk science, or do you throw away …

AI and Existential Surrender | Psychology Today

AI and Existential Surrender | Psychology Today

Published by Jenni Sidey

Dante imagined the deepest circle of hell as frozen. Most people remember the flames. They remember punishment and torment. What Dante placed at the very bottom was something different. The deepest circle was frozen, and all movement had stopped—its own literary version of absolute zero. I’ve been thinking about that concept lately because it captures a possibility that rarely appears in discussions about artificial intelligence. We spend a great deal of time asking what AI will become. But another question might be what happens when the experiences that once shaped human beings become increasingly optional? Recently, I’ve explored two ideas that share an interesting border. The first was cognitive surrender, the gradual transfer of human thinking to artificial intelligence. The second was emotional surrender, the temptation to replace difficult human engagement with AI interactions that ask less of us. As I worked through those ideas, I began to notice a larger pattern. The concerns weren’t confined to cognition or relationships. They appeared to touch three fundamental dimensions of human experience. Cognitive surrender concerns how we …

Hypnosis, Healing, and Consciousness | Psychology Today

Hypnosis, Healing, and Consciousness | Psychology Today

Published by Jenni Sidey

In India during the 1840s, a Scottish doctor named James Esdaile was frequently visited by men suffering from enormous tumours in the scrotum, caused by mosquito bites. The operation to remove the tumours was so painful that men would often postpone it for years. Esdaile had learned about hypnotism (or mesmerism, as it was usually referred to then) and decided to try the technique as a way of relaxing patients in collaboration with local Hindu and Muslim mesmerisers. To his surprise, he found that not only did the patients feel relaxed, but they also felt no pain during operations. Esdaile also noted that patients didn’t seem to display physiological signs of pain, such as changes to pulse rate and pupil size. Since then, evidence has accumulated showing that hypnosis can have an analgesic effect. A 2020 meta-analysis of 45 trials of the use of hypnosis for clinical pain found that 73 percent of hypnotised people experienced less pain than control groups (who didn’t have any pain interventions). Research over the past 20 years at the …

Types of Psychological Testing | Psychology Today

Types of Psychological Testing | Psychology Today

Published by Jenni Sidey

Psychologists are often asked to complete assessments, or testing. As a clinical psychologist with primary training focus in pediatric neuropsychology, I frequently get asked to complete neuropsychological assessments, and this term has a very specific meaning. For those in the neuropsychology world, this assessment would be for a child with a known history of a brain injury or illness that likely impacts one’s neurological functioning, such as a brain tumor, seizures, or a serious concussion. However, when I speak to the parents or referring professionals, the request is usually for the assessment of IQ or learning disorders; an assessment psychologist would call this request academic achievement and not neuropsychology. These experiences lead me to believe that a brief explanation of the different types of psychological assessment might be beneficial. What is psychological testing or assessment? Psychological assessment refers to the process psychologists use to evaluate an individual’s cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and personality functioning. This process often includes clinical interviews, behavioral observations, record reviews, and the administration of standardized psychological measures. Standardized measures are carefully developed …

Parents on the Sidelines | Psychology Today

Parents on the Sidelines | Psychology Today

Published by Jenni Sidey

When a child is struggling emotionally, parents will do almost anything to help. They search online late into the night. They sit on waiting lists. They read books and articles. They attend appointments, rearrange work schedules, and worry constantly about whether they are doing enough. Yet many parents discover something unexpected once treatment begins: They find themselves on the sidelines. While professionals focus on assessing, diagnosing, and treating their child, parents are often left with little understanding of how they can contribute to recovery. This arrangement has become so normal that we rarely question it. Yet it raises an important paradox. Parents are among the most influential people in a child’s life, but they are often positioned as observers rather than active participants in treatment. In my research exploring parents’ experiences of their adolescents’ mental health treatment, many described feeling excluded from conversations and decisions about their child’s care. One mother recalled: “The counselor didn’t meet with me. She just went straight into meeting her, which I thought was bizarre because maybe she wanted to …

Assimilating After Psychosis | Psychology Today

Assimilating After Psychosis | Psychology Today

Published by Jenni Sidey

My personal relationship with the word “crazy” has been intense. I thought nothing of the term and used it in jest until my psychotic breaks. But after my first break, I did not hear anyone say the word “crazy” in passing without thinking they were really talking about me. Anytime anyone I know said the word “crazy” in jest during and in early recovery from my illness, I would use that information to deduce this person would judge and reject me if they found out that I have been psychotic before. I am careful not to use this word lightly, because of how this word made me feel when I was recovering from psychological and emotional damage from my breaks. Nowadays, I don’t feel like people are really referring to me when they say that word. Even better though, I’ve lost the sense that I stand out as that person who had psychotic breaks and went to a psych ward multiple times, as if I’m the only person that has ever happened to. It simply …