As human beings, the deepest, most core conflict we face is whether or not to feel. Do we seek vitality, love, passion, compassion and the unpredictable roller coaster that comes with being engaged in life and emotion? Or do we engage in behavior that detaches us from the inherent pain of the human condition? When… Read more »
Learn More
With the nationwide release of Amy, the bio-doc of Amy Winehouse, I am reminded of the all too often fatal cost of fame. After seeing the movie, there is something I want to shout from the highest peak so that people can it hear this loud and clear: “Fame can kill you!” In the first… Read more »
Learn More
What is your relationship like with your mobile phone? Do you use it for calls? Texts, social media, games, apps, Internet or all of the above? I use my phone for work, pleasure, socialising; It’s the first thing I pick up in the morning and the last thing I put down before I go to… Read more »
Learn More
Watch an exerpt from PsychAlive’s exclusive interview with Dr. James Garbarino. Dr. James Garbarino talks about how predicting behavior in others is advantageous – and how irrational behavior can be hard to respond to. Dr. James Garbarino: I think whether it’s children or dogs, predictability generally is an asset in people’s relationships. That people can… Read more »
Learn More
Crystal is a power shopper. She arrives at our lunch wearing a $2,300 white, billowy Donna Karan shirt for which she paid only $180. She tries to play down the label “shopping addict,” which her friends accuse her of being. She is, she says, a collector – a collector of fine clothing. The whole obsession… Read more »
Learn More
by Katherine Todd I have always loved to shop. I shop in order to relax from a long, stressful day. So, how does casual, relaxing shopping turn into an uncontrollable impulse that damages your personal, professional, and financial well being? Compulsive shopping is defined as an uncontrollable and impulsive urge to shop. It… Read more »
Learn More
Fame is a dangerous drug. I should know. I wrote the book on it — or, rather, the book chapter. That chapter, “Ready for the Close-up: Celebrity experience and the phenomenology of fame,” describes the dead-end cycle of fame’s merry-go-round through first-hand reports of celebrity experience in the book Film and Television Stardom. As was… Read more »
Learn More
Like most process addictions, compulsive spending and shopping serves an unconscious purpose. The purpose is typically specific to each individual and while out of one’s awareness, a yearning seeks to be filled. This is where the process of shopping and spending come into play. Assessing the behaviors, intentions, and emotions underlying compulsive spending and shopping… Read more »
Learn More
I must admit, I was curious as to why my sister was sitting me down to show me a recording of a dance she’d seen on a popular TV show.I watched, a bit skeptically, as the choreographer explained how she wanted the contemporary dance to symbolize a person’s struggle with addiction. The upbeat intro showed… Read more »
Learn More
The tabloids and reality TV shows documenting the erratic, out-of-control behaviors associated with drinking and drugging may be giving us a skewed image of what constitutes addiction. You don’t have to off-road into a Beverly Hills boutique or engage in raging encounters to qualify as being an addict. Understanding whether you may have an addiction… Read more »
Learn More