Psychology Today

Masculinity is based on the suppression of vulnerability and dependency. It is not only socialization that's the culprit but the problem boys have separating from female mothers

Artificial intelligence, robotics, and the rise of freelance or "gig" economy, is eliminating millions of jobs and we need a Universal Basic Income to deal with it.

Cynicism results from the frustration of our needs for meaning and purpose and plagues our politics.

The verdict is in: Loneliness is on the rise in America today. We all suffer from it. The Right speaks to it through jingoism and scapegoating. Progressives need to address it too

Progressive political leaders have a special version of the Imposter Syndrome, a set of beliefs in public leaders that they don't deserve the power and authority that they actually have. For progressives, this often stems from a guilty over-identification with the underdog. They react my diminishing their power and status to their own detriment and that of their movement

The GOP presidential candidates appeal to needs for safety and security through grandiosity and paranoia. Psychologists can help us understand how American Exceptionalism and xenophobia function to counteract feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, isolation, and self-blame, all of which are on the rise. Paranoia and grandiosity are pathological solutions.

Progressive political activists are too fixated on economic inequality and justice, reflecting a narrow and incorrect view of what people really need.

The current wave of hostility toward the influx of Central American children has its psychic roots in, first, a need to project unacceptable needs and shameful vulnerabilities onto others who then become the "enemy," and, second, by scapegoating these children, some people feel a momentary sense of community based on an "us-vs-them" or "insider-outsider" experience.

Psychotherapists often apply theories that aren't specific to the client. They are guided by "principles of technique" learned in training and, unfortunately, gloss over the unique needs of clients. There are exceptions to every rule, thereby rendering the rule weak or invalid. The only useful clinical generalization involves creating a safe space unique to each person.

The coaching profession is now wedded to the false and self-serving notion that it is significantly different from psychotherapy. In order to promote such a belief it has to caricature psychotherapy and hide its own (normal) pecuniary and status-driven self-interest

The psychotherapy field is a Tower of Babel of multiple professions and schools of thought. Therefore, it's difficult for patients to judge whether they are getting the help they need. Tragically, failures of a therapist are often internalized by patients who feel more hopeless. Five guidelines are presented to help patients evaluate their therapists and their treatment

Mindfulness and other lessons from contemplative traditions have become increasingly important in sports coaching. In golf instruction, the pendulum has begun to swing from a focus on “fixing” what's “broken” with “tips” to deepening a golfer's experience of different aspects of the swing and an increased emphasis on becoming mindful of the present moment.

The gun lobby's attempts to divert attention from guns to mental health after Newtown was predictable, but hypocritical. If one looked seriously at what it would take to deal with the psychological causes of gun rampages, the cost and necessary expansion of government would be intolerable to those on the Right pretending to address the problem of mental illness today.

Progressive leaders are too often martyrs who burnout and recreate grim environments unattractive to others. It stems from both external pressures and internal conflicts involving guilt. A combination of organizational and personal changes can alleviate this problem and is essential to the success of our movement.