Maybe it’s because you’re acting like one! By Sue Kolod Ph.D., Source: Rawpixel/Shutterstock As the holidays approach, many people look forward to spending time with family. The warmth and familiarity are undeniable, but with that comes the threat of arguments and renewal of bad feelings. How can we avoid the bad parts and simply enjoy … Read more
Maintaining therapeutic boundaries are vital to your mental health By Susan Kolod, Ph.D. “There’s a force more powerful than free will: our unconscious. Underneath the suits, behind closed doors, we’re all ruled by the same desires. And those desires can be raw, and dark, and deeply shameful.” Source: Shutterstock/ESB Professional These opening lines, spoken by Naomi Watts … Read more
The joy of self-love can be powerful and sustaining. Narcissism is bad, right? Google search is flooded with questions: “What is narcissism?” “How can you tell if your partner is a narcissist?” “Am I a narcissist?” So my patient Adele was surprised and intrigued when I told her that we needed to work on developing … Read more
Detailed coverage of attacks can lead to contagion By Sue Kolod, Ph.D. Yasser Arafat, the former Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, famously stated in his 1974 speech before the United Nations that, “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.” But there is reason to suspect that the killers in the recent Orlando, Nice … Read more
By Susan Kolod, Ph.D. Flibanserin or “Addyi” is the first drug approved by the FDA to treat Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) in women. The drug will become available on October 17th. There has been much discussion in the media over whether the drug is pro or anti-feminist. But the really important question is, “does … Read more
By Susan Kolod, Ph.D. If you want to lose weight, the solution is simple: eat less and move more, right? Everyone one knows that. But eating less and moving more is a lot easier for some people than others. It is easiest for people who are in the normal weight range and have perhaps gained … Read more
A polarized group becomes less effective as its members become more certain By Susan Kolod, Ph.D Polarization occurs when people on either side of a conflict take increasingly extreme opposing positions. A new Pew Research study demonstrates polarization is at an all-time high in American politics. Striking examples of polarization are evident internationally as well. … Read more
Volume 50:3, 484-491 2014 READING THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE ON THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF ITS PUBLICATION By Susan Kolod, Ph.D. On the 50th anniversary of the first volume of Contemporary Psychoanalysis, what better time to reconsider Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique, first published 50 years ago? This book was an important part of the Zeitgeist into … Read more
Young women are becoming equal partners in the hookup culture, often just as willing as young men to venture into sexual relationships without emotional ties. But research suggests hookup regret is twice as common among women as men. Is that because women are “hard-wired” to be monogamous? Researchers say no—it has more to do with … Read more
What makes scandals so interesting? A good scandal can be titillating, outrageous, entertaining, satisfying and edifying—it allows us to feel superior, to pity or despise the transgressor and to get vicarious pleasure, all at the same time. It becomes a “feeding frenzy.” People can’t get enough of it—every morsel is chewed and devoured like delicious … Read more