Peter siddle

Source: Courtesy of Peter D. Kramer, M.D. Peter D. Kramer, M.D., is one of America's best-known psychiatrists. He won international acclaim in the early 1990s upon publication of his bestselling book Listening to Prozac, and has since authored six other books relating to psychiatry , psychopharmacology , and psychotherapy . He received his M.D. from Harvard University and spent his career in the psychiatry department at Brown University, where he is currently Clinical Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Human Behavior. I thank him for his gracious willingness to be interviewed here. Ruffalo: Your 1993 book Listening to Prozac has become a classic in psychiatry and represents one of the most influential books ever written for a general audience in the history of the field. Can you tell us a little bit about what the atmosphere was like in psychiatry in the early 1990s, and what motivated you to write the book? Kramer: Thank you. Most of my books … [Read more...] about Peter D. Kramer on Depression, Placebo, and Psychotherapy

You are undoubtedly familiar with the idea of cognitive dissonance , one of the most frequently-used psychology terms. Perhaps you’ve used it to explain a difficult choice you made that you later regretted. You may also have used the term to explain why you acted in a way that ended up hurting someone, even though you intended to be kind. Choices or actions that seem to go against logic or your inner moral guideposts leave you with a sense of confusion and discomfort. These feelings are the beginning of a process that follows the choice or action in which you gradually rationalize your behavior in order to feel better about yourself. The attempt to reduce cognitive dissonance becomes a motivational force in leading to this attitude change. Cognitive dissonance is in the news after the February 13, 2021 acquittal of former president Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial. New York Times columnist Peter Wehner used this theory to explain how the Republicans who voted … [Read more...] about One of Psychology’s Most Famous Theories Is Put to the Test

Cellulloid dreams of cellulloid It eats light and gives life. As the national ritual of Super Bowl Sunday approaches, let us consider the cult of sports. According to German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk, since the renewal of the Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, sports and such event culture became the main means for eliciting mass ecstasy, or enthusiasm. The founder of the modern Olympic Games, Pierre Coubertin, explicitly saw sports as the secular future of transcendent experiences for the masses. What other forms of spectacle inspire in us such religious fervor? In this essay, I trace how the cult of sport brings into focus the human form. Source: Image by Stephen Asma Used with Permission According to the official Olympics website, “the Olympic Games were the sporting, social and cultural highlight of the Ancient Greek calendar for almost 12 centuries…every four years from 776BC to at least 393AD.” At its height, 40,000 people attended the games. Like … [Read more...] about Why We Are Drawn to the Spectacle of Sport

High-achieving people sometimes feel like an imposter. Source: Bob Basset's Mask 2015, Author: Bob Basset; Bbsstt, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons The other day, I heartily congratulated a friend on her job promotion. She replied, “What if they made a mistake? What if I’m not really qualified; and it’s the Peter Principle in effect—that I’ve risen to the level of my incompetence?” “You are totally qualified,” I responded. “They wouldn’t have given you the job if you didn’t deserve it.” She then said, “But I feel like a fraud.” My friend was suffering from imposter syndrome . I understood how she felt, so I said, “I get it. I’ve been there. In my first year of speaking professionally, I was hired to present the keynote speech for a national association. It was extremely exciting, and exactly what I wanted, but the night before I was to go on stage, feelings of doubt emerged. And, like you, I felt like a fraud. Worse, I started to feel panicky. At that point, I … [Read more...] about Imposter Syndrome: When You Feel Like a Fraud

by Raj Persaud and Professor David Canter BBC News is reporting that seven women who were tricked into relationships by undercover police officers in the UK, have now received a public apology and significant compensation settlements from London’s Metropolitan Police. The officers were from two undercover units, now disbanded, and the relationships took place over a 25-year period up to that time. Source: Raj Persaud The BBC News site is also reporting that three women have allowed themselves to be named in public, and include complaints that they were tricked by the state into trusting their hearts to men who turned out to be actors. One of the officers had relationships with more than one victim, and left another targeted woman with whom he had a son. She has separately settled her case with the Metropolitan Police for more than £400,000. But has the reporting of the cases over-simplified the predicament of undercover agents and their relationships? Law … [Read more...] about Lifting the Covers: Sex with the Undercover Police