Addiction in Society

Addiction--the thematic malady for our society--entails every type of psychological and societal problem.

By Stanton Peele

Readers Quiz: What do you think about naming your child after you?

By Stanton Peele on July 2, 2009 - 6:17am in Addiction in Society

Michael Jackson named all three of his children (including his daughter) after himself. In this phenomenon, he comes in second to George Foreman, who named each of his five sons "George." Why do parents do this? What impact does it have on a child? Read More

Michael Jackson's Death Won't Reduce Abuse of Prescription Meds

By Stanton Peele on June 30, 2009 - 11:06am in Addiction in Society

The popular claim that Michael Jackson's death will discourage fans from indiscriminately taking pain killers and prescription meds is wrong minded - more Americans will continue to do so, and especially Michael Jackson fans. Read More

Did Some People Need Michael Jackson to Die?

By Stanton Peele on June 28, 2009 - 6:33am in Addiction in Society

Michael Jackson was "inconvenient" alive. Read More

Can love be addictive? Ask Mark Sanford - or his wife

By Stanton Peele on June 27, 2009 - 7:27am in Addiction in Society

Jenny Sanford can tell us a lot about her husband's love addiction - she should become head of the new National Institute on Addictive Diseases. Read More

Casual Cruelty Towards Children (Which Doesn't Stop There)

By Stanton Peele on June 22, 2009 - 6:55am in Addiction in Society

I've written about the cruelty casually visited on children daily on TV reality shows (like Maury Povitch). I've written about celebrity biographies that are amazing in the degree to which women tolerate abuse (like Pattie Boyd). A new biography combines the two in equal amounts. Read More

Psychological Interview with Barack Obama

By Stanton Peele on June 10, 2009 - 4:23am in Addiction in Society

For me, the most remarkable thing about Barack Obama is his groundedness and confidence, along with the apparent healthiness of his family life. Here's the interview I'd like to see with the President. Read More

Why We Can't Solve Autism

By Stanton Peele on May 25, 2009 - 7:06am in Addiction in Society

I don't know the answer, but I can lay out the logical possibilities. Read More

Bullshitting: Lessons from the Masters

By Stanton Peele on May 15, 2009 - 6:58am in Addiction in Society

Although independent analysts repeatedly tipped the SEC that Bernie Madoff was perpetrating a Ponzi scheme, and in fact the agency conducted several investigations of Madoff's operation, they never identified him as a fraud. This post presents the rules for optimal bullshitting from Madoff, fellow alleged Ponzi schemer Allen Stanford, and that supreme master of the science of bullshitting, Donald Trump. Read More

Tilda Swinton Saves the Free World: Redemption Through Action

By Stanton Peele on May 9, 2009 - 8:14am in Addiction in Society

Tilda Swinton (as Julia), Goldie Hawn, and the memory of Winston Churchill are at war over the American psyche and soul. At issue is whether we must all seek redemption through recovery and neuroscience, or whether any room remains for danger, living, loving, eating and drinking. Read More