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Defining Memories

How we think about our past and how our past thinks about us

Identity
Our Versatile Self

Robert N. Kraft Ph.D. on May 2, 2024

Six kinds of self-knowledge influence each other and combine to create different versions of the self, sometimes in surprising ways.

Six kinds of self-knowledge influence each other and combine to create different versions of the self, sometimes in surprising ways.

Evolutionary Psychology
Why We Need to Be Wild

Robert N. Kraft Ph.D. on April 5, 2024

We live our modern lives in a starkly different environment from the one Homo sapiens adapted to for 300,000 years. How can we resolve this troublesome evolutionary mismatch?

We live our modern lives in a starkly different environment from the one Homo sapiens adapted to for 300,000 years. How can we resolve this troublesome evolutionary mismatch?

Memory
What Makes Memory Retrieval Work—and Not Work?

Robert N. Kraft Ph.D. on March 7, 2024

Why are some things remembered easily, and others only with difficulty and delay? And why do some memories intrude into consciousness when we’re not looking for them?

Why are some things remembered easily, and others only with difficulty and delay? And why do some memories intrude into consciousness when we’re not looking for them?

Child Development
Why You Can't Remember Your Early Childhood

Robert N. Kraft Ph.D. on November 30, 2023

When we were two years old, we were walking, talking, climbing, and socializing. Yet, only a few years later, we are unable to remember what happened to us at that age.

When we were two years old, we were walking, talking, climbing, and socializing. Yet, only a few years later, we are unable to remember what happened to us at that age.

Wisdom
Radically Restructuring Our Understanding of Life

Robert N. Kraft Ph.D. on October 30, 2023

The awe and wonder astronauts feel can be applied to our own earthly lives, encouraging new insights about our relationships with other people and our place in the natural world.

The awe and wonder astronauts feel can be applied to our own earthly lives, encouraging new insights about our relationships with other people and our place in the natural world.

Relationships
How to Overcome Underappreciation

Robert N. Kraft Ph.D. on October 5, 2023

We feel connected to other people when we receive appreciation, and unsupported when we don’t. How can we comfortably fulfill our natural need for appreciation?

We feel connected to other people when we receive appreciation, and unsupported when we don’t. How can we comfortably fulfill our natural need for appreciation?

Career
Making the Most of Our Cognitive and Social Limitations

Robert N. Kraft Ph.D. on May 4, 2023

Limitations often define us in ways that are not obvious. By identifying our natural limitations and how we compensate for them, we can learn what we’re truly capable of.

Limitations often define us in ways that are not obvious. By identifying our natural limitations and how we compensate for them, we can learn what we’re truly capable of.

OCD
What’s It Like to Be a Teen Living With OCD?

Robert N. Kraft Ph.D. on March 7, 2023

A first-person account from a teen about the lived experience of OCD provides unique insight and guidance for parents, peers, and clinicians.

A first-person account from a teen about the lived experience of OCD provides unique insight and guidance for parents, peers, and clinicians.

Relationships
How to Reject Unwanted Romance

Robert N. Kraft Ph.D. on January 26, 2023

While sympathy naturally goes to people seeking romantic love, we should also consider the difficulties of turning down unwanted offers of romance.

While sympathy naturally goes to people seeking romantic love, we should also consider the difficulties of turning down unwanted offers of romance.

Chronic Illness
Navigating the Medical World With a Chronic Illness

Robert N. Kraft Ph.D. on November 18, 2022

With the increasing complexity and compartmentalization of medical care, patients need strategies for maximizing well-being that aren’t found online or in the doctor’s office.

With the increasing complexity and compartmentalization of medical care, patients need strategies for maximizing well-being that aren’t found online or in the doctor’s office.