Do the Right Thing

Spirit, science, and health.

by Thomas Plante, PhD

Understanding and Coping With Forbidden Thoughts

Let's face it ... we all have forbidden thoughts and plenty of them every day! If we truly pay attention to our immediate thoughts, free associations, self-talk, or whatever you wish to call them, it would really freak us (and others) out! Read More

The Psychopathology of Everything

As the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) has unfolded in recent decades you'll notice that this "psychiatric bible" gets larger and larger with more and more diagnostic categories. You don't want to pick it up if you have back troubles ... use a forklift! Read More

What Matters to You and Why?

If you want to truly connect with someone, talk about what matters...what really matters! Too often we interact with others (and make judgments about them as well) based on very superficial information such as appearances. Or we don't feel that we really connect with someone partially because our conversation is about something that isn't very fulfilling or satisfying. Read More

What Ever Happened to Nice as a Virtue?

I don't know about you but I'm amazed at what seems to be considered as acceptable behavior out there. This is clearly seen among politicians during the recent GOP debates, celebrities of all types, and many others in the news. But it seems to be more and more true of people in general. Just ask anyone who works in customer services. Read More

Are Some of the Benefits of Exercise Due to Placebo Effects?

Exercise makes us feel good, right? It lowers anxiety, depression, stress, and increases well-being and self-esteem. Research and clinical practice has clearly demonstrated that there are many mood and psychological benefits of exercise. But what many people don't realize is that some of these benefits are due to suggestion and thus the placebo effect. Read More

New Year Resolutions - A Different View

We're at that special time of year yet again for New Year's resolutions. You know the drill... make plans to lose weight, exercise more, and find a way to make more money in 2012! Sadly, most folks who make resolutions rarely achieve success with them and often feel disappointed a few weeks or months into the New Year. Read More

Faith and Reason: They Don't Need to Conflict

As someone who conducts research and clinical work focusing on the interface between psychological science and religious/spiritual engagement, I'm often frustrated and saddened by the faith and reason debates and conflicts. In my view, they often miss the point. Read More

Get More from the Holidays

With this blog title perhaps you were expecting some kind of great shopping advice. Actually, I was thinking of a way to have a better holiday experience regardless of your interest in and view of the end of year holiday season that doesn't involve shopping at all. Read More

Is Lying for the Greater Good Ethical?

We all seem to teach our children the ethical values of honesty and integrity don't we? "Always tell the truth" is our refrain, right? Yet, as we get older we realize that telling the truth often has to be nuanced. Read More

Three Critical Lessons from the Penn State and Syracuse Sex Abuse Scandals

The horrific revelations concerning the Penn State and Syracuse University sex abuse scandals offer us three critical lessons that we should always remember about child sexual abuse. If we do, we may be better able to protect children from sex offenders in the future. Read More

Ethics in the Air: Flying the Unfriendly Skies

It's that time of year again as we head into the holiday travel season. If you were flying around last season you may still have post traumatic stress disorder from the experience. Remember people being stuck for days at airports last year? Read More

Three Risk Factors for Mid-Life Marital Collapse

In my clinical practice, as well as observations while talking with colleagues, neighbors, and friends, I've noticed many recent unexpected marital failures in mid-life. Read More

All the Fuss with DSM-5: The Ethics of the Psychiatric Bible

There has been a great deal of controversy already about DSM5 and it isn't scheduled to be published until May 2013! So, what's up with that? Read More

Alumni Giving: Do Colleges Push Too Hard and Too Often?

I don't know about you but my alma mater frequently asks me for money. This not only comes from various mailings but also from phone calls to both home and work from current students. Upon reflection, there seems to be a variety of ethical issues that these strategies invoke. Read More

In Defense of Helicopter Parents

Helicopter parents get a bad rap. They are seen as over involved, controlling, and won't let their kids grow up or make any decisions on their own, right? But helicopter parenting is perhaps an unintended consequence of how our culture has evolved in recent years. Read More

Greed and Leadership Abuse Brings the American Fall?

We've watched in astonishment as grass root efforts across the Middle East brought down abusive and greedy leadership regimes all spring and summer. Could the so-called "Arab Spring" have helped fuel what appears to be the "American Fall" with protests in New York spreading everywhere? What do these protests have in common? In my view, greed may be the root cause of this unrest. Read More

The Downside of Success: How Social Comparison Theory Instructs

Success can be a double edged sword. On one hand, we likely all want to be successful in areas that are important to us (e.g., education, career, income, sports) and we want those who we are close to and invested in (e.g., our spouse, children, grandchildren) to be successful too. We may also wish to share the news of our success with others. Read More

The Super Rich and Social Responsibility: What Say You?

I live and work in the heart of Silicon Valley and a recent local news report about the salaries and bonuses of some of my famous neighbors this past year made me wonder about the ethics of the super rich. What moral obligation, if any, do billionaires have to the community and to the world? Read More

Does Psychotherapy Work? It Depends on Who You Ask

You may have seen the recent provocative Time magazine article entitled, Q&A: Yale Psychologist Calls for the End of Individual Psychotherapy (September 13). In it Maia Szalavitz interviews former American Psychological Association President and noted Yale professor, Dr. Alan Kazdin, about the status of psychotherapy in 2011. According to Dr. Read More

Impulse Control: Why Is It Harder than Ever?

Managing impulses has always been challenging but now it is harder than perhaps ever before. Why? Read More

Back to School: Should Laptops and Smart Phones Be Banned from the Classroom?

With school starting for many this week I'm wondering if less is more when it comes to technology in the classroom. We often assume that technological advances (such as laptops and smart phones for example) may help students learn better. Yet there seems to be problematic unintended consequences with so many of these devices. Read More

Back to School: Time To Add Ethics To the Backpack?

School is right around the corner for millions of children and teens across the land. If you have school aged children or teens you might be shopping for schools supplies and perhaps some new clothes as well. While you are adding things to their backpacks, can you make a little room for ethics too? Read More

Could Political Rancor Trickle Down?

Could the intense political rancor that we have seen displayed in Washington recently trickle down to create new expectations and norms in how we interact with others? Observational learning theory would suggest that this could be an unintended consequence of political fighting and may be a very worrisome trend if you value civility and ethics. Read More

Shrink Rap: 15,000 Psychologists Converge on Washington, DC

What can be expected when 15,000 psychologists converge on Washington, DC next week for the annual American Psychological Association Convention? A lot of processing of feelings? Actually, the answer may surprise you. Read More

Vacations Offer an Opportunity for Perspective Taking

It's that time of year for summer vacations! Going far away from home on a vacation can offer a unique opportunity for perspective taking that is hard to achieve in other ways. Getting far away from your usual routine, stressors, comforts, contextual cues, and such provides a special chance for reflection. Read More

Children with Bipolar Disorder? Really?

Is bipolar the new diagnosis du jour? A few weeks ago I asked the question in this post. Since then you may have read the Newsweek article by noted psychiatrist and PT blogger, Stuart Kaplan, M.D. If you haven't, you really should! Read More

Doing the Right Thing Is Often Much Harder Than You Think

The daily news is full of stories of prominent people doing very bad things: Politicians and their various sex and money scandals, Wall Street professionals scamming others of millions (even billions), clergy who sexually violate minors, and so on. The question is the same for all: How could these leading pillars of the community do such horrible things? Read More

Is Bipolar the Disorder Du Jour?

You may have read or heard about the recent report in the Archives of General Psychiatry (Vol. 28, No. 3) that while the rate of bipolar illness is 4% in the USA it only averages 2% outside of the USA. Twice as many people with bipolar in America than elsewhere? So, what's up with that? Read More

Does the internet make you mean?

The comment section on so many internet news stories, blog posts, and so forth seem to elicit the worst in people. Whether it is news, sports, or most anything else I'm amazed at the level of vitriol out there. So, what's up with that? Read More

The New John Jay Report on Clergy Abuse in the Catholic Church

Today the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York released and announced at a Washington, DC press conference their long awaited comprehensive research investigation focused on the causes and context of clergy sexual abuse in the American Roman Catholic Church. Why should you care? Read More

Thomas Plante, Ph.D., ABPP, is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Spirituality and Health Institute at Santa Clara University.

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About Do the Right Thing

In this blog, I hope to offer reflections on doing the right thing for our body, minds, and souls as well as for our relationships, communities, and the world. While I certainly don't own a corner on the truth and know what the right thing is for you, I hopefully can at least offer some thoughtful reflections about how to discern for ourselves what the right thing might be. I'll comment on health and fitness, ethical behavior, spirituality, and ways to live a life that hopefully maximizes our potential for health, wellness, and satisfaction.