The Literary Mind

Life, literature, and politics, from the inside out.

Ilana Simons, Ph.D., is a literature professor at The New School as well as a practicing therapist. See full bio

July 30, 2009

Children of Divorce are Good Actors

Children of divorcing parents tend to be good actors. They put on different masks to fit into their parents' different worlds.

All of us put on and take off masks depending on whom we're with. But children of divorce might have it worse than most: being one side of themselves with mom, and another side with dad. Read More

July 20, 2009

Frank Bruni: A Restaurant Critic and his Bulimia

Frank Bruni, The New York Times restaurant critic, was or is bulimic. We know this because he published a brave excerpt from his forthcoming memoir in last week's The New York Times Magazine.

Bruni shows us that owning our addictions can be the key to knowing what our strengths are. Read More

July 16, 2009

In Search of "The Dirty Old Woman."

When a friend referred to "dirty old men" the other day, I wondered why we don't have a archetype for the "dirty old woman." Archetypes hold some truth. So I'm wondering if the "dirty old woman" exists in any big numbers--and if not, why not? Read More

July 15, 2009

The Difference Between Habit and Discipline

Discipline is hard to spot. Sometimes a habit that makes you sweat looks like discipline. But it might not be. Imagine an example: A young girl grew up scared of getting fat. Read More

July 8, 2009

One Bonus to Abstinence

I don't feel drawn to abstinence from my gut, but I can name one good reason it works. When you do choose abstinence rather than moderation, you shift from a framework of "how much" behaviors to "yes/no" behaviors. Read More

May 3, 2009

Is AA Necessary for the Alcoholic?

Is a 12-Step program necessary for dealing with alcoholism?

What are the key components for dealing with the disease?

Recently, I received a letter from a reader who insisted that the 12 steps are necessary. Do you agree? Read More

April 29, 2009

The Swine Flu Pandemic: A Hell of a Name

"The world is bracing for a pandemic." We've all heard that phrase lately. Jon Stewart ran a great show on that notion this week, showing how various news channels used the phrase "we're not trying to freak you out" while they were all the while trying to freak the hell out of us.

Should we be freaked out? Read More

April 20, 2009

The Staging of Susan Boyle

By now, you might be one of the 35 million people who've watched the youtube clip of Susan Boyle--the 47-yr-old Scot who never had a French kiss--sing "I Dreamed a Dream" on Britain's Got Talent. Read More

April 12, 2009

Sylvia Plath Killed Herself. Her Son Reacted.

Sometimes we deal with heavy emotion by focusing on one rational thing.

That's a natural defense. For instance, some people deal with their hysterical or overly-anxious parents by adopting a lawyerly style to all subjects. They counteract that unbridled emotion with logic.

April 6, 2009