Making Meaning

Constructing Understandings in a Confusing World

Jonathan D. Raskin, Ph.D.

Is "Maladaptive Daydreaming" a Mental Disorder?

A "daydream believer" challenges the suggestion that too much daydreaming is pathological.

Why Do So Many Therapists Not Return Client Calls?

Some therapists don't return calls from prospective clients. This is not just unprofessional, it's also unethical.

Humanistic Psychology Post-Pandemic

How can humanistic psychology help us navigate the post-pandemic world?

Scapegoating the Mentally Ill Won’t Stop Gun Violence

Access to weapons seems to predict gun violence much better than does having a mental disorder.

Understanding Gender, Sex, and Gender Identity

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene hung a sign in the Capitol saying there are only two genders. Psychologists disagree. Here's why.

Can Humanistic Psychology Heal the World?

The non-polarized way forward is perhaps the most difficult path. It requires us to loosen our own constructions — and to engage openly and honestly with others.

Acknowledging Our Own Hostility

Exhibiting empathy and openness while resisting hostility is hard, especially in today’s culture. Can conceding that we all get hostile sometimes help?

Not so Great Expectations

What are the psychological and social implications of abdicating our responsibility to hold ourselves and others to high standards?

Advice for Incoming College Students

College is all about letting go of one’s fear-driven doubts and presumptions in order to entertain new possibilities. How do you do that?

Are There Viable Alternatives to the DSM-5?

The DSM-5 continues to be the primary diagnostic manual for mental illness. Can one of these alternative unseat it in a diagnostic game of thrones?

The New FDA-Approved Antidepressant: Your Questions Answered

The FDA just approved a totally new kind of antidepressant in nasal spray form. Some doctors are thrilled, others concerned. Here are the basics you need to know about esketamine.

Debate Over Gaming Disorder Is Not All Fun and Games

The video game industry and gamers have objected to the addition of a new gaming disorder diagnosis in the ICD-11. Do they have a point?

Right Doesn’t Make Might

We often try to persuade others by making them see the error of their ways. But making others wrong is rarely a successful strategy. What might we try instead?

The Worst Way to End a Call

Have you ever ended a call by saying, "I'm gonna have to let you go"? Let's examine why this is a small example of existential bad faith.

Dare You Take Someone Else’s Perspective?

In this contentious time, how do we maintain our sense of being “right” while entertaining alternative viewpoints?

What’s New in the International Classification of Diseases?

Gaming disorder is not the only controversial change in the new ICD-11. Let's review some others.

Suicide as Sickness?

Are we exaggerating the role of individual defects in suicide, while overlooking the powerful impact of sociocultural circumstances?

Drugs That Boost Mood: Do You Even Have a Mood Disorder?

Why do mental health professionals disagree so strongly over the issue of antidepressant effectiveness? What is their disagreement about?

Do You Need a Psychologist to Tell You Trump is Crazy?

Do psychologists know anything about this guy that everyone else can’t see just by paying attention?

Top 10 Things You May Not Know About the ICD-10

American mental health professionals are often quite unfamiliar with the ICD-10, despite its relevance to their work. Here's some basic information to help them.

Can Therapists Really Share Power with Clients?

In asserting that they can share their power equally with clients, therapists mean well but are misguided. Here's why.

What Kind of Expert Is a Psychotherapist?

I believe that psychotherapists are experts at interpersonal communication. We talk to people and, in so doing, help them have transformative conversations.

Ethics and Honesty in an Age of Alternative Facts

Feeling ethically unmoored in the era of "post-truth" and "alternative facts?" Perhaps constructivist psychology can help!

Want to Learn about Personal Construct Psychology?

Ringing in the 22nd International Congress on Personal Construct Psychology with a post and some links on the basics of personal construct theory.

Is Donald Trump Out of His Mind?

Is Donald Trump out of his mind? From a context-centered therapy perspective, not a bit. Sadly, he’s all too much in it.

Trump’s Hostility and “Alternative Facts”

From the perspective of personal construct theory, President Trump's "alternative facts" exemplify hostility. But he's not alone. We all get hostile sometimes. It's human, but bad.