Reality Play

Child Development

Bruce Poulsen Ph.D. on November 4, 2012

What has been the appeal of Apple's nostalgic design references and why are such images appealing to us in the first place? Does psychology offer ways of accounting for the allure of nostalgia in our technology?

Freudian Psychology

The Pleasures of Being in Disguise

Bruce Poulsen Ph.D. on October 22, 2012

Apart from its cultural history, there is something oddly compelling about our ritual of costuming. Our amusement in disguising ourselves from other people may be an echo of how we masquerade our own wishes and desires from ourselves.

Psychiatry

Revisiting the Myth of Mental Illness and Thomas Szasz

Bruce Poulsen Ph.D. on September 17, 2012

Thomas Szasz died this past week at the age of 92. His numerous writings have provided the philosophical basis for the antipsychiatry and patient advocate movements that began in the 1960s and have flourished ever since.

Play

The Transitional Space of John Cage

Bruce Poulsen Ph.D. on September 3, 2012

The avant garde composer would have turned 100 this week and celebrations are being held throughout the world. What can we learn about creativity from John Cage? What, if anything, can psychoanalysis add to understanding his artistry?

Embarrassment

In Defense of Blushing

Bruce Poulsen Ph.D. on August 15, 2012

So what exactly is this most peculiar and most human of all expressions? What do we communicate when we blush? Is there an upside to blushing? Finally, what, if anything, do we learn about ourselves by understanding the phenomenon of blushing?

Fantasies

Curiosity, Here and Abroad

Bruce Poulsen Ph.D. on August 7, 2012

While we are bound to learn from Curiosity, it can be revealing to reflect on what we find alluring about space missions in general and our excitement about this one in particular. Surely, there is not only a psychology of space exploration but also a psychology of space fascination.