Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist

Leadership

Managing on Autopilot Is a Vicious Cycle

Bruce Tulgan, JD on January 21, 2025 in Navigating the New Workplace

Leaders who think they don't have time to manage their direct reports usually spend more of their time fighting fires and scrambling to solve preventable problems.

Personal Perspectives

Are Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem the Same Thing?

Judith Fein on January 21, 2025 in Life Is a Trip

A Personal Perspective: You may think that self-esteem and self-confidence are the same thing, but it's possible to have one without the other.

Workplace Dynamics

Ending Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Activities Ignores Benefits

Eden King, Ph.D., and Mikki Hebl, Ph.D. on January 21, 2025 in Working Together

Evidence from organizational psychology suggests the benefits of DEI activities can include important attitudes and behaviors that ultimately serve organizational interests.

Adolescence

Navigating Unavoidable Girl Drama

Pamela D. Brown Ph.D. on January 21, 2025 in School Culture

Girl drama can feel like an inevitable rite of passage. Varying levels of sensitivity among girls lead to unpredictable conflicts that can be difficult to navigate and resolve.

Narcissism

How to Handle Narcissistic Fragility

Betsy Holmberg Ph.D. on January 21, 2025 in The Science of Self

Narcissists lash out when they feel threatened or hurt. If you are on the receiving end, it can feel excruciating. Here are six things to keep in mind to stay centered.

Motivation

A Trauma-Informed Approach to New Year’s Goals

Annie Wright LMFT on January 21, 2025 in Making the Whole Beautiful

A calmer, more supportive framework—rooted in real stories and research—to help you set goals without draining your emotional reserves.

Relationships

The Art of Comforting Someone: A Practical Guide

Clearer Thinking on January 21, 2025 in Clearer Thinking Today

When a friend or loved one has something bad happen to them, what should you do to help them feel better? Here's a simple, yet effective framework on how to act.

Relationships

The "Double Bind" of Contradictory Messages in Relationships

Elizabeth Earnshaw, MA, LMFT, CGT on January 21, 2025 in The Relationship Realist

The three components of this paradoxical communication that occurs in dysfunctional family relationships are contradictory demands, the inability to escape, and consequences.

Anxiety

Mastering Uncertainty: Finding Peace in the Absence of Answers

Sam Goldstein Ph.D. on January 21, 2025 in Common Sense Science

Examining humanity's need for control, the anxiety of uncertainty, and how embracing life's mysteries can transform fear into wonder and foster present-moment peace.

Play

An Infinite Game Is No Match for Vaccine Cynicism

Scott G. Eberle Ph.D. on January 21, 2025 in Play in Mind

The originator of the "infinite game" Candy Land designed it as therapy for hospitalized children who were victims of the postwar polio epidemic.

Complex PTSD

Rebuilding Your Self-Worth in Complex PTSD Survivors

Annie Tanasugarn Ph.D., CCTSA on January 21, 2025 in Understanding PTSD

Living with complex posttraumatic stress disorder can cause you to experience deep shame that impacts any positive feelings or beliefs you may hold about yourself.

Boundaries

4 Ways to Help Your Adult Child Out of a Slump

Jeffrey Bernstein Ph.D. on January 21, 2025 in Liking the Child You Love

When your adult child feels stuck, finding the balance between offering support and avoiding enabling can be the turning point that sets them on a path to growth and independence.

Memory

Memories Are Collages of Impressionistic Flashbacks

Joseph Mazur on January 21, 2025 in The Speed of Life

Can you trust your memories? They hardly ever tell the truth over time.

Anxiety

Playing with Anxiety

Michael Allison on January 21, 2025 in The Pressure Paradox

The rise of childhood anxiety has been attributed to overprotective parenting, use of social media, and diminished play. Polyvagal theory explains why—and how to reverse the trend.

Hoarding

Hoarding Is Everywhere; Beyond the United States

Shirley M. Mueller M.D. on January 21, 2025 in The Mind of a Collector

The study by Kuwano et al. sheds light on the prevalence and characteristics of hoarding disorder in Japan and underscores the universal nature of this condition.

Feature

Do You Doubt Yourself?

Overcoming Feelings of Impostorism

Relationships

Is Your Romance Headed for a Breakup? Here's One Way to Know

Wendy L. Patrick, J.D., M.Div., Ph.D. on January 21, 2025 in Why Bad Looks Good

Is your romance rock-solid or ready to fall apart? Here's one way to find out.

Trauma

Healing From the Flames: Rebuilding Hope and Recovery After Fire

Susanne Babbel MFT, PhD on January 21, 2025 in Somatic Psychology

The wildfires have left devastation in their wake. But recovery goes beyond rebuilding homes. Explore how community, compassion, and trauma-informed tools can rebuild hope.

Consumer Behavior

How Predictive Processing Changes Brand Perceptions

Douglas Van Praet on January 21, 2025 in Unconscious Branding

New insights into predictive processing reveal how our prior experiences with brands change what we taste, feel, and believe.

Executive Function

The Bright Side of Executive Dysfunction

Jennifer Gerlach LCSW on January 21, 2025 in Beyond Mental Health

Struggling to stay on the planned path can be frustrating. Yet diversions also sometimes lead to new discoveries and freedom from ruts.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness and the Post-Covid Brain: Attitudes and Tactics

Greg Sazima MD on January 21, 2025 in Your Mindfulness Toolkit

How can we meditate through post-Covid symptoms? It takes some tactics and an attitude check.

Anxiety

Change Is Coming. Are You Ready for It?

Meredith Wells Lepley Ph.D. on January 21, 2025 in The Thriving Workplace

Change can be difficult, no matter if the change is considered good or bad, or if it is voluntary or involuntary. But strategies can help us manage it more smoothly.

Stress

How to Start Your Day to Improve Your Health and Wellbeing

Beth Kurland Ph.D. on January 21, 2025 in The Well-Being Toolkit

Looking for ways to begin your day to improve your emotional and physical health in under 15 minutes? The power of these may surprise you.

Anxiety

2 Common Anxiety-Driven Habits and How to Curb Them

Phil Lane MSW, LCSW on January 21, 2025 in Am I Dying?

Anxiety can lead us to adopt behaviors that are not necessarily helpful. When these behaviors become habitual, they can impede our normal development, but we can learn to curb them.

Fear

Surviving Fire and Fear

Alli Spotts-De Lazzer, MA, LMFT, LPCC, CEDS-C on January 21, 2025 in MeaningFULL

A Personal Perspective: People all over the country are riding an emotional rollercoaster due to the California wildfires. Here’s some advice from a fire survivor.

Relationships

How Reckless Behavior Harms Relationships and 3 Ways to Heal

Sean Grover L.C.S.W. on January 21, 2025 in When Kids Call the Shots

Why do some people make destructive choices in relationships?

Narcissism

Where Did All These Narcissists Come From?

Isabelle Morley Psy.D. on January 21, 2025 in Love Them or Leave Them

Is everyone a narcissist? Sure feels that way. Discover why we overuse the term, how to spot real narcissism, and why labeling people can harm relationships and hinder growth.

Relationships

What the Nome Serum Run Dogs Say About Canine Sentience

Marc Bekoff Ph.D. on January 21, 2025 in Animal Emotions

The behavior of these loyal dogs informs a lot about what we've learned from research on the cognitive and emotional lives of dogs and shared oxytocin-based feelings with humans.