It seems that we can’t turn on the news these days without hearing about another tragic mass shooting or the perverse exploits of a twisted serial killer. Typically, what connects these stories are the backgrounds of the offenders. Whether those close to the perpetrators noticed or not, the offenders had…
Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development explain how our early experiences can influence our development and who we are destined to become. Erik Erikson was a German-American psychologist. Erikson focused on human development and is famous for developing the phrase ‘identity crisis’. His was one of the first theories to suggest…
Have you ever felt a deep sadness and frustration with the world and all the ugly things that are happening in it? You may have had weltschmerz. What Is Weltschmerz? The Definition and Origins Weltschmerz is a German word that literally means 'world' (welt) + 'pain' (schmerz) and defines an…
Have you ever shouted obscenities at a passing driver for the smallest thing but felt completely justified? Are you usually mild-mannered but find that behind the wheel of a car you're a totally different person? You’re probably prone to road rage. But what causes it and why do normal people…
Schadenfreude. Morrissey nailed it when he wrote the song “We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful,” and you know what – I agree with him. There’s an instant feeling of warm satisfaction when someone you know didn’t get that important promotion, or they split up from their partner, or…
What do you spend your money on? I don’t mean the essentials in life like food, bills and rent. I mean, what do you love to buy? Do you buy material things like books, clothes, music or jewellery? Or do you prefer to purchase experiences like holidays, theatre tickets or…
Do you use social media? If so, what kind of things do you post? Pictures of your dinner, political statements, selfies, relationship updates? The majority of us use social media, whether it’s to talk about our kids, raise awareness for a cause or declare our undying love for our partner.…
Have you ever been shocked that people don't agree with you when you assumed they would? You may be experiencing the false consensus effect. What is the false consensus effect? False consensus effect is a cognitive bias which causes people to overestimate the normality of their opinions, beliefs, values, and…
