Among the many losses in this current pandemic is the loss of the ability to leave one’s home and go out into the public world without paranoid anxieties.  Even the measures we take to protect ourselves and others e.g. masks, social distancing, etc.,

Among the many stressors that are causing psychological suffering during the current quarantine is the sense that there is no end in sight to the various deprivations that we’re all living with.  In this sense,

Donald Trump is committed to being a victim.  He is always being misunderstood and subject to unfair treatment by the Democrats, media, and “deep state.”  The psychological function of holding oneself out as a martyr is to reassure oneself and the worl...

Most people dislike the commercialization of Christmas. Impossibly unrealistic appetites are stimulated and happiness is equated with giving or receiving just the right commodity. There is also a more personal psychological dimension to this corruption...

In this podcast I show how many of psychological dynamics that I’ve been discussing this year—especially those involving the role of trauma in development—apply in my own personal life. I do so by reading an essay I wrote 10 years ago called “Saying G...

When someone feels aggrieved, that person is usually feeling betrayed and helpless and often responds with envy and anger. Trump voters often felt a sense of grievance about being left out and left behind – economically and culturally.

Patriotism, the connection to transcendent notions of the nation state, can be used for political purposes.  It draws from childhood needs for attachment and security. Conservatives in the U.S. have been more effective in this effort and have used imag...

Poverty and harsh social environments make people physically and psychologically sick.  Among the many reasons for this is that economic privation directly triggers our stress response system which causes harm to our brains and bodies and leads to mala...

The scenes at the southern border last year evoked grief and outrage across the political spectrum.  But why were these stories so much more provocative than the equally tragic stories of children in poverty or living in families that routinely neglect...

Based on his extraordinary autobiography, Born to Run, I offer some reflections on the psychology of Bruce Springsteen. His life long struggle with depression was a result of chronic strains and trau