Psychology Archives

Developing a Growth Mindset: 4 Ways to Excel and Thrive

Do you believe you’re incapable of growth? What’s the difference between a fixed and a growth mindset? As you’ve gotten older, you’ve probably discovered certain abilities that you excel at and ones you struggle with. But this doesn’t mean that you’re stuck with what you have. A growth mindset helps you improve by embracing challenges and learning new things. Let’s look at what a growth mindset is and four ways that developing a growth mindset can be a smooth process for you.

The Impact of Western Individualism: 3 Surprising Ways It Harms

How does an entire culture maintain a false idea about the nature of existence? How is that illusion hurting us? Many people in the West internalize the idea that each of us is an individual—an entity separate from others and our surroundings. Philosopher Alan Watts claims that this “ego illusion” manifests in Western society through paradoxical cultural expectations for each person to be an individual. Keep reading to understand Watts’s take on Western individualism and to learn three ways it harms people and the environment.

What Happens if Your Need for Self-Esteem Goes Unmet?

Why do humans have a need for self-esteem? What happens if it goes unmet? Scott Barry Kaufman created a new hierarchy of human needs in his book Transcend. Our need for self-esteem is a major security need in Kaufman’s hierarchy, and we need to feel valuable and confident in our lives for this need to be met. Read on to learn why humans need self-esteem and how our lives can be affected without it, according to Kaufman.

What Do Affirmations Do & Are They Effective?

What do affirmations do for us? Are positive affirmations always effective? How can you use them most effectively? Author Gary John Bishop distilled years of research and experience as a life coach and personal development consultant into his book Unfu*k Yourself. In the book, he explains the power of positive affirmations and what they can do for your self-talk and overall mindset. Read on to learn what affirmations do for you and how to make the most of them, according to Bishop.

How to Listen to Your Emotions After a Stressful Situation

Why should you listen to your emotions more? How does reflecting on your thoughts help you cope with stress? Managing and understanding our emotions is one of the key things we learn as children—but even as adults we might need a refresher. We’re constantly experiencing stressful situations and sometimes we don’t know how to handle them. Find out how listening to your emotions can help you manage stress.

How to Reduce Overthinking: A Stress Management Timeline

How do you reduce overthinking? What are the best stress management strategies? In Stop Overthinking, Nick Trenton outlines one approach to managing overthinking: coping more effectively with stress in your daily life. He breaks this approach down into three parts, advising you on how to deal with a stressful situation in the before, during, and after stages. Continue reading to learn how to reduce overthinking to live a better life.

How to Deal With Shame: The 4 Steps to Move Past Mistakes

Do you feel like a terrible person because of a mistake you made? How can you deal with shame in a healthy way? A common reaction people have when they’ve done something wrong is to feel shame. It’s a completely normal emotion to feel in these types of situations, but it can have detrimental effects on your mental health. Luckily, there are ways to overcome shame. Continue reading to learn how to deal with shame and accept your mistakes.

Scarcity: Book Overview (Mullainathan and Shafir)

What is Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir’s Scarcity about? What is the key message to take away from the book? In their book Scarcity, behavioral science researchers Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir explain how scarcities of time and money temporarily change our brains: They make us more efficient with a limited resource in the short term, but they also decrease our mental bandwidth, distorting the way we process information and make decisions. Below is a brief overview of Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir.

How to Become One With the Universe: 3 Steps to Cosmic Unity

Are you trapped by religious dogma? Do you think more in terms of “I” than “we”? How often do you do things just for fun? Philosopher Alan Watts argues that the ego illusion—the false sense of being an individual separate from everyone and everything else—causes destruction and hardship in Western society. He provides recommendations for how people can escape from the ego illusion and achieve cosmic unity. Continue reading to learn how to become one with the universe, according to Watts.

A New Hierarchy of Needs: Maslow’s Theory Updated

What is Scott Barry Kaufman’s new hierarchy of needs? How has Maslow’s theory of needs changed over the years? In Transcend, Scott Barry Kaufman offers a new hierarchy of needs, updating Abraham Maslow’s ideas about what people need to reach their full potential. He argues that Maslow’s “pyramid” is misunderstood, and his updated view is more in line with modern science and Maslow’s full body of work. Read on to learn about Kaufman’s new hierarchy of needs, according to his book Transcend.