Psychology Archives

Narrative Fallacy: Rationalizing the Irrational

What is a narrative fallacy? Why do we have such a strong urge to rationalize our decisions and behavior through narrative? A narrative fallacy is the tendency to explain random or irrational decisions, events, and behavior with coherent stories. The narrative fallacy is a form of rationalizing: We tend to feel that there’s a rational reason for everything we do. When we don’t know why we’ve made a certain decision, we make up a coherent narrative about how we arrived at it. Learn about the narrative fallacy, why it occurs, and how to counteract it.

What Is the Difference Between Nude and Naked in Art?

What is the difference between nude and naked when it comes to art? What deeper meanings do nudity and nakedness symbolize? Not all naked paintings are nudes. According to art critic John Berger, to be naked is to be yourself and to be seen by others for who you are—it’s vulnerability and honesty. To be nude, on the other hand, is to hide oneself and be seen by others as an object—usually for sexual fantasy. Keep reading to learn about three key distinctions between nude and naked.

What Is a Victim Mentality Really About?

What is a victim mentality? Where does it come from? How can it impact our lives? Joyce Meyer argues that the devil attacks our minds with negative thoughts. One category of negativity is self-pity, or a victim mentality. Not only does this mentality trap us in a dark mindset, it makes us believe that we can’t make choices and changes. Keep reading to learn more about the pitfalls of self-pity.

Having the Mindset of Christ: 3 Ways to Be Like Jesus

Are you more like Jesus today than you were yesterday? What can you do to think like Christ? What difference would it make in your life? Joyce Meyer explains that Jesus is the paragon of maintaining a positive mind in the face of suffering. Therefore, as we try to live a positive life ourselves, we should try to emulate his mindset. While this may seem like an impossible task, Meyer reminds us that God invites all Christians to share the mind of Christ through the Holy Spirit. Read more to learn about the steps toward having the mindset of Christ.

Facial Microexpressions: What Are They?

What are microexpressions? Can facial microexpressions be detected by the naked eye? We can get better at understanding others, and consequently make more accurate judgments about them, by practicing reading people’s microexpressions—facial expressions that last for only a fraction of a second. Microexpressions are almost imperceptible to an untrained, naked eye, but with training, you can become better at detecting them. Let’s take a closer look at how we “thin-slice” people, or make judgments about them by reading (or failing to read) their microexpressions.

How to Keep a Positive Mindset (Battlefield of the Mind)

Do you own your thoughts? Are they mostly positive or negative? Thinking positive is paramount to living a happy and successful life because our thoughts become self-fulfilling prophecies. That’s the position of Joyce Meyer, who implores us to take ownership of our thoughts—focusing on God and remembering that the devil tries to keep our minds negative. Keep reading to learn how to keep a positive mindset.

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell: Review & Critical Reception

What is Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink about? What is the key message to take away from the book? In his book Blink, Gladwell questions the widespread assumption that snap judgments are bad, asking: How do our snap judgments compare to our rational, well-thought-out decisions? He argues that our snap judgments are often just as good as our deliberate decisions. Below is our Blink book review, including background and critical reception.

Rationalization: The Psychology of Denial

Why is irrationality so uncomfortable? Can knowledge that is not backed by a rational explanation ever be true? Why do we feel such a strong urge to rationalize our decisions and behaviors? Knowledge without a rational explanation is a double-edged sword. This type of knowledge can be the truest, deepest kind, but it can also harbor biases. Because most of us don’t feel comfortable if we don’t know exactly what made us arrive at a particular judgment or decision, we tend to rationalize. But instead of helping us to uncover the truth, rationalizing often takes us further away from it.

The 6 Best Brain Exercises to Improve Memory

Are you having trouble remembering things? What are some brain exercises to improve memory? Forgetting memories is completely normal for humans, but sometimes you want to remember special moments or important skills. Thankfully, Dr. John Medina has six brain exercises to improve memory so you won’t have to worry about forgetting them. Learn more about Medina’s six techniques for memory improvement.

How to Cultivate Unconditional Self-Acceptance

What does it mean to “accept yourself”? Why is it important to accept yourself unconditionally, including the parts of yourself you’d wish to change? Self-acceptance means embracing all parts of yourself unconditionally, even the things you wish you could change. It’s important to accept all aspects of yourself, no matter how much you don’t like them—selective self-acceptance only exaggerates the focus on your flaws and makes it harder to accept yourself as you are. Here’s why it’s so important to cultivate unconditional self-acceptance and some ideas on how to go about doing that.