Psychology Archives

Verbal Communication: Strategies to Use and Avoid

What are some verbal communication strategies you should be aware of? Which ones should you use? Which ones should you avoid? We use various verbal communication strategies when we engage in conversations at home and work. There are three strategies—silence, violence, and “clever stories”—that you should seek to avoid, but it’s important to recognize when they are in use. Two strategies—useful stories and contrasting—lead to constructive dialogue and should be part of your skill set. Continue reading to learn about these verbal communication strategies.

Subjective Thinking Versus Reality: What’s the Truth?

How common is subjective thinking? What can you do about it? Don Miguel Ruiz and don Jose Ruiz, the authors of The Fifth Agreement, discuss the issue of subjective thinking. They assert that we perceive only a fraction of reality. This causes us to have wrong and often harmful beliefs about the world and ourselves. Read more to learn about subjective thinking.

Healthy Skepticism: How to Use Doubt as a Tool

Do you practice healthy skepticism? What’s the difference between skepticism and cynicism? Healthy skepticism is a handy tool to have around if you want to get at the truth. It’s also a way to achieve freedom of control, according to The Fifth Agreement authors don Miguel Ruiz and don Jose Ruiz. This is your ticket to choosing how you want to live. Read more to learn how to leverage healthy skepticism, and how skepticism is different from cynicism.

Don’t Take Anything Personally: The Second Agreement

What is the second agreement of Toltec enlightenment? What does “don’t take anything personally” actually mean? In The Fifth Agreement, don Miguel Ruiz and don Jose Ruiz describe five “agreements” to make with yourself that adjust the way you see the world and your place in it. The second agreement is this: Don’t take anything personally. In other words, understand that not everything is about you. Keep reading to learn more about the second agreement: Don’t take anything personally.

Is Suffering the Key to Creativity? Dispelling the Myth

What is the connection between creativity and suffering? Does pain really facilitate creativity? Can you create great work without suffering for it? There is a common tendency to see creativity as necessitating or being facilitated by suffering. This view has been promulgated by Christianity and 18th and 19th century German Romanticism, both of which put a premium on agony. The central idea of these philosophies is that you cannot create something great without suffering for it. In this article, we’ll explore why pain is commonly associated with creativity, and why this is, in fact, far from the truth.

Always Do Your Best: What to Expect Out of Yourself

Do you always do your best? How should that be defined? The fourth agreement in the Toltec path to enlightenment is “always do your best.” This is an agreement you can make with yourself that will help you continue to grow throughout your life. The key is to define “your best” well and learn how to set reasonable expectations for yourself. Continue reading to learn what it means to always do your best.

Benedict Anderson: A Different Theory of Nationalism

Where does the idea of “nationalism” stem from? What is Benedict Anderson’s theory of nationalism? According to Benedict Anderson, the author of Imagined Communities, the nation is simply a social construct. It has no biological or historical basis. Continue reading for Anderson’s nationalism theory.

Nassim Taleb: Is Your Skin in the Game?

How does Nassim Taleb define “skin in the game”? How do you know whether you have your skin in the game? Someone who has their “skin in the game” has a vested interest in the outcome of an event and, more importantly, has something to lose. Essentially, Taleb equates skin in the game to risk. The more you have to lose, the more skin you have in the game. In this article, we’ll go over some broad principles that are key to understanding Nassim Taleb’s skin in the game philosophy.

Why Humans Have a Natural Creative Impulse

Why do people like to be creative? Do you think there is a biological underpinning for the human creative impulse? We, humans, enjoy and take pride in our creativity. The creative impulse dates back to pre-historic times—ancient cave drawings, sophisticated and aesthetically pleasing tools dating back 2.5 million years ago. According to Elizabeth Gilbert, the human proclivity toward creativity is encoded in our DNA. In this article, we’ll explore where the human creative impulse stems from.

How to Stimulate Creativity: Get in Touch With Big Magic

How do you stimulate creativity? More importantly, how do you see your creative idea to fruition? In her book Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert says that ideas come to you from the creative realm of “Big Magic.” When this happens, there are a number of responses you can give. The most common is to pass on the idea. The idea will then move on to find another host who can take it on. The other response is to say yes. When you say yes to an idea, you choose to work together and see the idea through to the end, whatever