Psychology Archives

Reflective Listening: The Art of Quelling Your Inner Voice

What is reflective listening? How does it differ from the way we normally listen in conversation? Reflective listening is different from a typical conversation, where it’s easy to drift into mentally preparing a response or coming up with solutions while the other person is talking. Listening reflectively requires that you resist the temptation to argue, give advice, or try to “fix” the situation. Read about reflective listening and how to apply it in conversation.

The Wheel of Awareness: Integrate Your Sense of Self

What is the wheel of awareness? How can it help you manage your attention and maintain internal balance? There are many parts of you—thoughts, feelings, dreams, body sensations, etc. The wheel of awareness is a framework for integrating all these different aspects of yourself to maintain mental and emotional equilibrium. Keep reading for more about the wheel of awareness.

Reciprocal Altruism Is Still Driven by Selfishness

What is reciprocal altruism and what does it look like in nature? How does reciprocal altruism actually benefit the individual helping someone else? Reciprocal altruism is an action taken that can benefit another animal in return for their beneficial action. Still, the reasoning behind the supposed altruism may actually be rooted in selfishness. Read more about reciprocal altruism and what Richard Dawkins says about it in The Selfish Gene.

Mirroring in a Negotiation: Use It to Build Trust

What is the role of mirroring in a negotiation? How can it help you build trust and connect with your counterpart? Mirroring in a negotiation is one of the most effective psychological tactics. Essentially, it’s imitation and repetition. You repeat the last three words that the person has said in your next sentence. Read more about how to use mirroring in a negotiation.

Empathy in Children: Can it Be Taught?

Can you develop empathy in children? How can you help your child consider other people’s needs, feelings, and perspectives? Empathy in children is essential for connecting with others and developing healthy relationships without compromising their sense of self. Interpersonal connection and socialization are important aspects of children’s psychological development. Keep reading to learn how to develop empathy in children.

The 7-38-55 Rule: Reading Between the Lines

What is the 7-38-55 Rule of communication? What percentage of meaning is contained in words? And how much of communication is really non-verbal? The 7-38-55 Rule is a concept of communication. It states that seven percent of meaning is communicated through speech, 38 percent through tone of voice, and 55 percent comes from body language. Read about the 7-38-55 Rule of communication.

Negotiation Black Swan: The Last Piece of the Puzzle

What is a Black Swan in negotiation? What kind of information does it contain? A Black Swan in negotiation is some hidden piece of information that, if it were known, would completely transform the dynamic of the negotiation and the final outcome. Finding the Black Swan is the last piece of the puzzle to succeed in a negotiation. Keep reading to learn how to find a Black Swan in every negotiation.

Conflict Resolution Skills for Kids: Show, Don’t Tell

How do you explain conflict resolution to a kid? What are some strategies to teach conflict resolution skills to children? Conflict resolution requires multiple social skills that your child needs help developing. Specifically, teaching conflict resolution to kids involves teaching them to see another person’s perspective, interpret nonverbal communication, and make amends for their wrongdoing. Here are some basic skills for conflict resolution in kids.

Get in Touch With Your Emotions: 4 Simple Strategies

You can heal with love. Discover how the love you feel in your heart can improve your physical health and help you overcome illness.

Do you often feel like you can’t decide how you feel about something or someone? What can you do to get in touch with your emotions? It’s not always easy to get in touch with your emotions, especially when it comes to painful or otherwise emotionally-charged experiences. We often unconsciously suppress our emotions to the point where we feel confused, sometimes even numb. Read more to learn how to get in touch with your emotions and identify what is driving them.

Expressing Feelings: Tips to Improve Communication

Do you struggle with expressing feelings beyond the simple, everyday emotions? How can you get better at expressing more complex and nuanced feelings? Our culture doesn’t value expressing our feelings, so we’re never taught healthy ways to express strong emotions. As a result, most of us have limited emotional vocabulary, preventing us from expressing feelings with their afforded nuance and subtlety. Here are some tips to help you get better at expressing your feelings.