The Vicious Cycle of Adult ADD, Shame and Compulsive Sexuality
Brian is an investment banker in his early forties. In graduate school, he first began to visit prostitutes, spend money on phone sex, masturbate compulsively and spend as much as…
Social Networking
Are You Lonely?
Many years ago, when I was a young adolescent, an adult in my life said that she dreamed about a great chasm, a chasm so deep that she couldn’t see…
Coping with Sudden Unemployment
With all that is happening in our economy lately, we all have to realize that we could fall victim to ‘downsizing’ or ‘organizational restructuring.’ Just as with any loss, you…
Is Technology Running Your Life? Set Some Boundaries
I am not very good at separating my work from my life, partially because my work is a big chunk of my life. I’m that person who tucks herself into…
Why and How to Teach Grandma to Access the Internet
The Internet offers promising new ways to end isolation and loneliness among the senior citizens we love. This is no small thing. Relationships, after all, are at the core of…
Book Review: Rethinking Narcissism
While developing an awareness-raising campaign for the identification and treatment of psychological abuse for the nonprofit I work with, I delved deep into researching personality traits and disorders that contribute…
Persuasion and How to Influence Others
Human relationships are based upon a largely unconscious system of give and take. “I will do this for you even if I won’t get something in return right now, because…
You’re on the Phone Again? Helping Children Learn Relationship Skills
One parent writes: My daughter spends all day with a friend. She no sooner gets home than she is on the phone or online to the same friend! For hours!…
Getting What You Want Out of Life
Have you wondered why some people are more effective in getting what they want than other people? What are they doing that makes them effective? What distinguishes them from people…
Social Networking Websites: What’s the Point?
My local newspaper recently ran a story about how Facebook.com can ruin people’s romantic relationships. The argument was that the site makes it too easy to get back in touch…
Texting, Sexting… What’s Next?
A mother with her three teenage daughters sat in my office the other day. Two of the girls were there for sick visits. The third sister was just along for…
The Anxiety of Facebook
Social media has changed the way people interact. We can now remain in constant contact with hundreds of so-called friends, even ones we rarely see in person. The impact of…
Guidelines for Managing Kids’ Screen Time
“I don’t know what to do about my kids’ use of screens.” The mother who was talking to me was clearly worried. When asked to be more specific, she replied,…
How Our Social Network Helps Us Thrive
One way that your attitude can affect your health is that a bad attitude can drive other people away. And interaction with other people is vital for your health. Human…
Adolescence: A Time of Growth and Change
Adolescence in American and Western European cultures is a time of enormous emotional as well as physical changes. Although each child is an individual and grows and develops in his…