Why is Letting Go so Hard?

Think of the last time you tried letting go of something. Be it a behaviour, a person, or anything else. What did you notice in yourself? When was your point of acceptance and how was the process of letting go? Personally, the entire process itself is emotionally turbulent because it forces me to sit with my feelings and emotions of fear, anger, shame, and uncertainty. It’s a painful transition to change. This article will try to explain why it is that acceptance and letting go is so difficult. Using theories from psychotherapy, Buddhist theory, and mindfulness, we hope that you find some peace of mind through this article. 

The Difficulty of Self-Disclosure in Romantic Relationships

One of the most intimate experiences in a romantic relationship is the gradual process of revealing your more personal and vulnerable thoughts and feelings to another. While it can be frightening, it can form the basis of a beautiful, meaningful relationship based on trust and intimacy. But why do some people find it more difficult to self-disclose than others? This article tries to explore the meaning and difficulty of self-disclosure in the context of romantic relationships.

Third-Culture Individuals!

“Our homes are not defined by geography or one particular location, but by memories, events, people and places that span the globe” – Marilyn Gardner 

What Keeps Us Going? A Look at Motivation and Resilience

‍Perhaps the world cup made you think “how did these players make it so far?”, “how did he achieve so much at such a young age?”. You don’t have to look so far. Look around you and maybe you can think of friends and family members that inspire you through their ample motivation and resilience. Indeed, what drives people has always been a popular topic in many disciplines in psychology. This article will discuss how our cognitions, individual differences, and environmental influences might explain motivation. I will also discuss how personal factors and social support can build resilience.

Loneliness Abroad

Many students or workers living abroad are not foreign to this empty and, perhaps, aching feeling of loneliness. Whether you’ve been living abroad for a while or you’ve just moved, we all have our own stories of loneliness. For example, the person who decides to stay abroad longer than their friends may feel lonely as they have to adapt to a balance without them. The person who has just got here may find adaptation to this foreign country challenging. Loneliness can look different for everyone. This article will firstly introduce loneliness and explain its theories. Then, these theories will be connected to the loneliness faced by people living abroad. Finally, we end with some helpful tips on how to deal with this unpleasant feeling.

Coping with News Anxiety and Negativity Bias

Avoidant Attachment Styles and Romantic Relationships

Alcohol Use Disorder: Conditioning and Sensitization

When people say “alcoholic” a certain image comes to mind: a weak-minded person with no willpower. That they are abusive, aggressive, and should be kept away from “us” for our own safety. However, that isn’t an accurate description of people who suffer from Alcohol Use Disorder. Stereotypes about them may prevent them from getting professional help. So, actually what is Alcohol Use Disorder? How do people experience it? Learning together about this disorder helps us become more sympathetic to those affected by it, and dismantle the current persisting stigmas. ‍

The Psychology of Climate Change Denial

‍Have you ever wondered why there are so many climate change deniers, despite compelling evidence from scientists? Certain psychological barriers play a role in the process of denial and can make it difficult for people to realise the emergency of the situation. What are these psychological barriers and how are they manifested in daily life? Furthermore, is it possible to promote pro-environmental behaviours in climate change deniers through politics? How so?

Social Anxiety: how can you break the cycle?

After the first intense months of pandemic, most countries have eased their lockdown restrictions. Which seems great, right? Well, for some people, jumping back to the daily, pre-lockdown routine means being confronted by daily social interactions, which can be demanding, frightening, and anxiety-inducing. These feelings are shared by people with social anxiety (not the disorder!), a topic which I think has been neglected when we discuss the negative effects of the lockdown. Therefore, this article will discuss social anxiety, its theories, and it will end with certain methods that may help overcome it.

16 Personality Test: the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Many of us have probably heard of MBTI; you take a test of 100 questions and the results determine your personality type. From whether you’re a “diplomat” or an “explorer”, or whether you have the same personality type as Michael Jackson, the results can be so interesting and attractive to some people (me included!).Today, it is considered one of the most accurate personality tests, explaining its success in companies and professional settings… but have you ever wondered about the quality of this personality test? What are its current criticisms in personality psychology? More interestingly, how could our natural human biases influence our misinterpretation of the results?

Cult Psychology: Is it still relevant today?

In 1978, Jonestown, Guyana, 917 Americans of The People’s Temple committed mass suicide by cyanide poisoning. Among the members were young children. But that was years ago. Indeed, we like to associate cults with the past, thinking that we are much more critical and informed of our environment than our grandparents were. But think of conspiracist social networking sites. Do you think they play a role in the making of cults in the digital world? This article will examine why the topic of cult psychology, with the emergence of the internet, is still relevant today.

Impulsivity and some mindful tips

Many of us struggle with irrational, impulsive decisions and actions. From overspending on clothes to procrastinating on daily goals because you got distracted by something irrelevant, we struggle to control our tempting desires for immediate self-gratification. As we know, impulsivity can be problematic, leaving us feeling unaccomplished and regretful. This article dives into the complex world of impulsivity and discusses mindfulness as a possible technique to regulate it.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

When we think of individuals with Narcissistic personality disorder, many of us associate them with stigmatizing words like “evil”, “inhumane”, and “vile”. Indeed, this disorder is covered by misconceptions in daily life. Clearly, this does more harm than good, as those with the disorder may be much less likely to seek help given all the dehumanizing ideas about them. In order to erase these damaging stigmas, it helps to learn about it to represent people with NPD with a much more humane perspective.

The dark side of obedience to authority

After the second world war, many social psychologists were particularly interested in the conditions of Nazi Germany, where ordinary young people participated in events leading to the atrocious mass killings of innocent people. The question is, how can ordinary human beings do such unethical deeds? Who is responsible? And how exactly does authority manipulate their followers? This article uncovers the complexities and horrors of the consequences of obedience, but ends in a positive light that explains how to break free from misleading obedience.