Dear Drama Observers, Here’s another oldie but goodie. Or… maybe it’s just an oldie. *** Drama people are nothing if not perplexing. Lundy Bancroft once wrote a book entitled Why Does He Do That? in which he attempts to explain the psyches of abusive men. Indeed, most of us are bewildered by drama people. They […]
Dear Drama Observers, I know, I know. I’m sending out lots of reruns these days. That’s because, as I mentioned, I’m deeply involved in another writing project. And since my cognitive band width is akin to a 1G in a 4G world, I only have so many neurons to go around. Here’s something from three […]
Dear Drama Observers, What follows appears in my eBook, “Marriage Myths: 10 Things That Sound True About Marriage But Aren’t.” Here’s one of those 10 myths: I Can’t Fix You, I Can Only Fix Me This idea has become so entrenched in our culture that it rivals other truisms we accept unquestioningly, such as: You […]
Dear Drama Observers, From a couple of years back: *** I hate snakes. When I first saw Raiders of the Lost Ark, I thought Indiana Jones captured my sentiments precisely when he exclaimed, “I hate snakes.” The house in which I grew up was located next to a small creek that ran through our neighborhood. […]
Dear Drama Observers, I was going to write something fresh this morning but flat ran out of time before taking an out-of-town trip. So, here’s something from the archives: *** Have you ever thought about the fact that much of our folk wisdom was originally derived through someone’s hard-earned experience? Take the Jim Croce song, […]
Dear Drama Observers, Here’s something I posted almost three years ago: *** Along the way, I’ve heard various iterations of the following statement: “If you want to spot a counterfeit, get to know the real thing.” Counterfeiting ain’t so easy these days. What with high tech scanning capabilities, the job of a counterfeiter is much […]
Dear Drama Observers, As of next month, I will have been writing this weekly letter for four years. When I first began, I figured I’d frequently miss the mark on the weekly-ness of it. But to my surprise, I’m pretty sure I’ve only missed 3 or 4 installments in four years. Most of us aim […]
Dear Drama Observers, Last week, I elaborated on what I consider to be seven features of conspiracy theories: They’re based upon exaggerated fears. They replace complexity with simplicity. They are lies gussied up with “facts.” They are unfalsifiable. They’re fueled by crowd-power. Their adherents are dogmatic. and Their skeptics are denounced. A conspiracy theory becomes […]
Dear Drama Observers, The subject of conspiracy theories seems to be all the rage these days—either the content of the theories themselves or the fact that such things are being propagated. Webster defines a conspiracy theory this way: “a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot […]
Dear Drama Observers, Later this month—February 24th to be precise—I’ll be participating in a 6-hour webcast program with my friend and fellow psychologist, Gregory W. Lester, Ph.D. Greg will present the first three hours and I’ll present the last three of our seminar entitled: “Demystifying Personality Disorders: Clinical Skills for Working With Drama and Manipulation.” […]