Hans Schroder, a postdoctoral research fellow in the department of psychiatry at the University of Michigan, has applied the concepts of fixed and growth mindsets to the study of how people cope with anxiety.
Dr. Joelson’s Commentaries
Thoughts on Trauma in the Time of COVID-19
The one thing we can do about external unpredictability is to make our own life as predictable as possible… even if, to some degree, it seems boring.
Anticipatory Anxiety and the Current Political Climate
I am concerned about how our current political climate has affected those I am in a position of helping as a psychotherapist.
The Matt Townsend Show
On November 28th, I appeared on The Matt Townsend Show (BYU-SiriusXM Radio) to discuss “Unsolicited Advice.”
Commentary on “Insight Rich and Change Poor” and “Thinking Instead of Doing”
The goal of a good therapy, I believe, is “insight rich and change rich” and to have thinking be a prelude to doing and not a substitute for sought after and desired behavioral change.
Worrying
In the essay entitled, “Worrying” (also in my book), I discuss my observations about the consequences of worrying and suggest that one of the reasons why people worry is to prepare for a dreaded event or experience. My impression is that “worrying as a means of preparedness or ‘upset avoidance’ is an unhappy illusion. It […]
Rules for a Happy Marriage
Several years ago, John S. DaVanzo, the Clerk of the Town of North Hempstead in New York, and as the designated marriage officer, provided all couples obtaining a marriage license with his “Rules for a Happy Marriage.” His rules are on point, humorously presented, and quite consistent with many of the observations, ideas, and recommendations […]
Mental Health
There are two noteworthy articles that I thought were worth sharing with all of you. The first is entitled, "Post-retirement jobs benefit health: U.S. Study" from the Reuters News Agency.
Selfish and Self-Interest
So often in the course of a psychotherapy session, I hear a client use the term selfish to describe what I believe to be a thought, feeling, or action that is actually an example of self-interest. It appears that many people are confused about the difference between these two states or simply believe that anything done for, taken for, wished for, or achieved for the self, is, by any definition, an example of selfishness. It is striking to discover that standard dictionaries, as well as several on-line dictionaries, may be adding to the confusion.
Comments on A ‘New’ Phase of Life
David Brooks, an op-ed columnist for the New York Times, recently made a significant contribution to our thinking by identifying an additional life phase between adolescence and adulthood. No one acknowledged this time as a separate phase until Brooks’ op-ed piece entitled “The Odyssey Years” (New York Times, October 9, 2007). In it, he adds two ‘new’ phases to the traditional four life phases of childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. In addition to inserting “the odyssey years” as a phase between adolescence and adulthood, he suggests that there is an additional life phase between adulthood and old age that he calls “active retirement.” His emphasis is on the odyssey years as will mine be in this commentary.
