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The Kinks’ “Misfits” As Melancholy

by Jeffrey Rubin, PhD

Welcome to From Insults to Respect. My previous post utilizes the Kinks song “Low Budget” to sympathetically discuss how our money woes can take a bite out of our feelings of respect for ourselves and others, while suggesting some helpful approaches to deal effectively with such challenges. The positive feedback that I received led me to see if I might utilize another Kinks song, partly…

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Got Blues, Get Rhythm

Welcome to From Insults to Respect.  This week, while thinking about what I might write for my next post, I happened to hear an excellent version of “Get Rhythm” by the rhythm and blues band, NRBQ. The song, written and first performed by Johnny Cash, can set your feet kicking up a storm. The lyrics begin, Hey, get rhythm when you get the bluesCome on, get…

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Is Depression Really So Bad?

by Jeffrey Rubin, PhD

Welcome to From Insults to Respect. As this post’s title indicates, today I take up the question, “Is depression really so bad?” In doing so, I imagine many will conclude I must be out of my head or a complete numbskull. My challenging task for today is to see if I can convert such insults to at least a modest degree of respect. As a…

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The Beatles’s Song “Rain” as Melancholy Metaphor

by Jeffrey Rubin, PhD

Welcome to From Insults to Respect.  In today’s world, if you are experiencing melancholy or depression, the pharmaceutical industry very much wants to sell you on the idea that you have an abnormal condition that is deemed an illness. You would think with the popularity of the blues type of music, periods of bluesy feelings would be viewed as normal as trees in a forest;…

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Bob Dylan’s “Melancholy Mood”

by Jeffrey Rubin, PhD

Welcome to From Insults to Respect. For many of us who have endured a brutally hot summer, the approaching of autumn sure is a welcome. This past weekend, I happened to be checking out some stuff on YouTube and came upon a wonderful version of the song, “Melancholy Mood,” sung, believe it or not, by Bob Dylan.   The amazingly prolific song writer and musical…

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William James’s Advice To A Melancholy Friend

by Jeffrey Rubin, PhD

Welcome to From Insults to Respect. In a recent post, I shared some advice the highly respected psychologist and philosopher William James gave to his depressed 13-year-old daughter. It was so well received, I decided to describe another example of James giving advice to another person feeling so very blue. Unlike my previous example, which occurred when James was a mature professor and father, today’s example…

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Feeling Bad About Feeling Sad

A Discussion of a Research Article About this Topic

Welcome to From Insults To Respect.  A couple of years ago I wrote a post titled, “Am I Bad For Being Sad?” There I discussed the tendency in our society to promote the notion that when we experience sadness it is a symptom indicating there is something wrong with us. I then asked readers to consider the possibility that this notion may be disrespectful and harmful,…

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The Nature of Depression and Melancholy

Welcome to From Insults to Respect. Today we take an interesting look at two states of being, depression and melancholy. A central difference between the two has to do with throwing insults at ourselves; when we are depressed we spend a great deal of time doing that, in melancholy, not so much. To better understand what I mean by this, and to clarify the natural…

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William James’s Experience with Depression

by Jeffrey Rubin, PhD

Welcome to From Insults to Respect. Today we continue our exploration of famous people who, despite experiencing depression, managed to achieve an outstanding level of respect. In the recent past, the experiences of Joni Mitchell (see HERE), U.S. Grant (see HERE), Leo Tolstoy (see HERE), and Abraham Lincoln (see HERE) led us along their personal journey. We now turn to the master of all psychologists, William James, to…

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Abe Lincoln’s Experience With Depression

Was it a Symptom of Mental Illness or the Fuel to Achieve His Greatness?

Welcome to From Insults to Respect. Regular readers know that from time to time I will discuss some famous person’s experience with depression. The experiences of Joni Mitchell (see HERE), U.S. Grant (see HERE), and Leo Tolstoy (see HERE) are the most recent examples. All of them, despite their mighty struggles with depression, still managed to earn the respect of millions. To continue this series on…

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