Welcome to From Insults to Respect. What can we to do to foster peaceful solutions to conflicts in our communities? Well, currently, when young folks first begin to display a pattern of serious violence to themselves or others, they are typically placed together to provide some intervention in a group, such as a special education class or a correctional facility. Unfortunately, this often worsens these…
An Update On The Most Recent Published Discussions
Welcome to From Insults to Respect. From time to time I have written about the growing lack of respect for the current manner in which people seeking to obtain mental health services are treated. Particularly upsetting to many is the requirement that they be labeled as having a mental disorder. This labeling process relies on descriptions provided in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fifth edition…
Welcome to From Insults to Respect. Today we’ll be taking an interesting look at the grief process. When we experience a major loss, such as the death of a loved one, financial ruin, losses from a natural disaster, or learning of a serious personal medical illness, our emotions can become pretty intense. Common reactions are waves of deep sadness, rumination about the loss, sleep difficulties,…
Welcome to from Insults to Respect. Today we seek to answer the question, If we are experiencing sadness does that mean that we are bad? We’ll begin with a little parable to see what it might reveal. Then we’ll look at the real life example of Laura, a young woman who came to think there was something wrong with her because of her sadness. The…
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…
Welcome to From Insults to Respect. Today, we take a hard look at what I view as the disgraceful actions of most of the Republican congresspersons who participated in the 2/27/19 Michael Cohen hearing, and, going forward, what they might do to regain my respect. The Disgraceful Actions Michael Cohen served as the president’s personal lawyer and was brought in to the hearing to answer questions by…
Welcome to From Insults to Respect. Today’s topic, romantic kissing. Concerned that your romantic partner’s respect for your kissing technique might not be all that you desire? Is it okay to offer a romantic kiss on a first date? Will your date think less of you if you accept a romantic kiss on the first date? A discussion of Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Radio Hour…
Welcome to From Insults To Respect. Over the years, I have met some pretty decent folks who spent a good part of their earlier life drinking way too much alcoholic beverages, and, at a certain point, found a way to get this under control. Some of these folks believe they took responsibility for their actions, and that was all that was needed. A very different group became engaged…
Can Jamal Khashoggi's Murder Teach Us Something Useful About Responding Wisely To Criticism?
Welcome to From Insults to Respect. On this blog, I have been making the case that how we respond to criticism can have an enormous influence on how much respect others have for us. To support this position, from time to time I provide a tentative outline of five levels of maturity for responding to criticism, with level 1 being viewed as the most immature, I…
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…
