Dr. Gary Bell's Absurd Psychology

Narcissism tends to develop in environments where there's a mix of both overindulgence and under-indulgence. Typically, it's an overindulgence in focusing on status, money, appearance, how things look to others or just to focus on external achievements, and there's an under-indulgence in teaching kids about compassion and empathy, really developing their sense of self and their self-esteem and connection to others. Tune in and learn all about how parents raise narcissists and how to prevent it!

Everybody gets depressed sometimes, typically in response to events or experiences in which goals go unmet and expectations are dashed, but such reactions tend to be short-lived. Depression is regarded as a disorder when low mood and other symptoms persist for more than two weeks. Mood dysregulation revealed by unrelenting sadness may be the sign most associated with depression, but the disorder can be reflected in impaired functioning in almost every system of the body, from sexual desire to pain perception. Because depression is complex and affects so many systems of the body, it has many manifestations, and which ones are most prominent can vary from person to person. According to the latest edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, widely used as a roadmap to diagnosis, depression can be considered an illness when at least five symptoms occur together for at least two weeks. tune in and learn how to recognize depression, heal and help people with it!

The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people wrongly overestimate their knowledge or ability in a specific area. This tends to occur because a lack of self-awareness prevents them from accurately assessing their own skills. The concept of the Dunning-Kruger effect is based on a 1999 paper by Cornell University psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger. The pair tested participants on their logic, grammar, and sense of humor, and found that those who performed in the bottom quartile rated their skills far above average. For example, those in the 12th percentile self-rated their expertise to be, on average, in the 62nd percentile. The researchers attributed the trend to a problem of metacognition—the ability to analyze one’s own thoughts or performance. “Those with limited knowledge in a domain suffer a dual burden: Not only do they reach mistaken conclusions and make regrettable errors, but their incompetence robs them of the ability to realize it,” they wrote. Tune in and learn how pervasive this issue is in our world!

Those in a relationship with an emotionally unavailable partner often find themselves in conflict with the partner, or at the very least frustrated or confused. However, few understand what causes such emotional unavailability, much less how to reach out to connect. The person who is emotionally unavailable rarely realises the pain and confusion caused to the very person they want to hurt the least. But they see their emotions as negative or unnecessary and internalize them to the extent that they become unaware of their own feelings or needs beyond the physical. When this occurs it becomes impossible for them to understand or empathize with what another person is feeling, hence they are emotionally unavailable to those around them. Not surprisingly, emotionally unavailable people can be more interested in the act of sex than sexual intimacy, which in turn can make their partner feel like an object. Tune in and learn all about emotionally unavailable people, how to identify and how to deal with them!

The belief that love is true when it lasts is not an outdated concept. In her 2015 song, True Love, Ariana Grande describes how her relationship grew into true love from kisses to a commitment to last forever. But how can a person know that a relationship will last forever? Lovers don’t expect that even a genuine relationship will consist only of passionate positive emotions. In 1960, Buddy Holly’s song, True Love Ways, was released posthumously. Written as a wedding gift for his wife, Holly’s song predicted: “Sometimes we’ll sigh; sometimes we’ll cry ... Throughout the days our true love ways will bring us joys to share with those who really care.”  Looking back on his marriage in his song, Remember When, Alan Jackson recounts the ups and downs over the years: “There was joy, there was hurt ... We came together, fell apart and broke each other’s hearts.” Despite it all, Jackson anticipated: “We won’t be sad, we’ll be glad for all the life we’ve had.” Tune in and learn how ti find or create true love!

A near-death experience (NDE) is the conscious, semi-conscious or recollected experience of someone who is approaching or has temporarily begun the process of dying. An example is a cardiac arrest that is followed by resuscitation. People who recall near-death experiences have described perceiving a variety of surreal phenomena, such as seeing themselves from above or passing through a tunnel of light. Reports of these experiences sometimes include religious or spiritual interpretations and have fueled debates about whether a person’s consciousness can persist after death. Some scientists dispute that NDEs reflect post-mortem consciousness and have sought to explain them in terms of changes in brain function during the process of dying. This show is a dynamic scientific and psychological live in-depth interview with world re-known expert and author on NDE, Dr. Bruce (Charles) Greyson.

I feel dead inside is a statement you might hear people make or something that you may have felt yourself. For anyone who has never experienced it, feeling dead inside can be hard to imagine. And, those who have struggled with it might not always have the right words to explain the confusion, sadness, and numbness that comes with this feeling. The meaning of feeling dead inside is to find it difficult to process emotions like happiness and sadness. When you feel dead inside feelings take on the same dull tone and are hard to appreciate no matter the situation. Feeling dead inside might cause life to seem like a boring event, one that has no purpose or end in sight. It can cause a very detached approach to everyday life. Tune in and learn all about how to work through emptiness!

Groupthink is a phenomenon that occurs when a group of well-intentioned people makes irrational or non-optimal decisions spurred by the urge to conform or the belief that dissent is impossible. The problematic or premature consensus that is characteristic of groupthink may be fueled by a particular agenda—or it may be due to group members valuing harmony and coherence above critical thought. The term “groupthink” was first introduced in the November 1971 issue of Psychology Today by psychologist Irving Janis. Janis had conducted extensive research on group decision-making under conditions of stress. Tune in and learn how group think has taken over our politics, life, education and destiny!

The phenomenon of abruptly disappearing from people’s lives isn’t new–but it seems to be more common today. Technology has made ghosting an easy way to dissolve relationships. According to a 2018 study, approximately 25 percent of men and women reported having been ghosted in a romantic relationship, and 22 percent admitted to having ghosted someone else. The Federal Reserve even recognized the phenomenon, in which employers reported being ghosted by employees in a tight labor market. Today ghosting is more popular and destructive than ever. Tune in and learn all about ghosting and ghosters!

During the early phase of marriage, many couples barely come up for air due to the excitement of falling in love. Unfortunately, this blissful state doesn’t last forever. Scientists have discovered that oxytocin (a bonding hormone) released during the initial stage of infatuation causes couples to feel euphoric and turned on by physical touch. It actually works like a drug, giving us immediate rewards that bind us to our lover. Tune in and learn how to restart your love life with your partner!