For decades, feminist literature has claimed that feminist identification is associated with better psychological well-being in women. But what exactly was being measured and did those measures tell us anything serious about women's adjustment to adult life? In this episode, I look at the gap between self-reported empowerment and broader indicators of functioning: marriage, fertility, divorce, emotional regulation, and the rise of late mental-health labels among adult women. I also trace how feminist ideas moved from academia into popular psychology, advertising, music, television, and social media , shaping how women were taught to interpret frustration, dependence, men, marriage, and motherhood.

Chapters: 00:00 Feminism and female psychological health 00:40 What the studies actually measured 02:14 Assertiveness, empowerment, and anger 04:02 Functioning versus feeling empowered 05:17 The indicators of women's adjustment to adult life 06:29 Marriage, fertility, divorce, and mental-health labels 08:53 The feminist narrative push 09:51 Early feminist literature and marriage as exploitation 10:49 Advertising, independence, and female self-possession 11:32 Media portrayals of men, fathers, and marriage 13:35 Sisterhood, resentment, and female loyalty 15:28 Music, ridicule, and the female psyche 16:33 Why these messages reach girls early 17:06 The influence of feminist academia 18:48 Popular psychology and female grievance 19:32 From pendulum to freight train 20:11 Modern feminism, 4B, and decentering men 21:43 Social media and the divorce reflex 22:09 Grievance as a psychological orientation 22:50 What comes next: the psychological mechanisms

Want to listen ad-free? Subscribe on Substack and get the epsiode straight to you inbox without any ads!

https://hannahspier.substack.com/

Prevention matters because once these patterns are learned, they are extremely difficult to undo. I am not convinced we can confidently call them curable. This is a practical look at what could make a difference, first at the individual-level, and then at a societal level.

Listen to ad-free epsiodes of Psychobabble by subscribing on Substack!

Chapters:

00:00 The Missing Piece: Prevention 00:28 The Temperament Foundation 02:10 How it Develops 05:35 Where Parents Lose Ground 06:53 Containing Neuroticism 11:30 Training Agreeableness 13:14 Culture vs Parenting 16:06 The Danger Effects of Peer Saturation 17:19 The Role of Social Norms and External Constraints 18:11 Cultural Shift: From Restraint to Expression 21:13 Feminism's Role in Shaping Behavior Norms 23:14 A Practical Example 26:06 Preserving Innocence and Delaying Instrumentalization 27:29 What Needs to Change (Family, Culture, Mental Health Framing) 30:25 Indulgence vs Adversity (Why Traits Are Increasing Today) 31:37 Final Framework: Containment vs Expression

At first, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy sounds like good therapy: calm tone, validation, "skills," the language of care. But if you look closely, something very different is happening. In this video, I break down a real clip of a DBT therapist and show how what is presented as "help" can, in practice, reinforce the very behaviors it claims to treat. We'll go beyond the surface, beyond self-report, beyond symptom reduction and look at what these interventions actually do in real relationships. Because the question isn't whether DBT reduces self-harm in the short term. It does. The real question is: what is it training instead?

-------

Want to listen ad-free? Head over to the Psychobabble Substack and subscribe to receive the episodes ad-free straight to your email:

https://substack.com/@psychobabblewithspier

--------

What if borderline and vulnerable narcissism are the same traits—just executed differently? Using a real case, I break down the strategy behind.

Want ad-free episodes? Go to the Psychobabble Substack and subscribe!

https://hannahspier.substack.com/

Borderline Personality Disorder is usually framed as the result of trauma: a broken attachment system, a damaged patient reacting to early wounds. This is inclomplete. Borderline traits persist not because they are purely pathological, but because, in many contexts, they are functionally effective. This epsiode goes into the problem of the "invalidation environment" theory of Marsha Linehan, and the more plausible interpretaion of what makes this personality pathology.

For ad-free episodes of the Psychobabble Podcast, subscribe on Substack:

https://hannahspier.substack.com/p/66-how-borderline-traits-develop

What was presented as an investigation into the subculture of the "Manosphere" felt like something else entirely. In this panel discussion, I'm joined by Janice Fiamengo, Tom Golden, and Jim Nuzzo to react to the new manosphere documentary and discuss what this actually was, what they got right and what they missed. We also touch on a new trend - Alpine Divorce.

Want to listen ad-free? Subscribe on substack:

https://hannahspier.substack.com/

Borderline Personality Disorder is routinely explained as trauma response. In this episode, I look at the evidence behind that assumption. It matters because bad causal stories produce bad therapy.

Become a Psychobabble Insider and join us for Live Clinical Sessions twice a month!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hannahspier.substack.com/subscribe

This isn't about calling women "crazy." It's about recognizing the strategy behind the "aura" and the patterns of behavior that society often fails to warn men about. As a mother of two sons, I am seeing these dynamics play out more than ever, and it's time for a clinical and social autopsy of the high-conflict personality.

Become a Psychobabble Insider and join us Sunday the 12th of April for a Live Clinical Session on Men's Fitness with James Nuzzo!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hannahspier.substack.com/subscribe

Are we misdiagnosing female predators as "patients"?In this video, I explore a provocative but clinically grounded theory: that Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is often the female expression of Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD). While we have no trouble identifying the "Language of Force" in the male predator, society often falls for the "Language of the Heart" when it comes to women.Using the viral case of a young woman named Deja, I break down the Strategic Regression and Tactical Tantrums used to establish affective dominance over others. We move past the "victim-patient" model to restore the dignity of agency, analyzing how hyper-neuroticism can be used as a weapon system.

I also released the full recording of our latest clinical live session with Tom Golden, where we unpack why men don't process grief the way modern psychology assumes and what actually works instead. It's one of those discussions that shifts how you interpret behaviour almost immediately. If you've ever felt that the standard framework doesn't quite fit, this is worth watching. You can access it here (paid subscribers), and the next live session is on April 12th with Jim Nuzzo, focusing on a practical approach to men's health.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hannahspier.substack.com/subscribe

ADHD did not expand by accident.In some U.S. states, nearly 1 in 5 boys have been diagnosed. Adult diagnoses continue to rise. The standard explanation is simple: "It was always there — we're just recognizing it now."But genuine medical conditions do not behave this way.In this episode, I trace the historical evolution of ADHD from a rare and severe childhood condition to a lifelong, broadly defined neurodevelopmental diagnosis. We look at the DSM revisions that expanded criteria, the shift from hyperactivity to inattention, and the moment adult self-report became sufficient for diagnosis.More importantly, we examine the forces that benefited from this expansion

Become a Psychobabble Insider and join us Saturday the 28th of March at 3 PM Eastern for a Live Clinical Session on helping men grieve with Tom Golden!

0:00 The Epidemic of ADHD Diagnoses and Medication0:20 Challenging the 'ADHD Was Always There' Narrative1:02 Why Prevalence Data Disproves the 'Always There' Argument1:40 DSM Revisions and Shifting Diagnostic Criteria2:24 ADHD as a Reflection of Institutional Demands2:52 The Intellectual Roots of Psychiatric Diagnosis: Wundt's Lab3:39 Sir George Still's Early Description of 'Abnormal Incapacity' (1902)4:47 From Brain Damage to Dysfunction: Early Diagnostic Evolution5:35 The Baby Boom and the Need for Conformity: Shifting Focus to Hyperactivity6:46 DSM 2 (1968): Hyperkinetic Reaction and Teachers as Gatekeepers7:59 DSM 3 (1980): The Pivotal Shift to Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)8:58 DSM 4 (1994): Broadening Criteria, Subtypes, and 'Horoscope Questions'10:24 The Dangers of Subtypes, Spectrum Disorders, and Inclusivity in Psychiatry11:15 Institutional Priorities Driving Diagnostic Expansion12:44 DSM 5 (2013): Redefining ADHD as a Lifelong Neurodevelopmental Disorder13:30 Modern Schooling and Affluent Areas: Why This Diagnosis?14:22 Benefits for Parents: Replacing Moral Judgment with Medical Explanations15:52 Benefits for Teachers: Diagnosis as a Recourse for Behavioral Issues16:47 Psychiatry's Quest for Legitimacy and the Role of ADHD17:39 The Pharmaceutical Industry: Amplifying ADHD Diagnosis18:08 The Role of Identity: ADHD as a Path to Redemption and Status19:12 Why ADHD Grew: Solving Multiple Problems for Many Stakeholders20:20 The Origin of Stimulant Medications: War and Addiction21:20 How Stimulant Medications Work (and What They Don't Do)22:31 Non-Stimulant Medications: Mechanisms and Misrepresentation23:58 Withdrawal Effects, Side Effects, and the Dangers of ADHD Medication25:04 The Core Question: Medicalizing Normal Variants

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hannahspier.substack.com/subscribe