#Psychology

[everythingseasoning]

yup. you’re just the smaller person (smaller emotionally, which is a very important kind of intellect), who is contributing to the cycle of hurt

it’s cliche, but a lot of people online nowadays don’t get this: two wrongs don’t make a right. yelling contemptuous insults back to somebody who was an ass won’t help anybody, nor is it GOOD. you aren’t spreading the kindness that this world so desperately needs. people are fucked up because there’s a lack of goodness in their life. it’s not right that they attacked you or said something callous, no justification for that bad behavior. but i wish everyone understood that even hurt people have their stories and deserve compassion. it’s a basic principle of psychology, imo, but it’s not one many people understand.

and in other situations, when you’re the one bringing ur cruelty to the table first, op’s post^ is very much applicable. you’re not special for having been so hurt that you do it to others. you’re human with your own flaws and strengths. you deserve the help and love you were constantly denied, but you cannot be hurting others and using your pain as a justification to hurt people. that’s not okay. people don’t deserve the pain you inflict unto them. it is not something to be fucking proud of; it is not a right cause to bring people down. just because your life was fucked up, doesn’t mean you or anyone else deserves to be hurt. life isn’t fair but you still have to hold yourself to better principles and have moral convictions. do the work to be better, so you can recognize that everyone is inherently worth something, recognize that the world needs more goodness. then you’re special <3 because you overcame a lot that went against you. and if you disagree and wanna insult me for saying this, just don’t. i welcome civil discussion, nothing less.

cruelty is so easy. youre not special for choosing it

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Word List: Psychology

more psychological concepts as reference for your poem/story

Mental fog - (also called clouding of consciousness) a mental state involving a reduced awareness of the environment, inability to concentrate, and confusion.

Metaworry - persistent worry about one’s own thoughts and cognitive processes.

Numbsense - the ability of some people who have lost feeling in part or all of their body to respond to tactile stimuli in the insensible area. Such individuals insist that they are not aware of any tactile sensations but can nevertheless discriminate between stimuli and point to where they have been presented.

Object love - in psychoanalytic theory, love of a person other than the self. It is a function of the ego and not the instincts as in object cathexis.

Oneirodynia - a form of dreaming characterized by nightmares or unpleasant dreams.

Passive joy - a feeling of extreme gladness, delight, or exultation of the spirit arising from a sense of well-being or satisfaction that involves tranquility and a feeling of contentment with things as they are.

Sauce béarnaise effect - a colloquial term referring to a conditioned taste aversion. If a person happens to become ill after tasting a new food, such as sauce béarnaise, they may subsequently dislike and avoid that food. Regardless of the actual cause of the illness, the sauce will be identified with it.

Sensitive soul - in the thought of Aristotle, the type of soul possessed by nonhuman animals. The sensitive soul has the capacity to receive and react to sense impressions but does not have a capacity for rational thought.

Symbiotic marriage - a marriage or partnership of codependency, whereby the individuals are entirely reliant upon each other for the gratification of certain psychological needs.

Synergic marriage - a marriage or partnership that is enhanced by the contributions the partners can make in satisfying each other’s psychological needs in a positive manner.

Source ⚜ More: References ⚜ Part 1 2 3 4 ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[mindfulstudyquest]

❥﹒♡﹒☕﹒ 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁?

have you ever noticed how quick we are to minimize our accomplishments or hesitate to act on our abilities? this phenomenon is not uncommon and may even have a psychological basis. according to research, fear of our own success is often linked to what psychologists call self-sabotage.

the psychology behind talent-related fear

studies suggest that fear of success stems from deep-rooted insecurities, perfectionism, and societal expectations.

dr. valerie young, an expert on imposter syndrome, explains that highly competent individuals often internalize self-doubt, leading them to feel unworthy of their achievements. instead of viewing success as an opportunity, they see it as a risk — a chance to be judged or exposed.

additionally, behavioral scientists highlight how comfort zones act as psychological safety nets. breaking out of this zone to pursue one’s potential often triggers the brain’s fight-or-flight response, fueling anxiety and hesitation.

a study published in the « journal of personality and social psychology » found that people often underperform or shy away from their potential to avoid the perceived threats of failure or criticism associated with high expectations.

the cost of playing small

constantly shrinking yourself can lead to a diminished sense of agency, reduced life satisfaction, and even burnout, according to findings in the field of positive psychology. martin seligman’s theory of learned helplessness suggests that repeated self-limitation can reinforce the belief that you are incapable, which ultimately restricts personal growth.

what science says about overcoming this fear

1. reframe your beliefs

imposter syndrome often thrives on fixed mindsets — the belief that our abilities are static and failure is a sign of incompetence. to combat this, psychologists recommend adopting a growth mindset, as outlined by dr. carol dweck. a growth mindset sees mistakes as opportunities for learning rather than proof of inadequacy.

actionable tip: when self-doubt creeps in, question it. ror instance, instead of thinking, “i don’t belong here,” reframe it as, “what can i learn from this experience?” over time, these subtle shifts can transform self-perception.

challenge begative self-talk: replace “i was lucky” with “i prepared well,” or “anyone could do this” with “i worked hard to make this happen.”

2. incremental action

imposter syndrome often paralyzes us because the expectations we set for ourselves feel overwhelming. research shows that breaking large goals into smaller, actionable steps reduces anxiety and builds confidence.

james clear, author of atomic habits, explains that small, consistent actions create a compound effect over time, leading to lasting change.

sart small: take manageable risks in your work or personal life. for example, share one idea in a meeting or take on a small challenge outside your comfort zone.

build evidence of success: each completed task — no matter how small — creates a track record of achievements. over time, this undermines the belief that your accomplishments are accidental.

3. self-compassion

people with imposter syndrome often hold themselves to unrealistic standards. kristin neff’s research on self-compassion shows that treating yourself with kindness during moments of failure or doubt can reduce stress and enhance resilience.

self-compassion involves acknowledging your struggles, understanding that imperfection is human, and responding to yourself as you would to a friend.

practice self-kindness: when you make a mistake, instead of saying, “i’m so incompetent,” try saying, “everyone makes mistakes, and i can learn from this.”

normalize imperfection: remind yourself that even the most successful people have moments of doubt and failure.

self-care as a tool: engage in activities that recharge your mental and emotional energy, whether that’s journaling, meditation, or spending time with loved ones.

by reframing your beliefs, taking small steps, and showing yourself compassion, you can gradually dismantle imposter syndrome. remember: confidence is not the absence of doubt but the decision to move forward despite it.

[theoptia]

Lou Andreas-Salomé, from Looking Back: Memoirs; translated by Breon Mitchell

Text ID: Our first experience, remarkably enough, is that of loss. A moment before, we were everything, undifferentiated, invisibly part of some kind of being—only to be pressed into birth.

[rick-roller]

just me and my secret boy. i actually read a study a while back about the correlation between creativity and dopamine release within the brain. to summarize, you can basically pavlov yourself into a kind of "rolling snowball" reaction in which every time you think about something you made up (in this case, your oc), you link it to a positive memory for yourself- even if it isn't positive for the oc- that keeps the ball rolling, so to speak. i did go to the trouble of finding the og source just now- i hope i summarized it right!

htttps://www.psych4all.net/studies/m.rollinglink/

feels so embarrassing to b hyperfixated on your own oc like the smallest thing that reminds you of them has you giggling and kicking your legs and smiling goofy in public but it’s like sorry everyone i was thinking about shmoopsie from my brain again. yeah the one like max 10 ppl know about

[unbfacts]

[naturalhairhow101]

The approach

[traddydaddy]

As Zig Ziglar said, by the mile it’s a trial but by the inch it’s a cinch. Take it one day at a time, and if you can’t, take it one breath at a time.

RECLAIMING DISCIPLINE CAN LOOK LIKE:

• keeping small + manageable promises to yourself daily

• healing your attention span (ex: reading books, watching movies without scrolling, letting yourself be bored)

• moving from "I'll try" to "I will"

• reframing pain + difficulty as often where the growth happens

• showing up as the person you want to be

• making mindful & nourishing choices VS choices that result in instant gratification

[nousrose]

When a person says to a friend, “I’ll see you later” or a parent says to a child at bedtime, “I’ll see you in the morning,” these are statements, like delusions, whose validity is not open for discussion. Such absolutisms are the basis for a kind of naive realism and optimism that allow one to function in the world, experienced as stable and predictable. It is in the essence of emotional trauma that it shatters these absolutisms, a catastrophic loss of innocence that permanently alters one’s sense of being in the world. Massive deconstruction of the absolutisms of everyday life exposes the inescapable contingency of existence on a universe that is random and unpredictable and in which no safety or continuity of being can be assured. Trauma thereby exposes “the unbearable embeddedness of being”. As a result, the traumatized person cannot help but perceive aspects of existence that lie well outside the absolutized horizons of normal everydayness. It is in this sense that the worlds of traumatized persons are fundamentally incommensurable with those of others, the deep chasm in which an anguished sense of estrangement and solitude takes form.

Trauma and Human Existence

Robert D. Stolorow

[arylleth]

The books taught me that when we live through traumatic experiences, our brains take in the things around us that are causing the greatest threat, and they encode these things deep into our subconscious as sources of danger. Let’s say, for example, that you are hit by a car. Your brain registers the noise of the car screeching to a halt, the grille speeding toward you. It shoots out an onslaught of stress chemicals like adrenaline and cortisol that elevate your heart rate and blood pressure, narrowing your focus to the thump of the impact and the pain and the sound of an ambulance. But at the same time, your brain is subconsciously taking in thousands of other pieces of stimuli: the foggy weather, the Krispy Kreme at the intersection, the color and make and model of the car, the Midwestern accent of the guy who hit you, his blue Wolverines T-shirt. And your brain imprints deep inside itself the powerful connections between these stimuli and this pain. These associations are stored in your brain along with the corresponding emotions from that day. And they often do not come with full stories. Therefore, your brain might not encode the logical connection between the Krispy Kreme and the car crash. It might simply encode: KRISPY KREME. DANGER. The result is that when you see a glazed doughnut or a blue Wolverines T-shirt, you might become uneasy without understanding why. Your brain is recognizing a pattern that it has flagged with life-or-death importance, and reflexively shoots out what it believes to be the appropria emotional response. This reflex might manifest in a big wa like a panic attack. Or it might manifest in a smaller way, like suddenly feeling very grumpy. You might decide that you’re irritated at your girlfriend for a mildly stupid thing she said that morning and text her to say so. None of this, of course, is reasonable or rational. But your brain is not trying to be reasonable. It’s trying to save your life. If someone pulls out a gun near us, we shouldn’t need to ponder for a few minutes about the make and model of the gun and how guns work and what caliber the bullets might be and the amount of damage they might do. If we see a gun, we need to know one thing, and we need to know it fast: GET DOWN. MOVE. RUN. What we might think of as emotional outbursts—anxiety, depression, lashing out in anger—aren’t always just petty, emotional failings. They may be reflexes designed protect us from things our brain has encoded as threats. And these threatening inputs are what many people call triggers. No, having triggers doesn’t make you a fragile little snowflake. It makes you human. Everyone has them, or wi have them eventually, because everyone will experience some form of trauma. That annoying blank stare your ex used to give you. The sound of the ventilator your grandmother was hooked up to in the weeks before she died. Having an emotional response to a trigger is perfectly healthy. Those triggers are only considered PTSD when an event is so traumatic that its triggers cause symptoms like panic attacks, nightmares, blackouts, and flashback when the emotional response becomes debilitating. And here’s what makes complex PTSD uniquely miserable in the world of trauma diagnoses: It occurs when someone is exposed to a traumatic event over and over and over again—hundreds, even thousands of times—over the course of years. When you are traumatized that many times, the number of conscious and subconscious triggers bloats, becomes infinite and inexplicable. If you are beat for hundreds of mistakes, then every mistake becomes dangerous. If dozens of people let you down, all people become untrustworthy. The world itself becomes a threat. PT 2

[sophieinwonderland]

🙄

Reminder that the DSM describes that alters in children will often present as independent imaginary companions!

Do you know what imaginary companions almost always have?

Names. Opinions. A fairly complete identity.

Part of the difficulty in diagnosing early DID is that when identity shifting isn't seen, it's really hard to differentiate alters from imaginary companions.

It's difficult precisely because they have these things in common.

Yes, a minor with DID can very easily have alters with their own identity. It's not that weird at all.

And "roles" are pretty easy to label if you look at what they do. A kind headmate can be labeled as a caregiver. One who defends the system can be labeled a protector. One who is mean to other members can be labeled a persecutor.

The idea that you can't know these very basic traits about alters at a young age is pretty silly.

[cadavercorvus]

I actually think that's just it. The reason why we like these characters and like thinking about them is because, oftenwise, we have or had someone in our lives like this. We can look at these character's actions from a point of understanding WITHOUT being hurt by it directly. We love to hate these characters because they show us a version of the people who hurt us through bulletproof glass.

I think that's very poignant that most of us, deep down, just want to understand the reason why our abusers do the things they do. Because that way, we have an explanation for why and how we were hurt.

when the objectively bad person has traumatic and honestly reasonable reasons for why theyre like that but it doesnt excuse their actions and only serves to make them more tragic as a character

[amorphousbl0b]

If y'all's brains are as rotted by TV Tropes as mine used to be, you might have clocked the dynamic between Odysseus, Eurylochus, and Polites as an example of the Freudian Trio.

The Freudian Trio is a group of characters defined by Freud's three aspects of the mind: the id, the ego, and the superego. The id is impulsive and deals with the fulfillment of basic needs and desires. The superego is logical and deals with rules and social expectations. The ego is the conscious mind that reconciles the two. It's great as a character dynamic because it gives the protagonist two contrasting influences that they have to choose between to overcome a given obstacle. A guaranteed debate over any scenario you'd like. Basically, think of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy from Star Trek and you've got an archetypal example.

This all is excellently represented in the decision at the end of Full Speed Ahead, wherein Polites and Eurylochus present their opposite approaches to gathering supplies from the people on the shore and Odysseus arrives at a midpoint between them.

In a Freudian Trio, you'd usually expect the most passionate character to represent the id, the most measured character to represent the superego, and the protagonist to be the superego. Again, think of "emotionless" Spock and easily-riled McCoy. And in Epic, Odysseus is indeed the ego. He's the one making all of the narrative's choices and being advised by either Eurylochus or Polites (usually the latter). But the other two are the opposite of the norm I just laid out. While Eurylochus is stoic and Polites is emotional, their roles are the opposite of what that might indicate.

Think about it. The id advocates for fulfilling basic needs and safety. It's impulsive, doing what needs to be done to keep the self (or the crew) alive. And who is it who always advocates self-preservation, concerns himself with the crew's desires, and often acts impulsively or out of desperation? Eurylochus.

On the other hand, the superego is often more concerned with long-term benefit than short-term gain. It deals with keeping oneself virtuous and restrained. And who is always on the side of doing what's right rather than what's most obvious or easiest, even if it potentially puts himself or the crew at risk? Polites.

Anyway. Have fun with the analysis I guess.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Positive Communication

Positive Communication - is conceptualized as “relational communication facilitative of happiness, health, and wellness” (Pitts & Socha, 2013, p. 1).

Skills that enhance empathic listening include (Leal, 2017):

Quiet your mind to focus on the person speaking.

Listen to them fully and openly.

Listen through the words.

Avoid interrupting them when they’re speaking.

Use your own words to reflect back what you heard them say, including the emotional content of the message.

One approach used to teach positive communication skills is the relationship enhancement (RE) approach, which focuses on conversation sharing, conflict resolution skills, and effective self- and other-changing techniques for enriching relationships (Pitts & Socha, 2013).

In order to accomplish these relational milestones, the RE approach (Pitts & Socha, 2013, pp. 150–151) encourages the study and practice of skills, such as:

Empathic (listening)

Expressive (speaking)

Discussion–negotiation (conversing)

Problem–conflict resolution

Self-change

Helping others change

Teaching or facilitation

Generalization

Maintenance skills

Leal (2017) believes preparation for empathic listening starts with empathic awareness:

Recognize the inherent value and dignity of yourself and the other person.

Foster a desire to want to listen and relate to the other person.

Think of the other person in a positive light.

Humility resides in these components.

Newberg and Waldman (2012, p. 123) discuss compassionate communication and list strategies they believe should be adhered to consistently. They include:

Express appreciation.

Speak warmly.

Speak slowly.

Speak briefly.

Listen deeply.

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[liberatingreality]

Self-actualized people live more in the real world of nature than in the man-made mass of concepts, abstractions, expectations, beliefs, and stereotypes that most people confuse with the world.

Abraham Maslow, Hierarchy of Needs: A Theory of Human Motivation