An old tale from the Far East tells of a grieving woman who asked Buddha to bring her dead son back to life.  Buddha told her that he would grant her request if she brought

The victim mentality is characterized by pessimism, self-pity, repressed anger and a belief that life is beyond one’s control.  Victims blame any and every available scapegoat (fate, circumstances, other people, even objects! For their problems

We can all behave in manipulative, unpleasant and even destructive ways at times. But some people seem to hurt others more often than not. They live by their own rules, on their own schedule with

Martha is afraid of rejection, so she withdraws from other people and adopts a scornful attitude. As a result, people avoid her and she spends most of her time alone.Todd is afraid of not being

What is happiness? Cultural answers constantly change as society evolves. In the 1950’s and ’60s, it was having the security of a “good job”; in the ’70s, the counterculture revolution told us it was enlightenment

More than any other sense, feelings define reality; how we feel about other people and events helps categorize them, influencing our perceptions and telling us what to expect in similar situations. Feelings are the river

Who’s Blue?  Jack moves and talks slowly, sighing frequently.  He has no complaints about his life other than a few marital spats, but neither does he have any enthusiasm for his work or home life. 

Some people are exceptionally difficult to get along with.  They complain, threaten and bluster, sometimes withdrawing, at other times becoming intimidating.  We leave such interactions frustrated, angry, guilty, and drained.  We can all be annoying,

In any significant relationship, differences are inevitable, for no two people have exactly the same interests, ideas, expectations or timetables. The question is not whether you have conflict in your life, but how you handle

Inside Addictive Relationships Codependency has come a long way since the days when it was used only to describe the families or significant others of people who were chemically dependent. We now know that other

Professors get tense when they lecture, accountants become anxious before and audit, students worry before exams, and hostesses get jittery before a party.  Moderate “preparation anxiety” such as this is normal and helps us get