In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week, we’ll look at cognitive vs. emotional (affective) empathy. Emotional empathy, known formally as affective empathy, refers to our ability to share the emotions of others. Cognitive empathy refers to our ability to infer and understand someone’s emotional experiences from …
Positivity can be a good thing, but toxic positivity not so much. So, what’s the difference? I’d say that positivity is about finding the good that exists despite the bad, while toxic positivity is pretending that the bad can’t/doesn’t exist or trying not to allow it to exist. The element of invalidation is another thing …
Toxic Positivity: What It Is and Why It’s Not Helpful Read More »
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week’s term is emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence (EI) sounds like something that’s obviously good, useful, and important, and while that might be true when you consider it as a nebulous concept, when you dig a little bit and narrow it …
I love words, which I suppose is part of why I love writing. Certain words/phrases in particular really float my boat and give me no end of amusement. Earlier this week, I wrote about intending to wait until I was no longer in high dudgeon to send a complaint email (about the rodent infestation on …
The Healing Emotional Pain Workbook by Matthew McKay, Patrick Fanning, Erica Pool, and Patricia E. Zurita Ono uses process-based cognitive behavioural therapy to address the eleven negative coping mechanisms that are most responsible for emotional disorders. Process-based CBT focuses on coping mechanisms that may be used regardless of diagnosis rather than focusing on treating specific …
The ACT Workbook for Anger by Robyn D. Walser and Manuela O’Connell uses an acceptance and commitment therapy approach to support readers in better managing anger. Anger is framed as a mix of feelings, physiological sensations, thoughts, and actions, and the authors explain that experiencing it is normal; it’s getting hooked on it that can …
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week’s term is resting bitch face. Okay, so the term resting bitch face certainly doesn’t sound scientific, and it isn’t. However, it does seem to be related to an actual physical phenomenon. So, do some people actually have a not-so-pleasant-looking …
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week’s term is neuroticism. Neuroticism is a personality trait that’s part of the Big Five model of personality. It involves: “… the tendency to experience frequent, intense negative emotions associated with a sense of uncontrollability (the perception of inadequate coping) …
A while back, a post about choosing to be positive came up in my WordPress Reader feed. The blogger mentioned that “our mind is something we do and can have control over.” While they weren’t making reference to mental illness at all, I don’t think control over one’s own mind is quite so cut and …
I Will Not Be My Mental Illness: Let’s Recover Together by Karina Pommainville-Odell, a fellow blogger, is an invitation for the reader to join the author in working on a better life with mental illness. The book’s tone is friendly and encouraging, and positive in a realistic rather than over the top way. Chapters are …
