Category Archives: Psychology
Treating Gun Violence as an Addiction and a Cult
If as I believe that an obsessive need for guns is akin to an addiction and therefore cannot be dealt with by means of conventional arguments (after all, many alcoholics know “rationally” that alcohol is killing them but they are still unable to resist its near total control over their lives), then I believe that we need to stop beating around the bush and treat the obsessive need for guns as a major form of addiction. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Crisis Management, Media + Politics, Psychology
Tagged 12 Step Program, addiction, cult, gun control, gun violence, guns, NRA
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Let No Factor Go Unheeded: Treat Every Causative Factor in Gun Violence as Aggresively as Possible
There are at least two widely differing positions in treating gun violence that surface every time there is a horrendous tragedy like that which happened in Newtown, Connecticut. Indeed, they are always just beneath the surface of any argument pertaining to gun control. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Psychology
Tagged gun control, gun violence, Sandy Hook, Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting, violence
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On Mixed Minds: Liberal-Conservatives and Conservative-Liberals
Conservatives are generally fearful of and highly resistant to change, have an obsessive need for order and predictability, prize individual differences (money, status, etc.), and believe in hierarchy over community and egalitarianism. In sharp contrast, liberals generally believe strongly in reasoned argument, logic, and science.
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Posted in Blog, Media + Politics, Psychology
Tagged Chris Mooney, conservative, liberal
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The Unconscious Choice: The Forces of the Dark and Light Sides
Make no mistake about it. This election is about the choice between two worldviews that are as psychologically different and far apart as any two could possibly be. The choice is difficult not just because so much is riding on it—this much is obvious–but like most crucial things in life, much of it rests on factors that are largely unconscious. The later is far from obvious. Continue reading
Economics: The Psychologically Naïve Science
I admire Paul Krugman. I really do. His many columns in The New York Times and books (for his latest, see, End This Depression Now, ISBN 978-0-393-08877-9) are a testimony to his ability to explain arcane topics in terms that the layperson can understand. Continue reading
Psychoanalytic Politics: The Roots of Current Dysfunctional Political Behavior
What does the behavior of British children in WWII possibly have to do with today’s fractious politics? More than one would ever imagine! Continue reading
Psychotic Nation: Media, Macbeth, Cinderella
Make no mistake about it. America is in an extreme state of mind. It is gripped by forces that can only be described as psychotic. Continue reading
Truth Wars: The Bitter Divide Between Conservative and Progressive Belief Systems
Every so often, a truly great book comes along. When God Talks Back: Understanding the Evangelical Relationship With God by Stanford anthropologist T.M. Luhrmann is certainly one of these. Let me recount briefly the main argument of Luhrmann’s book. In a word, Luhrmann gives us deep insight into the nature of different belief systems and why the battle between them is often so bitter and prolonged. Continue reading
The Republicans’ Masterful and Insidious Prey on America’s Founding Fears and Stories: Part III
In two recent op-eds in The Huffington Post, “The Republicans’ Masterful and Insidious Prey on America’s Founding Fears,” and “The Republicans’ Masterful and Insidious Prey on America’s Founding Fears, Part II,” I talked about two masterful analysts of America’s founding myths and stories, Rupert Wilkinson and Robert Reich.
Wilkerson identified four fears have not only been present from the very founding of the Republic, but they are so basic that they are virtually synonymous with it: 1) The Fear of Being Owned; 2) The Fear of Falling Away; 3) The Fear of Winding Down; and 4) The Fear of Falling Apart. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Media + Politics, Psychology
Tagged Republicans, Robert Reich, Rupert Wilkinson
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Confronting Shame-Based Politics: The Biggest Challenge of All
What an incredibly boring and uninteresting world it would be if one needed nothing more than a surface understanding of things in order to take action against wrongs.
Over 40 years of professional experience has taught me that deep unconscious forces, of which we are by definition largely unaware, govern the vast majority of human behavior. At a minimum, unconscious factors impact human behavior significantly. Continue reading
Ian Mitroff | Mitroff Crisis Management 