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Earlier it had been an internal self-reproach, now it was an imputation coming from the outside.  The judgment about her had been transposed outward:  people were saying what otherwise she would have said to herself.  Something was gained by this.  She would have had to accept the judgment pronounced from inside; she could reject the one arriving from outside.  In that way the judgment, the reproach, was kept away from her ego. The purpose of paranoia is thus to ward off an idea that is incompatible with the ego, by projecting its substance into the external world. (Freud, letter to Wilhelm Fliess on January 24, 1895, on Paranoia) What is Psychological Projection? Psychological projection, also known as blame shifting, is a theory in psychology in which humans defend themselves against unpleasant impulses by denying their existence in themselves, while attributing them to others. Projection may also happen to obliterate attributes of other people with which we a...

When you first met, you thought the two of you had been touched by the same star. Then something happened. Love began to crumble. You made excuses. There was tension when you were together. But you reasoned that it was still better than being lonely, because fear of the monster called “Alone” too often leads people to stay in relationships long after a connection has ended, emotionally and physically. The United States Census Bureau reported in 2011 that its latest data (compiled in 2009) indicated that 83 percent of all currently married couples had made it to their fifth anniversary, and about 55 percent had stayed married at least 15 years. However, if you look closely at the data, a large share of the couples had in fact are separated, though not divorced—but these did not figure into the overall statistics. And there was no tally of the "un-divorced"—those no longer wishing to stay married but who, for various (often financial) reasons remain legally together. Well, ther...

Acting out can be looked upon as one of the defense mechanisms by which the unconscious protects itself against being uncovered by the ego. In therapy acting out can be viewed as one of the borderline defenses. Based on the Vaillant classification, this defense mechanism is part of the Immature Defenses category. Acting Out Defense Mechanism Explanation There are many possible definitions of "acting out". In brief, you may define that as particular behavior, leading to the actions instead of experiencing the corresponding feeling. In the broadest sense, we talk about acting out when a person unconsciously uses action or any non-verbal communication or psychosomatic symptom instead of getting in touch with his true feelings, instead of acknowledging to himself and putting into words what he really feels and experiences inside himself. Therefore, acting out is performing an extreme behavior in order to express thoughts or feelings the person feels incapable of otherwise express...

Love does not make the world go round;  love is what makes the ride worthwhile. ~Shannon L. Alder We all as social creatures, have a deep and underlying desire to find that one perfect person to spend the rest of our days with. That one person when we meet, you feel an uncontrollable desire and an illogical sense of familiarity with. As if you’ve known that person for a lifetime, or perhaps lifetimes. Whatever you want to call it, films and TV series alike have romanticized the phenomenon known as the soulmate. However, what do we really know about the perfect mate or the ideal partner? Psychology is finally shedding light on the mystery that encapsulates so many hearts and minds around the world in an effort to understand what truly makes two people compatible for a relationship. The Issue with Compatibility Dating sites like OkCupid.com or chemistry.com boast about their in-depth personality tests and about finding someone with similar answers to the questions you answer on their...

Have you ever been in a restaurant and seen someone you would love to chat with? However, they are with a group of people at a table, and you hesitate to just walk up to the table, turn to one person and say, "I'd like to talk to you." Now you can with the LoveOrNot app. The LoveOrNot app shows you the people who are within one hundred meters of your current location. You will not be shown a list of people who are farther than 100 meters from you. And, once a person moves to more than one hundred meters of your current location they are no longer shown in the app. The LoveOrNot app makes you feel as if you are at a dance, where you can dance and chat with multiple people all within the time span of the dance. The LoveOrNot app allows you to choose who you want to chat with, using one of the most powerful insights into a person's personality and lifestyle, how they move. How they laugh, smile, sit, and walk can tell you about how that person exercises, sleeps, works, t...

If you ever experienced long-term romantic relationship, you may noticed that there are particular phases you are living through. You may rightfully guess that existence and character of such stages is not a factor of influence for your relationship only. There are indeed different stages of romantic relationship most couples go through to particular extent. Since you have personal experience, try to guess first which stages you remember in your relationship from moment you met to the present. Then, compare your observation with the scheme outlined below. Understanding the standard framework will help you manage properly and preserve healthy relationship with your partner over time. So, no matter how the love starts, or what is your kind of love – nearly all couples go through the stages of love in their relationship as mentioned in this post. Understanding the different phases of love helps couples to move successfully into a better long-term relationship. It is clear that the first e...

Anthropologist and author Helen Fisher proposed to make the dating process more efficient in her new book, Why Him? Why Her? Based on the through research, she identifies the chemical factors that determine who we find attractive, and creates profiles of four distinct personality types: the Explorer, the Builder, the Director, and the Negotiator. The Biology of Personality (From the book) Dopamine. I began with this brain chemical because I had studied the activities of this powerful and ubiquitous neurotransmitter for several years. On impulse, I listed some of the personality traits I knew were associated with specific genes in the dopamine system: the propensity to seek novelty; the willingness to take risks; spontaneity; heightened energy; curiosity; creativity; optimism; enthusiasm; mental flexibility. I decided to call those men and women who expressed the traits associated with this biology Explorers . I drew another blank sheet of paper from my desk drawer. What else did I kno...