Dr. Gary Bell's Absurd Psychology

In Maslow's hierarchy, lower-level needs (physiological, safety, love/belonging, and esteem) are considered deficiency needs, which arise from a lack of something. Once these needs are met, individuals can focus on growth needs like self-actualization, where they strive to become the best version of themselves.  Understanding needs is crucial for various psychological fields, including motivation, behavior, and mental health. Meeting basic needs is a prerequisite for addressing higher-level needs and achieving overall well-being. Tune in and learn how unmet needs shape you and healing those needs later on in life!

Panic attacks are dramatically abrupt bursts of acute anxiety that feel life-threatening but are not. They build into a crescendo of fear within minutes, but what they lack in duration they make up in distress. The body sensations of anxiety become extremely intense—pounding heart, racing pulse, the feeling of difficulty getting enough air—making it feel as if you are about to die. That interpretation is mistaken, but it nevertheless triggers even more anxiety, intensifying the panic. •Panic attacks can occur out of the blue, even during sleep, and the feeling of loss of control magnifies the terror.  Tune in and learn all about panic attacks and how to stop them!

There are advantages to being smart. People who do well on standardized tests of intelligence (IQ tests) tend to be more successful in the classroom and the workplace. Although the reasons are not fully understood, they also tend to live longer, healthier lives, and are less likely to experience negative life events such as bankruptcy. Now there’s some bad news for people in the right tail of the IQ bell curve. A “high IQ society,” Mensa requires that its members have an IQ in the top 2 percent. For most intelligence tests, this corresponds to an IQ of about 132 or higher. (The average IQ of the general population is 100.) The survey of Mensa’s highly intelligent members found that they were more likely to suffer from a range of serious disorders. Tune in and learn all about how high IQ can be compatable with mental illness!

Horrible people are draining; encounters leave you emotionally wiped out. Time with them is about taking care of their business, which will leave you feeling frustrated and unfulfilled, if not angry. Don’t allow yourself to become depleted as a result of giving and giving and getting nothing in return. At first, you may feel for them and their plight but once you observe that every interaction is negatively charged you may want to limit your contact with them, or maybe even cut ties. Your time and energy are essential for your own life. Don’t be overly willing to give them away. Tune in and learn how these people operate and how to set boundaries!

Broadly speaking, emotional detachment is the inability or unwillingness to connect with others on an emotional level. Emotional detachment can also mean that people do not engage with their feelings, which can translate into repeatedly being disconnected or disengaged from what other people are feeling. Tune in and learn how the trend of emotional detachment is effecting your life!

•We can consider the ego as the "I" or our sense of self, and so we all have an ego because we all have a sense of self. The ego is not inherently bad. We need a coherent sense of self to differentiate ourselves from others and have a sense of agency. This allows us to meet our basic physiological needs, develop goals, and pursue dreams. I know that I exist, who I am, and what is important to me. I know which family, team, and political party is mine. I know who are my friends, rivals, and enemies. I know which possessions are mine. I have values and rights that I cherish dearly and will fight to protect. Tune in and learn all about ego and manipulation!

With marriage having a fifty percent no‐go rate it’s obvious that people don’t follow their best thinking, just like people don’t eat healthfully even when they know what’s good for them. Paradoxically, it’s in our most enduring and important relationships that we’re least likely to be our most mature and thoughtful selves. Tune in and learn what it takes to be married!

What does the word commitment suggest? It usually evokes a strong sense of intention and focus. It typically is accompanied by a statement of purpose or a plan of action. Very often, we utilize this word in regard to proclamations we may make about the seriousness of our relationships. For example, “I’m in a committed relationship,” or “I’m completely committed to this relationship.” In such circumstances, what exactly are we saying? We take it for granted that the word or the expression means the same thing to all of us. I can assure you that it doesn’t. Tune in and learn how real commitments can change your life!

Altruism is the unselfish concern for other people—doing things simply out of a desire to help, not because you feel obligated to out of duty, loyalty, or religious reasons. It involves acting out of concern for the well-being of other people. In some cases, these acts of altruism lead people to jeopardize themselves to help others. Such behaviors are often performed unselfishly and without any expectations of reward. Other instances, known as reciprocal altruism, involve taking actions to help others with the expectation that they will offer help in return. Tune in and learn all about how altruism can add to your life!

Do you hyperfocus on the one thing that went wrong? The one little mistake you made or that one mean comment on social media? Instead of the hundreds of things going right? This is called mental filtering, and it’s a cognitive distortion that can make you anxious or depressed. Mental filtering is the cognitive distortion where we only see one aspect of a situation, usually the negative side of it when it comes to depression or anxiety. You focus on the negative and disregard or filter out all the positive. You pick out a single negative detail and hyperfocus on this instead of everything else going on. Tune in and learn all about how filtering and narratives can destroy our lives!