Dr. Gary Bell's Absurd Psychology

Seduction, an age-old dance of attraction, has long captivated the hearts and minds of those seeking to unravel its mysterious allure. It’s a complex interplay of biology, psychology, and social dynamics that has fascinated humans for centuries. From the subtle art of flirtation to the bold declaration of desire, seduction weaves its way through our daily lives, often without us even realizing it. Tune in and learn all about seduction!

•Most of us have had our hearts broken at some point and in some form or another, whether through the loss of a loved one or the ending of a romantic relationship. The emotional devastation that heartbreak leaves in its wake can be paralyzing, the pain all-encompassing, and the impact on our psychological and physical well-being crippling. In the most severe cases, a breakup can be a trigger for a clinical depressive episode. Tune in and learn all about healing heartbreak!

Too many people work just for the paycheck. And the paycheck is important – there are kids to feed, rent to pay, and new shoes to buy when the old ones finally wear out. Everything is expensive, and having an income is critical to survival. In many cases, the message is that work should not be fun – weekends, or time off for vacation or personal days, is when you should have your fun. Work is, well, it’s “work”. It shouldn’t be enjoyed; it’s just something to get through on your journey to somewhere else. Tune in and learn all about how to find passion and purpose in your life!

Social awareness and progressivism have become increasingly important for many people, especially when it comes to dating and relationships. Unfortunately, some choose to exploit this trend by pretending to be more socially conscious and “woke” than they actually are in a bid to attract partners. This is known as “wokefishing.” The bad news is that it can be frustrating and even harmful for those who are looking for a genuine connection. The good news is that it is often easy to see past the deception once you know what to look for. Tune in and learn all about WOKE and its impact on our lives!

One of the worst psychological pieces of advice on the internet is that which describes resentment as a healthy emotion. Contrary evidence in psychology and medicine notwithstanding, some authors argue that resentment is nevertheless healthy because it “tells you something is wrong.” So does disease, emotional disorder, and addiction. There are healthy ways to know that something is wrong and there are unhealthy ways. Resentment is not a discreet emotion; it’s an impotent form of anger. Where overt anger motivates aggressive action, the aggression of resentment is mostly in your head, enacted, if at all, predominantly with passive-aggressive behavior, criticism, defensiveness, stonewalling, contempt, or sabotage. Resentment keeps the pump primed for overt aggression, but is not in itself aggressive.

The desire to avoid conflict in a relationship is common, but for very different reasons. First, involvement with a partner who is unable to perspective-take makes it nearly impossible to work out difficulties constructively. Simple disagreements often escalate into epic battles. Understandably, a person may wish to avoid these nightmare fights by side-stepping the power struggles. Second, a partner who is egocentric may wish to dodge a person’s disapproval; he or she hides selfish acts and avoids conversations focused on issues in the relationship. When exposed, he or she may claim, "I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to stress you out.” The partner is conflict-avoidant because he or she wishes to escape disapproval or opposition. This type of evasion may be destructive. Tune in and learn all about conflict avoidance!

While cultural tropes suggest that adult children estrange in a fit of pique, that doesn’t actually appear to be the case for the preponderance of adults estranged from parents and, most usually, their extended families as well; the decision is usually decades in the making. It is clear that it’s rare to be estranged from just one person since relatives are either co-opted to take sides or choose sides on their own, so the loss of ties can be enormous and staggering. Numerous studies point to the fact that estrangement is often cyclical in nature, with adult children going through periods of estrangement and reconciliation for extended periods of time. Tune in and learn all about the causes and how to work through adult children abandoning their parents!

Hybristophilia is a term that has emerged to describe a peculiar and often misunderstood psychological phenomenon: sexual or romantic attraction to dangerous people or people with a criminal history. This type of attraction arouses deep interest in individuals who have committed illicit or violent acts, raising questions about the motivations behind this preference and its possible psychological implications. The term "hybristophilia" comes from the Greek word "hubris", which refers to extreme arrogance or excessiveness, and "philia", which It means love or attraction. Therefore, hybristophilia is defined as the attraction for individuals who have shown defiant, rebellious or transgressive behavior in society. Tune in and learn all about hybristophilia!

Regret can be an incredibly painful emotion. While rooted in feelings of contrition, disappointment, guilt, or remorse for things that have happened in the past, such feelings can have a powerful influence over your life in the here and now. The problem is that when you are feeling regret over past choices or past mistakes, you might sometimes miss out on the joys of the present moment. Tune in and learn how to recognize and turn away regret in your life!

Living in a foreign country and adjusting to a new culture can be a very rewarding experience. But, it can also be a difficult one if you do not understand the values and assumptions of the society. Values are ideas about what is right and wrong, desirable and undesirable, normal and abnormal, proper and improper. Assumptions, as the term is used here, are the unquestioned standards about people, life, and the way things are. People who grow up in a particular culture share certain values and assumptions. This means that most of them, most of the time, agree with each others' ideas about what is right and wrong, desirable and undesirable. They also agree, mostly, with each other's assumptions about human nature, social relationships. The values and assumptions of a culture shape the way people act. To help you adjust, we have compiled a brief explanation of why U.S. Americans behave the way they do. Tune in and learn all about the make up of what American's value!