After a prolonged absence, the blog is back!
I got busy/lazy at the end of last year. And I took a (much needed) longer-than-usual break this summer. Thus, the gap. Apologies to all of you (any of you?) who like your dose of fortnightly blog.
And, to rub salt into your wounds, I’m copping out on my return by making a “best of” post. To be fair to me, I usually create a best of list around the New Years Eve period. Some traditions are just too conveniently easy to give up.
The year gone had some great articles and series (if I do say so myself). I finished off my series on the neurological origins of emotions, and released two short series: Digital Disembodiment and Mental Health Days and School Refusal.
Here’s a selection of my favourite articles of last year.
This series of articles explores an emerging phenomenon: digital disembodiment. For the first time in history, humans are leaving their physical selves behind. What is the impact of this on mental health? Disembodiment from our physical form will only accelerate as our technologies become more immersive and more functions of daily living move online.
In our rich, global society, winning the Game of Life has surpassed other sources of meaning. Research shows that people who are winning the Game of Life (that is, who are making more money) don’t need a sense of intrinsic meaning to feel happy. For the majority, good mental health means forging a meaningful existence not related to the pursuit of wealth.
The power and importance of attachment crashed into my consciousness in 2022. I had been exposed theories about attachment throughout my years of study, but the penny had never dropped about how vital attachment is to mental health and to a stable self-identity. Jaak Panksepp’s work, as well as other research I read last year, highlighted just how important attachment is. This article should be read along with the GRIEF and LUST systems articles.
This article sticks true to a central theme of 2022 –the changed world post-Covid. Regular readers will know that I’m interested in the “new normal” of digitised existence. What does long-term physical distancing mean for our mental health and for our identities? Psychology aims people to adjust to reality. To what extent are psychologists responsible for enabling and championing this new normal?
I like writing articles from a philosophical perspective. This article made me consider whether my belief in the spoken word’s superiority to the written word is just a subjective bias. I love the fact that Socrates’ thoughts are still so relevant 2,500 years later.
So, that’s my 2022 list.
What does 2023 have install? I’m planning on more articles on Schema Therapy and a series on Eye Movement Reprocessing and Desensitisation (EMDR). And, knowing me, I would wager there’ll be more articles about technology and mental health as well as a few on philosophical ideas within psychology.
Hope you enjoy!