Psychology Articles

It’s something I’ve always known. It’s the thing I’ve always struggled with. They told me for years that if I wanted to be normal I had to be more of an extrovert. But no matter what I tried I still found that I needed my time alone to recharge.

Was this something I needed to have fixed by a medical professional? Is it a curse that I was born with or was it merely a matter of choice that my environment conditioned me to make? These are tough questions to answer and I thought that by delving in to find the solution I’d be able to change myself.

But it didn’t work.

I’ve spent a lot of time lately trying to find out why I act the way I do. If you’re an extrovert, you could think I had become obsessed if you knew how much time and energy I’ve invested in this pursuit. But as I’ve come to know myself better, I’ve found that to do otherwise would be abnormal for me.

For as long as I can remember I’ve been introspective. There is no time when my brain isn’t “on,” churning ideas and concepts every direction I can conceive of. I was always happy to be by myself as a kid. Solitude didn’t bother me at all. But still there were times when my friends who were more socially oriented and had more friends made me question whether my introversion was something to be celebrated.

I can remember those summers when I would tell myself that “next year will be different.” The problem is that I had no inkling of how it would be different, just that because I wanted it to be so, it would.

But, of course, year after year, I was known as the “quiet one.” The extroverts thought I was weird but were nice enough to notice that when I did say something it was worth hearing. And that was because I had put a ton of thought into it before it escaped my lips. Everything I said was a work of art, a masterpiece of planning!

As I’ve come to know myself, I’m discovering that I am not so abnormal. I like to think, be alone, read, learn, and investigate things. When I am with people, I prefer small groups to hordes and I choose my conversations carefully. I didn’t have too many at church today but the few I did have were not short. I like to invest in people, get to know them, make them feel welcome, and maybe be to them what most people aren’t. I can’t do this with everybody. But for those who will engage, I can spend an hour getting to know the details of their lives. And because I’ve spent the time, I find it easier to remember them the next time I see them.

To me that is a strength.

Introverts may be a minority in our culture. Extroverts are seen as living the right way, the only way. But can you imagine a world where everyone is motivated by action without deep thinking? I’m not saying that everyone should be this way. If introverts ruled the world, procrastination would be the order of the day sometimes. We need some to think deeply, and some to spur us on to act. It’s a balance designed by God to make what needs to happen occur in the best time frame possible.

And I’m perfectly okay with that. Consider the field of politics. You have the elected officials, who are most likely the extroverts. They get out there and communicate, act, and lead. But there is a quiet leadership behind the scenes that investigates, thinks through, and helps shape the policies that these leaders propose. That’s where the introverts come in. Without the quiet leadership to balance the need for action, our world would be a lot less efficient.

So introversion has value as much as extroversion does.

I’ve also discovered that the way you think is something that will most likely never change. So why fight the way you function? If you’re an introvert like me, you need your time alone to recharge and reflect. You may enjoy people some of the time as I do. But you need that quiet time to think and process the details of your life. When you live out of sync with who you are, stress sets in. Your health will suffer because you’ll feel off-balance all the time. It’s no fun. I’ve tried it. I don’t like it. It’s like looking at your weakness and saying, “I think I’ll develop this.” No matter how hard you work, you’ll never rise above just average.

And that can really be depressing.

So, if you’re reading this and you’re an introvert, celebrate who you are by doing what you do best. If you’re an extrovert and have stumbled across this page, I hope it will help you understand us better. And don’t be offended if we can only take you in small doses – that’s just the way we are. No offense to you or your way of life is intended.

So be yourself and you’ll be free to be your best.

Frank McKinley is author of Praying God’s Way: A Guide to Biblical Prayer, which is available on Amazon.com. His work can also be seen on his blog at http://frank-speakingfrankly.blogspot.com/. He lives in Georgia with his wife and family.

The well known English writer George Allen Knot has authored a scientific book called “Journey by other ways”. In this book of fiction Knot has penned such a vehicle that helps man travel thousands of miles within a few seconds. This aircraft travels with the speed of light and one fictitious person in the book drops many travelers at their desired destination on the way. This fictitious vehicle is neither made up of any metal nor is any technology like engine etc attached to it. Instead some scientists with the help of their potent power of resolve (Sankalpa Shakti) arrange subtle atoms in such a manner that the travelers of this fictitious vehicle become weightless. The fictitious pilot merely makes a powerful mental resolve that “I want this vehicle to reach a particular far off place” and immediately this vehicle speeds ahead with the help of subtle ‘technology’. To even say that the vehicle ‘moved’ is erroneous because within seconds it moves speedily like light to its destination (which is thousands of miles away).

This book of fiction is so imaginative that one may read it with wonderment for some time and then leave it saying “it is a mere figment of the respected author’s imagination”. And yet Woodland’s (USA) Dr. Zio Bernhardt actually experienced something of this sort. In that as per his power of resolve he reached his destination. In a well known American Journal of Parapsychology Dr. Bernhardt writes: At that time, my son was fighting a war in Vietnam (in the year 1971 A.D). Once seated in my residence I strongly felt that my son was in danger. I felt as though he was shouting aloud to me. Immediately when this deep thought flashed in my mind my body became extremely lighter in weight even than air. From Woodland in USA I reached a far off unknown place within a second. This was the place where my son was waging a war for the army.

Dr. Bernhardt continued: In that far off place raged an intense inferno. My son John was trapped in a tent and on top of him was a very heavy truck. Immediately I removed the truck from John’s body and after dragging him out of the tent I made him stand up.

Immediately my body now started regaining its original form and weight. When I opened my eyes I felt I had woken up from a half sleep semi conscious state. My wife seated besides me was checking my pulse. I asked her: Tell me, what happened? She replied: I felt as though for sometime you had become abnormal! I then related my amazing experience to her but according to her it was merely some bad dream. And yet inwardly I failed to agree with my wife’s observation. After 6 months John returned home since he was on leave. John later told us about how he was trapped in a blazing inferno while fighting the Vietnam War and that miraculously he managed to escape the jaws of death.

After hearing what John had said Dr. Bernhardt was convinced that as soon as he intuitively and with the help of telepathy got knowledge of this near fatal accident in Vietnam, his own subtle body reached there so as to save John from dying thus. The question he asked himself was: Could it be possible that with the help of ones subtle body one could travel any where at will? Spiritual Sciences give an emphatic answer saying: YES! Today slowly but surely even Modern Sciences’ attention has been strongly drawn in this direction. Many such incidences have been recorded the world over wherein not the physical body but the subtle body was fully active.

The subtle body can be separated from the gross visible body as has been the experience of many people the world over. Some years back an experience of the world famous actress Elizabeth Taylor had been published. Elizabeth Taylor as written in that publication was to undergo a major operation. She was made to lie down on the operation table and was anaesthetized. The operation being a serious one continued for some time and when it ended the surgeons suddenly realized that Elizabeth Taylor’s body lay lifeless on the operation table. Her breathing had stopped, blood pressure was falling perilously and her heart beats were very faint. After great effort the medical team revived Elizabeth Taylor. When she regained her composure she said: I saw my self being operated with my own eyes!

Elizabeth Taylor was actually unconscious due to the influence of anesthesia administered to her for the operation. The doctors were wonderstruck and hence asked her: How could you see your own operation being carried out by us? Elizabeth Taylor replied: I too was seeing my physical body lying on the operation table just as I can see the body of another person (meaning she was a witness or Sakshi of her own body). I saw my entire gross body i.e. head, face, mouth, nose etc. I actually felt that I had ‘come out of my body’. I felt I was seeing my body just as I would be seeing the body of any other individual. I felt that my own body was separate from me. At that time I felt that my body was very light in weight akin to a bird’s feather.

Since the doctors suspected that Taylor had temporarily entered a dream state they asked her: Tell us, what exactly happened during the operation? Taylor described each step of the operation. Not only this but she also described what apparatus and materials were used for the operation and in what sequence! Amazingly she also described how the chief surgeon had yelled when a particular apparatus was missing and what words he had exactly uttered.

After hearing Elizabeth all doubts were dispelled. A point to note is that anyone well versed with Indian Spiritual Philosophy will not be surprised at all to read incidences like those mentioned above because Indian Spirituality has always maintained that apart from the gross body (Sthool Sharira) there exists a subtle body (Sookshma Sharira) and a causal body (Karana Sharira). As against this such incidences can certainly amaze Westerners. It is not as though Westerners do not know about the soul being separate from the body because saints and great philosophers of the West too have deeply studied Spiritual sciences. No doubt they accepted the existence of a subtle principle but because flourishing Modern Sciences scoffed those findings as ‘blind beliefs’, intellectuals the world over failed to give due importance to this subtle principle.

And yet despite their non acceptance miraculous incidences explained above continue to take place even today. This has forced modern material scientists too to accept that man’s consciousness is not eternally bound to his gross body of flesh and bones. This is because the conscious principle/subtle body can move about everywhere without the gross body moving an inch. The great Psychologist Dr. Themla Moss has proved that “All individuals without exception can separate their conscious/subtle body from their gross body and within a second can travel to regions thousands of miles away”.

In order to prove the existence of that subtle conscious body which is beyond the material laws of nature, Dr. Moss enumerated many real incidences. One such incidence took place in 1908 A.D. There was a meeting of the House of Lords in Great Britain. A ‘no confidence’ motion was set against the government at that time and voting for the same was to take place that very day. The opposition Party was very strong politically and hence it was most required that all government members of the House be present and that none remain absent. And yet one very important ruling party member Sir Cornrush was very ill. There was no way he could get up from his bed at home and yet he was very keen on attending the voting session at the House of Lords. He pleaded with the doctors to allow him to attend the voting session but the doctors refused to do so point blank. Thus he failed to attend the voting session. And yet in the House of Lords many members saw Sir Cornrush taking part in the voting session. On the other hand doctors attending to the ailing Sir Cornrush insisted that he was resting in his bed at his residence.

Regarding one more incident Dr. Moss writes: A session was going on in Victoria House of British Columbia Parliament. At that time one of its honorable members called Charles Wood was very ill. The doctors had given hope for Wood’s very survival too. And yet Charles Wood was very keen on attending that Parliament session. The doctors refused to allow Wood to even get up from his bed and hence in despair he continued resting there. And yet very amazingly other members of Parliament actually saw Charles Wood seated in Victoria House for the session. During the said session many photographs too were taken and when they were developed one could see Charles Wood clearly in them!

The world famous philosopher, thinker and psychologist Dr. Carl Jung himself has experienced his subtle body separating or ‘coming out’ of his physical body. This experience has been elaborated further in his famous book “Memories, Dreams and Reflections”. In an incident in the year 1944 A.D. Carl Jung got a heart attack. It was a very dangerous attack and according to his doctor, Dr. Jung was face to face with death. Dr. Jung writes about this experience as follows: While I was being administered medicines and injections for saving my life I experienced many strange things. Even now it is difficult for me to decisively say whether I was unconscious at that time or whether I was undergoing a vivid dream. And yet what is crystal clear is that I actually felt I was ‘hanging’ in interstellar space. Further my body felt as though it was as light as a cotton fiber. From the place actually where I was I felt I was seeing Jerusalem which was thousands of miles away as though I was seated in an air craft flying in the sky with the city flying past below on earth. After this I manifested in a worship hall. There I felt my body to be so weightless that I could go about anywhere without any hindrance. Immediately I saw a ’shadow’ hovering above me. This ’shadow’ said: Now you must re-enter your physical body. I hence carried out its command. Now my experience was that I was no longer independent to move about as before. But what is very important is that this vivid experience gave me inner wisdom and thus all my previous doubts were dispelled totally. Now I realized what actually takes place after any human being dies.

Without doubt today Modern Material Science has concluded in one voice that what we call ‘matter’ is not an ultimate independent unit of this cosmos. Instead great scientists proclaim that a miniscule atom of matter is also the result of many more subtle particles. When these subtle particles were analyzed during high leveled research studies the Philosophy of Consciousness commenced.

In the year 1968 A.D., renowned Russian scientists like Dr. V. Inushin, Chekov, N. Norovov, N. Korarova and Guadulin carried out important experiments. After completing their research studies they accepted that all creatures of the world not only possess a gross physical body (made of flesh, bones etc) but that they possess a subtle conscious body too.

These eminent Russian scientists called this subtle body as “The Biological Plasma Body”. While elaborating further they said that it not just merely a collective unit of preliminary units of life which in turn arise from activated electrical molecules but that it is a well managed and self controlled principle. It thus manifests its own magnetic arena.

Spiritual Sciences proclaim that subtle consciousness can never be ‘grasped by any gross principle and that it is only a subjective experience. It is but natural that in future Modern Science which has analyzed this gross material world at great length will realize that consciousness can never be pin pointed with even the most advanced technological apparatus and that instead they will have to dive deep into the recesses of their soul/psyche to gain a first hand subjective experience.

While researching into the Biological Plasma Body renowned scientists have also analyzed their underlying principles. Soviet scientists have conducted many experiments in order to study the designing/structure and function of this Bio-plasma. Later they concluded that Bio-plasma predominantly exists in the brain region. Further functionally it is most active in the Sushumna (subtle spine) and muscular cells.

The Bhagwad Geeta compares this human body to a tree wherein the branches are at the base and the roots are at the top end. Scientists have proven the existence of a vital force which is not cosmic consciousness/soul but is energy of the level of the subtle body. It is also called the electrical energy of the human body. It is present in all creatures without exception.

Prof. Dr. Heraldwar of Yale University’s Neuro Academy has proved that every creature be it a mere ant too is covered by an ‘electro-dynamic’ aura. Later another scientist of this very University named Dr. Leonard Ravitz continued research studies on this line. According to his findings this ‘electro-dynamic’ aura can be influenced with the help of the brain. If we make a parallel study, Indian Spiritual Science has given us the path of Dhyana-Dharana or Meditation-Concentration as elucidated in Yogic texts.

Now it is virtually a water tight conclusion that Modern Science too is heading in this direction and that too with great success. A point to be noted is that this success was already attained if we study ancient Yoga Philosophy texts. Mythological (Puranas) and other spiritual texts describe so many examples which can only be called miraculous and mind boggling.

When we understand the infinite potency of subtle principles it just does not seems impossible that Rishis, Munis, demigods, demons etc traveled to far off galaxies, planets etc in a matter if micro seconds via their will power (Sankalpa Shakti) or a subtle medium. It is a great possibility that in future scientists find a way to reach other planets, galaxies etc via a subtle medium instead of inventing hi-fi technology which uses up billions of hard earned dollars. The famous electronics specialist Dr. Nichovson has gone on to say that the electronic medium will become so powerful in the next fifty years that with its help scientists will be able to travel easily in interstellar space. Suppose a scientist wants to solve a problem seated billions of miles away in another planet a scientist from Earth will tell him: Please wait for just a minute because I will myself come there and solve it! All this will happen only with the help of the subtle body.

It is important to note that each individual does not possess merely one body made up of flesh, blood etc. This is because within this gross visible body exist 2 more bodies called subtle body (Sukshma Sharira) and causal body (Karana Sharira). Between these 2 bodies the subtle body is more active and influential. After death the physical body disintegrates but the subtle body’s existence persists. It is this subtle body that paves the way for a fresh new body which is called ‘birth’ by us all.

After one dies although the physical body disintegrates ones mind, psychic imprints (Sanskars) and good deeds/bad deeds continue to exist and enter a new body called rebirth. This subtle body also harbors memory of previous births/incarnations. Hence many a times people identify and remember their past life family members, dear ones etc. It is this subtle body that ‘transports’ ones mind, psychic imprints (Sanskars) and good deeds/bad to the new body (rebirth) after death of the previous body. In reality when we die a certain type of state of ‘rest’ ensues wherein it is as though a living being is warding off the ‘tension’ and ‘hard work’ performed in the previous body. It is like a business man, executive, teacher, house wife etc who after a hard long grinding day, goes to sleep at night for a well deserved rest. Next day when they wake up they feel rejuvenated and look forward to another hard day’s work. In the same way after death when the subtle body ‘rests’ for some time before being reborn it manifests enough capacity to toil hard in the next body called rebirth. Of course there are certain living beings who take up a fresh new body (birth) after giving up the previous body (death) without any rest or pause. Generally such re-born individuals tend to be relatively weak both in body and mind.

In any birth the subtle body is as functional as the gross body. When we go to sleep at night and visualize vivid dreams know for sure that it is the subtle body which is at work. It is only the subtle body that is solely responsible for divine vision, hearing far off sounds, seeing far off objects, thought movements, knowledge of the future (prophecy making), visualizing demigods etc. Via Yoga steps like Pratyahar (mastering the 5 sense organs), Dharana (inculcating a one pointed focused mind), Dhyana (uninterrupted meditation) and Samadhi (trance or super conscious state) the aspirant makes his subtle body sacred and potent. This subtle body is the fount of Ridhi-Sidhis (Divine Powers).

As soon as death overtakes us our physical body gets destroyed immediately. On an average it takes some time before one gets a fresh new body (birth). Between death and a new birth a living being exists solely due to the help of the subtle body. Even after one is reborn with a new gross body, the subtle and causal bodies too simultaneously continue to exist in it. They are the root source of Extra Sensory Perceptions or ESP. Via devotion, meditation and other spiritual practices it is the subtle and causal bodies that are made more one pointed and taintless. If these 2 bodies are made potent our physical body exudes radiance, valor, divine aura/light and divine wisdom. Zest and zeal in ones life is but the manifestation of a radiant subtle body.

Heaven and hell are also manifestations of the subtle body. Wisdom, good/bad psychic imprints, good/bad qualities, inclinations etc have a direct relationship with the subtle body. Ghosts etc too are dependent on the subtle body. It also is responsible for the manifestation of divine experiences, Divine Powers of Yoga (Ridhi-Sidhi), dream interpretations etc.

In order to prove emphatically the existence of the subtle body, many incidences have been described in Ancient History, Mythology etc. Adi Guru Shankaracharya entered the corpse of a dead King Amrook to gain wisdom of married life. Ramkrishna Paramhans, even after giving up his saintly mortal coil had given Darshan (sacred vision) to his disciple Swami Vivekananda. Puranas describe such examples virtually on every page.

The founder of Theosophical Society Madam Blavatsky was known to lock herself in a room and yet appear in the midst of others who were outside the room with the help of her subtle body. In fact she would even give spiritual discourses. Similar incidences have been described with reference to Colonel Townsend. Amongst well known Yoga aspirants Harvetelman, Lindars, Andrew Jackson, Dr. Malth, Jelt Carrington, Duravel, Muldon, Oliver Laws, Pavers, Dr. Mesmer, Alexandra, Davidnit, Brunton etc have mentioned their experiences and practices which were based on proving the existence of the subtle body. J. Muldon had successfully demonstrated the separation of his subtle body from his gross physical body. Based on these experiences he has authored a book called “The Projection of the Astral Body”.

In India Swami Vishudhananda and Swami Nigamananda have given us all proof of such tangible experiences. It is said that once Tailang Swami was put in police lock up by an English Police Officer for roaming around naked in Varanasi. Next day to everyone’s astonishment Tailang Swami was roaming around outside the police lock up. Such descriptions are also found with reference to great saints like Mahindranath, Gorakhnath, Jalandharnath, Kanappa etc.

Following is a list of names of great Western Philosophers and Seers who not only belive in the existence of the soul but also agree that the soul persists even after the physical body dies and deteriorates: Ralph Waldo Trine, Midney, Flower, Ela Wheeler, Bilcox, William walker, Atkinson, James, Kenny etc. Great Seers of past times like Carlisle, Emerson, Kant, Hegel, Thomas, Hillman Dyson etc too have a similar viewpoint.

Our actions via the gross body and thoughts of the mind get ‘printed’ in the subtle body which are called psychic-imprints (Sanskars). Man’s nature and character are but the sum total of his thinking and activities spanning over innumerable incarnations. The more this nature is adhered to, to that extent those types of psychic imprints get etched in our psyche. In turn these imprints mature and ripen so as to create our good/bad destiny and fruits of actions. In this manner it is the subtle body that has designed the process of giving man the fruits of his past deeds or misdeeds.

If we eat unwholesome food, breathe polluted air and act undesirably our physical body undergoes diseases and illnesses. In the same way vile thoughts and vile actions “pollute” the subtle body and thus loses its power and potential. A man who foolishly insists on pursuing the thorny path of tainted thinking and actions is always seen to be weak and full of cowardice. As a result a day comes when he becomes a mentally ill and diseased patient. By itself the subtle body pervades our gross body just as butter in milk. Despite this it is more concentrated in the brain area. Vile/tainted thinking induces imbalance in our mind, brain and subtle body. This results in ones inner personality getting tainted and diseased. This in turn manifests externally as obstacles in the way of man’s material and spiritual progress.

AUTHOR: Shriram Sharma Acharya founder of the International Gayatri Family was a great Yogi seer and incarnation of God who wrote volumes of scientific literature mainly on spiritual subjects for world welfare and peace. For more scientific e-books visit: http://www.shriramsharma.com/ and http://www.dsvv.org/ DESCRIPTION: Free e-books on Future Scientific Religion, Gayatri Science & Kundalini Yoga correlated to Neurosciences-ESP, Endocrinology, Anatomy, Psychology & Sociology for 1) material & spiritual prosperity & 2) uniting the world peacefully as a family.

Passive-aggression refers to subtle, often renounced, resistance that has multiple causes. While this phenomenon originated as an attempt to classify covert, non-compliant behaviour, it can be a trait, behaviour or personality disorder. The broader view of passive-aggression is because of the acknowledgment of the deeper, multiple roots of this behaviour.

As behaviour, passive aggression is held to be contextual or situational. Therefore, we might all display subtle resistance when we feel that our goals or preferred actions are blocked. When one either deems the source of the frustration too powerful or perceive ourselves incapable of properly address our anger or frustrations in a particular context, passive-aggression might result. Passive-aggressive behaviour is not necessarily maladaptive or abnormal, but is attributed to an external stimulus.

Where passive-aggression is maladaptive or unhealthy is when it is perceived to be a trait or personality disorder. In other words, the passive-aggression is internally attributed – it is because of the person and not necessarily an external stimulus. This is where the behaviour is habitual and forms a distinct pattern. A passive-aggressive person behaves in this manner out of compulsion or inability to deal with anger, frustration or other negative emotions in a healthy, socially acceptable manner.

As isolated behaviour, passive-aggression might be a response to frustration or negative emotion from a more powerful source (such as a boss or other person in authority). Since a person might feel unable to resist that source ostentatiously or actively, subtle resistance behaviours or sullenness might be evident.

For a person who has this pattern of behaviour ( a trait or disorder), the reasons are more deep-seated. The passive-aggressive individual could have been socialized in an environment where it is unsafe or difficult to express anger or frustration. Some children are taught to suppress anger and become adults who are unable to deal with such emotions. While there is turmoil on the inside, the passive aggressive person seems calm or even pleasant to the source of their negative emotion.

In addition, passive-aggression could be the result of an inability to express anger/negative emotions in a socially acceptable manner. A person who is unaccustomed to dealing with conflict can have such an inability. Passive-aggression, as a trait or disorder, is merely a manifestation of acute repressed behaviour. In some instances, a person displaying this behaviour might not even realize it. Typically, the person might act surprised (or be genuinely surprised) when confronted with their behaviour.

One of the primary signs of passive-aggression is ambiguity. This exists because of the inherent contradictions between thoughts/actions or between one action and another. Since the passive aggressive person only complies superficially, resistance behaviours might co-exist with compliant words or actions. There is also an element of vindictiveness in this trait – a desire to hit back by transferring the negative emotion into another sphere. For example, if a husband is upset with his wife and conveniently forgets the upcoming anniversary – that is passive aggressive behaviour. Only if a person has an established pattern of this behaviour, should they be considered a subtly aggressive person.

Other significant signs of passive-aggression is blaming others and having fear of intimacy and dependency. A person who is not a master of their emotions tends to readily blame others or make external attributions. In addition, the need to feel in control is also apparent in passive-aggressive personality types.

It is important to make the distinction between passive aggressive behaviour and the passive-aggressive personality trait or disorder. This is because the behaviour could be externally attributed, while the trait or disorder is usually internal. Common signs, such as obstructionism, an uncanny lack of anger, ambiguity, vindictiveness and fears of attachment and dependency define passive-aggression. The nature of this phenomenon determines how easily a particular person can desist from being passive aggressive.

Television shows are suddenly very interested in people with Bipolar mood disorder with an emphasis on the inability of people with bipolar disorder to function in the world or as crazed killers. How can people who have the disorder protect themselves from being labeled as criminally, mentally ill? The answer is to arm themselves with information and share it where appropriate.

Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders that is determined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally high energy levels and one or more depressive episodes. The high energy levels are called mania unless they are not as severe and then they are called hypomania. Some people have these episodes separately and some have them both at the same time.

Extreme episodes of mania can lead to psychotic symptoms like hallucinations or delusions. When this occurs or when a person becomes so depressed as to be suicidal, the person may need care in a controlled hospital setting. On the other hand many people associate their time as manic or hypomanic as times of positive achievements, creativity and goal striving. It has been suggested that many creative people suffer from some form of Bipolar disorder. Much more study is needed on the disorder and creativity.

The incidence of bipolar disorder is not clear. Some research suggests the number of those suffering the disorder may be one in 45 while other researchers conclude the number is one in 70 or so. Researchers believe that Bipolar disorder might be caused by events in childhood or genetic. They are divided in what they think. There is evidence of several people within a family having mood disorders including Bipolar disorder that points toward genetics.

There are 3 classifications of the symptoms of Bipolar Mood disorder.

First bullet
Bipolar Disorder Type I includes one or more manic episodes. These are severe enough to be considered psychotic in nature going from an elevated or irritable mood state to spending or sexual sprees and finally breaking totally with reality including delusions and hallucinations. People can also suffer depressive episodes that can again become psychotic with thoughts and incidences of suicide.

Second bullet
Bipolar Disorder Type II is less severe. Instead of becoming completely manic, the person becomes hypomanic, a condition characterized by creativity, optimism, decreased need for sleep and more energy. People in the hypomanic phase often don’t realize that anything is wrong and they feel wonderful. There are no delusions or hallucinations. Depressive moods are just like that of all other Bipolar depressions and can lead to chronic pain with or without a known cause, lack of desire to do anything, anxiety and guilt.

Third bullet
The third type in this classification is called Cyclothymia or Mixed Affective. This is a condition during which symptoms of both depression and mania occur simultaneously or cycle often during the year.

With the sudden interest in Bipolar disorder on television and its emphasis on the inability of people with bipolar disorder to function in the world, people who have this disorder must learn all they can about their problem. Places where information can be found include self-help books, articles on the internet and information from their health professional. Armed with information people with Bipolar mood disorder can prevent others from misinformation.

Ann Mullen is a woman of a certain age who has been writing for two decades. Her website Self-Help Discovery covers self-help reviews on a wide range of topics, including information on Bipolar Mood disorder.

Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist who founded the psychoanalytic school in psychology. He was born on May 6, 1856 and died on 23 September 1939. During his life time of 83 years, he has found many novel theories in many fields. Dream analysis is one of the most interesting teachings among them. As it is a huge subject, this article is about what we can basically understand about the scientific literature of dream- problems by reading his book “Interpretation of dreams” which was published in1913.

When we hear the word “dream”, a feeling that cannot be expressed in words comes to our mind (mental processes). It is something that we cannot feel in the real world or in our waking state. There is a mysterious feeling about dreams. Because of that, we have become very curious about knowing what actually makes us to see dreams and how it happens.

People who were in the past also had this enigma about dreams. They had their conceptions of universe and of the soul. By mixing the idea of dream with these kinds of conceptions, they believed that dream is something supernatural which predicts the future and also believed it as a message from god. They thought of two classes of dreams. One is the dreams which influenced only by the present or the past. The other one is on the other hand, the ones which determine the future. This belief was there for many centuries.

But in the later periods, the scientific interest in the phenomena of dreams was improved.

There is a problem about the relation of the dream to the waking state. After we woke up, we feel like the dream we saw is from another world, though it is not. We feel like that because the dream is something entirely different and alien from the things that we concern in the waking state. Or else, there can be some few elements we had in the waking state. Our normal behavior and the consciousness are entirely lost in the dreaming state, therefore the dreams brings out the complete unencumbered isolation of the psyche. Also at least a little part of it has to be somewhere in our real experiences.

Sometimes we can see the dreams which we feel that we have never known in the real world. It can be about a place or a person or anything that we cannot reminisce that we have known in the waking state. Not only that, but also there can be so much of knowledge in the dreams that we cannot remember in our actual life. That is the knowledge and the memory of our unconsciousness. The things which we see in our dreams can be the materials which were entered to our memory in our childhood. Most of them are caused to product interesting “hypermnesic” dreams.

When concerning about the stimuli and sources of dreams, it says that a dream is a result of such a disturbance which occurs to disturb our sleep. Dream is a reaction of our mental processes against that disturbance. There are four categories of stimuli.

1) External sensory stimuli.

It means objective stimuli. For an example, a strong light may fall upon eyes while we are in a good sleep. As it disturbs to our sleep, it can be a stimuli for a dream. In our dreams it can be made us see as we walk alone the beach in a sunny day.

Sometimes we can see different dreams for the same stimuli. It is because there are some memory images in our mind at that particular time we get the stimuli and the most suitable image which goes with the objective stimuli is taken to produce the dream.

2) Internal sensory stimuli.

A dream cannot be produced only by the external sensory stimuli, because the entire external sensory stimulus which comes while we sleep, cannot make a dream or support to originate a dream independently. There has to be some internal facts too. Therefore we have to consider about the internal sensory stimuli also. Subjective sensations which we see or hear in our waking state are important in dream illusions. The subjective stimuli are independent of external accidents. They are, so to speak at the disposal of the interpretation whenever they are required. The main proof of this stimuli is that the hypnogogic hallucinations. They are very obstructive but changeable pictures which people see while falling asleep. Some may linger for a while even after we opened our eyes. If someone wakes up shortly after having that kind of an experience, it will be oft possible to trace in the dream pictures, the ones s/he saw before falling to the sleep. It also can take as a “hypnogogic” hallucination. Not only that, but also auditory hallucinations may also occur and then can be in the dreams.

3) Internal (organic) physical stimuli.

Our internal organs are reminds us their existence. That also causes for a creation of a dream. If there is a disease, it can become a source of most painful sensation. Psyche become more conscious of its physicality than the waking state and it receives some stimulating which are originating in the parts of our body. Diseases of heart and lungs may be subject to the nightmares. Stimuli proceeding from the interior of the organism, from the nervous system, apply at most an unconscious affect on our mood during the day time. But, at night, that effect of the impression which was had at the day time is no longer active. The impressions that came up are able to force themselves to get our attention. They are drowned by the other external affects at the day time.

4) Psychic sources of excitation.

People dream of what they do in the waking state and of their interesting things. That interest is not only a psychic bond, but also joining the dream into the real life. If an interest which we have during our waking state, together with the internal and external sensory stimuli that occur during sleep, enough to cover the whole etiology of the dream. But the interests in our waking state are not very influential to say confidently that every one who dreams are continuing these interests of the waking state.

We all have experienced that dreams are forgotten after waking. They fade away when we woke up. We can recall it after waking but most of the times we cannot remember the whole complete exact dream. Sometimes we know that we have dreamed during the sleep but do not remember what we dreamed of. But the dreams manifest a peculiar power to be in the memory. Some dreams are last in the memory for a long time such as for 35 years, without being forget a little part of it. And also without losing the freshness of that dream.

This forgetting is a complex phenomenon. The factors which cause to forget in the waking state are can be the cause to forget the dreams also. In waking state, we forget such a lot of things, may be because they are slight to remember or there can be a slight amount of emotional feelings. But we can remember the strong important things obviously. This is true for the dreams also. In dreams, most of the scenes are lack of order and lack of sense. This also causes to forget because we easily forget the things which are not in an order and lack of sense. The relationship of the dream to the waking state is also important in forget dreams. If that dream has a great relation to the waking state, it will not be forgotten. Also when we are waking, our attention suddenly rushes to the sensations of the real world. Therefore, only few dream-images are capable to be in the memory by force with that rush. But the people who are specially interested in dreaming, can remember the dreams more easily and also they dream more than other people.

As we know, the hypnogogical hallucinations (even in their content) they are identical with dream pictures. Transformation of an idea into a hallucination is not the only departure of the dream from the corresponding waking thought. It can make a suitable situation from a hallucination. It shows us something as in actual.

In this book, “Interpretations of Dreams”, Freud discusses about the ethical sense in dreams too. He considers about the dream as a sub problem, to what extent the feelings and the moral bonds of the waking state affect the dream life. Some writers assert that there is no influence to the dream life from the moral obligations. But some, on the other hand emphasis that the moral bond which are related to man persist even in the dream life. Of course there are such immoral dreams that no one denies. But we have to know how they originate. All the ones who consider about this problem, have recognized a special psychic source for immorality of dreams. We are not responsible for our dreams. Dreams take us to the reality of our lives. But if someone can cleanse his/her mind morally before s/he sleep, that person might not see immoral dreams.

Since dreams have become something biological, there were many incomplete theories about dreams, such as; “Dream is something which was sent by god to the man…” Scientists’ and medical writers’ most favored theory is that only a fragment of psychic activity paralyzed by sleep finds expression in dreams. It can be identified as the most popular theory of dreams.

The relation between dreams and mental diseases is another important section that Freud has discussed here. When we talk about this relation, we have to concern about three things.

1. Etiological and clinical relations as when a dream represents a psychotic condition.
2. The changes that the dream life undergoes in cases of mental illnesses.
3. Inner relations between dreams and psychoses, analogies that point to an intimate relationship.

After having an idea about these things, an abnormal morbid phenomenon can be considered as an increase from time to time recurring normal dream state. The unequivocal agreement between dreams and mental diseases goes to characteristic details also.

According to Freud; “It is very probable, however, that a modified conception of the dream must also influence our views regarding the inner mechanism of mental disorders, and hence we may say that we are working towards the explanation of the psychoses when we endeavor to elucidate the mystery of dreams.” (p.102)

Freud has explained this subject in a really interesting and a broad way with a lot of experiences as examples. When we study about these things, our curiosity and the interest of the subject are developed. It encourages continuing the study.

It may be tempting to think that some terms used in language are synonyms; that it is a case of ’six of one and half a dozen of the other’. The difference between the terms ‘crazy’ and ‘eccentric’ may seem like a trivial issue. However, in the realm of psychology, this has far-reaching implications. Even in a non-technical language, the difference between ‘crazy’ and ‘eccentric’ is significant.

In language, ‘crazy’ is a broad term that can denote madness or extreme enthusiasm. ‘Eccentric’ refers to oddity. The terms may seem related because they are. However, it is because they both attempt to describe deviations from what people consider ‘normal behaviour’ to be. Normal behaviour is subjective and different within and across cultures.

‘Crazy’ is sometimes used in a non-pejorative sense (extreme enthusiasm). In that case, it is different from eccentricity because the term ‘eccentric’ describes an enduring quality. ‘Crazy’ in the sense of madness refers to either a temporary or a permanent state of being. However, being odd (eccentric) or ‘crazy’ (in either sense) denote alternative states of being.

To demonstrate the difference, it is necessary to look at abnormal behaviour is two ways. Eccentricity describes behaviour that deviates from accepted norms within a defined culture or statistically infrequent behaviour. The term ‘crazy’- in the sense of madness- suggests maladaptive behaviour (inability to function properly). In psychological terms, ‘crazy’ describes maladaptive behaviour and not extreme enthusiasm. Therefore, the terms ‘crazy’ and ‘eccentric’ deal with different aspects of abnormal behaviour.

An eccentric person and a crazy person may be treated differently as well. An eccentric may have issues adjusting socially or ‘fitting in.’ However, madness affects an individual’s psychological and social functioning. To demonstrate the cogent distinction between the two terms, an eccentric person may seek counselling (if their eccentricity affects them) while a person diagnosed as crazy (or suspected to be crazy) needs psychiatric help or a psychiatric evaluation.

The difference between the two terms is also an issue of labelling. ‘Crazy’ is a more pejorative term than eccentric- even though some persons try to use the word ‘crazy’ in a neutral way. Persons labelled as ‘crazy’ are unlikely to be taken seriously or be perceived as though something is wrong with them. Persons labelled as ‘eccentric’ are likely to be regarded as ’special’, ‘unique’ or ‘weird’ (at worst). How a person understands the terms ‘crazy’ and ‘eccentric’ determine how they treat with someone labelled as either.

Clearly, the terms ‘crazy’ and ‘eccentric’ are not synonyms and should not be used interchangeably. Referring to someone (or yourself) as ‘crazy’ when you mean ‘eccentric’ could negatively influence perceptions, especially where shared meanings of the words do not exist. While the two terms describe abnormal behaviour, they have different implications – even beyond the realm of psychology.

And now, you can read more articles from this author at http://www.helium.com/user/show_articles/338815

Wikipedia describes psychology as an academic and applied discipline that involves the scientific study of human mental functions. A person who is practicing psychology is known as a psychologist. Its scope is related to the role of mental and emotional functions in individuals and groups in general, and it can also help explore the physiological and neurological processes going on in a person. Psychology science has been taken up as a profession by experts for over a century now, and in the past, various scholars have done their forms of studies to understand the human mind.

There are various branches of psychology science on which many books have been written. While the primary application of psychology is to study human behavior in various situations, it can also help suggest the abnormalities in a person’s reaction to a given situation. Additionally, an analysis of a person’s behavior pattern can help suggest new theories for psychology. A big section of psychology also refers to the study of the neurological processes going on in the mind of a person when he is subjected to certain situations. This helps doctors understand the chemical reactions going on inside the human body.

Various books have been written on the subject of psychology science. The basic question that you must answer when taking up psychology as a career is how you want to interact with people at different times. If you want to help people come out of difficult situations, you may consider taking up counseling as a career. You can read books on being an effective counselor, using psychotherapy and other techniques to treat your patient. You will find that, in such a case, you will be dealing with normal developmental issues and daily stresses. A counselor is now employed in various places, such as schools and universities, hospitals, businesses, and community health centers.

It is a well-known fact that psychology science can help you spend time with people who need help to go through difficult times. In case you intend to take up psychology as a degree, you should consider reading as many psychology books as possible. This will help you not only understand the importance of reading the human mind, but also see some easy to identify traits in the people you deal with. If you like reading psychology textbooks, you should also make it a point to note down what the prospective career opportunities are in that field. This will help you identify which line of work you want to choose in psychology. It will also enlighten you about the importance of social work. Social work helps interact with people who are dealing with difficult situations in life, and some such situation can be of particular interest to you and you may be able to suggest them a solution to the same.

In this respect, it is a good idea to conduct small interviews with people who, you know, need psychological help. Psychology science can help them find solutions to their problems. Books are, therefore, necessary to help people overcome their problems.

Browse through a range of used psychology science textbooks. Also know about the career options and opportunities in the field of psychology.

Alfred Adler cared about the human tendency to pursue superiority, and the ego’s desires. He discovered that this tendency provokes an inferiority complex to the individual who sees himself in an inferior position, because the desires of his ego remain unfulfilled.

While for Sigmund Freud the person’s sexual instincts and immoral desires were always considered as the hidden reasons that would cause mental illnesses, for Alfred Adler these hidden reasons were always related to their ego’s permanent desire to prevail in their social environment, having a superior position, and being admired by everyone.

This means that when an individual is despised by their social environment, he starts developing an inferiority complex that relates everything that happens in his life to his feeling of inferiority, interpreting the intentions of the people around him, and all their actions, as if they were attacks against him.

The individual with the complex feels that everything is done on purpose, to make him feel inferior, supposing that everyone has always bad intentions.

On the other hand, he starts making absurd projects in order to attain the superiority he desires, pursuing a superior position with so much obsession that it becomes a mania. He cannot think or care about anything else.

This sick psychical condition provokes him many behavioral abnormalities, besides provoking many sad situations to his daily life, and many conflicts in his relationships.

Adler’s theories and psychotherapy are very interesting and helpful, but they seem to be incomplete when we compare them to Carl Jung’s analytical psychology.

Jung discovered the right method of dream interpretation, which exactly translates the meaning of dreams, respecting the unconscious logic, and I continued his research, discovering the meaning of many dream symbols, besides finding all the answers for the questions that he could not explain.

The best psychiatrist you can find when you feel you are losing your mind or you are depressed, is the wise unconscious mind that produces your dreams, without a doubt.

The accurate and instant translation of the dream messages will put you into contact with your wise natural doctor, and you’ll be able to better analyze your inferiority complex, or your obsessive tendency to have a superior social position.

I had to delay too much until I could simplify Carl Jung’s method of dream interpretation for you, translating thousands of dreams for many people during 19 years, but today you can have a global vision of your psychical content and your psychological problems reflected in your own dreams thanks to the accurate translation of all dream symbols, based on Jung’s discoveries, and on my own discoveries by following his method.

You’ll become a psychologist yourself, acquiring a third eye that can see everyone’s psychical content only by observing their behavior, besides being able to build the most confident and original personality of the history of mankind.

Christina Sponias continued Carl Jung’s research into the human psyche, discovering the cure for all mental illnesses, and simplifying the scientific method of dream interpretation that teaches you how to exactly translate the meaning of your dreams, so that you can find health, wisdom and happiness.

Click Here to download a Free Sample of the eBook Dream Interpretation as a Science (86 pages!).

The knowledge obtained by interpreting the meaning of dreams according to the scientific method of dream interpretation works like free psychotherapy for the human being.

All dreams contain important messages of the unconscious mind. Today they can be easily translated into comprehensible words and sentences, because we know precisely how the dream language and the dream logic work.

Psychology studies through scientific dream interpretation reveal to us many basic points of the dreamer’s personality and life. The unconscious mind is a natural doctor, sending to each dreamer infinite messages that contain objective information, guidance, warnings, advice and predictions. The basic intention is to protect the dreamer’s mental health, and give them balance.

This means that we already have a natural psychologist at our disposal. We only have to learn the symbolic dream language in order to be able to understand the free, and always successful, unconscious psychotherapy.

For example, we can immediately diagnose a mental illness if we observe that someone’s dreams are constantly showing blood, especially if the blood comes out of the dreamer’s head in a dream. Dreams with violent scenes and the spill of blood indicate absurdity.

Generally, nightmares indicate that there are abnormalities in the dreamers’ behavior and in their lives. The dreamers are making mistakes, not seeing a big danger, not doing something they have to, falling into traps, ignoring the characteristics of the objective reality and living in a fantastic world… something is wrong with them, without a doubt.

All studies based on dream analysis clearly reveal to us that our own dreams reflect our behavior, showing us its abnormalities and how we can find balance. They give us gradual lessons, helping us correct our mistakes and develop our intelligence.

For example, the appearance of the snake in a dream is an indication that the dreamer has to pass through painful experiences in order to correct their wrong behavior so that they may avoid future problems. It represents the bad event that will put an end to a situation that could only have a bad end, preventing the dreamer from continuing to make mistakes and from suffering with their consequences.

If we have this knowledge, we can understand the psychology of each dreamer, and understand from what they are passing through in their lives.

We can therefore help them find peace without wasting time.

In the future all psychologists will be guided by the wisdom of the unconscious mind in the dream messages, since this is a font of safe and positive information. Dreams show us important details of the dreamer’s personality, and of the dreamer’s past, alerting us to the reasons for all their problems. This way, we can also immediately find the right solutions.

As a matter of fact, the unconscious mind helps us in this point too, but without giving us instantaneous answers. We are helped with clues and confirmations when we are in the right direction during our research, because we have to be able to solve our problems alone, without depending on any guidance.

The truth is that we don’t need any other psychologist, because the unconscious mind already is the best psychologist and psychiatrist we could ever find.

Christina Sponias continued Carl Jung’s research into the human psyche, discovering the cure for all mental illnesses, and simplifying the scientific method of dream interpretation that teaches you how to exactly translate the meaning of your dreams, so that you can find health, wisdom and happiness.
Learn more at: http://www.scientificdreaminterpretation.com

Click Here to download a Free Sample of the eBook Dream Interpretation as a Science (86 pages!).

The term cognitive is defined as “of or pertaining to the mental processes of perception, memory, judgment and reasoning, as contrasted with emotional and volitional processes.” The word dissonance means “disagreement or incongruity.” Cognitive Dissonance Theory, therefore, is the theory of how and why we lie to ourselves. According to an experiment published in a 1959 edition of the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, which was conducted by L. Festinger and J. Carlsmith, “If you change a person’s behavior, his thoughts and feelings will change to minimize dissonance [disagreement or incongruity].”

According to Festinger’s writing, A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance, “dissonance and consonance [accord, agreement] are relations among cognitions that is, among opinions, beliefs, knowledge of the environment, and knowledge of one’s own actions and feelings. Two opinions, or beliefs, or items of knowledge are dissonant with each other if they do not fit together; that is, if they are inconsistent, or if, considering only the particular two items, one does not follow from the other”.

In his cognitive dissonance theory, Festinger believed an individual deals with conflicting thoughts in one of three ways. The first, change the opinion or belief. Second, seek out new knowledge that will help alleviate the disagreement or dissonance. Third, attempt to forget about the original thought or at least decrease its importance.

A harsh but very real example would be a case of domestic violence. A wife believes that her husband loves her, yet he abuses her. She remains in the relationship when she begins to convince herself that he beats her because she has hurt or disappointed him in some way. Therefore, she begins to change her behaviors to please him, even when the behavior goes against her own beliefs. She’s knows the abuse is wrong, but she convinces herself that its okay because he loves her and doesn’t really mean it. And once she learns how to “please” him, the abuse will stop. Another example is drug addiction. An addict uses over and over, all the while believing that it’s not an addiction because he or she can quit anytime.

According to the Cognitive Dissonance Theory, our inner motivations, however differently they may be from our beliefs and actions, will surface. When a person has conflicting thoughts, he or she will act in such a way as to eliminate the dissonance. In the example above regarding domestic violence, the wife may ignore the fact that her husband abuses her and instead focus on changing her behavior instead. The drug addict will ignore the knowledge that drugs are harmful and believe instead that when the addiction “gets too bad”, he or she will simply quit. Although one way to eliminate cognitive dissonance is to choose a different path, this is not always the easiest to do.

Argosy University offers a wide selection of bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs in a variety of psychology concentrations at 19 locations across the nation.