“Ask Dr Neuman” Advice Column
Ethical Issues in Dating Responsibilities and obligations. Recently, I heard about a woman who had complained bitterly of being treated “very badly” by men. Immediately– perhaps because I had been reading a thriller– my mind conjured up images of her having been...
Ask him how he knows. Recently, I was watching a commercial about a product for erectile dysfunction. After a long list of possible side-effects, including blindness and deafness, the announcer suggested that before proceeding further, the man should make sure he was...
“Pride” is often used in different ways to describe different ways of feeling. Let me distinguish two different kinds of pride, one of which is motivating and satisfying, the other destructive and, sometimes, deadly. Pride in Achievement From the time we are...
The developmental stage squeezed between childhood and adulthood is called adolescence. It corresponds more or less with certain physical changes, like puberty, but is really defined more by psychological changes that have to take place in order for an...
Also the “One man, one mistress” rule. A number of animals—gorillas, for example—have family groups that consist of a dominant male and a “harem,” that is a number of females. Other male animals—the rat, for example—will have sex with any female within reach,...
Everyone recognizes there is a value to assertiveness. Achieving goals—any sort of goal—is more likely when someone reaches out to achieve them, rather than waiting around for “the right circumstances.” But sometimes assertiveness is confused with aggressiveness. For...
Pretending to be someone else. We all have different personalities, even from birth. Some infants are more excitable than others, some more irritable, some more placid. Some have a louder cry, eliciting responses from parents that may be different from the way they...
The I.A. index. There is an advantage to being physically attractive. Everyone knows that. Attractive men and women tend to get paid more at work than others. They are more likely to be promoted. Probably good looks weigh heavily when the political parties choose...
Should we discourage the practice of executing witches? It has recently been reported in the newspapers that Saudi Arabia has beheaded nineteen criminals, including one person who had been caught practicing sorcery. The Saudis consider sorcery a serious crime and go...
At least, the reasons they give for staying married. Not infrequently, patients come to my office telling me in detail everything wrong with their marriages. These complaints are not unusual, but they are usually heart-felt. They include a whole range of misbehaviors...
It’s not about marriage, it’s about being gay. It seems that every day brings news of another state being required to allow gay marriage on constitutional grounds. Unless the Supreme Court unexpectedly puts a stop to it, gay marriage will become the law of the...
I can’t see any deeper than anyone else. I think most of the people I know now, friends and acquaintances, treat me like everyone else. They do not seem to consider me to be any smarter or insightful just because I am a psychiatrist. And that is certainly the truth of...