Exploring the forces that shape the human psyche
A sadist is someone who derives pleasure from the pain of others. Sadistic personalities tend to be aggressive toward others. They enjoy causing pain to others and humiliating them. While sadism is similar to psychopathy (lacking empathy) and sociopathy (being antisocial), the key differentiating for sadism is that sadistic acts are purely committed for pleasure. …
Abuse in relationships can be physical or emotional. While physical abuse is obvious and needs no test, emotional abuse can sometimes leave the victim confused: “Am I being emotionally abused or not?” Unlike physical abuse, emotional abuse can easily hide under the shadows of things like ‘It was my fault’ or ‘Their anger was justified’. …
Pathological lying, also called pseudologia fantastica or mythomania, is a condition in which a person lies excessively and uncontrollably with no apparent motive. The lies are exaggerated, complicated, and detailed. It seems that the pathological liar is lying for the sake of lying out of habit. While pathological liars may seem to be lying for …
Emotional detachment is the opposite of emotional attachment and empathy. People who’re emotionally detached are unable to fully engage with their feelings and the feelings of others. For some people, emotional detachment is a personality trait. They consistently show behaviors that scream emotional distance. For others, emotional detachment is a strategy they occasionally deploy to …
We all desire some degree of control in our lives because it makes us feel good and in charge of things. However, controlling behavior can quickly slide into annoying or downright abusive behavior. Controlling behavior makes others feel embarrassed, violated, and inferior. Controlling people either have a fear of losing control or they’re hooked to …
Trauma can be caused by any negative, life-threatening experience. People can be traumatized by other people, accidents, illnesses, natural disasters, political unrest, and the like. Childhood trauma is especially damaging because the minds of young children are highly impressionable. Since young children spend most of their time with their parents, most people have been traumatized …
While any family member can be toxic, parental toxicity is the most prevalent and damaging to an individual. Parental toxicity is characterized by a persistent pattern of toxic interactions where the victim is subjected to physical or psychological abuse. In short, any parental behavior that harms you in any way is toxic behavior. When parents …
People with abandonment issues fear losing their loved ones. This fear often stems from how they were treated by their parents in childhood. If one’s parents were accepting, responsive, and loving, they develop a strong sense of self and feel secure in relationships. On the other hand, neglect, indifference, and unresponsiveness from parents leave children …
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric condition in which the sufferer has obsessive thoughts and engages in compulsive behaviors. Obsessive thoughts: These are unwanted, unacceptable, and recurring intrusive thoughts that the person can’t seem to control despite wanting to. Compulsions: When a person experiences obsessive thoughts, they feel compelled to perform certain repetitive tasks and …
The full form of ADHD is Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity disorder. According to DSM-5, published by the American Psychiatric Association in 2013, the key symptoms of ADHD are: Inattentiveness Hyperactivity Impulsivity Those with ADHD feel restless and are unable to concentrate on activities like learning and working for long. The exact cause of the condition is not known …