Exploring the forces that shape the human psyche
The ladder of inference is one of the most useful mental models I’ve come across to become a better thinker. Inference means deriving general conclusions from specific instances. The ladder of inference shows us the steps we take to make inferences and then act on those inferences. The ladder consists of six rungs with selected …
Learning is the process of moving from a state of not knowing to a state of knowing. Learning typically occurs by understanding new information, i.e., gaining knowledge or developing a new skill. Humans learn in a variety of ways. Some things are simple to learn while others are hard. The stages of learning described in …
Intuition and instinct may seem like the same concepts. In fact, many use these terms interchangeably. But they differ in important ways. An instinct is an innate behavioral tendency shaped by evolution to promote survival and reproductive success, mostly, in the present moment. Our instinctive behaviors are triggered in response to some environmental stimuli. Instincts …
Relationship dynamics can simply be defined as ‘everything that happens between two people in a relationship’. The relationship dynamics between relationship partners tell us about: How the couple interact with each other What they think of each other How they feel about each other Respect, love, and intimacy levels in the relationship Every relationship we’re …
Self-esteem is one of those topics that gets mentioned a lot. Everyone who uses the term has some idea of what it means. However, if you ask them to elaborate on it, they flail and hesitate, giving you the “it-is-what-it-is” look. Truth is, there are some misconceptions about self-esteem out there. Low self-esteem, in particular, …
Enmeshment is a family pattern in which there are no psychological boundaries between the family members. Hence, the family members seem psychologically fused together or enmeshed. The enmeshed family members seem to have no separate identities. Instead, identify with each other and seem to live each other’s lives. The enmeshed family members are overly involved …
Metacommunication can be defined as ‘communication about communication’.1 In its simplest form, the communication process involves a sender who sends a message to a receiver. Think of receiving communication as buying a new gadget. The store owner is the sender, the gadget is the message, and you’re the receiver. If the store owner simply hands …
A liminal space is a space between spaces. A liminal space is a boundary between two points in time, space, or both. It’s the middle ground between two grounds, the mid-structure between two structures. When you’re in a liminal space, you’re neither here nor there, neither this nor that. At the same time, you’re both …
Memory in psychology is defined as the persistence of learning. You can learn, recognize, and recall information. This shows your mind has an in-built storage system for information. In this article, I’ll briefly discuss the types of memory in psychology. Then, I’ll explain them in detail in the next sections. Types of memory in psychology …
Many people, including psychology students, teachers, and professionals, find the concepts of classical and operant conditioning confusing. So I decided to provide a simple explanation of classical and operant conditioning processes. It can’t get any simpler than what you’re about to read. Classical and operant conditioning are two basic psychological processes that explain how humans …