October 2009

bullyingMost of the adolescents think that bullying in the school context “has always happened and will continue happening”, and present “a negative, pessimistic and resigned attitude” towards this social problem, which makes difficult the intervention and leaves few hopes for its eradication.

Those are the conclusions of a doctoral thesis carried out at the department of Evolutionary and Education Psychology of the University of Granada (Spain), which warns that, from the viewpoint of psycho-pedagogical action, “it is necessary to prove to the children that this type of behaviours do not have to go on forever, and that it is possible to do something to stop them” through more complete educative programmes. [continue reading…]

New research shows people who feel depressed tend to recall having more physical symptoms than they actually experienced. The study indicates that depression — not neuroticism — is the cause of such over-reporting.

Psychologist Jerry Suls, professor and collegiate fellow in the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, attributes the findings to depressed individuals recalling experiences differently, tending to ruminate over and exaggerate the bad. [continue reading…]

From the book’ Think Confident be Confident’ by:

Dr. Leslie Sokol and Dr. Marci FoxThink Confident Be Confident

As bad as it may seem, it really is possible to triumph over a job loss and end up feeling happier and healthier once you’re on the other side of this experience. In this post we feature and excerpt from Dr. Leslie Sokol and Dr. Marci Fox’s book Think Confident be Confident.

1. Make a list of your skills and be prepared to sell them. Remind yourself that these skills are always with you regardless of the reasons you lost your job. Recognizing how much you have to offer is a key ingredient to confidence.

2. Don’t assume your job loss was a result of your inadequacies. Keep in mind all of the alternative explanations due to the poor economy, such as: the business is scrambling to stay alive with a skeleton staff, more jobs have been farmed out overseas, your position has been deleted, you had the lowest seniority, your entire division was let go, or it was simply a random act of survival.

3. Don’t let your short-comings get you down. Recognize that you don’t have to be perfect to be an asset. In the context of your career, think about how important those short-comings are and, only if they are crucial, consider getting the training you need.

4. Be open-minded. There are no crystal balls. You cannot predict what new path might interest you so try one out and see where it takes you.

5. Don’t overvalue the job you are applying for. There is no one perfect job. Remember it is just one of many opportunities and if it doesn’t work out another opportunity will eventually present itself.