Dr. Gary Bell's Absurd Psychology

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a disruptive behavior disorder that emerges during childhood or adolescence and is characterized by persistent angry or irritable mood, unruly and argumentative behavior, and vindictiveness. It frequently manifests in hostility toward authority figures. Tune in and learn how to understand and raise an oppositional defiant child!

Contrarian psychology explores the mindset of individuals who habitually reject popular opinions, social norms, or expected reactions to think or act in direct opposition to the crowd. Tune in and learn all about these crazy-makers and how to deal with them!

Humans are highly social creatures and wherever we go we subtly modify our behavior to fit in with others. Rudeness signals that one is not welcome in this group, activating pain regions in the brain.  Rudeness also shows that others don't trust us. Tune in and learn how manners can change your life!

A "control freak" is a colloquial term for someone with an intense, persistent psychological need to dictate or manage people, situations, and environments. In psychology, this behavior is rarely about pure power or malice; instead, it is usually a maladaptive coping mechanism driven by underlying anxiety, fear of uncertainty, and deep-seated vulnerability. Tune in and learn all about control frea...

Recognizing how resentment can act as a psychological safeguard offers a profound perspective on trauma recovery. Resentment is an intricate emotion, often lying beneath the surface, yet it can greatly influence our mental health and relationships. Unlike the more familiar emotions of joy, fear, or anger, resentment tends to be more subtle, quietly shaping our inner experiences. Its hidden nature...

Women have long been discouraged from the awareness and forthright expression of anger. Sugar and spice are the ingredients from which we are made. We are the nurturers, the soothers, the peacemakers, and the steadiers of rocked boats. It is our job to please, protect, and placate the world. We may hold relationships in place as if our lives depended on it. Tune in and learn what is driving this p...

Feeling down every once in a while is a normal part of life, but if these feelings last a few weeks or months, you may have depression. Read on to learn about depression in older adults, the common signs and symptoms, treatment options, and ways to provide support. Tune in and learn how to recognize and prevent!

In psychology, temptation is a motivational conflict where an immediate, short-term reward clashes with a long-term goal or value. It triggers a struggle between the brain's emotional reward centers and logical self-control systems. Tune in and learn all about temptation and how to work through it!

In pop psychology, as well as everyday conversation, people often toss around phrases like "I just want to feel safe" or "Being numb helps me cope." But as research and clinical observation show, emotional safety and emotional numbness are distinct psychological states, and confusing the two can slow your growth, isolate you from support, and leave you stuck in patterns that feel safe but aren't....

Doomscrolling is the compulsive habit of endlessly reading negative or scary news online. It happens because our brains are wired to look for danger to stay safe. Phone apps use random rewards—like a slot machine—to keep us swiping for more. Tune in and learn all about doomscrolling and its effects on our lives!

Psychologically, stubbornness is a defense mechanism rooted in anxiety, a desire to protect one's ego, and a need for control. It often stems from an inability to tolerate the discomfort of being wrong, leading people to rigidly stick to familiar habits rather than risk the unknown. Tune in and learn how to deal with these kind of people in your life!

Insight in psychotherapy is defined many ways, but most experts agree it is a new way of understanding your experience which resonates emotionally. It is not a thought, but a discovery that reverberates in your bones. When a dawning insight is then put into words, it can revise our self-narratives (beliefs). It's important to recognize that insight is not merely an intellectual exercise. If you ar...

Recognizing how resentment can act as a psychological safeguard offers a profound perspective on trauma recovery. Resentment is an intricate emotion, often lying beneath the surface, yet it can greatly influence our mental health and relationships. Unlike the more familiar emotions of joy, fear, or anger, resentment tends to be more subtle, quietly shaping our inner experiences. Its hidden nature...

As parents, we want ALL of our children to grow up healthy, happy and to live a fulfilled, productive life—no matter their gender. This is a difficult enough task to accomplish in today's complex world. In a society with many, often conflicting, messages on what it means to be a strong, successful, beautiful woman, raising a girl to be strong, competent and engaged can feel like a daunting task. H...

Popularity boils down to a mix of likability, visibility, and emotional intelligence. Rather than just being loud or having "clout," truly popular people consistently make others feel valued, possess high empathy, and exhibit confident, magnetic personalities. Tune in and learn all bout wht draws people to you!

What is human nature? This is a question that has perplexed philosophers and psychologists throughout the ages. Are people essentially socially constructive and altruistic or are they destructive and selfish in nature? Tune in and learn all about what it is to be human!

The psychology of marriage centers on the shift from survival-based unions to models of self-actualization. Historically, marriage was an economic and political institution. Today, partners view each other as sources of emotional fulfillment, which introduces higher expectations and greater psychological pressures on relationships. Tune in and learn how marriage has worked historically and how exp...

Entitlement is an enduring personality trait, characterized by the belief that one deserves preferences and resources that others do not. Like boundaries, we recognize entitlement chiefly by its effect on us: envy, anger, and frustration. "Why do they think they deserve it any more than I do?" we wonder. And then, "Is it them, or is it just me?" Tune in and learn how to recognize and deal with ent...

There are some things that are so awful they really can derail people. And there are some people who are so fragile they are more easily derailed. But there's a whole lot of people — most of us — who need to get on with our life and take responsibility for what we do with it. Staying stuck in the victim role completely undermines that process. Tune in and learn how peole acquire victim mentality a...

Boys learn at a very young age from their parents and others around them about expected behaviors based on their gender. These societal norms are described as masculinity ideologies. Masculinity ideology refers to the traditional and socially constructed definitions about the cultural norms and expectations regarding appropriate male behavior. Tune in and learn how to guide your son into manhood!

While need for human connection appears to be innate, the ability to form healthy, loving relationships is learned. Some evidence suggests that the ability to form a stable relationship starts to form in infancy, in a child's earliest experiences with a caregiver who reliably meets the infant's needs for food, care, warmth, protection, stimulation, and social contact. Tune in and find out what mak...

The adverse experiences encapsulated by Complex Trauma typically begin in early childhood, are longstanding or recurrent, and are inflicted by others. Most often they are perpetrated within a person's formative attachment relationships. Sometimes they are compounded by patterns of risk and dysfunction afflicting generations of families. Frequently, they intersect with structural and institutional...

Relationships thrive on emotional and physical connections, and one of the most intriguing aspects of romantic bonds in the concept of a "turn on." But what does it really mean to be "turned on" in a relationship? Is it purely physical, or does it go deeper? Tune in and learn all about relationship turn ons!

For many, religion provides an important sense of meaning, belonging, and community, which can contribute positively to mental health and well-being. Some psychological research has associated religious practices with positive mental health outcomes and high scores on scales assessing self-esteem, self-efficacy, optimism, and hope. Tune in and learn how religion can be weaponized and influence peo...

Brain fog is a type of cognitive dysfunction characterized by poor memory, difficulty focusing, confusion, and mental fatigue. People who experience brain fog often describe their thinking as sluggish or "fuzzy" and report that they find it challenging to form coherent thoughts or translate those thoughts into words. For this reason, persistent brain fog can be a significant obstacle to academic a...