Archive for January 2010
Narcissist vs. Psychopath
January 30, 2010 | 
Author We all heard the terms “psychopath” or “sociopath”. These are the old names for a patient with the Antisocial Personality Disorder (AsPD). It is hard to distinguish narcissists from psychopaths. The latter may simply be a less inhibited and less grandiose form of the former. Indeed, the DSM V Committee is considering to abolish this distinction altogether.
Still, there are some important nuances setting the two disorders apart:
As opposed to most narcissists, psychopaths are either unable or unwilling to control their impulses or to delay gratification. They use their rage to control people and manipulate them into submission.
Psychopaths, like narcissists, lack empathy but many of them are also sadistic: they take pleasure in inflicting pain on their victims or in deceiving them. They even find it funny!
Psychopaths are far less able to form interpersonal relationships, even the twisted and tragic relationships that are the staple of the narcissist.
Both the psychopath and the narcissist disregard society, its conventions, social cues and social treaties. But the psychopath carries this disdain to the extreme and is likely to be a scheming, calculated, ruthless, and callous career criminal. Psychopaths are deliberately and gleefully evil while narcissists are absent-mindedly and incidentally evil.
From my book “Malignant Self Love – Narcissism Revisited”:
“As opposed to what Scott Peck says, narcissists are not evil – they lack the intention to cause harm (mens rea). As Millon notes, certain narcissists ‘incorporate moral values into their exaggerated sense of superiority. Here, moral laxity is seen (by the narcissist) as evidence of inferiority, and it is those who are unable to remain morally pure who are looked upon with contempt.’ (Millon, Th., Davis, R. – Personality Disorders in Modern Life – John Wiley and Sons, 2000). Narcissists are simply indifferent, callous and careless in their conduct and in their treatment of others. Their abusive conduct is off-handed and absent-minded, not calculated and premeditated like the psychopath’s.”
Posted in Psychology | 
Tags: antisocial personality disorder, Davis, John Wiley, moral laxity, narcissist, personality disorders in modern life, psychopath, Psychopaths, R., Scott Peck | 
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Learn Spanish Submerge Yourself in Speech!
One of the most effective ways to learn Spanish is through what is known as immersion, where the language student not only spends a portion of their time in a classroom environment, but also lives within a Spanish speaking community for a period of time. Whether you visit Madrid or Mexico, living and breathing the Spanish culture and language will help you reach fluency faster.
Spanish immersion programs have been popular for many years for one simple reason – they work. And the logic behind this success is simple. Studying in the classroom necessarily lasts a couple of hours at most, for reasons as wide ranging as teacher availability to the duration of student concentration. Learning Spanish through an immersion program, however, takes learning out of the confines of the classroom and releases into the realm of real life.
Immersion language learning works as simply as it sounds – the student is immersed into a Spanish environment that does not cease to educate after an hour, as learning in the classroom does. Immersion learning works best, however, when combined with classroom sessions, as the Spanish-speaking environment affords the student an opportunity to practice what they have learned.
Learning Spanish is not a theoretical process, it is one that involves practical use of what is being learned. By being immersed in a Spanish-speaking community, the student cannot simply the leave the classroom behind, along with what they have learnt that day – the environment demands that their new knowledge be utilized every time they visit the store, or take a bus. It is practice that is the key to acquiring the comfort and familiarity with a language that leads to fluency, and by implementing Spanish immersion in a student’s training, this familiarity is quickly earned by speaking the language all the time.
Posted in Language | Tags: immersion, immersion language, Language, Madrid, Mexico, spanish immersion programs, spanish lessons, spanish speaking community, student | No Comments »
Learn From Earth Science
There is so much to be learned in life, sometimes I find myself overwhelmed with all that I do not know. I’ve heard it said, however, that the smartest people are the ones that know that they do not know much. I like that. I like it because I am acutely aware that there is so much that I have yet to discover and understand. I am committed, however, to the process of constantly learning more. My latest subject of fascination has been wondering and learning about earth science.
I haven’t honestly thought that much about earth science since I took a class in it in junior high school. At that time I hated everything to do with science and so I didn’t give much thought one way or another to earth science. I dreadfully made it through that class learning only the basics enough to get by (not the least of which I can remember now).
I’m not quite sure what inspired me to attempt to discover facts about earth science. I guess I began to become more interested in earth science as I had children and they grew up asking question after question. I could barely take them on walks at night without them asking me questions about the ground, the soil, the trees or the sun. I would fumble through answers and try to change the subject quickly as I admitted to myself that I really did not know much. So on my next trip to the library I picked up a few general books on earth science and began learning with my kids.
Posted in Science | Tags: deeper sense, earth, earth science, Science, trip to the library, world | No Comments »
The Science of Superstitions
“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science.”
Albert Einstein, The World as I See It, 1931
The debate between realism and anti-realism is, at least, a century old. Does Science describe the real world – or are its theories true only within a certain conceptual framework? Is science only instrumental or empirically adequate or is there more to it than that?
The current – mythological – image of scientific enquiry is as follows:
Without resorting to reality, one can, given infinite time and resources, produce all conceivable theories. One of these theories is bound to be the “truth”. To decide among them, scientists conduct experiments and compare their results to predictions yielded by the theories. A theory is falsified when one or more of its predictions fails. No amount of positive results – i.e., outcomes that confirm the theory’s predictions – can “prove right” a theory. Theories can only be proven false by that great arbiter, reality.
Jose Ortega y Gasset said (in an unrelated exchange) that all ideas stem from pre-rational beliefs. William James concurred by saying that accepting a truth often requires an act of will which goes beyond facts and into the realm of feelings. Maybe so, but there is little doubt today that beliefs are somehow involved in the formation of many scientific ideas, if not of the very endeavor of Science. After all, Science is a human activity and humans always believe that things exist (=are true) or could be true.
Posted in Philosophy | Tags: David Deutsch, discipline, jose ortega y gasset, Laws, nature, ortega y gasset, Philosophy, realism and anti realism, Science | No Comments »
Garbage in its Place
There is nothing worse than seeing garbage blowing down the street of your neighborhood, or finding broken shards of glass at the local swimming hole where children play. Wildlife is just as vulnerable to garbage and many have lost their lives after becoming tangled in waste or mistaking garbage for food. It is up to each of us to make an effort to minimize this unsightly, and sometimes hazardous, problem.
Animals, wind and traffic breezes put legs to loose garbage and are able to distribute it great distances from the original source. The first thing that we can do to prevent this is to ensure trashcan and dumpster lids are secure. Metal and plastic trashcans are more preventative than bags – leaving a bag out over night or even for several hours, is an enticing invitation for stray animals to wreak havoc. When taking a load to the dump, be sure that it is securely covered by tightly tying a tarp over the load with some rope or bungee cords.
Carry plastic shopping bags on your walks to clean up litter that you find along the way. Often, people are rewarded for their efforts by the deposits returned from bottles and cans. Those who have noticed your efforts will begin taking up the same habit once they realize the impact it has.
Report any dumping you witness, whether it was done illegally or accidentally – just get the license number and leave the rest to the officials. Also, report any site where garbage has been left by others. These problems can be reported to the local city, highway, public works or conservation office. Ask them to arrange for it to be cleaned up.
Posted in Environmental | Tags: bungee cords, Carry, City Streets, Dave, dumpster lids, garbage, Lillian, Litter, shards of glass, Trash Talk, waste, Waste Management, Wildlife | No Comments »
A College Degree Is Worth Millions
“And once earned, a college degree is forever, as the payoff from higher education can never be erased, broken, or laid off.”
It was estimated by the US Census Bureau that a bachelor degree holder earns approximately $2.1 million over 40 years of his working life. The drastic truth is that a college graduator can expect to earn nearly a million dollar more than his school-educated neighbor does. This sizeable stretch and notable disparity of lifetime earnings raised demand, boosted popularity, and consolidated American firm faith in the value and significance of higher education.
According to the survey conducted for the Chronicle of Higher Education the American nation continues to have a confidence in the value of a college degree, with more than the half of respondents saying “it is essential for success.”
The fact thatcollege education is rewarding financially and economically to the individuals and the entire country is not a secret for anybody. An economic value of qualified and competent specialists is notable and reflects as a weighty factor, which has a great impact on the rapid economic growth of the country.
Benefits you can reap of higher education
However, there is a number of benefits you can get from getting a college degree:
1. First, college degree is your guarantee of financial independence, stability and secure future you can enjoy, having a steady profession and being armed with a set of practical skills and sound knowledge.
2. The world is changing constantly, so no one knows what to expect tomorrow. Therefore, we should be ready for everything, having a solid ground under our feet. Higher education is your solid ground, which can provide you with a confidence for future, and immunity from economical drops.
Posted in college | Tags: chronicle of higher education, college, degree, education, lifetime earnings, us census bureau | No Comments »