Pavlovian conditioning is basic to learning and is obviously a critical factor in the acquisition of phobias. This model assumes that all members of a species share a common set of reflexes, hard-wired responses to certain stimuli. These unconditional reflexes are critical to survival. Pavlovian conditioning, which relies on these reflexes, or the stimulus-response relationship, has been shown to be fundamental to learning such that all animals learn to adapt to their environment based on this concept.

The traditional learning model, based on animal conditioning research, has been extraordinarily useful but unfortunately very limited where phobias are concerned (McNally 284). First of all, one cannot assume that human phobias are the same as fears conditioned in animals in a laboratory, and they are not, as will be discussed later.

Field and Davey also had the following problems with the traditional model (191-192). Phobias, for one, tend to be highly resistant to extinction, more so than other acquired responses. Some phobics have no memory of an aversive conditioning event at the onset of their phobia while others recall an associated traumatic event. Continue Reading »

In today’s world when human beings are going through a number of psychological and mental disturbances, the study of psychology is very demanding. Psychology is a subject that informs humankind about his or her own problems. Today, you cannot afford not to know about psychology. It touches virtually every aspect of your life. It asks questions like: How does the way your parents raised you affect the way you raise your children? What is the best way to break a drug dependency? Can a man care for an infant as ably as a woman can? Can you recover a traumatic childhood experience in more detail after hypnosis? How should instruments in a nuclear power plant be designed to minimize human error? What effect does prolonged stress have on your immune system? Is psychotherapy more effective than drugs in treating depression? Can learning be improved by the use of drugs that facilitate neural transmission? Continue Reading »

Empathy is generally defined as the identification with, and understanding of another person’s situation, feelings and motives. While empathy and sympathy are two closely related notions, I believe that the subtle difference between them can be found in the idea of “identification”. For, while sympathy says “I understand how you feel and commiserate with you,” empathy goes a step further and says “I feel what you feel”. Such an ability to project oneself into another’s experience can only be rooted in a love for humanity. Continue Reading »

Same Sex Marriage and Artificial Insemination

By eradicating the significance of the functional complementarity between men and women, those with ardent feminist agendas and with other ulterior motives may be seeking to (ultimately) undermine the humanity of males in our society; in other words, if men are already being pushed out of the lives of their children through systemically biased divorce and family law courts, then suggesting that men are not needed for the procreative process, either (courtesy the wide-spread use of artificial insemination), may lead to a general sense that maybe men are not needed for anything – be it in the professional workplace or in the home. In the end, with sex-specific abortions now becoming popular in Canada, a wholesale assault upon male fetuses and upon males in general could result. Continue Reading »

The International Declaration of Women’s Day this month, March 8 to be exact, purports to enshrine the essence and importance of womanhood, of the gentler sex. That there ought to be such a celebration, especially given the absence of its counterpart “Man’s Day” is an admission of the yet underdog status of women in the world of mankind. Such a reminder of the import of women, or rather the lack of its recognition, tends to elicit the question that has almost always been at the back of our adult minds if not at the tips of our tongues – are man and woman, or if you may, woman and man, different but equal?

This classic, timeless gender question brings with it a host of related riddles on Homosapien’s psycho-physiological profile and origins. Is man greater than woman? Or is it that woman is really superior to man? Who came first, woman or man? Continue Reading »

Personality is a hard thing to understand and who will understand it will control the world. In this research I want to analyze two theories and show how they are close to my own theory of personality.

The first theory is based on the works of Karl Gustav Jung. Like Freud he devoted himself to the study of dynamic unrealized drawings on a human behavior and experience. But his learning was a little different from Freud’s. Jung told that that maintenance of unconscious there is nothing greater, than low-spirited sexual and aggressive motives. According to Jung’s theory on personality, as known as analytical psychology, individuals are motivated by some psychical forces and appearances, the origin of which leaves deep into history evolution. This innate unconscious contains some spiritual material which has deep roots, which explains the aspiring to the creative self-expression and physical perfection of humanity. Continue Reading »

Have you ever questioned yourself whether you are happy of not? What does it mean to you? Happiness is a state of inside being of each person and comes from different sources depending on the desires and kind of personality. The scientists all over the world have done good deal of research, philosophers and writers have written thousands of books on this topic in order to describe this state. But the topic is still open to questions and discussions. This fact means that happiness is important and integral part of out life.
During our existence, we as humankind created plenty of origins of happiness such as class, wealth, social position, family, level of intelligence and race. We also cherish and adore a huge variety of things and conditions that permanently bring happiness to us. Such as money, feelings, physical pleasures, relationships with others, sports, music, art cause happiness. The list is as endless as the list of our unpredicted and odd desires, as the list of personalities that exist in our modern globalized society. Continue Reading »

The internal condition of every person is strongly influenced by the environment he/she lives in. People, events, customs, beliefs are the important factors that formulate our essence. In the modern world life is usually perceived as a battle, where everyone stands for himself, each one is individualistic, separated from another. Thus, it’s not surprising that we can recognize the flourishing of egoism, a feature, which is generated by this separation.

On the one hand, being individualistic is quite important and even necessary. This lets a person ‘keep one’s head above water’ and get a steady position in life. Seeking maximum personal benefit is not so terrible, if consider that this is a primary goal of everyone, rooted deeply in history. Very often to achieve the necessary result a person must be exactly egoistic, because those around are the same and in such circumstances the best defense is attack. Besides, being self-centered does not only mean doing harm to others to achieve best for oneself. It implies strong persistence, decisiveness, and courage, seemingly, positive features. The point is how to use them and what are the fruits of such a policy? Of course, satisfaction and pride, but is there a place for self-fulfillment and self-respect? Continue Reading »

Little children are little cherubs from heaven who lost their way and found themselves trapped in this world of ours. No wonder they are so pure and innocent, so faithful and loving, so forgiving and so divine- they still have something heavenly in them! It’s such a pity that they lose this angelic touch in them as they grow more and more a part of this world. For me, it seems that as they are drawn away from heaven, these little children lose their luster of innocence.

Children are such a source of joy as they bring so much lightness of heart and tenderness of emotions that they lilt like the lines of poetry. Yes, they are cute little verses running on little feet! Wasn’t it Alfred Lord Tennyson, poet laureate of the Victorian Age who in his “Children’s Hour” paid tribute to the “patter of little feet”? Or William Wordsworth who wrote and said that “the child is father to the man”? Continue Reading »

What is love? Thousands and thousands of philosophers spent plenty of time on this subject, but none of them managed to give an acceptable response. Words appeared to be too primitive to explane this unique feeling.

What I can say exactly is that every person understands the meaning of love in his or her individual way. And it is silly to generalize any of these meanings! For example the way I understand the role of love in my life is very original; however, anybody can say the same. Continue Reading »