According to the Torah — for gentiles, the first five books of the so-called Hebrew Bible — Jews celebrate the holiday Yom Kippur to honor the anniversary of when God forgave them. The story begins after the great exodus from Egypt, one which Biblical legend says occurred after the Jews had been enslaved there for generations....
Originally posted on salon.com
In Greek mythology, Narcissus is a vain young man who falls in love with his own reflection. Clinically speaking, narcissistic personality disorder is the figurative equivalent of that famous story: A narcissist places themselves on a high pedestal and engage in toxic behavior as a result. Hence, narcissists are typically chronically stubborn, entitled and envious, and/or oversensitive to criticism....
Originally posted on salon.com
When Dr. Heidi Kar was a psychologist for the Department of Veterans Affairs, one of her patients was a veteran who refused to give up his gun — despite being so depressed that he had repeatedly tried to take his own life.
Today, Dr. Kar is the Principal Advisor for Mental Health, Trauma and Violence at Education Development Center (EDC)....
Originally posted on salon.com
The United States has reached unprecedented levels of political polarization, and the phenomenon seems to only be getting worse. Whatever bipartisan comity existed in the twentieth century seems to have largely evaporated; indeed, polling shows that Americans are even moving away from places where they feel their political views aren’t welcomed....
Originally posted on salon.com
In an era when serial killers are fetishized, gory horror movies continue to be popular and lacking a conscience gives one a competitive edge in politics, it is hardly surprising that our culture is fascinated by sociopaths. The clinical term for sociopathy is antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), a condition marked by lack of regard for right, wrong, and more generally the feelings of others....
Originally posted on salon.com