Welcome to A Psychologist Talks! This is the fourth episode in a series about dependency and Dependent Personality Disorder, with a focus on treating the condition. We will talk about countertransference, ideologies that risk missing serious problems with dependency (linked to gender), and the general process/goal in the treatment process. This episode is more targeted at mental health providers, although it may be informative and curiosity-provoking for non-providers and consumers. Regardless, none of the content should be interpreted as medical advice, nor should it be used as a treatment guide. Please be mindful of this when watching.

Welcome to A Psychologist Talks! This is the third episode in a series about Dependent Personality Disorder, with a focus on the development of the condition, including both how one might differentiate normal versus abnormal levels of dependency, as well as the "nature" and "nurture" that might contribute to abnormal levels. Spoiler alert: like all personality-related conditions, we are not really sure how precisely unhealthy levels of dependency develop. That is, we have a good idea of what all might contribute, but there is no one "path" towards the personality disorder. We will also briefly talk about the potential influence of culture on the notion of "dependency."

Welcome to A Psychologist Talks! This is the second episode in a series about Dependent Personality Disorder, with a focus on subtypes of the personality disorder. As I mention in this episode, the subtypes are somewhat restricted, with one (Passive Aggressive subtype) being more of an extension of traditional Dependent Personalities, whereas the other (Counterdependent subtype) represents the exact opposite of traditional Dependent Personalities. With that, I begin the episode by differentiating passive aggressive behavior in more traditional versus subtype-worthy presentations of dependency. Finally, contrary to other personality disorder series, I will intertwine comments about things like gender and age/generation throughout.

Welcome to A Psychologist Talks! Today we are talking about Dependent Personality Disorder. This is the first episode in a series about Dependency, with a focus on key elements of this personality, ranging from diagnostic criteria of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual to how psychodynamic theory can aide in conceptualization.

Today we are discussing the seeming erosion of trust in expertise in our society, which can have dire and cascading consequences on communal knowledge and wisdom. I will try to briefly address how we got here, canvass some relevant examples, and speak to the dangers of when expertise itself becomes corrupted. Select Paraphrased Quote: "If you don't have the people ready for when things hit the fan, it's already too late. This is why you put [experts] in positions of power - trusted individuals - proactively rather than reactively."

Today we are talking about a seeming growing trend of distrust-turned-paranoia and anger-turned-rage in both the United States and across the globe. Distrust and anger and important experiences, but when and why do they become problematic (shifts into paranoia and rage)? And how do we tell the difference between when they are legitimate/just or not? This includes a conversation about the dangers of leaders who stoke the flames.

Absolutism provides us safety and relativism provides us freedom, but all things in excess can become problematic. How can we as a society understand and find a balance between these important forces? "The more conscious we are of the dilemma, the better we can wield and move through it efficiently." "The challenge is how do we discern between these vacillations that are productive versus more unproductive."

Today we are talking about how a society progresses (or regresses) and how people play a role in that process. How do we understand those who contribute versus those who detract or "cut" at the fabric of society? Why do we seem to keep approaching self-destruction? And are we there now? It ain't all sunshine and rainbows, that's for sure!