Psychiatry and Psychology

This is not a universal aspect of human psychology, but it is nonetheless an observable phenomenon. When somebody feels strongly enough about their own belief, no matter how subjective that belief is, it is not at all uncommon to see people treat their beliefs as objective fact. Not only that, but anyone who disagrees with their opinions will be subject to ridicule as if they were a flat earth theorist. At least flat earth theorists are disagreeing with us on an issue of objective fact. Those who hold hyper-passionate opinions will often treat dissenters like they (A) are being willfully obtuse just to troll others, (B) have such low levels of intelligence and/or suc…

Guys, does anyone in here know anything about why some children hit themselves on the head when they are frustrated? I find this really strange. Can anyone help?

Is there a method for hallucinating? Instead of using pyschedelic drugs like shrooms, acid, etc. Is there a way where u dont need drugs to make u hallucinate? Why i ask this? Because i want to experience hallucination, i want to know whats it like, visual and auditory, and other hallucinations. Is there anyway to induce it?

I know there is not much information out there and there is lot of talk but not any hardcore science. But the theory why some people do crime and not other people is their brain yes the way their brain is wired and well some other people say chemical imbalance problem that these people have well really hard time to control his or her own self. And there seem to be this debate among people that some people say low IQ and other people say chemical imbalance. But is there well any agreement among doctors and scientist today? And well people who are poor may well steal or go around asking people for money at the 711 they are not normally violent or have hard time co…

I sleep very deeply, I cannot be wakened by water sometimes (i was taken to the hospital one time because of that, im 100% healthy) In the mornings I have noticed when I am being woken up I am still in my dreams. For instance this morning I was still in my dream in the manner that I was trying to find the second part of "getting out of bed" and I had no idea what the meaning of the phrase was, nor where I could find it and I had the understanding that I already had the first part of "getting out of bed" not knowing what the first part was either. Both parts were somehow part of my last dream and I am not sure where I was looking but I was definately trying to figu…

Sometimes on the subway we see people behaving in a rude manner, e.g. blaring music from their phone without headphones. When this happens I take a look at the offender and take note of all of their qualities, including their haircut, facial features, and clothing. My brain then associates all of those qualities with bad people so that I can avoid them. Is this a reliable way of avoiding bad people, or are the correlations drawn invalid?

As some of you may know, there are some groups of people who use bondage as a tool for sexual pleasure. It seems though that, unless in cases where one is raping another, that this is completely voluntary for both sides. It sparked my curiosity because I've been wondering what exactly the person who gets tied up gets out of it? Or more specifically, why they would want to be a masochist in the first place? How does the thought of being abused actually arouse a person? I also heard of people who have fantasies of being raped, and this does serve as a source of some sexual pleasure, even though they would not want to be forced in real life. Any thoughts?

Typical "top 10" facts about dreaming: http://www.boredpand...reams-dreaming/ How can they say that with such certainty? Where is the research and evidence? Are there any good articles about this topic (I couldn't find any)?

What color of light would you prefer for street lightning and what color is the best for human eyes and psychic? Currently they replace high and low pressure sodium lams which produce light of orange-yellow color with LED lamps in many countries. Some people complain harshly about that. I think light color of LEDs can differ from city to city. In my city they are of yellowish white color mostly. Personally I dislike orange light produced by sodium lamps and almost comfortable with LEDs. Some studies claim LED light is harmful to eyes. I think ideal color should be something similar to Moon light (pale yellow) or closer to incandescent lamp light for general street lightni…

Why are men attracted to breasts?

Why Are Women Attracted To Violent Criminals And Psychopaths? I once e-mailed this question to Steven Pinker, a famous Harvard professor and evolutionary biologist: I have some questions to ask you that have perplexed me for some time. Many people seem to think that besides financially well-off men, women are deeply attracted to both thugs and gangsters. It seems that the conventional wisdom is that women are attracted to "assholes", but despise so-called "nice guys". Why is it that women seem to be so attracted to aggressive bullies, violent criminals, dangerous psychopaths, mass murderers, and drug-crazed gang-bangers? The fact that women are attracted to violen…

I am wondering how people view pedophiles and child sexual abusers. Do you think they are insane? Do you think they are repeating a cycle of abuse? Could pedophilia simply be another sexual preference? Here is a link I found that is quite educational: http://www.darkness2light.org/faq/faqs_2.asp However, please understand that many of these people don't actually think they are doing something wrong. Some believe they are liberating children to express their sexual feelings. I think they are exploiting children. Because we do not know how to truly treat them, I think they should be identified early and isolated from the general population. This w…

I think I've heard this idea somewhere. Has anyone heard it before? Can this really happen?

This is kind of hard to explain, I'm just curious if there's any information or like a name for this. Have you ever noticed in your field of vision dots, and occasional shapes/lines that sort of fuzz/bounce overtop what's actually in front of you? If you defocues you can notice it better -- just like moving dots and things. It kind of has a rhythm like it bounces and it changes depending on what you're looking at -- like patterns. Am I the only person who sees this or does anyone else? It's not like you notice it all the time but I'm sure if you stare blankly at something you'll see what I'm talking about. I think it might be related to schizotypy, though I would…

I strongly suspect my food is being laced with a drug! I have had a blood test with my dr, who tested for 7 illegal drugs, this test came back negative. I suspect it is strong prescription medication, a sedative. Who can i get to do a detailed analysis of my food/drink to identify the chemical being added? I live in the south of england.

There’s such a close connection between psychology and emotion that the difference is hard to ascertain. I'm not sure, but I feel like there's a difference. Any ideas?

Before you read my question, please know that I really only want answers from scientists, doctors, OR people who are experts or have extensivly researched the subject. I'm NOT looking for answers from baised people. This includes anti-drug activists that don't think anyone should smoke marjuana, and also includes people who overly advocate marijuana, worshipping it and refusing to beleive that any adverse effects can come from it. -- MY QUESTION: My question is, can the use of marjuana have any permanent effects on the mind? This includes, loss of memories that happened while NOT high (childhood memories, etc.). Or maybe damaging your ability to remember memor…

I haven't been able to find any forums that deal with this without trying to tie it in with reading minds. Let me know please. This is a big problem for me and I need a place to go that have others like me. EDIT...If someone knows of another place, could you please post the link? Thanks Bettina

why would a healthy n very smart 6 year old hit his head or punch his face when upset-mad?

I was recently told by a self-claimed "medical doctor" that all scientific research supports the stereotype that men's sex drive is higher than women's. This stereotype clashes rather strongly with my everyday observations. I'm very curious as to whether science is really 100% behind it. Does science uniformly regard women as less sexual than men? Are there any peer-reviewed scientific studies which conclude that women have, or might have, a libido (at least) as strong as men's? Are there any scientists who have gone on record with this position? I would appreciate any references to such studies and/or scientists. Thanks in advance for any leads...

If a cure for psychopathy is available, should people be forcibly subjected to it? Not all psychopaths are violent. A lot of high functioning psychopaths are business executives, politicians, surgeons as well as successful soldiers and policemen. All activities that require lack of empathy and calmness under pressure.

I don't know the medical psychological term for "copycat personality." From what I understand, copycat personality is when someone basically steals who you are and begins to transform themselves into the way you speak, the way you dress, the way you behave, and a multitude of other things. Does anyone have information on this psychological behavior?

For the first time ever, I now have a new icon

Andy Thomson, a practicing psychiatrist, uses his knowledge of the human mind and countless neuropsychological research studies to make the case of how religion and belief in god are by-products of our evolved neural architecture. Below is his talk titled 'Why We Believe in Gods' which he presented at the American Atheist 2009 convention in Atlanta, Georgia. Press play. Use full screen. 1iMmvu9eMrg&e Let us know what you think. Merged post follows: Consecutive posts merged If you understand the psychology of [why we crave] the Big Mac meal, you understand the psychology of religion. We evolved adaptations for things that were crucial and r…

well, I was diagnosed with drug induced psychosis 15 months ago, but it went away fast as I had quit doing drugs and quit drinking. For a little while I have been seeing images when I first wake up. First time, I saw a giraffe skin pattern. (which is odd because Giraffes are my favorite animal) I would only see it for the first few milliseconds upon opening the eyes, so I keep opening and closing my eyes to see if it changes, but it remains the same pattern. I've only had it happen a fear times that i remember, most recently today, but it was a checkerboard pattern. I don't know what the heck this is... I was wondering if it's anything I should worry about, I also…