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Do Our Children Believe Violence Is As American As Apple Pie?

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“What broke in a man when he could bring himself to kill another?”  ~ Alan Paton

The following excerpt taken from Looking Beyond Sand Hook: Do Our Children Believe That Violence Is As American As Apple Pie? by Burke E. Strunsky was originally posted on huffingtonpost.com on 12/27/12. To read this article in its entirety, please click on the link below.

We only have to look at the disproportionate amount of violent crime in the United States compared to other advanced industrial nations to realize that something is going horribly wrong. In 2010, there were 14,748 homicides in America, nearly seven times more than any other industrialized country, and the firearm homicide rates were nearly twenty times higher. This stark contrast should compel us to ask, What does this pervasive violence in America say about us? Is it a reflection of who we really are, or a clarion call to change?

Our earliest influences have the strongest impact on whether we’ll commit a violent crime. While there are a number of factors to why someone acts out violently, the home of a child is the least discussed, and in my opinion the most important, arena for stopping the cycle of violence. Studies show that when a child is abused, witnesses domestic violence, or is emotionally neglected and abandoned, the chances of that child acting out in a violent way dramatically increase.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/burke-e-strunsky/looking-beyond-sandy-hook_b_2366411.html

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The Importance of Reflection at the New Year #2013

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“The unexamined life is not worth living.” ~ Socrates

The month of January was named after the Roman god Janus. Janus was the god of gates, doors, beginnings and endings. He is pictured with two faces, one looking back to the past and the other into the future. In honor of Janus it seems appropriate that before we begin making resolutions for our New Year that we should reflect on the one just past. – Patricia Lantz

This excerpt from The Importance of Reflection at the New Year by Patricia Lantz originally appeared on examiner.com on January 1, 2012. To read this article in its entirety, please click on this link.

http://www.examiner.com/article/the-importance-of-reflection-at-the-new-year

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The Most Dangerous Word in the World Is …

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This word can damage both the speaker’s and listener’s brain!
Published on July 31, 2012, by Mark Waldman and Andrew Newberg, M.D. in Words Can Change Your Brain on psychology today.com.

If I were to put you into an fMRI scanner—a huge donut-shaped magnet that can take a video of the neural changes happening in your brain—and flash the word “NO” for less than one second, you’d see a sudden release of dozens of stress-producing hormones and neurotransmitters. These chemicals immediately interrupt the normal functioning of your brain, impairing logic, reason, language processing, and communication.

In fact, just seeing a list of negative words for a few seconds will make a highly anxious or depressed person feel worse, and the more you ruminate on them, the more you can actually damage key structures that regulate your memory, feelings, and emotions.[1] You’ll disrupt your sleep, your appetite, and your ability to experience long-term happiness and satisfaction.

To read the rest of this article, please click on the following link …

http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201212/the-top-posts-2012/3-the-most-dangerous-word-in-the-world

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“The Sociopath Next Door” By Martha Stout, Ph.D.

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“Man is the cruelest animal.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche

The Sociopath Next Door

The Ruthless Vs. The Rest Of Us

By Martha Stout, Ph.D.

One intriguing and engaging read on this not-so-rare disorder affecting many of those around us. -TWG

“We are accustomed to think of sociopaths as violent criminals, but in The Sociopath Next Door, Harvard psychologist Martha Stout reveals that a shocking 4 percent of ordinary people—one in twenty-five—has an often undetected mental disorder, the chief symptom of which is that that person possesses no conscience. He or she has no ability whatsoever to feel shame, guilt, or remorse. One in twenty-five everyday Americans, therefore, is secretly a sociopath. They could be your colleague, your neighbor, even family. And they can do literally anything at all and feel absolutely no guilt.” – book browse.com

To learn more read this interview with Martha Stout…

http://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/conscience-lack-of