Archive for 'Social Commentary'
I Accept Full Responsibility
“I accept full responsibility” is the politically correct statement when mistakes are made. We’ve heard this over and over from CEO’s, government officials, and other leaders. Like many politically correct phrases, it so often rings hollow and is followed by a list of reasons justifying a lack of responsibility for the “mistakes.” The reasons usually [...]
Posted: August 30th, 2010 under Couples, Everyday Communication, Social Commentary.
Tags: apology, healing, leadership, mistakes, moral issue, politically correct, responsibility, trust
Comments: none
The Bereavement Exclusion
For many years, mental health professionals were guided by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual to differentiate bereavement from depression. In other words, if someone is grieving the loss of a loved one, don’t assign a primary diagnosis of depression. However, it looks like this is about to change. The American Psychiatric Association is in the [...]
Posted: August 14th, 2010 under Counseling, Social Commentary.
Tags: bereavement, depression, grief, pathology
Comments: 2
Discouraging Honesty
Two people in the news this past week were fired from their jobs for being honest—and human. One was a journalist, the other a Department of Agriculture official in Georgia. Both were honest and open in their public comments with good intentions and clear purpose. The journalist was a twenty year CNN veteran. She made [...]
Posted: July 26th, 2010 under Everyday Communication, Social Commentary.
Tags: communication skills, credibility, honesty, politically correct, trust, twitter
Comments: none
Dangerous Interpretations
I listened to part of Weekend Edition this past Sunday on NPR and heard the letters-to-the-editor segment. Some of the letters referenced a story last weekend about PTSD in military personnel. The letters criticized someone interviewed who used the term, “former veterans.” On one hand, the term “former veterans” can be somewhat amusing, a slip [...]
Posted: July 26th, 2010 under Everyday Communication, Social Commentary.
Tags: criticize, intentions, linguistic, listening, motivations
Comments: none
Name Calling
What child hasn’t been scolded for calling someone names? They are admonished: That’s not nice. . . . We don’t call others names. . . . Tell him you’re sorry for calling him names. We use these and other familiar phrases to try to teach our children how to behave properly and respectfully in a [...]
Posted: July 17th, 2010 under Couples, Everyday Communication, Kids, Parenting, Social Commentary.
Tags: courtesy, family, intentions, respect, trust
Comments: 1
Let’s Use Normal Language with Kids
Often, we use words like depression, bi-polar, panic attack, generalized anxiety disorder, and more to describe normal reactions kids have to life circumstances. This can be dangerous and gives kids the wrong message about life and our ordinary human experience in response to adversity. For example, a teenager breaks up with her girl friend and [...]
Posted: July 6th, 2010 under Counseling, Kids, Parenting, Social Commentary.
Tags: depression, diagnosis, Parenting, teenagers, terminology
Comments: 2
Men Have Feelings
I don’t like to promote (directly or indirectly) the stereotypes in the popular culture about how men and women communicate differently. I approach communication style differences based on the individual, not the sex. Because I have addressed this in other posts, I won’t get into it here, except to say that looking at the interpersonal/intrapersonal [...]
Posted: June 19th, 2010 under Counseling, Couples, Social Commentary, Stories.
Tags: asking questions, feelings, interpersonal, intrapersonal, men and women, stereotypes
Comments: 1
Real Leadership
I just finished reading How by Dov Seidman, an inspiring book about creating values driven organizations that promote team work, mutual accountability, and individual leadership. It is possible to do this; Seidman includes lots of great examples of organizations of every size. This is particularly inspiring when put against news—and we’ve all heard it—of a [...]
Posted: June 2nd, 2010 under Social Commentary, Workplace.
Tags: leadership, responsibility, team work, values
Comments: none
Looking Out for One Another
“Are you okay?” We all have asked this question many times to many people in our lives. Usually the answer is “I’m okay,” even when the person isn’t really okay. It is meant to reassure us on the one hand and on the other hand to stop the conversation from getting into too much depth. [...]
Posted: May 30th, 2010 under Everyday Communication, Social Commentary.
Tags: emotional support, family, friendship, taking responsibility
Comments: 2
Touch
As a young child, my grandfather would often greet me with outstretched arms—a welcoming and warm expression of his love and acceptance. But before giving me a hug, his hands would cradle my jaw, one hand on each side, firmly holding my head. Then I would collapse into his legs where he would envelope me [...]
Posted: May 22nd, 2010 under Couples, Everyday Communication, Kids, Parenting, Social Commentary.
Tags: affection, cultural differences, intimacy, kinesthetic, touch
Comments: none
The Thinking Out Loud blog is a natural extension of Bob Keteyian's book "Do You Know What I Mean?".