Friday Retroflective: Psych 101

Photo Credit: Morgue file by Clarita

I haven't written a Friday Retroflective in ages, largely because my attitude has been one of, Oh is it Friday? I have been, as many of you know, home schooling my son, tutoring, and writing a book. As a result, my blog now looks like my garden looks: overgrown and full of weeds. I keep meaning to come pull them and clean everything up, inject some intention in here, and I keep collapsing in exhaustion at 9 PM and slipping into bed with Half-Broke Horses. I wake up at 4:30 AM, decide whether to write for my blog or my book, get waylaid by email for half an hour and then interrupted by waking adolescents. This parenting is severely interfering with my unpaid writing career and I am considering fitting all of my kids for ball gags so I can work peacefully until 7 AM. Do you feel sorry for me? Good. I alone, among all writers, have distractions. Weep for me, readers. Weep.

Anyway, I want to do a Friday Retroflective today. Some people have put out singularly great content this week and I am going to shove all their links down their throat. If you get started now, you can get them all read by Monday and turn in a reflection on their work. Do this, and you will be a better person who can eat doughnuts without gaining weight and will definitely get a tax refund for 2012.

Psychology. It was my first major. Don't ask me how many I had. I never told anyone else about them. They all existed only in my mind. But I digress. I took Psych classes. Maybe three or four. I believe that makes me something of an expert on the subject, don't you? It seems to me that all of these posts I enjoyed are somehow explorations of the human mind. (Maybe they're not. But I think they are and today that's good enough for me.)

The Psychology of Self-Expression
This post, which I swiped from the always brilliant Jane, rocked my world this week. (Warning: if you are going to be offended by swear words, don't read this. Also, you might want to consider not reading my blog. I swear rather a lot.) It begs this question, ladies and gentlemen: if we weren't all tied in knots trying to win with everyone that doesn't matter about things that don't even matter (which we all are), then what might we be free to do?

The Father of Psychology
Tangled Lou gives us the fictionalized explanation of personality according to Freud for those of us that never understood it, or those of us that simply want to know how dear roommate Egotha might behave while trying to get something written in a house full of shouts of "Boobies!" and guilt. 

The Twisted Psychology of Economics and Social Identity
My minister, the Rev. John Cullinan writes a thoughtful piece on everything that is wrong with the national conversation about what Mitt Romney said about those 47%. This piece is about how we have taken "us" and made it "them" and challenges us to examine who exactly the poor really are. (Warning: If you are going to be offended by statistics, math and the mention of politics, you might want to consider not reading this. And you might want to consider putting a bag over your head and sitting inside humming loudly until after November 6th.)

The Psychology of Fear, Love and Truth-Telling
Jenny Lawson reminds us that sometimes being in a cage is the most freeing place of all.

That about wraps it up! I declare you all psychologists. Today, I am celebrating the equinox with my son, who has been learning about climate and seasons. Apparently, we are to pick apples at Grandpa John's, make fruit and veggie people, stomp on grapes, tell stories of the Lost Kingdom of the Fruit People (which must include Vegetable Knights) and then have everyone make up stories about the Kingdom. At 3 PM, the town has a Homecoming Parade. We are going to Ren Fair in Santa Fe Saturday. Basically, silliness abounds. I hope your weekend will be equally silly and fun.