When the Vietnam Conflict ended in 1973, 566 military prisoners of war returned from captivity in North Vietnam. Statistics from previous wars suggested this group would suffer Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. But they didn’t. In fact, they suffered fewer psychological problems than any other group in history every has. Why? They credited their use of humorRead more
In 1957, Leon Festinger introduced “cognitive dissonance”. Cognitive dissonance is research-based theory that posits that internal psychological consistency helps us function in the real world. Cognitive dissonance refers to a situation that involves conflicting attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors. The theory suggests that we have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and behavior inRead more
Too often discussions of attitudes, values, and beliefs center on the person, making us blind to the power of the situation. Marketers advocate finding the right psychographic for a product. Psychologists talk about finding the person who is ready to quit smoking. Human resource managers focus on getting the right people on the bus, andRead more
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 13, the seventh crewed mission in the Apollo space program. No one has forgotten that part of history, but we would do well to revisit the lessons we learned fifty years ago during this time of uncertainty. James Lovell commanded the third Apollo mission that wasRead more
In the arts, we think of bricoleurs as those who can create a work from a diverse range of things that happen to be available. Bricoleurs rule in the do-it-yourself realm, and we need them now more than ever to help us piece together what it will take to help businesses bounce back from economicRead more
