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Doing This And That: Are You A Precrastinator?
This morning, while the coffee was brewing, I walked out my back door, strolled to my mailbox at the curb, and strolled back. Along the way, I picked up not only yesterday’s mail, but also the daily paper, which had been tossed on the lawn, and an empty garbage can. I put the garbage can back where it belongs, near the garage, and brought the mail and paper inside. I did this without a glitch, effortlessly. Or so it seemed. Of course, it was not effortless. I had to lift and walk and carry and lift again, and so forth. I also had to plan. Should I walk all the way to the mailbox, get the mail, then pick up the paper? Or grab the garbage can on the way to the curb?
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Chopping the Cherry Tree: How Kids Learn Honesty
Back in the 90s, in the midst of the so-called culture wars, Republican moralist William Bennett published a hefty collection of stories and fables and poems called the Book of Virtues. The bestselling volume extolled timeless values like courage and compassion and honesty. At the same time, Herbert Kohl and Colin Greer authored an anthology called A Call To Character, which also used stories to promote a somewhat different set of timeless values. The dueling miscellanies represented a fundamental and acrimonious division over how to raise and instruct the next generation of American citizens.
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Diagnosis, Disorders and Decisions
For more than six decades, the vast majority of mental health professionals have relied on the same handbook for classifying and diagnosing disorders of the mind—and for prescribing treatment. For that same period of time, the DSM (for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, reissued in its fifth version last year) has been the target of harsh criticism, both scientific and political. One recurring line of criticism holds that the manual focuses too much on superficial symptoms of mental disorders, ignoring the underlying dynamics.
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Not Enough Basketballs? The Too-Much-Talent Effect
The NBA playoffs are underway, and the Miami Heat are the odds-on favorite to “three-peat.” If they do—or if they don’t for that matter—the outcome will fuel an enduring debate about how best to build a sports franchise. Back in 2010, the Heat opted to wager hundreds of millions of dollars on the Big 3—signing superstars LeBron James and Chris Bosh on top of pricey local favorite Dwayne Wade. James boastfully predicted a Heat dynasty, while cynics chanted a more skeptical mantra: “Not enough basketballs” for those super egos. Is there such a thing as having too much talent?
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Anatomy of a Memorable Lunch
It’s about 11 in the morning, and I’m already thinking about lunch. I’m at my desk in my downtown office, so I have lots of options. I could go to that new sandwich place around the corner, where I know they make a great turkey club. Or I could walk up the street and get one of those big salads, which would be satisfying and healthy. Or I could just run downstairs to the snack bar and grab a yogurt and some pretzels. It’s a tough decision. It’s also a common decision, one that many of us confront every day. Our choices have implications, not only for how much we enjoy lunch today, but also for longer term goals like fitness and health. But how do we choose?
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Fathers, Daughters and the Second Shift
The phrase “the second shift” entered the popular lexicon a quarter century ago, when sociologist Arlie Hochschild and Anne Machung published a popular book by that name. Based on in-depth interviews and in-home observations of working couples, the book revealed that, despite entering the labor market and pursuing careers in record numbers, women were still taking care of most of the routine household and childcare responsibilities. The authors documented the toll that balancing career and unpaid domestic labor was taking on families, and women in particular—in stress, marital tension, exhaustion and guilt.
