Footnotes to Plato from the foothills of the Superstition Mountains

Category: Psychology and Personality Typology

  • A Big Ego

    An inflated ego may manifest itself in ostentation, self-promotion, and domination of others.  But it is no less manifested by oversensitivity to the slights, real or imagined, of the ostentatious, the self-promoting, and the domineering.

  • First Impressions

    You will find it difficult to undo the damage of a bad first impression. One must realize that too many people base lasting judgments on them. This is folly of course, but it may be even worse folly to attempt to disembarrass  them of their folly. The world runs on appearances, a fact made worse…

  • Topical Insanity

    There is temporary insanity as when a middle-aged man buys a Harley on which to ride though his midlife crisis, wisely selling the bike after the crisis subsides. But my theme is topical insanity, that species of temporary insanity that can occur when certain topics are brought to one’s attention. Someone so afflicted loses the ability…

  • Dangers of Psychological Projection

    I have found that it is dangerous to assume that others are essentially like oneself. Psychologists speak of projection. As I understand it, it involves projecting into others one's own attitudes, beliefs, motivations, fears, emotions, desires, values, and the like.  It is classified as a defense mechanism.  Suppose one is stingy, considers stinginess an undesirable trait,…