communication

Looking to the Man

Aug 26, 2024

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by

Ron Johnson

in communication, emotional maturity, marital, mindfulness, positive psychology, relationships, self-awareness, social esteem

Readers of my blogs hopefully understand that my prime interest in psychotherapy is with men. I just see men in my practice with just a couple of women whom I have known for years or decades who saw me a long time ago and consult with me on occasion. Importantly, I have had an interest…
You’re Killing Me

Jan 31, 2024

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by

Ron Johnson

in communication, emotional maturity, grief, self-awareness, Spiritual

Have you ever said, “You’re killing me,” to anyone? Or perhaps some cognate of this expression like, “I’m dying here” or “I can’t live through this.” Or perhaps, you just thought such things and never actually said them to anyone. These kinds of statements can be frivolous, like being with someone who is severely besting…
The Independent Personality and Relationships

Jun 20, 2022

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by

Ron Johnson

in communication, Connection, happiness, love, marital, men’s issues, Personality, positive psychology, relationships, self-awareness, social esteem

I see a lot of men in my office who are independent by nature, and I know a few more in my acquaintances and friendships. Independence is a truly remarkable personality trait that I admire and respect. Usually, independent men (and women, of course) cut their own lines in the earth, live by their own…
Are All Men Selfish?

Mar 12, 2022

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by

Ron Johnson

in appreciation, Children, communication, Connection, Development, emotional maturity, feelings, happiness, men’s issues, positive psychology, relationships, self-awareness, social esteem

What an outrageous question, right? This is just as outrageous as my previous blog about “women never admit that they’re wrong.” This equally outrageous statement about men is not made in jest because men are frequently accused of being selfish, particularly by the women in their lives. I think there is something very important in…
Do Women Ever Admit That They’re Wrong?

Mar 7, 2022

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by

Ron Johnson

in communication, Connection, Development, emotional maturity, family, feelings, love, marital, men’s issues, mindfulness, relationships, self-awareness, social esteem

Do Women Ever Admit That They’re Wrong? What an outrageous question, it must seem. I would never have thought of asking such a question, which of course, is not a question, but rather a rhetorical question suggesting that women don’t ever admit that they’re wrong. This rhetorical question came to me from the even more outrageous…
The Challenges of Honesty, Openness, and Truth

May 31, 2021

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by

Ron Johnson

in communication, Development, emotional maturity, feelings, mindfulness, Personality, relationships, self-awareness, social esteem, Spiritual

I am no philosopher, but like all people, I delve into the medium and art of philosophy unavoidably as we all do. I am certain that philosophes could be bemused by my meanderings in their territory with my minimal training and understanding of such things. I am often bemused by people meandering into the realm…
Crazy is Contagious

Jan 15, 2021

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by

Ron Johnson

in communication, emotional maturity, feelings, mindfulness, political, relationships, self-awareness

I heard the statement, “crazy is contagious” from a colleague of mine when I told him about an experience I had recently had with a patient. It got me thinking. “Crazy” is not by any means a part of my vocabulary, nor are other typical terms when we think of the challenges that people have…
Intention and Production

Jan 2, 2021

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by

Ron Johnson

in communication, Personality, political, relationships, self-awareness, Spiritual

It is important to produce. It is equally important to intend to produce. But these two ways of engaging the world are profoundly different, a difference we might call spiritual. I conceive of these elements of psychological life on a spectrum with purpose in the center of the spectrum, something like this: Intention…………..……….……Purpose…………………………..Production ______________________________________________________________________________ This…
Different Kinds of “I’m Sorry”

Nov 16, 2020

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by

Ron Johnson

in appreciation, communication, emotional maturity, feelings, grief, relationships, self-awareness, social esteem, Spiritual

“I’m sorry:” a very important statement. Very, very important. Most people should be able to express these words at least once a day, and possibly several times a day. But what does “I’m sorry” mean, or more accurately what can it mean? For some reason “I’m sorry” has fallen into disuse in America, and perhaps…
Wordiness, Wordlessness, and Wordness

Oct 10, 2020

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by

Ron Johnson

in communication, feelings, Personality, relationships

Many people have trouble with words. In fact, it is my belief that every human being has trouble with words despite the fact that words are so central in human functioning and seemingly essential in interpersonal relations of any kind. We might say that the (scientific) difference between animals and humans is that humans have…