65, long-term unemployed, tech-light, seeks a good-paying career.

 A caller to my radio show was quite a challenge. She's 65, been on disability most of her life because of depression and now wants a job. She's tech-light and says she wants her career to reflect her "social justice values." 

I post an edited transcript of our exchange as my PsychologyToday.com article today.

Could School Cause PTSD?

Some people's school experience is akin to the trauma experienced by people with post-traumatic stress disorder. 

I tell a composite story of such a person in my PsychologyToday.com article today. 

Should You Be a Stay-at-Home Dad?

Should you be a stay-at-home dad? 

In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I offer an internal debate within a married guy with a six-month old.

"Pay Attention, Teach'": A ten-minute playscript exploring communication with The Other

In another attempt to genre-bend to avoid the how-to article's aridity and pontification, my PsychologyToday.com contribution today is a 10-minute playscript. 

On one level, it's about the tension between a teacher and a student but it has implications for parenting, education, and for communicating, especially with someone different from you, in this case generationally.

Happiness for Sad People

By nature, I'm a mildly sad person. Not depressed, just a bit below neutral. 

Nothing can turn me into a ha-ha type. But various things mitigate the moroseness. I share some in my PsychologyToday.com article today.

Worry Nation

It seems that today, we have more to worry about, atop all the standard worries. 

In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I list some of those increased sources of anxiety and propose some not-magic pill approaches to reducing anxiety.

The Power of Calm

We all know that staying calm is usually helpful but it's easier said than today. 

On PsychologyToday.com, I tell a short-short story that may help keep calm's primacy top-of-mind.

"A Person of substance: The interior and exterior life of a morbidly obese person

Today, I wrote a short-short story to encourage us to think about what we want to accept about ourselves versus commit to change. It's my PsychologyToday.com article today. 

In Praise of My FlipNote

In an era of electronic notetaking devices from Evernote to iPhone voice memos, why would a tech-friendly guy like me prefer a totally non-electrical memo pad called a FlipNote. I explain why in my PsychologyToday.com article today.

Marty Nemko Returns to The Commonwealth Club. Six Big Societal Problems and Possible Solutions: health care, jobs, terrorism, education, U.S. debt.

I'm flattered that the Commonwealth Club has asked me back for my ninth appearance. In this one, I try to tackle six big societal problems: health care, jobs, terrorism, education,  and U.S. debt, It's a public event and here is the page for info and tickets.

A Day in the Life of a Doggie's Daddy

If you're contemplating getting a doggie (or simply want to be amused,) my PsychologyToday.com article today describes a day in the life of this Doggie Daddy.
 

8 Hard, Big Questions and My Inadequate Answers: Terrorism, U.S. Debt, Education, Job Loss, Israel, and More

On PsychologyToday.com, I raise eight hard, important questions and offer inadequate answers. 

An Interview with Tony Robbins: Advice on success in career, weight loss, resiliency, and public speaking.

Four million people have attended Tony Robbins’ self-improvement workshops. 50 million have bought his books and recordings. He has been a consultant to Bill Clinton, Mother Theresa, Oprah, Mikhail Gorbachev, Princess Diana, and Nelson Mandela. And he’s the subject of the just-released documentary, I Am Not Your Guru. 

He is my The Eminents interview today  in Psychology Today.

Status is the Enemy of Contentment

We pay an enormous price in seeking status. In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I argue that it's usually far from worth it.

My Wife Interviews Me: Musings on making a difference, the decline of free speech, and fear of death.

I was reflecting on the 18 interviews I’ve conducted for Psychology Today, for example, David Elkind (The Hurried Child) Julie Morgenstern (Organizing From the Inside Out,) Michio Kaku (Future of the Mind,) and Alan Dershowitz (on civil liberties.)

I then thought, “I wish someone would interview me.” Since no one has, I decided to ask my wife to. She is Dr. Barbara Nemko, Napa County Superintendent of Schools.

I post that interview as today's PsychologyToday.com article.

The Case for Confrontation

Most of us would prefer a supportive response to our screw-ups. But if it's chronic, and unless you have a serious mental illness, I argue that tough-love, direct confrontation may be more helpful. I make the case in my PsychologyToday.com article today.

Difficult Conversations: An Interview with Alan Dershowitz

In theory, we all advocate free speech but it seems we need be ever more cautious about what we say, especially on sensitive topics.

That’s unfortunate. Undue censorship of thought endangers our sense of self-efficacy and reduces our impact. Society most likely improves with the free and open exploration of all benevolently derived ideas.

That’s why I’m pleased that today’s The Eminents interview in Psychology Today is with Alan Dershowitz. He has defended such unpopular celebrities as Julian Assange (WikiLeaks,) Mike Tyson, Patty Hearst, Jim Bakker, Anatoly Sharansky, and Claus von Bülow. He was appellate adviser in the O.J. Simpson murder trial.

At age 28, Dershowitz was the youngest person ever to become a professor of law in Harvard’s 380-year history. He is the author of 31 books including Taking the Stand: My Life in the Law. The Times’ review of that book described him as having “lived a life that matters, hugely and enduringly. He is a man in full.”

Despite Dershowitz’s long track record of liberalism, he has come under attack from the Left for questioning standard liberal positions on campus rape policies, race, and on Israel. In this interview, Dershowitz offers advice to us as individuals and society's key mind-molders: the colleges and the media.

Our Scientific Future: An Interview with Michio Kaku

In today's PsychologyToday.com The Eminents interview, I talked with Michio Kaku. He is arguably the world’s most famous science popularizer. 

Although a professor of theoretical physics at the City University of New York, he has written three New York Times best sellers, including a #1 bestseller, The Future of the Mind, which the New York Times book review called “compelling” and Nature called “fascinating.” He has hosted TV specials for the BBC, Discovery Channel, and Science Channel.

Loyalty is Overrated

Most of us consider loyalty a desirable trait.  

But in my PsychologyToday.com article today, I argue that loyalty is overrated.

Raising an Unhurried Child in a Hurried World: An interview of David Elkind

We live in accelerating times. A long-standing advocate for insulating our children from some of that is David Elkind. 

Elkind is the author of the classic book, The Hurried Child: Growing up too fast, too soon and 18 other books. He has appeared on The Today Show, CBS Morning News, 20/20, Nightline, and the Oprah show.

On PsychologyToday.com, I post my interview with him .

Is Being Nice Worth the Price?

Alas, it seems that nice guys, while not necessarily finishing last, do get taken advantage of. I'm filled with respect for people who despite it all, recognize the cosmic wisdom of kindness over expedience. I tell a short-short story of such a person in my PsychologyToday.com article today.

"I Want to Start a Business But..."

A caller to my radio show would like to start a business but doesn't feel ready. As my PsychologyToday.com article, I post an edited transcript of our exchange. 

Becoming a Go-to Person

After a couple sessions, a client said she was clear she wants a career in a nonprofit that served women or addressed hunger issues. A week later, she emailed me to say she's accepted a full-time permanent job in IT support for a corporation.

I was only mildly surprised. A majority of my clients who come to me wanting to choose a well-suited career soon end up taking whatever job happened to drop in their lap.
Why?

In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I explain why and the implications for career seekers and for career counselors.
 

The Manipulator

In today's PsychologyToday.com article, I tell a short-short story of how someone used just one principle to manipulate many people to do what they didn't want to do. We're all more vulnerable to manipulation than we may realize.

The Case for Copying: Why rote learning such as memorizing and copying are beneficial.

Why rote learning such as memorizing and copying is underrated. That's my PsychologyToday.com article today. 

The Scholar: A short-short story about change

As my PsychologyToday.com article today, I tell a short-short story about a professor who stood firm in the face of his field's change.

Summer Reading for the Psychologically Minded

In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I suggest a half-dozen accessible but helpful how-to books for the psychologically oriented plus one touching novella.

Three Career Apps You May Not Know About But Should

By now, most career-minded people know about LinkedIn, Indeed, SimplyHired and Glassdoor. And indeed, they're valuable.

But there are thousands of other apps for career management and job hunting that can give you an edge. In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I've identified three I believe are worthy of your consideration even if they weren't free or near-free.

What Does It Really Take to be a Successful Entrepreneur or Business Owner

In trying to predict something as complex as one's potential to be successfully self-employed, I believe it's wise to eschew rigorous research studies in favor of a subjective opinion rendered after observing lots of successful and unsuccessful entrepreneurs.

In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I offer my take on the eight things it takes to succeed in business. 

How They Attempt to Get Your Vote

Larry Sabato is among the best known and most successful observer and predictor of election results . I interviewed him today as my PsychologyToday.com article.

Fear-Filled: A Short-Short Story About a Life of Anxiety and her Cure

In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I tell a short-short story about a life filled with anxiety and fear and what finally cured her.