Awards 2014

Had awards ceremonies yesterday for the boys' respective classes. It started at 9 a.m. and finished up at a little after 11. Of course, having the kids at different levels in the spectrum made for a long wait. It was pretty cool though. I was able to get a couple good pictures of them and put them both together as though they were right next to each other and finished the comp off with the "Iron Dragon" roller coaster from Cedar Point. I thought it turned out pretty good, but there are a couple of light spots around my oldest son's hair that gives the photoshopping away. I'm fairly happy with it and could fix those light spots relatively easily if needed. The thing is, being obsessive over these kinds of things and being a perfectionist, is something that could very well lead those of us with addictive personalities down the road to becoming addicted to certain behaviors and activities. There is a fine line between being professional and being (or trying to be) perfect. Learn more about addictive personalities and addiction at My Addicted Mind.Com

Your Computer Misses You!

Porn Addiction          Porn addiction is the overindulgence or manipulation of pornographic material that leads to negative outcomes in one’s life.   The person addicted to porn cannot control the overwhelming impulse to watch porn and continues these destructive behaviors even in light of negative consequences.  Isolated from real human contact, porn addicts subsequently find themselves alone and with only their computer for company.   For the addict, pornography diminishes the actors as human beings and leads to a loss of intimacy.          Porn addiction progresses similar to a drug addiction in that, after an earlier satisfying experience with pornography, individuals may begin to experience an overpowering compulsion to reach sexual fulfillment through that form of activity. Hence, the feedback loop between Internet porn and sexual satisfaction is positively strengthened. This in turn creates behavioral impulses that become more powerful as well as more frequent.  The links between sexual stimulation and porn addiction can escalate to a point where merely sitting down in front of a computer produces a sexual reaction. Read more about Porn Addiction at My Addicted Mind.Com

Food Addiction or Eating Disorder Symptoms?

Eating Disorder Symptoms It would seem that eating disorder symptoms are pretty easily pinned to society’s views on the slim and glamorous. However, while a lot of people place culpability on grossly thin super models and media that extol the virtues of being thin, the fact of the matter is that this is only part of the equation. Like other addictions and compulsions, there may be some basis in a genetic component as well. When analyzing eating disorder symptoms, it becomes pretty clear that there is also a psychological connection to these symptoms as well. There seems to be a common link between the physiology and psychology of eating disorders and some would label that common link as depression. With that said, eating disorder symptoms are just the tip of a much larger problem. Read more about Eating Disorder Symptoms at My Addicted Mind.Com

Maybe it's "Subconscious"

"However, some scientists argue that there is little evidence that most people have a specific drive toward self-destruction. According to them, the behaviors Freud studied can be explained by simpler, known processes, such as salience biases (e.g., a person abuses drugs because the promise of immediate pleasure is more compelling than the intellectual knowledge of harm sometime in the future) and risk calculations (e.g., a person drives recklessly or plays dangerous sports because the increases in status and reproductive success outweigh the risk of injury or death)". (wikipedia - web whore) We may not always realize we have a death wish, but our actions will almost certainly give others a snapshot of what lies beneath our own jovial smiles and acceptable etiquette. But wait, this is counter-productive and deceptive, right? However, rationalizing what we do and why we do it is our own best defense and we are our own worse enemy. If we were to observe the characteristics we possess in others we would probably call it crazy or just plain ignorant, but the problem is we cannot percieve ourselves as other people do. Oh, how little we know about ourselves other than what we like and don't. Is it a selfish desire to do what we do? Can we really see beyond our own egos or pride? I find it very difficult. I find that if I rely on my own understanding, events do not always play out as I plan. But, If I choose a role model and make decisions based on documented evidence of this person or being's actions, I can almost always be certain that I am not acting alone. I, in essence, have a mentor who "guides" me through the rough times and maybe even to show me that my actions are self-destructive. In my mind, Freud has been superceded by Maslow and Erikson who look at human needs and developmental stages throughout the life span. Maslow contends that certain human needs must be met before moving on to the next and Erikson believes that if a developmental stage is not met at a certain time, that an individual will linger in this stage until it is. But, I cannot help but correlate the stages of "delayed gratification" from Freud to those of substance abuse or addiction. It would seem that those of us who have addictive personalities get stuck in this stage and cannot "defer" our gratification until later. It is quite a conundrum... Join me on this journey through addiction at My Addicted Mind.Com