by jmalouff | Jul 5, 2023 | Coping, Human Thinking and Behavior, Mental health problems, Personality
How Hermit-Like Are You? I just read a brilliant biography of a hermit, “The Stranger in the Woods,” by Michael Finkel. The hermit, Chris Knight, lived in the Maine woods alone for 27 years. No house, no medical care. How he survived the winters I...
by jmalouff | Oct 17, 2021 | Human Thinking and Behavior, Mental health problems, Personality
Gary Gilmore was a psychopathic American. He started committing burglaries when he was a boy and ended up in reform school. When he was released, he upgraded his crimes to armed robbery and went to prison. When Gary finished his long sentence, he worked at a normal...
by jmalouff | Oct 17, 2020 | Personality, Work
A friend told me about a co-worker who has problems at work due to being overly conscientious. When the colleague sees something wrong at work, she reports it to her boss. The boss lately has responded by falsely blaming the worker for the problem, probably to deflect...
by jmalouff | Apr 8, 2019 | Human Thinking and Behavior, Personality
Several weeks ago I tried to climb up a mountain to the Needle (a massive point of solid rock) on Cook Island. I planned for an early start, but I missed the place to get out of the bus closest to the start of the trail. So I had to walk 30 minutes to reach the...
by jmalouff | Apr 4, 2019 | Human Thinking and Behavior, Personality, Positive psychology
When Aldi opened a grocery store in my home town, Armidale, a few years ago, I wanted to be its first customer. So I arrived at the store 70 minutes before opening time. I reckoned that other people with the same goal would show up 60 minutes before opening time. I...
by jmalouff | Jan 22, 2019 | Human Thinking and Behavior, Names, Personality
Searching for information about myself, a few days ago I googled my surname, Malouff. I was astounded to find it in the Urban Dictionary. The definition: “(Noun) A person who is very clumsy or awkward physically or socially awkward and queer.” I immediately put that...