Tag: brain

In no small part, these patently Toddler-brain characteristics reflect the current political climate. For toddlers, negative emotions are alarms to summon adults to meet their needs and solve their problems, which they can't do for themselves. But the Toddler brain has no reality-testing; toddlers cannot distinguish what they feel and imagine from what is really happening. Without the Adult brain to regulate emotions and impulses, toddlers use the primitive coping mechanisms of blame, denial, and avoidance to numb shame and fear. But when politicians (and intimate partners) think like toddlers, they’re not so cute, as they reflexively indulge: All-or-nothing thinking (no nuance whatsoever) Self-obsession - inability to see other perspectives of those who disagree with them Intolerance of differences Low frustration-tolerance Blame Denial of responsibility Avoidance of the real issues. As with politicians, the trouble in families is not that partners disagree about problems - they always have. Marital arguments increasingly mimic tweet-wars and sound-bites of accusations and counter-accusations. Of course, there are plenty of positive things on the Internet and in the media, and politicians sometimes make productive statements that ring of sincerity rather than posturing to stir or exploit public resentment. If someone comes to work resentful, by lunchtime almost everyone around that person will be resentful. If you try to keep track of how many times politicians and their social media rebuttals blame, deny, and avoid, you’ll quickly lose track.

The Story: Musician Tom Petty, the front man of "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers" from 1976 to 1987, died on October 2, 2017. In January...