By John M Oldham, MD Last year, I was asked to post a short video for “Vumedi Week 2025,” an annual collection of brief medical educational videos. I provided a link to that video in my August, 2025 blog, entitled “Borderline Personality Disorder, Revisited.” Recently, I was asked to participate in Vumedi Week 2026, this […]
By John M Oldham MD There is a lot in the news these days about prominent people with narcissistic personality traits. If someone is self-centered and self-important, needs to be noticed and in the spotlight, and is insensitive to others or even uninterested in them except for their flattery, such a person is likely to […]
By John M Oldham MD A few years ago, Lois Morris and I posted a blog on this website entitled “Attention!” (May, 2021), referring to the “Attention Economy.” We recommended that we “pay attention to where we pay attention,” with particular emphasis on the internet as a magnet for our attention. And while recognizing the […]
By John M Oldham MD The term “agency” shows up often in literature on human behavior. It is a desirable feature of someone with a healthy personality. But what does it actually mean? In a new book entitled “Agency, The Psychological History of Human Progress,” well-known psychologist Martin Seligman refers to it as the fusion […]
By John M Oldham MD If you’re among the many who have experienced substantial trauma in life, does that dictate your future? It’ll probably color it, but it depends on many variables. You may be naturally resilient, with inborn strengths that help you cope and recover. If you’re temperamentally anxious and insecure, however, you need […]
By John M Oldham MD By chance I came across an interesting website at Harvard Law School called the “Program on Negotiation” (https://www.pon.harvard.edu/), which is an educational effort focusing on interpersonal negotiation skills. Among the many available resources on the website is a free report entitled “Dealing with Difficult People.” Mostly geared for the high-end […]
by John M Oldham MD I recently attended the annual meeting of the American College of Psychiatrists, where there was a fair amount of interest in the enduring debate about temperament and character. What makes us the way we are? Are we born that way (temperament), or are we made that way by life experiences […]
