27. January 2010 by John Schinnerer.

It is the difficulties in life that cultivate wisdom.

You cannot be wise without adversity.

And parenting, by its very nature, is filled with adversity. 

John Schinnerer

Posted in San Ramon CA, Optimal Human Functioning, Self-compassion, Parenting workshop, National speakers, Raising optimistic children, Dr. John Schinnerer, Parenting, Men's emotions, Positive Psychology | Print | No Comments »

27. January 2010 by John Schinnerer.

Please take a listen to Dr. John Schinnerer’s recent radio interview with David Van Nuys, Ph.D. and professor emeritus at Sonoma State University.

The talk focuses on using positive psychology for coaching individuals towards a thriving, productive, meaningful life.

Positive psychology is not another self-help fad. It is a scientifically based approach to map out processes and exercises that work to help humans achieve optimal human functioning.

Take a listen to a fascinating interview…

http://www.shrinkrapradio.com/2010/01/15/228-positive-psychology-coaching-with-john-schinnerer/

All the best,

John Schinnerer, Ph.D.

Positive Psychology coach

Posted in Emotion & learning, Danville CA, National speakers, Hope, Mindfulness, Emotion & productivity, International Wellbeing Study, Self-compassion, Alamo CA, Optimal Human Functioning, Executive coach, San Ramon CA, Resiliency, The human brain, Life coach, Guide to Self, Dr. John Schinnerer, Managing stress, Business & psych, Happiness, Guide To Self Beginners Guide To Managing Emotion, Managing Sadness, Men's emotions, Emotional management, Emotional mind, Depression, Positive Psychology | Print | No Comments »

27. January 2010 by John Schinnerer.

Reprinted from PsychCentral.com

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on January 26, 2010

Perrhaps a new finding is not a surprise to the millions who are following the Tiger Woods fiasco, but despite the rise in power and accomplishments of women, a research study from Spain finds men display less guilt and lower levels of sensitivity than women.

In the study, researchers discovered feelings of guilt are “significantly higher” among women. However, they determined the main problem is not that women feel a lot of guilt (which they do), but rather that many males feel “too little.”

“Our initial hypothesis was that feelings of guilt are more intense among females, not only among adolescents but also among young and adult women, and they also show the highest scores for interpersonal sensitivity,” Itziar Etxebarria, lead author of the study and a researcher at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) said.

The research, published in the Spanish Journal of Psychology, was carried out using a sample from three age groups (156 teenagers, 96 young people and 108 adults) equally divided between males and females.

The team of psychologists asked them what situations most often caused them to feel guilt. They also carried out interpersonal sensitivity tests – the Davis Empathetic Concern Scale, and a questionnaire on Interpersonal Guilt, created purposely for this study.

When it came to comparing the measurements of intensity of habitual guilt of these groups, the researchers saw that this score was significantly higher for women, in all three age groups. “This difference is particularly stark in the 40-50-year-old age group”, points out Etxebarria.

The data also suggest that female teenagers and young women have higher scores than males of the same age. “This is caused by certain educational practices, which demand more of females, and which are sometimes still in use despite belief to the contrary,” claims the scientist.

The authors also found gender differences – similar to those noted for habitual guilt – in the two indices of interpersonal sensitivity, although in the 40-50 age bracket the men’s levels came closer to women’s.

The interpersonal sensitivity of men (especially those aged between 25-33) is “comparatively low.” The experts say a lack of sensitivity could lead to absence or excessive weakness of certain kinds of guilt, such as empathetic guilt, which could be beneficial for interpersonal relationships and for the individual.

Types of guilt

The most common forms of guilt are related to situations where we cause harm to others. Stemming from this, it is normal that this arouses feelings of empathy for the people we may have harmed, which tend to turn into feelings of guilt when we recognize that we are responsible for their suffering.

A previous study, also headed by Itziar Etxebarria, analyzes people’s experiences of guilt, differentiating two components – one of these being empathetic (sorrow for the person we have harmed in some way) and the other anxious-aggressive (unease and contained aggression).

The anxious-aggressive kind of guilt is more common in people who have been raised in a more blame-imposing environment, and who are governed by stricter rules about behavior in general and aggression in particular.

“It seems obvious that this component will be more intense among women, and especially in older women,” says Etxebarria.

The greater presence of this component among women, above all those aged between 40 and 50, explains the marked differences in the intensity of habitual guilt in this age group, “just at the age when males move towards females in the two indices of interpersonal sensitivity analyzed”, she explains.

“Educational practices and a whole range of socializing agents must be used to reduce the trend towards anxious-aggressive guilt among women and to strengthen interpersonal sensitivity among men”, concludes the researcher.

Source: FECYT - Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology

 Original article may be found here http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/01/26/sensitivity-feelings-of-guilt-low-in-men/10958.html 

Posted in Emotion & learning, National speakers, Awareness, Relationships, Danville CA, Emotion & productivity, Alamo CA, Executive coach, San Ramon CA, Men's emotions, Alexithymia, Dr. John Schinnerer, Measuring emotions, Business & psych, Life coach, Guide to Self, Emotional management, Emotional mind, Morals and values, Bullies | Print | No Comments »