Category: Communication & Conflict

↕

Crazy Making and How It Works April 21, 2015

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Communication & Conflict, Emotions & Inner Life

Why do people deliberately destabilize those they love, and how does it work on different personality types? Armand DiMele walks through the psychology of crazy-making, using the Enneagram to show exactly which pressure points unravel each type, while callers share their own experiences of being worn down by the people closest to them.

Never Stand on Your Side During an Argument January 28, 2015

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Ben Starr, Giullian Gioiello
Category: Communication & Conflict, Emotions & Inner Life

Arguments fail not because people disagree but because each side stays locked in its own perspective. Armand DiMele, with co-hosts Ben Starr and Giullian Gioiello, examines what people really want from arguments (to be understood, not just to win), the difference between constructive and destructive conflict, and why buried anger corrodes intimacy. Callers share stories of dog walks, debt collection, and distant partners.

Anger Aggression and Passive Aggression September 11, 2013

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Giullian Gioiello
Category: Communication & Conflict, Emotions & Inner Life

Passive aggression hides in plain sight behind sweetness and forgetfulness while recruiting others to act out its anger. Armand DiMele and co-host Giullian Gioiello trace the aggressive spectrum from assertiveness to psychopathy, explain how passive and aggressive personalities attract each other, and connect these dynamics to political betrayal and marital infidelity.

Honesty Fear and the Loss of Self September 3, 2013

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Communication & Conflict, Identity & The Self

Protecting people from the truth slowly erases who you are. Armand DiMele argues that fear of hurting others’ feelings drives chronic self-suppression, indecision, and blame, tracing how the habit often begins in family dynamics and quietly hollows out a person’s sense of self.

Nagging and the Pressure to Change with Dr. Doe Lang May 1, 2013

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Communication & Conflict, Love & Romantic Relationships

Constant pressure to change a partner is a guaranteed formula for resentment, and possibly hatred. Armand DiMele unpacks why nagging backfires whether or not it works, and Dr. Doe Lang joins to discuss charisma, breathing, and the inner resources that give people real influence over their lives.

Warning Signs of Dangerous Relationships with Noel Nelson April 23, 2013

Category: Communication & Conflict, Trauma & Healing

Psychologist Dr. Noel Nelson, author of ‘Dangerous Relationships,’ walks Armand through seven early warning signs of abusive relationships, from whirlwind romance to possessiveness to boundary violations. The conversation covers why controlling behavior, not pathology or alcohol, is the clearest predictor of domestic violence.

The Hidden Meaning Behind What People Say with Dr. Rachel Hatt April 1, 2013

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Dr. Rachel Hatt
Category: Communication & Conflict, Emotions & Inner Life

Most people assume they understand what others say, but the words are only the surface. Armand DiMele and Dr. Rachel Hatt break down why genuine curiosity is the foundation of real listening, and walk through practical steps like backtracking, paraphrasing, and asking specific questions to uncover what someone actually means.

Exasperation in Close Relationships September 25, 2012

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Communication & Conflict, Emotions & Inner Life

Exasperation quietly poisons relationships, and Armand DiMele argues it signals a timing mismatch between feeling and expression. He traces how suppressed frustration leads to stonewalling, and proposes practical resets including conscious pausing, the smile technique, and ending every conversation with “I love you.” Callers share stories about estranged children and grandchildren.

The Many Ways We Ignore and Get Ignored August 16, 2011

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Lauren Sykes, Linda Vanella
Category: Communication & Conflict, Emotions & Inner Life

Being ignored can wound, protect, or punish depending on who is doing it and why. Armand DiMele traces the impulse from passive aggression and childhood family dynamics to the shame many women feel at puberty, drawing on observations from Linda Vanella, LCSW-R, and calls from listeners navigating neglect in their own relationships.

How People Really See You March 1, 2011

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Communication & Conflict, Identity & The Self

Most of us carry a story about how others see us, and that story is often wrong. Armand DiMele examines the gap between self-image and social reality, touching on trustworthiness, sarcasm as a defense, online dating personas, schadenfreude, and what it would take to simply be yourself.