Why do powerful people sabotage themselves? Armand DiMele uses the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal as a lens to examine the crushing psychological pressure of public power, the unconscious drive toward self-destruction as relief, and how personal histories with infidelity shape the stones people throw at others.
Fireworks to chase evil spirits, 108 gong strikes, color-coded underwear for luck: Armand DiMele traces the surprising origins of New Year’s customs from Japan to Spain to Germany, then turns to why resolutions fail and how small, specific changes outperform grand acts of willpower.
Fashion is never just fashion. Armand DiMele traces clothing choices from 7,500-year-old figurines to sagging jeans, arguing that what we wear signals identity, power, and rebellion, and that our snap judgments about others’ dress reveal uncomfortable truths about ourselves. Callers share their own stories.
Why do humans punish, seek punishment, and punish themselves? Armand and co-host Roberta Maria Atti survey punishment across criminal justice, religion, family, and finance, arguing that withdrawal of love is the most powerful punishment of all and that defiance in children is really a plea for love.
Stealing and deception are woven into nature itself, Armand argues, from camouflaged fish to scavenging hyenas. He traces human larceny from petty office theft to billing fraud, and explores why people who steal against their own values end up punishing themselves more than anyone else does.
Coming to a new country often means carrying trauma, losing language fluency under stress, and navigating a system that can feel hostile or invisible. Armand DiMele and Gestalt therapist and immigration psychologist Didem Atahan examine the psychological toll of displacement, the barriers immigrants face seeking help, and the legal protections many don’t know they have.
Armand DiMele surveys a provocative batch of recent research suggesting that male midlife crisis is triggered not by aging alone but by a wife’s menopause, that creativity peaks in early adulthood and fades, and that polygamy rather than religion drives suicide bombing. Callers weigh in on relationships and sexual culture.
Too many patients leave the doctor’s office with a prescription they don’t need. Armand DiMele and two psychiatrists, Dr. Kent Robertshaw, MD and Dr. Alan Lanz, MD, argue that managed care, pharmaceutical incentives, and patients’ own reluctance to do the hard work of self-examination have combined to produce a culture of quick fixes over genuine healing.
The Virginia Tech massacre prompts Armand DiMele and co-host Dr. Kent Robert Shaw to ask why rampage killers are almost exclusively male. They trace the pattern through testosterone surges, schizoid and paranoid personality profiles, failures of the mental health system, and a culture that worships superstars while ignoring the quietly invisible.
Wolf pack hierarchy becomes a lens for understanding human social roles. Armand DiMele and Roberta Maria Atkins break down alpha, beta, and omega dynamics, tracing how these roles emerge in any group, how omegas can rise, and how different behavior types from play to avoidance shape daily life.
