Keyword: learned helplessness

Magical Thinking and the Double Bind September 4, 2012

Armand DiMele breaks down two foundational distortions in human thinking: magical thinking, the belief that we cause or control others’ feelings, and the double bind, the no-win trap that forces children to bend reality rather than expose a parent’s lie. Both patterns, rooted in childhood, quietly drive adult dysfunction.

Submission Power and Learned Helplessness June 7, 2011

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Linda Vanella, Lorna Sykes

Submission is not always weakness. Armand DiMele and Linda Vanella, LCSW-R, map the difference between servers and peacemakers, trace learned helplessness from childhood abuse to elderly isolation, and examine how dominance hierarchies shape everything from family dynamics to corporate mergers and sexual behavior.