We all want love…or so we say. But, our choices in life and in love are driven not only by our wants, but also by our fears. This chilling truth hints at the seemingly odd connection between the words love and addiction.

Continuing with Episode II of my series on the psychology of Star Wars, this week Anakin’s son, Luke, deals with difficult emotions, like his father did, but in a totally different way. He develops a strong emotional center thanks to social connections and support.

The intensely socially repressive atmosphere of earlier times has been supplanted with an atmosphere of entitlement, permissiveness, and license. So it’s not surprising that it’s now more common for folks to lack enough shame or guilt to inhibit them from setting out to harm or manipulate others. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that significantly disturbed characters are everywhere.

It seems virtuous, disciplined — wholesome, even. But is the time-honored conflict-avoiding technique of ‘picking your battles’ causing more problems than it solves? Here’s why picking your battles has a dark side.

Do you recognize these 9 characteristics of a bitter person? Have you experienced the toll that bitterness can take on relationships? The real secret to dealing with bitterness is learning to let go.

When someone is deep in thought, we say “I could see the gears turning in their head.” But what happens when those gears refuse to turn properly?

Two important principles can help you move on and create a life that is healthy instead of toxic. The first is to overcome the ‘slot machine syndrome’ left from years of emotional investment, and the second is to redirect investments of emotional energy and time away from areas we have no power to control.