This week, the gals are talking about the father of operant conditioning, BF Skinner. Since he was a pretty firm atheist who didn’t believe in all that ‘free will’ jazz, he theorized that a person’s behavior is trained by a series of rewards and punishments, and he made all sorts of boxes to prove it! He made boxes for rats, boxes for babies, just so many boxes. So turn up the volume on your podcast box and let Anna and Bonnie reward you with some knowledge! If you’d like to read more about Skinner’s life and theories, head on over to www.freudiansipspod.com for notes and links on the episode ..read more

Values. Goals. Meaning. It’s all part of the word cloud about ‘purpose’ that Anna and Bonnie are making to start off the new year. They talk a little about a lot of stuff, including how existential philosophy and Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy can help put our life meanings into perspective. Bonnie also gives Anna the Purpose in Life (PIL) test to see if Anna is in an existential void. So pop some champagne and settle in because the girls are back, baby! If you would like to take the PIL test yourself and read a little more about logotherapy, check that out here: https://exploringyourmind.com/eva ..read more

You didn’t think the gals forgot Spooktober, did you? Well, buckle up for a bunch of tricks and treats, because this week, Anna and Bonnie are talking about weird brain glitches! Mostly silly and occasionally spooky, they talk about the sensory mix-ups of synesthesia, the disorienting feeling of deja vu, the strangeness of the uncanny valley, and many more perception errors we can experience in our everyday lives. Also, a note: this will be the last episode of 2022! The gals are taking some time off for the holidays, but more Freudian Sips will be hitting your favorite podcast carrier in 2023 ..read more

This week, Anna and Bonnie talk about the father of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Dr. Aaron Beck. As always, Anna talks about Aaron’s life and times, of which there are many, because this was a very busy man. They chat about CBT techniques that Beck created and even used on himself, along with how those were radically different than the Freudian stuff of the time. Then Bonnie talks about several of the assessments created by Aaron himself, including the Beck Depression Inventory ..read more

Fighting through low energy and even lower focus, the girls try to talk this week about a few personality assessments. Bonnie talks about the Big Five test, which sorts personalities on five (duh) different qualities, like extraversion and neuroticism. Then Anna chats about the Thematic Apperception Test, where the test taker is asked to create a dramatic story based on a vague prompt, and hopefully that points us to all the things wrong in your brain! If you want to take the Big Five test for yourself, head over to www.bigfive-test.com ..read more

Hot take, guys: music is pretty cool. This week, Bonnie and Anna unpack all the different ways music affects the brain, how it gives us lots of feel-good chemicals, and just generally how it improves our health, both mental and physical. They also talk about how music is an integral part of culture and evolution, and how we use it as a form of connection and a way to regulate our own emotions. Because it turns out, science has proven what the best genre of music is… and it’s whatever music you like the most! Scientific vindication! If you want to learn more about how music is used to treat Alz ..read more

Bonnie and Anna have this tangled ball of Christmas lights that someone left in their office, but it’s also emotions? This week, they’re chatting about adjustment disorder, a very general diagnosis that covers possibly too much, including crossing some confusing lines with grief. So Bonnie also gives us a run-down on that, talking about concepts like anticipatory and ambiguous grief and how big events (like, say, a worldwide pandemic) can cause those feelings ..read more

This week, the gals are talking about Karen Horney, a Neo-Freudian who fought back against some of Freud’s wackier ideas and ended up influencing a lot of other theorists. First, Anna chats about Karen’s history and career — including how she was kicked out of the psychoanalysis boy’s club and started her own place. Next Bonnie talks theory, exploring the ten (and then later, three) different kinds of neuroses that Karen identified, along with her ideas about basic anxiety and how it all relates to a person’s relationships with their parents and society ..read more

Anna and Bonnie are FINALLY talking about Anna Freud, daughter of Sigmund! The gals discuss Anna Freud’s history and childhood growing up with Sigmund as a father, especially how Anna was psychoanalyzed as a child and how growing up in this way may have affected Anna’s sexuality. They also chat about her own contributions to psychology, including her work with ego defense mechanisms and her focus on child psychology ..read more

This week, the gals are finally going to tackle talking about autism spectrum disorder. Despite the name of the disorder, though, is it more of a sundae bar situation? Anna and Bonnie will explore this, as well as going over the possible causes, treatments, and history of the disorder. They’re also doing shots, so words are hard and Anna gets on her soapbox about stuff (exhibit A: VACCINES DON’T CAUSE AUTISM ..read more