As social creatures, humans form many complex interpersonal relationships throughout our lives. Our relationship with each person we encounter in our lives may be unique and not easily understood by others outside of it. Often, we may even develop some assumptions about a couple’s power dynamics when we observe them from a third person point of view. Power dynamics is a term that describes the ability of a person to exert control and influence within a relationship or group [1]. It is used to exemplify the unspoken roles that each person takes on in a relationship, and how these ro ..read more

Do you ever find yourself getting frustrated after the Netflix show you have been binge watching ends on a cliffhanger? For some of us, we may look up the internet for any possible theories for what might happen next or we may check when the upcoming season will be up. If we are lucky enough, we might even find another source for a continuation of the series. This seemingly innate motivation to seek out answers to ambiguous situations is called the Need for Closure.  Cognitive Closure Cognitive closure refers to the motivation to achieve finality and absoluteness in decisions, judgmen ..read more

For most of us, when we were younger, we couldn’t wait to grow up. Perhaps we yearned for the freedom that adulthood brings. Ironically, now that most of us have experienced ageing and adulthood, we might wish we could rewind time. We wish that we could go back to when we were younger when we had lesser worries. Recently, a former CEO, Bryan Johnson, took his desire to be young again to great measures and invested millions to reverse his ageing process. His anti-ageing regime included a strict caloric diet, eating his dinner by 11am, and consuming 111 supplements a day. At one point in time ..read more

As the conversation surrounding mental health disorders is becoming more common, people may be more inclined to seek help for their unconstructive thoughts and/or behaviours. The ever-present stigma and lack of information we may have of certain mental health disorders may cause us to overlook telltale signs. Deviant symptoms may be incorrectly labelled as normal behaviour, leaving a potential mental health disorder undiagnosed. However, what happens when the converse occurs? When culturally accepted thoughts and behaviours are incorrectly labelled as “abnormal”, we may end up incorrect ..read more

When a loved one shares with us about the challenges they may be facing, we tend to practise empathy and active listening. This can strengthen our relationships from being that reliable pillar of support for someone in need. However, did you know that it is equally, if not more important to respond well to good news? Capitalisation, also known as the act of sharing and responding to each other’s good news, can potentially enhance our mental health and well-being, as well as relationship strength [1]. When practising capitalisation, it requires us to be open to exercise self-disclosure with ..read more

I cannot thank Joseph from SCC enough for his incredible guidance and support throughout my therapeutic journey. He is truly a remarkable therapist who has helped me navigate through the ups and downs in my life and made me a better person. Joseph’s approach to therapy has been life changing for me. His expertise in cognitive behavioural therapy has helped me tremendously in improving my emotions. His dedication and commitment towards me have been unwavering and I am forever grateful for that. Joseph not only helped me improve my emotions, but he also helped me to change my perspective on lif ..read more

Love is an abstract concept carrying a variety of meanings for different people. It can sometimes feel ambiguous or difficult to conceptualise love, and we may become doubtful of how we show love to others and how others show love to us. While love can sometimes be difficult to understand, Gary Chapman’s theory of love languages is a good way to break down how we can give and receive love throughout our relationship. Origins of Love Languages The theory of love languages was first formulated by Gary Chapman in 1992 [1], in his book “The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitm ..read more

The term “quiet quitting” was first popularised on TikTok in July 2022 [1]. Subsequently, it received a mix of responses from both employees and employers. On one hand, some view it as a way of safeguarding employee mental health, claiming it to be an antidote to “hustle culture”. On the other hand, some believe it to be a rather emotional response that can affect one’s professional development and display of work ethics.  But what exactly is quiet quitting? Is this act ideal in countering the dangers of hustle culture? “Quiet Quitting” in Singapore context “Quiet quitting” is an atti ..read more

Social media is becoming rapidly accessible, especially among young children. It is no wonder that popular culture has a heavy impact on all of us, because of how quickly and conveniently new trends, information, and media spread to all of us. With the boom in conversation about mental health, we see more discourse about mental health and mental health issues in our popular culture. At this point, it becomes important for us to ask ourselves —is this popularisation of mental health positive, or is it more insidious than we realise? What Constitutes Popular Culture? Popular culture comprise ..read more

When we hear the word “self-care”, it is common for us to think of face masks, spa treatments, and going on a vacation. Contemporary self-care culture is praised for sparking conversation advocating for mental health. Admittedly, the popularisation of self-care today has opened our eyes to its importance and what it constitutes. However, we may find that self-care “culture” is slowly gravitating towards a certain level of toxicity, and it is important to recognise when toxic self-care is being touted. Toxic Self-Care Culture? What exactly constitutes “toxicity” in self-care culture? There ..read more