The Human Need for Storytelling

We are a storytelling species. Not only do we weave stories about our own lives (which is known as narrativisation: the process of presenting and interpreting experiences, events, and scenarios in the form of a narrative; that is, a story), we also create, tell, and retell stories of an epic, mythic, and fantastical nature. Moreover,…

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Experiential Richness and the Perception of Time

The richness of our experiences in life can often drastically alter our perception of time. While we may not always think of time in a subjective manner (after all, a minute is a minute, an hour is an hour), the pace at which reality unfolds does, in fact, change throughout the day, depending on myriad…

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Solutions Journalism is the Answer to Our Bleak News Landscape

Solutions journalism (or solution-based journalism) is an approach to reporting that focuses on solutions to problems in the world, as well as raising awareness of those issues. Proponents of solutions journalism maintain that this form of news reporting is necessary for society – after all, the widespread standard journalistic approach of simply communicating problems can…

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Finding Sanctuary in the Modern World

‘Sanctuary’ derives from the Latin word sanctus, meaning holy, and originally referred to a sacred place (such as a shrine) that was set apart from the ordinary world. In a religious context, a sanctuary is a place of holiness or safety, although the term is now used to denote any area of safety or refuge.…

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Is Traditional Masculinity Always Harmful?

For the first time, the American Psychological Association (APA) has published guidelines on the mental health of boys and men. It features in the most recent issue of the APA’s Monitor on Psychology magazine. The 36-page APA Guidelines for the Psychological Practice with Boys and Men has stirred up some controversy, however. Authors have targeted “traditional masculinity ideology”…

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