True or false? People are rational and generally make good choices. Now, consider this. Can they be tricked? Yes! You might remember Monty Hall and “The Price is Right”. At end the of the show, the contestant who had won the most money was shown three doors, behind two of which were some cheap junk but behind one was a big prizemaybe a fancy car. 

Spend a little time with someone who has a high-conflict personality (HCP) and you will discover that their world is one of opposites. Their behaviors and interactions with people, especially those close to them in family and friendships or those who hold a position of authority in some way, have experienced this. 

More than nurturing, more than safety, more than education and socialization and even more than food, clothing, shelter and a new cell phone every couple of years, parenting is about letting go.

Why do people do stupid things? Game theory is a branch of mathematics that analyzes how and why people make the choices that they make. Recently, a couple of authors have included game theory in the study of marriage and divorce.

Sometimes it takes dramatic extremes to wake us up. By definition, republicans and democrats serve as foils to one another. Early in any campaign, candidates try to distinguish themselves by taking polarized positions. Pro-this and anti-that.

One of my guiltiest pleasures is napping.  I tell myself that my napping habit is reprehensible for a number of reasons. Time spent napping could be spent cleaning house, exercising, studying, or writing a blog.  All of these statements are true, but you know what else? Napping can be really good for you.

Most health and wellness experts agree that New Year’s resolutions to get healthy come to an abrupt halt around mid-February. All those good intentions get sidetracked by the business of life and reverting back to old habits.

When red flags arise, they often aren't as obvious as we'd think. Here, experts break down which ones to watch out for—and how to fix them.

Whether you’re choosing a friend, getting married, deciding where to work, electing a leader (such as a President) or just trying to understand someone’s behavior, it helps to have personality awareness skills. This has become especially important in modern times for several reasons. Once you have personality awareness skills, you will start noticing patterns of behavior you didn’t think about before. While most of our articles, books and videos are about how to manage people with “high-conflict” personalities, this article is about how to avoid bringing new high-conflict personalities into your life.

…the room gets messier by the day. You’re tired of the screaming matches that inevitably follow each request. So, this time, you practice reflective listening

One of the challenges in mediation is that parties usually come to mediation already with a dispute.  The training of lawyers and many mediators includes an assumption that the parties are in a dispute.

If You Change the Rules (and the Outcomes), You Can Change the Game: This is the Lesson Learned in Waldron and Koritzinsky’s Game Theory and the Transformation of Family Law.