Outwardly, suburbia maintains the straitlaced, middle-class look that belies the social ferment behind closed doors. There is the secret use of drugs, fed by the marijuana syndrome. There is the river of alcohol flooding from door to door under the euphemism of social drinking. Then, of course, inevitably there is the advent of mate swapping. […]

The onset of puberty inevitably brings with it the dawning awareness of sexuality, of a child’s inherent masculinity or femininity, and the struggle to put that sexuality into proper perspective with internalized standards and parentally prescribed teachings. For some, the transition occurs with relative ease. For others, the change is marked by tension and anxiety, […]

One need only tune in the television set during prime time on any evening of the week to witness a seemingly endless barrage of violence in the form of “entertainment”. Whether it be cops pursuing robbers, or cowboys gunning down Indians, the pattern is invariably the same. The fact that no one is really hurt, […]

Many people feel an overwhelming attraction to other members of their own family. When suppressed, this attraction often leads to agonizing emotional troubles. When expressed, this stigma sometimes means feelings of guilt and shame that are almost impossible to overcome. Indeed, incest is a subject that has been shunned by society from the earliest memories […]

It was Henry David Thoreau, in Walden, who remarked, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” This statement appears to be just as true today as it was then. Perhaps it is even more valid today considering the pressures and frequent monotony of today’s world. The majority of today’s men and women live […]

In many cases today’s marriage is seen as a business and/or social arrangement between consenting adults rather than a continuing expression of love. The results are obvious: casual, promiscuous infidelity; a lack of concern for the partner and the children; the breakdown of the nuclear family; and the use of others for thrill-seeking-and often deviant-purposes […]

Who can judge a person’s reactions during stress situations? The prisoner of war who gives in to his captors’ demands, the kidnapped heiress who joins forces with her abductors — both must act without past experience to guide them. The end result can be either a very negative or a positive experience. In KIDNAPPED AND […]

The subject of victim psychology has become an area of great interest in recent years, due mostly, perhaps to the widely publicized “conversion” of Patricia Hearst to the radical SLA. Why a victim will turn and become a party to his or her own abduction is a question open to hot debate. The women in […]

Although Americans appear to the rest of the world as frank and open peoples the truth is often the opposite when it comes to relating on a personal basis. This is particularly true regarding sexual matters. The fact is, Americans are only now beginning to learn to discuss sex and sexuality with candor and usually […]

Every society is marked by an adolescent stage. A growing-up period. A time when each young member feels he is infinitely more daring and modem than the adults ruling the establishment he often rebels against. Nowhere is this phenomenon more marked than in an open society like ours. Many an adult has smiled in remembrance […]