"No matter how intense the charge — or if we love for fifty years— at our core, we do not merge. Your lover looks through different eyes, two worlds existing side by side: two images, unique and whole, of the oasis of the soul." - The Hermetic Library Blog

No matter how intense the charge — or if we love for fifty years— at our core, we do not merge. Your lover looks through different eyes, two worlds existing side by side: two images, unique and whole, of the oasis of the soul. Annie Gottlieb and Slobodan D Pesic, The Cube: Keep the Secret […]

Fishing Without Bait 914: Understanding Hypnotherapy with Mike Oglesbee — Fishing Without Bait - A Life Without Expectations

In this episode of "Fishing Without Bait," host Jim Ellermeyer is joined by Mike Oglesbee, a seasoned mindset coach and hypnotherapist. They delve into the transformative power of the mind and the journey to self-improvement through full impact mindfulness. Mike shares his path from curios

THE SICKNESS UNTO DEATH – Get in the robot, Tarale

How we compare: A new approach to assess aspects of the comparison process for appearance-based standards and their associations with individual differences in wellbeing and personality measures

We introduce a novel approach to assess habitual comparison processes, while distinguishing between different types of comparison standards. Several comparison theories (e.g., social) suggest that self-evaluations use different standards to inform self-perception and are associated with wellbeing and personality. We developed the Comparison Standards Scale for Appearance (CSS-A) to examine self-reported engagement with social, temporal, criteria-based, dimensional, and counterfactual comparisons for upward and downward standards in relation to appearance. The scale was completed by three hundred participants online alongside measures of appearance schemas, social comparison evaluations, depression, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, physical self-concept, narcissism, and perfectionism. The CSS-A was found to reliably assess individual differences in upward and downward comparison frequency and affective impact for multiple comparison standards. In line with theory, CSS-A upward comparisons were more frequent than downward comparisons and coincided with negative (versus positive) affective impact. Comparison intensity (i.e., comparison frequency × discrepancy) predicted negative and positive affective impact for upward and downward comparisons, respectively. This relationship was partially mediated by appearance concern for upward comparisons (a composite of appearance schemas and physical self-concept), yet moderated by negativity for downward comparisons (a composite of depression, anxiety, stress, and self-esteem). We offer a framework for measuring the comparison process that warrants further research on underlying comparison processes, for which the CSS(-A) and experience sampling methods should serve as useful tools.