Derek's Columns
I have written a column in every issue of Psychologies magazine since it was launched in October 2005. You can download these columns FREE here.
Internal affairs
Don't underestimate the power of the inner world, it colours how we see ourselves and our perception of the world around us.
Back to reality
Examining our fascination with fame.
Boys to men
Nowadays, men are more likely to seek therapy than ever before as they struggle to work out what it really means to be a man. Allow me to clear up the confusion.
Addicts anonymous
You enjoy a glass of wine with lunch, and maybe spend a little too much on clothes each week but you're not an addict, are you? Or could you be addicted to modern life?
Keeping Mum
With research showing that the bond between mother and baby crucially affects the child's personality development, women face the dilemma of how soon they should go back to work. I discuss care-giving in a time-pressured society.
Think outside the box
Psychology is now a fixture of the television schedules, and has brought therapy to a wider audience. But are TV producers taking risks with people's emotions?
Love is the drug
We may think it's all about fate or blinding chemistry, but the reasons we fall in love often have more to do with attempting to compensate what we lack.
Where the truth lies
How can you tell if you're lying to yourself? If you've been clinging to a false reality, it's time to understand why.
Accidents of birth?
Some claim being the oldest or youngest sibling in the family can dictate your personality type. Why we are convinced by the importance of birth order?
Staying Power
Ever found yourself unable to let go of something close to you - doomed love, a job you hate, a house that's too big? I look at why, sometimes, we can't move on.
Act your age
It's part of being a teenager to mope and have tantrums as we search to find our true selves. I explore why our adolescent mental behaviour can stretch into adulthood.
Here comes the Sun
Whether you're depressed or just unhappy, you don't have to accept things the way they are. An understanding of your mood can help clear those dark clouds.
In your dreams
When we sleep, our minds come alive, but what do our nocturnal musings really mean? At the very least, your dreams may reveal some surprising connections.
False Memory
Everyone has memories of key events in their past, yet sometimes we invent traumas as well as hide them. What can we learn from what we remember?
Putting God on the Couch
It may not be fashionable, but embracing religion in some form can lead to a happier life and more stable state of mind.
Pressure Points
Unhappy events from our past have a lasting effect on our lives, boiling up when we least expect them. But can we break free by getting to the root of these feelings.
Dark Materials
Many of us are at least a little fascinated by other people's trauma, and the media is full of “real-life” doom and gloom - but, what does this say about us as people?
Crying Shame
Many of us try to cover up the feelings of shame we carry with us, but burying these emotions can cause long-term problems. Face up to it.
Is sharing caring?
Though therapy may unearth important and uncomfortable aspects of your past, think twice before you let people involved - your parents or partner - into the secret
Who's the Daddy?
With absent fathers being blamed for so many of society's ills, it may be time to reassess the vital importance of the male role in child-rearing.