Theory in 60 Seconds

Article written in collaboration with @mariadalpratogrosu.psicologa Pathological addictions are often understood, in common sense terms, as a matter of willpower or as a simple pursuit of pleasure for its own sake. Psychodynamic literature instead proposes a different interpretive key: the substance (or behavior) should not be understood only for its effects, but for the function it comes to serve in the person's psychic life. Beyond Pleasure: The Substance as an Emotional R

Article written in collaboration with @psy.giusybua Human sexuality expresses itself along a spectrum far broader than common culture tends to acknowledge. Within clinical practice, the topic of paraphilias remains one of the most delicate to address, suspended between the need to depathologize atypical sexuality and the need to identify, when present, forms of distress or risk that require intervention. This article offers an overview of the topic, distinguishing the concept

Article written in collaboration with @psicoluce Introduction: A Growing Phenomenon Over the past few decades, burnout has evolved from a niche construct, initially studied in relation to helping professions alone, into a cross-cutting phenomenon recognized in virtually every occupational sector. This expansion has brought with it growing theoretical complexity: today burnout is understood not as a single stress reaction, but as the outcome of a multifactorial process involvi

Article written in collaboration with @dott.ssa_giuliagiulivi Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) was introduced as an independent diagnostic category in the DSM-5, replacing and expanding the previous definition of "feeding disorder of infancy or early childhood" (American Psychiatric Association, 2022). Unlike anorexia and bulimia nervosa, ARFID is not driven by a desire to control body weight or shape, but by an avoidance or restriction of food intake that ca

Article written in collaboration with @dott.ssa_giuliagiulivi In recent years, the theme of "clean" eating has gained increasing space across social media, wellness influencers, and a growing cultural focus on what we eat. Within this context, orthorexia nervosa has emerged — a term first coined by physician Steven Bratman in 1997 to describe people whose extreme diets, intended for health reasons, paradoxically end up causing malnutrition or impairing daily functioning (Brat

Article written in collaboration with @tracce.psicologiche Aggression in young children is often experienced by parents as a problem to be corrected or eliminated. Psychoanalysis instead offers a more nuanced reading: aggression is not merely a behavior to be contained, but a complex phenomenon rooted in the very structure of drive and emotional life, one that takes on different meanings across the various stages of development. Freud: Drive Dualism and the Emergence of Aggre

Article with @taniacasso_psicologa Introduction For decades, the way Western culture has conceived of intelligence was dominated by a seemingly simple idea: intelligence is a unitary capacity, measurable through standardized tests and summarizable in a single number, the Intelligence Quotient (I.Q.). This model, born from the work of Binet and Simon at the beginning of the twentieth century and consolidated throughout the twentieth century, profoundly influenced school system

Article written in collaboration with @semidilettura The Prenatal Bond Through Reading Pregnancy is often experienced as a waiting — a suspended time between the present and the encounter with a being not yet seen, but who already exists, already perceives, already responds. Yet research in perinatal psychology and developmental neuroscience offers us a far richer picture: the baby in the womb is not a passive subject. It is a sentient being, actively listening to the world a

Article written in collaboration with @semidilettura Abstract Shared reading during the first three years of life is one of the most powerful and accessible practices available to parents and caregivers for supporting children's overall development. Neuropsychological and developmental research has consistently documented that reading aloud — particularly dialogic and contingent reading — produces significant effects on cognitive, linguistic, emotional, and relational develo

Article written in collaboration with @psicologa.luciacacace Introduction "I don't need anyone." At first glance, this statement might seem like an expression of strength, maturity, resilience. Yet when this belief becomes rigid — when asking for help causes discomfort, emotional closeness generates anxiety, and showing vulnerability feels unacceptable — we are dealing with something far more complex. The psychological literature describes this cluster of patterns with the te

Article written in collaboration with @chiaramarianipsi Abstract Eating disorders (EDs) — including anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED) — are among the most complex and misunderstood psychiatric conditions. Despite the robust evidence accumulated over recent decades, cultural narratives continue to attribute these disorders to personal weakness, vanity, or a lack of willpower. This article examines the neurobiological, psychological, a

Article written in collaboration with @hasnaa.tarik.psych Abstract Addiction is among the most misunderstood conditions in both clinical and public discourse. Commonly attributed to moral failure or lack of willpower, it is in fact a complex, chronic brain disorder rooted in neurobiological processes involving the dopamine reward system, stress-response circuits, and prefrontal regulatory mechanisms. This article provides an in-depth review of the neuroscience of addiction, e

Abstract This article proposes a psychoanalytic reading of the Italian comic trio Aldo, Giovanni, and Giacomo through the structural model of the psyche developed by Sigmund Freud in his second topography (1923). The three characters are interpreted as archetypal representations of the psychic agencies of the Id, Superego, and Ego, offering a clinically informed and accessible framework for understanding intrapsychic conflict, defense mechanisms, and the reality principle. In

Article co-authored with @may.psychologist Abstract Chronic pain represents a complex clinical condition that transcends the simple physiological response to a harmful stimulus, configuring itself as a multidimensional experience characterized by biological, psychological, and social components. This article examines the neurobiological basis of pain chronicity, the mechanisms of central sensitization and neuroplasticity, as well as the psychological components that modulate

Abstract Vulnerability represents a fundamental paradox in intimate relationships: what we perceive as weakness is actually the foundation of authentic intimacy. This article explores the connection between attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969, 1973, 1980) and the capacity to be vulnerable in adult relationships, integrating contemporary research on shame and courage (Brown, 2012, 2015). Through analysis of attachment styles and their behavioral correlates, it is highlighted how i

Article written in collaboration with @tutor.dellapprendimento Introduction Metaphonological skills represent one of the most studied constructs in developmental and learning psychology, proving to be a fundamental predictor for the acquisition of reading and writing skills. These skills, defined as the ability to consciously reflect, manipulate, and operate on the sounds that make up spoken language, fall within the broader domain of metalinguistic skills (Stella & Pippo, 20

Article written in collaboration with @meriodoc General Introduction to Love Languages The concept of “love languages” was introduced by Gary Chapman in the early 1990s as a descriptive tool to understand the ways in which people tend to express and perceive affection within intimate relationships (Chapman, 1992). According to this model, love is not merely an emotion but a communicative process that requires a shared channel for the message to be received accurately. Many re

Introduction When we face a situation perceived as threatening or traumatic, our nervous system automatically activates a series of protective responses that have deep roots in our evolution. These responses – commonly identified as fight, flight, freeze, and fawn – represent survival strategies that the body and mind have developed to ensure our safety (Porges, 2011; van der Kolk, 2014). While these reactions are adaptive in contexts of real danger, they can become problemat

Article co-authored with @evuzlab What is SDT? Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is a scientific theory of human motivation developed by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan in the 1980s and is now considered one of the most robust models in contemporary psychology (Ryan & Deci, 2000; Deci & Ryan, 2012). Echoing what the authors state in their 2008 article “Self-determination theory: A macrotheory of human motivation, development, and health”, “Self-Determination Theory focuses on the

Article written in collaboration with @psyalessia_pasquali Definition and Theoretical Models of Giftedness Giftedness has historically been associated almost exclusively with intelligence quotient, but contemporary literature has largely moved beyond this reductionist view. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Lewis Terman initiated one of the first systematic studies on children with high cognitive potential, emphasizing that elevated intelligence was a relatively sta