Whether you realize it or not, all the good domain names are taken! So, it took a bit of ingenuity, creativity, loose association and a tolerant wife to come up with a new name that is topical, catchy and flows. All of the above played a role in the name PsychMinder.
On one level, the word mind refers not only to one of the main functions of the brain, but also as a verb it means “to attend to.” As in, “Mind your own business” or “Mind the store.” Thus a minder is one who attends to, cares for, or looks after someone or something. My wife told me that in the United Kingdom a minder is a baby sitter or nanny. However, for this occasion, a PsychMinder is one who attends to or cares about psychology. I started this blog in an effort to help both my readers and myself stay current on new research, topics and ideas in psychology. Some of the ideas I will present are my own and others will be in reaction to what others have written, said or done. While I am a clinical psychologist, my interests in psychology are wide-ranging and my posts are just as eclectic.
I mentioned earlier that the mind could be considered one of the functions of the brain. As digestion is the function of the stomach, the mind is a function of the central nervous system. It is probably related in some form to consciousness and thought, as we might ask someone, “What is on your mind?” When a person says something outrageous, we might say, “You are out of your mind!” When I am angry, I might want to offer someone “a piece of my mind.” When there is war, I might have peace on my mind, but when I am content I have “peace of mind.” When someone acts discourteous we might ask them to “mind their manners,” but when considerate one is “mindful.”
Just this instant, one of my associates called to say he misplaced his wallet. He thought he lost his mind, but I reassured him he mindlessly put his wallet down. Was I showing him empathy as in “Theory of Mind?” That’s a topic for yet another post. Now mind you, we don’t usually refer to non-human animals as having a mind, but sometimes I wonder what my dog Sera has on her mind. If you are aching and groaning while reading this post, it is probably either “mind over matter” or you’re just not in the right “mindset” or “frame of mind.” Let me reassure you I wrote this article without the aid of a “mind-altering drug.” Now, if you don’t mind, please subscribe and kindly check out the other posts. Do feel free to tell us what is on your mind or even start a “psych-dialogue,” which was the backup name for this blog had the domain PsychMinder been taken.
The PsychMinder 