One of the reasons I love reading non-fiction is the opportunity to connect with knowledgeable people and have some wonderful conversations. Today I am thrilled to have Judy Ho on the series, author of Stop Self-Sabotage: Six Steps to Unlock Your True Motivation, Harness Your Willpower, and Get Out of Your Own Way with me and we are discussing psychology and our tendencies as human beings to be the obstacles to our goals. My detailed review is coming, though you can check my thoughts on Goodreads.
Judy Ho, Ph. D., ABPP, ABPdN, CFMHE is a licensed and triple board-certified Clinical and Forensic Neuropsychologist, a tenured Associate Professor at Pepperdine University, television and podcast host, and published author. She conducts neuropsychological assessments and serves as an expert witness in her private practice, hosts an active research lab, provides expert commentary to media, and is a sought after public speaker.
Welcome to The Creator’s Roulette, Judy. What first peaked your interest to study psychology?
I was a teenager when I was a mentor in the Big Brother Big Sister program and I realized how important one person can be to another person’s life. I worked with several foster children and realized that just by being present and showing up you can change the way people perceive relationships, experience safety, and receive encouragement they need to go for their goals. So I’ve wanted to be a psychologist since I was in high school!
How does clinically practicing psychology compliment teaching and researching in it as a professor?
It is all part of being a mental health professional and I love it. The research informs the clinical work, and the clinical work informs my research interests. Both of these activities allows me to be able to provide so much more to my students in the classroom since I am actually working as a psychologist in the real world with real patients, rolling up my sleeves and doing research. It adds a lot of variety in my life that I appreciate and I look forward to the work I get to do very day.
I read your book Stop Self-Sabotage: Six Steps to Unlock Your True Motivation, Harness Your Willpower, and Get Out of Your Own Way. It is packed with information about self-sabotage triggers and how to overcome them. What led you into this area of study?
I realized that self-sabotage is universal and that everyone does it sometimes, and realized there was an evolutionary basis to this behavior. I wanted to write this book to give people hope that if they notice self-sabotage being a real problem in their lives, that there is a way out and a scientific approach to solving the problem.
Why is it important to understand what is holding us back?
Human beings love to evolve and develop and we have a brief time on this planet to make a difference and make our mark. Often times I talk to patients and coworkers as well as friends about regrets they have. I think it’s important to not have regrets about your life, to know that you’ve tried your best, and to not let something like self-sabotage hold you back because it is an issue that if you learn the method, you can easily take control of and stop it from wreaking havoc in your life and making you feel bad about yourself.
I love books that combine knowledge from different areas. During my teaching degree, psychology classes were one of my favorites, where we learned about how people learn, motivation, self-regulation, etc. What are some other fields that are deeply rooted in psychology?
There are so many fields that are rooted in psychology now! And I am just like you, love when knowledge comes together and is informed by various expertises and areas. A few examples are business, marketing, advertising, conflict resolution, philosophy, anthropology, human history, life coaching, organizational management, forensic psychology, developmental psychology, study of personality, and so much more.
If we want to change something about ourselves, whether it is our reaction to situations or learn a new skill, what role does planning and building a routine play in being successful?
Human beings thrive on routine, boundaries, and organization. So it is very important that we set a structure for ourselves and clearly lay out expectations that are achievable, realistic, and allows us to make progress a bit at a time. This way our reaction to situations where we have to be challenged or learn a new skill will be one of “I can do this” rather than feeling overwhelmed and giving up.
A lot of non-fiction books that I read nowadays are written in a workbook format with regular exercises and discussion questions. You yourself incorporated a Do it now task, an over the week task and the long assignment. What role does repetition and regular application play in making concepts concrete in our minds?
We learn best through repeated exposures and a laddering approach where each time you are exposed to that information again, you’re stretched a bit more in terms of developing a skill or expanding your learning. So ideally, you’d be doing those activities in succession, from the short assignment first, then medium length, then longer assignment. But I also wanted to present the methods with flexibility and respect for people’s schedules. If they only have a few minutes that day but want to put their new knowledge to work, they can start with the task that only takes a few minutes, then do the longer ones when they have more time. Also, having a succession of tasks helps you build confidence. Once you do the short assignment, you will feel more confident to approach the medium length assignment, and so on.
For someone interested in psychology, which book would be a good introduction to the field?
I love the book Happiness Trap. It is all about the myth of happiness in our society and how we can achieve meaningful lives and feel good about ourselves by diving into our values instead and living a life that is values-based rather than achievement based. The author Dr. Russ Harris is a great writer and an awesome teacher of a form of therapy technique called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
What are some books you would recommend to readers who like reading about psychology once in a while and want to learn and apply the concepts to their lives?
- Social Animal by Elliot Aronson
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
- The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil by Phillip Zimbardo
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- The Invisible Gorilla and How Our Intuition Deceives Us by Christopher Chabis and Daniel Simons
Are you interested in psychology? What attracts you to this field of study?
I hope you enjoyed this conversation with Judy. Learn more about her on her website and connect with her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Banner Photo by Deanna Lewis on Unsplash
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