By Jonathan Kaplan, Ph.D.
I’ve been feeling pretty shell-shocked lately. There’s a lot happening in my life and the city. Budget problems and economic woes dominate the headlines: MTA is facing a serious budget shortfall, Mayor Bloomberg wants to withhold annual rebate checks for homeowners, and companies are laying off workers daily. [...]

By Jonathan Kaplan, Ph.D.
Two days ago, the actress and singer Jennifer Hudson offered a $100,000 reward for the safe return of her 7-year-old nephew who was abducted. Tragically, the young boy was discovered dead soon afterwards.
In offering this reward, Ms. Hudson clearly expressed a core value of loving her family more than money. [...]

By Jonathan Kaplan, Ph.D.
Here in the city, anxiety about the financial crisis is palpable and omnipresent. Thousands of people, especially within the financial services industry, have been losing their jobs. Real estate construction and development have slowed or ceased, while home sales plummet. Retail businesses and restaurants have been doing poorly too [...]