In this video, Paul Johnson welcomes back Dr. Emily Bashah to discuss psychopathy, decision-making, and agency in the context of hierarchy. The two also discuss their book Addictive Ideologies, Stanley Milgram’s 1960s experiment and tyranny. Dr. Bashah explains that not all convicted killers are psychopaths, and that not all psychopaths are killers – there are CEOs, successful politicians, and companies that do share psychopathic traits and tendencies. Paul and Dr. Bashah talk about whether psychopathy has a genetic nature to it or not, and about the differences between narcissists and psychopaths. Paul shares his definition of power and his hypothesis about how it manifests in different contexts such as parenthood and politics. Paul and Dr. Bashah go over taking action, guilt, making decisions, and doing so as an informed person, as well as the tyranny and persecution that happened in Iraq with Saddam Hussein, during the Second World War, in the Bosnian War, and in Rwanda. They bring up the role that agency has in the context of hierarchy, and they go over the psychology of a con artist. Paul’s and Dr. Bashah’s new book is called Addictive Ideologies – they also focus on one of the key points they make in it. Addictive Ideologies: Finding Meaning and Agency When Politics Fail You - https://amzn.to/3WmWWip Dr. Philip Zimbardo - https://twitter.com/philzimbardo?lang=en How to Become a Tyrant (Netflix series) - https://www.netflix.com/title/80989772 Stanley Milgram - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Milgram We are The Optimistic American, and we are in the business of promoting what is going right in our country. Every day, there is tremendous progress being made in America — across technology, public policy, science and medicine, and much more — that will set current and future generations up for success. Our goal is to highlight these advancements and tilt the scale of news and information from pessimism towards optimism. This interview reflects the best themes of The Optimistic American, that our best days lie ahead. You can listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Google Podcasts! Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mfMCiR0Jtqs8lr4JeuYwA Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-optimistic-american/id1615223090 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL29wdGFtZXJpY2FuL2ZlZWQueG1s We post new content every week so make sure to subscribe, turn on notifications, and like our videos! Learn more about The Optimistic American by checking out our website! https://www.optamerican.com

In this episode of The Optimistic American, Paul Johnson and Dr. Emily Bashah address several questions they received from people in regards to the concern about the arising recession and how to navigate your way through it, as well as the hierarchy of agency, how to navigate difficult conversations and finding meaning in life. The conversation between Paul Johnson and Dr. Emily Bashah kicks off by addressing the biggest part of the problem related to the bad national economy: the concept of the ‘dark passenger’. Paul shares something he considers inarguable: the fact that we’re going through a period of Enlightenment where we have dramatically reduced poverty throughout the world, decreased child mortality, and increased literacy, as well as promoted trade and free market, and advanced both the human condition and the economy in the U.S. The concept of Enlightenment dates back to the 1800s where it was challenged by followers of the so-called End of the Century movement that promoted the idea of pessimism and the notion that how people felt was more important than optimism and rationality. The End of the Century “philosophy” came to an end in the 1930s when the stock market crashed in 1929. That was followed by the rise of “isms”, Communism, Fascism and other movements that began to blossom all around the world. When talking about contemporary Enlightenment, some people bring the concept of Dark Enlightenment into the conversation. Some people have a very pessimistic view of the world. They believe that democracy isn’t working and that the only way to solve the issues that are bothering them is by overthrowing democratic means. Paul believes that many people have the Dark Passenger within themselves, and that’s overpowering their ability to make decisions and move forward in life. Paul and Dr. Bashah touch upon the role that showing your own vulnerability can make in regards to agency, having conversations with others and how to approach – and diffuse – difficult situations, and showing that we care about other people. Paul and Dr. Bashah unpack four elements of the hierarchy of agency: ‘know the truth’, ‘be accountable to yourself’, ‘finding meaning’, and ‘we, not me’. Paul brings up Viktor Frankl’s roadmap for finding meaning in life – and he and Dr. Bashah share what their meaning and purpose are. We are The Optimistic American, and we are in the business of promoting what is going right in our country. Every day, there is tremendous progress being made in America — across technology, public policy, science and medicine, and much more — that will set current and future generations up for success. Our goal is to highlight these advancements and tilt the scale of news and information from pessimism towards optimism. This interview reflects the best themes of The Optimistic American, that our best days lie ahead. #optimism #hope #Optamerican You can listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Google Podcasts! Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mfMCiR0Jtqs8lr4JeuYwA Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-optimistic-american/id1615223090 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL29wdGFtZXJpY2FuL2ZlZWQueG1s Mentioned in This Episode: Previous episode featuring Prof. Pinker - Free Speech, Human Nature, and the New Wave of Enlightenment with Prof. Steven Pinker Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Joseph Grenny and Kerry Patterson The Hierarchy of Agency John D. Rockefeller Viktor Frankl Dr. Philip Zimbardo We post new content every week so make sure to subscribe, turn on notifications, and like our videos! Learn more about The Optimistic American by checking out our website! https://www.optamerican.com

In this episode of The Optimistic American, Paul Johnson is joined by his co-author of the upcoming book Addictive Ideologies: Dr. Emily Bashah. They talk about the key principles and differences between the Alt-Right and Politically Correct Authoritarians, as well as studies that have covered human psychology in such areas. Paul Johnson sets the stage for the episode by discussing the fact that the alternative right and the politically correct authoritarians represent a minority of people but have a loud voice because of social media and the news focusing on them. Paul and Dr. Emily Bashah discuss the fact that what happens on college campuses is affecting the agency, and go over the potential repercussions of the term value. Dr. Bashah discusses a study that had been done on a couple hundred students, which identified a link between cognitive distortion and the need for safety. Moreover, she touches upon cognitive distortions, emotional reasoning, and the mental trap they represent. People in the so-called “dark triad” fall into one of these categories: Machiavellian, narcissist, and psychopath. Dr. Bashah and Paul Johnson break down each one and go over similarities and differences. Paul brings Dr. Ballinger’s study on Obsessive Ideologies into the conversation. He and Dr. Bashah shares the four key aspects of the study. Paul has a very clear opinion in regards to Stuart Rhodes, Donald Trump, and the January 6th Capitol Hill attacks: to Rhodes, Trump was just a tool. Dr. Bashah and Paul also share their thoughts on political correctness, cancel culture, and why some people may decide to remain quiet even when they witness something they don’t like. In their book Addictive Ideologies, Paul Johnson and Dr. Emily Bashah talk about seven ideals people should focus on. During their conversation in today’s episode, Paul talks about those that fall into three categories: rationality, finding meaning in life, and the sense of belonging. We are The Optimistic American, and we are in the business of promoting what is going right in our country. Every day, there is tremendous progress being made in America — across technology, public policy, science and medicine, and much more — that will set current and future generations up for success. Our goal is to highlight these advancements and tilt the scale of news and information from pessimism towards optimism. This interview reflects the best themes of The Optimistic American, that our best days lie ahead. You can listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Google Podcasts! Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mfMCiR0Jtqs8lr4JeuYwA Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-optimistic-american/id1615223090 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL29wdGFtZXJpY2FuL2ZlZWQueG1s We post new content every week so make sure to subscribe, turn on notifications, and like our videos! Learn more about The Optimistic American by checking out our website! https://www.optamerican.com

In today’s episode of The Optimistic American, Paul Johnson and Dr. Emily Bashah address those questions, as well as points around agency and authoritarianism related to leadership, cognitive behavioral therapy, and the concept of locus of control. * In today’s episode of The Optimistic American, Paul Johnson and Dr. Emily Bashah address questions around how agency and authoritarianism relate to leadership, the psychology behind leadership, and tactical things that can make you a better leader. * Dr. Emily Bashah shares that in her clinical practice she sees people wanting models that are going to inspire them, give them hope and something to look forward to. * Paul shares how he can be optimistic despite the threat of a potential new Cold War. * Paul and Dr. Bashah go over their definition of leadership and list the traits they believe a good leader should have. * Dr. Bashah praises Paul for the approach he has when talking about their book – this leads them into a conversation on ambition, leadership, and legacy. * Dr. Bashah unpacks the concept of locus of control and the impact it can have on leaders. * According to Paul Johnson, something “being your fault” isn’t a negative thing, quite the opposite. That’s because, as his father used to say, ‘If it’s your fault, you can fix it.’ * Paul and Dr. Bashah talk about taking ownership, the best place to find agency, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. * Paul believes that you should pick a different type of leadership – such as the servant leader, the coach, and the visionary – for different types of situations. * Dr. Bashah mentions a study that looked at the power position and shares her advice in regards to making presentations and the importance of listening. * Through his work, Paul employs and gets to interact with hundreds of millennials. He discusses how he translates some of his teachings to them. We are The Optimistic American, and we are in the business of promoting what is going right in our country. Every day, there is tremendous progress being made in America — across technology, public policy, science and medicine, and much more — that will set current and future generations up for success. Our goal is to highlight these advancements and tilt the scale of news and information from pessimism towards optimism. This interview reflects the best themes of The Optimistic American, that our best days lie ahead. You can listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Google Podcasts! Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mfMCiR0Jtqs8lr4JeuYwA Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-optimistic-american/id1615223090 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL29wdGFtZXJpY2FuL2ZlZWQueG1s We post new content every week so make sure to subscribe, turn on notifications, and like our videos! Learn more about The Optimistic American by checking out our website! https://www.optamerican.com

Join Dr. Bashah and Paul Johnson as they unearth the origins of idealism. The discussion begins with ancient philosophers describing the power of idealism. Idealism is a common trait of CEOs who create new and innovative products, our founders who used idealism to form a more perfect Union, and the secrets on how you can use idealism to create a better you. Imagine this: a life full of possibilities and optimism. One where you can find meaning, joy, love. A life where you find a better you, and create a better world in the process. This is not fantasy, this is a choice. This is the 7th podcast by Dr. Bashah and Paul Johnson regarding building a life of meaning and agency. The 7 dialogues are designed to help you structure a life of meaning, prosperity and opportunity. We are The Optimistic American, and we are in the business of promoting what is going right in our country. Every day, there is tremendous progress being made in America — across technology, public policy, science and medicine, and much more — that will set current and future generations up for success. Our goal is to highlight these advancements and tilt the scale of news and information from pessimism towards optimism. This interview reflects the best themes of The Optimistic American, that our best days lie ahead. You can listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Google Podcasts! Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mfMCiR0Jtqs8lr4JeuYwA Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-optimistic-american/id1615223090 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL29wdGFtZXJpY2FuL2ZlZWQueG1s We post new content every week so make sure to subscribe, turn on notifications, and like our videos! Learn more about The Optimistic American by checking out our website! https://www.optamerican.com

In an age when Americans seem to be divided, Paul Johnson and Dr. Basha, focus on the important idea that, “It’s we, not me.” Service and belonging are connected! They help answer the question, “with all the things I have going on, with everyone else seemingly looking out for themselves, why should I focus on giving anything back? What is it for me?” They examine what makes being an American special, and why owning who we are, being proud of our past, and giving back is a key part of your path to owning your own agency. The discussion starts with why the wealth and prosperity in the USA is second to none, then it goes to the individual vs the collective. The power created when our founders decided to break from the monarchy and to create a “more perfect union”, not promising to create a Utopia, but instead to prioritize the individual. This results in the benefit to the greater good over time. Individuals have the innate ability to determine their own destiny, however, so many Individuals put the collective over their own interest. Fire fighters, police officers, teachers, people who serve in our military, and ordinary people, who struggle to pay their bills, keep their kids in schools, but who work hard to make ends meet. Lastly, the entrepreneurs who test the standards, who challenge the status quo, who push the thinking to cure cancer, extend human life, and create cars that drive themselves. The idea of self made men is a myth. No one has made it alone. How do we repay these great debts? By being kind to other Americans! We pay it back through service in our jobs, to our friends, families, to our customers. We are The Optimistic American, and we are in the business of promoting what is going right in our country. Every day, there is tremendous progress being made in America — across technology, public policy, science and medicine, and much more — that will set current and future generations up for success. Our goal is to highlight these advancements and tilt the scale of news and information from pessimism towards optimism. This interview reflects the best themes of The Optimistic American, that our best days lie ahead. You can listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Google Podcasts! Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mfMCiR0Jtqs8lr4JeuYwA Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-optimistic-american/id1615223090 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL29wdGFtZXJpY2FuL2ZlZWQueG1s We post new content every week so make sure to subscribe, turn on notifications, and like our videos! Learn more about The Optimistic American by checking out our website! https://www.optamerican.com

Join Dr. Bashah and Paul Johnson, in this 5th of 7 episodes regarding addictive ideologies and how love and loneliness affect your sense of agency. How finding optimism can help you see the world clearly, and give you the ability to benefit from its opportunities. This episode begins with a discussion of how even very successful people can find themselves alone and driven by the real need to be connected to others. Paul and Dr. Bashah, discusses a current event regarding Elon Musk and his father, and how a lack of parental love and connection can play a role in what drives us and finding our sense of meaning. The episode helps the listener better understand love, and the genesis of the concept and word. A prior episode focused on meaning over happiness, outlined how love is one of the 3 areas where we find meaning. Love is so important to the concept of meaning, that this episode further expands our understanding of the differing types of love. Lessons on romance, family and friends, and even love for people you don’t know, helps provide the listener with insight and mindset necessary for love and meaning. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 02:15 Welcoming Dr. Emily Bashah 02:46 Importance of being connected to other human beings 07:51 Social alienation, disconnection & loneliness 09:58 How can we keep people connected to us? 10:52 Loneliness among seniors 11:29 Everybody is trying to fit in 15:03 Challenges with social media 15:04 What are the core beliefs, and driving factors? | Elon Musk 17:34 Try & trace what were your thoughts leading up to this 19:14 Are you a people pleaser? Is that really making you happy? 21:23 You don't find peace in social marketing 22:27 Opportunities to find connections 24:08 What is anti-social behavior? 25:14 What percent of the public have that actual condition? 25:52 There is so much to from this behavior 28:23 Neighborhoods with challenges 30:19 Love in terms of Martin Luther King | Eros, Philia 34:03 Trust, commitment, and mutual respect 36:16 Trust, pre-forgiveness 38:44 Allowing huge divisions in communities 41:13 Know your truth & know who you are 43:27 You cannot live a lie 44:38 Agape Love 52:46 Rwanda Genocide 57:56 Forgiveness and healing 01:00:39 Finding Balance 01:01:47 Takeaways 01:05:54 Loving your enemy: A true story 01:10:00 Wrapping up 01:10:34 Outro We are The Optimistic American, and we are in the business of promoting what is going right in our country. Every day, there is tremendous progress being made in America — across technology, public policy, science and medicine, and much more — that will set current and future generations up for success. Our goal is to highlight these advancements and tilt the scale of news and information from pessimism towards optimism. This interview reflects the best themes of The Optimistic American, that our best days lie ahead. You can listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Google Podcasts! Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mfMCiR0Jtqs8lr4JeuYwA Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-optimistic-american/id1615223090 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL29wdGFtZXJpY2FuL2ZlZWQueG1s We post new content every week so make sure to subscribe, turn on notifications, and like our videos! Learn more about The Optimistic American by checking out our website! https://www.optamerican.com

Join Dr. Bashah and Paul in this series regarding the 7 steps to regain your agency. Addictive ideologies promoted by the nightly news, political parties, candidates and social media can rob you of your ability to see the world clearly, and benefit from its opportunities. This episode begins with Viktor Frankl’s experience in Nazi Concentration Camps and the development of his Logotherapy that is very successful in helping people deal with fears and suicidal thoughts through meaning. We then transition to how we can unknowingly be in a victim mindset, how to break free, to motivate ourselves and find true happiness, that can only come from meaning. To support the podcast, please subscribe and forward this episode to others you think it may be helpful too. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:41 Welcoming Dr. Emily Bashah 00:58 Sense of agency 03:52 7 Programs of Sense of agency 05:12 How existentialism plays into the concept of meaning? 08:56 How Victor Frankl ties into the concept of meaning? 11:47 Stories of Victor Frankl 14:33 Finding meaning in the suffering 15:56 How losing hope and meaning can end up the health effect 17:49 Another story 19:28 A quote from "Man's Search for Meaning" 20:52 Finding meaning is based on these three things 22:54 What is Logotherapy? 25:01 Quick Summary 28:30 What's the mantra that gives you meaning and direction? 30:30 Victim mindset 35:39 Break-down of Victim 38:37 Break-down of Prosecutor 42:12 Break-down of Savior 44:11 Paul Johnson's experience with his son 51:28 Take-away points 52:30 Stanford prison experiment - Philip Zimbardo 58:01 A true story 59:37 Lessons to learn 01:08:36 Outro We are The Optimistic American, and we are in the business of promoting what is going right in our country. Every day, there is tremendous progress being made in America — across technology, public policy, science and medicine, and much more — that will set current and future generations up for success. Our goal is to highlight these advancements and tilt the scale of news and information from pessimism towards optimism. This episode of "Reclaiming your Agency" reflects the best themes of The Optimistic American, that our best days lie ahead. You can listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Google Podcasts! Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mfMCiR0Jtqs8lr4JeuYwA Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-optimistic-american/id1615223090 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL29wdGFtZXJpY2FuL2ZlZWQueG1s We post new content every week so make sure to subscribe, turn on notifications, and like our videos! Learn more about The Optimistic American by checking out our website! https://www.optamerican.com