Posts by Dr. Sandra E. Cohen
SNL ISIS SKIT
Why Joke About Terror & Loss?
I find it pretty shocking that the well-respected SNL would vet a skit that pokes fun at something that’s spreading terror across the globe. “Take care of my daughter…. death to America?” What’s up with the SNL ISIS SKIT? Come on. Not funny at all. In the face of the recent attacks, beheadings, and immolation why…
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THE DRESS
What It Tells Us
About Unyielding Convictions
The Dress went viral. And, it has a lot to do with how people see things. The whole business about The Dress also shows us what happens when people get convictions stuck in their heads. And, more so, If disagreement over things like the color of The Dress destroys relationships (Buzz Feed), then someone must…
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GRAHAM MOORE’S MOVING ACCEPTANCE SPEECH
Why Harsh Critics?
I am one of those who applauded Graham Moore for his moving and courageous acceptance speech when he won his Imitation Game Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. So, as a psychologist, when I read the critiques, I had to stop and think: Why? Why pick on things like – he isn’t gay? He used the word…
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GONE GIRL
What Makes Amy Elliot Dunne Tick?
7 Clues
Amy Elliot Dunne is a seriously troubled young woman. Rosamund Pike’s nuanced and chilling performance, in David Fincher’s Gone Girl, does her troubles justice. Yet, can we merely write her off as an unredeemable sociopath? If we follow some clues to what drove her to do what she did – is it even remotely possible to…
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IDA
Two Paths Away From Loss
The Academy Award-winning film, Ida by Pawel Pawlikowski, is beautifully poignant visually, thematically, and psychologically. A haunting story of loss and the sometimes- unwinnable struggle against the overwhelming feelings involved. Loss is difficult under any circumstance. In Ida, we witness an aunt and niece estranged in the aftermath of the Nazi occupation in Poland. Both…
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PSYCHOLOGY OF THE OSCARS
Best Picture Nominees 2015
Each time I watch a film, my psychoanalyst’s mind begins to construct the same kinds of understandings I might give to my patients. Here is a recap of my psychological thoughts on tonight’s Oscar Best Picture Nominees 2015 and a few other notable films. 2015 has been a great year for actors and directors at…
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