Science Museum, London. Information about London

The London Science Museum was founded in 1857 to bring together in one place the surplus from the Great Exhibition of London in 1851 and the collection of the Royal Society of Art.

From then on it became part of the South Kensington Museum along with the present-day Victoria and Albert Museum. In 1858 the museum became independent and was renamed the Patent Museum. In 1893 it adopted its present name and in 1928 the museum moved to South Kensington. It now houses more than 300,000 objects related to technology, science and industry.

This museum, together with the Natural History Museum, is a very interesting visit, especially if you are travelling with children. This museum, which belongs to the National Museum of Science and Industry, offers visitors the chance to discover, in a tour of its 40 rooms spread over 7 floors, the workings of some of the machines that changed the course of history, as well as technological advances in the fields of aeronautics, space travel, telecommunications, medicine, mathematics, geography, agriculture, etc.

The museum's star pieces are Boulton and Watt's first steam locomotive, Charles Babbage's calculator and the Apollo X command module.

Admission to the Science Museum is free except for a few extras such as the virtual reality simulators and the IMAX cinema.

Location: Exhibition Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 2DD, Reino Unido - +44 330 058 0058

Underground: Stops at South Kensington station.

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The causes of jealousy in couples

Jealousy in couples: a healthy reaction in small doses

When it is not pathological, jealousy, in small manifestations, is not necessarily harmful to the couple. It can be a sudden lucid look, when you detect the desire for someone else in your partner's eyes. And it would be absurd to deny that these sparks of desire, or desires to seduce other people, are an integral part of a couple provided they remain at the stage of fantasy.

Jealousy, in these cases, puts the fusion of the couple at a distance: it reminds us that we are not everything to the other. The person experiencing jealousy remembers his or her own independent existence outside the duo. This slight feeling of jealousy or rivalry reminds us of the need to make an effort for the other person, the desire to please them. Jealousy in a couple exposes the doubts and fears of not being seductive enough, of not being enough... These are all normal, lucid and balanced feelings.

Jealousy and feelings of insecurity

For some people jealousy is pathological, for example when it is obsessive or systematic. Does your partner see you flirting everywhere, with everyone? Does he or she denounce looks and words that you may have uttered without your realising it? It may be a matter of personal insecurity, which leads him to interpret all your relationships by comparing them to your relationship.

This behaviour reflects a permanent lack of self-esteem which can be very hard to deal with in everyday life. For example, if your partner catches you looking at another man/woman, then he/she compares himself/herself and feels threatened. This tendency to devalue oneself is psychologically exhausting and puts a strain on the couple every day, especially as no amount of talking and attention will be enough to ease this narcissistic pain.

While reassuring a jealous person may sometimes be enough, it is usually necessary to communicate in order to highlight the problem. Indeed, the person who suffers from jealousy on a regular basis must engage in personal development work in order to gain more self-confidence and better live the relationship on a daily basis.

When jealousy borders on paranoia

Jealousy sometimes takes on the appearance of paranoia, especially when it is completely unconscious and therefore unacknowledged. This feeling can manifest itself without the jealous person realising it. Let's take a concrete example: as soon as someone approaches you at a party, your partner shuts down and doesn't say another word.

When you confront him/her afterwards, he/she pretends to be upset for this or that reason, without ever mentioning a feeling of jealousy. It is possible that he is telling the truth: in some cases, indeed, the denial is too strong. Freud was convinced that feelings of jealousy are inevitable in a couple. According to him, some people are more successful in repressing this feeling, but no one is free of it. Indeed, apart from erotomaniacs, who are convinced that everyone loves them for exactly what they are, one would have to be mad with pretentiousness and vanity to imagine that it is possible for one to be loved for what one is, that everything about one is lovable.

The friction between appearances, representations of oneself and what one imagines oneself to be in the mind of the other contributes to creating a feeling of insecurity.

Fear of losing the other person

Jealousy is a strong sign of a lack of trust in everyday life. Do you frequently imagine that your partner is cheating on you, and will therefore leave you? If, objectively, your partner is not endangering your relationship, it is essential that you analyse the causes of this jealousy that is tearing you apart. Ask yourself what frightens you the most in this scenario: is it loneliness, betrayal, rejection? Try to dig into your feelings to understand the cause: is it a sadness that you feel when the jealousy erupts? Or is it more an erotic anger, a strong impulse? It is only by going back to the causes of your jealousy that you will be able to get rid of it. If this feeling is too cumbersome or too destructive for you and your relationship, it may be useful to seek professional help. Therapy can help.

Jealousy has many causes, which are above all the expression of a psychological condition on the part of the jealous person. Jealousy is not necessarily a negative feeling. It becomes so when it is uncontrollable and disabling.

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What is charisma? Can it be developed?

What is charisma?

The word "charisma" comes from the Greek word qàric, which combines the concepts of quality, grace, beauty and charm; qualities that are often the result of gifts given to men by the gods.

Charisma is defined as the set of qualities necessary for a leader, expressed through perceptible behaviour. These modes of expression fall into two categories: charisma of the mind and charisma of the body.

Innate leadership

It has long been thought that charisma is an innate quality of the individual. Plato considered the leader as an individual superior to others, distinguished by virtues, intellectual characteristics and social skills that he possesses from birth. Socrates concurred, stating that only a small number of individuals possess the vision, physical and mental gifts required of a leader to stand above the citizens. He even gave a short list of characteristics considered essential for a leader:

• Speed of learning
• Good memory
• Open-mindedness
• Excellent vision
• Physical presence
• Outstanding achievements

The most recent studies show that charisma can be taught, even if certain biological factors cannot be changed. Charisma teaching techniques significantly improve the level of charisma of individuals but require a huge investment. It is therefore pointless to believe that it is possible to obtain miraculous effects in a few days...

The qualities of a charismatic man

Charisma of the mind. The value of the words written or spoken, the literary style, the tastes, the way of life, the philosophy, translating his vision, his ingenuity, are all points likely to make an individual charismatic.

Charisma of the body. The internal qualities of charisma are conveyed here by non-verbal behaviour that can influence any listener, whether or not they know the speaker's language.

1. The ability of the leader to emotionally stimulate and inspire others. The charismatic individual is able to emotionally stimulate and inspire others through facial expressions, gestures, voice quality, intonation, etc.
2. The charismatic leader is gifted with a high degree of emotional intelligence: he/she has the ability to experience emotions, to transmit them and to be empathetic with others. In doing so, he or she easily manipulates the emotions of the audience in order to make them acquire beliefs and to make them adhere to his or her goals.
3. He/she must be seen as a reliable source by giving the impression that he/she is acting in the best interests of the audience (Benevolence), has the ability to plan and predict (Competence) and can prevail in competition (Dominance).

The biological characteristics of charisma

There are certain biological traits that allow us to distinguish ourselves from others and that are often common to many species, notably the use of different voice frequencies to communicate messages, personality traits, emotions such as anger (to frighten people), size, stature, vocalisations, facial expressions, posture...

These charisma-related characteristics evolve and are highly dependent on the human cultures in which they are embedded. This means that each culture will have a different model of charisma: in some cultures, the placid individual is more charismatic than an angry one, in others, the latter may be seen as potentially authoritarian and insensitive, which could lead to fear and respect.

List of adjectives used to describe charisma

Confident, confident, charming, eloquent, strong, personable, radiant, captivating, leader, attractive, authoritative, convincing, intelligent, outspoken, imposing, influential, orator, sociable, attractive, appealing, cultured, fascinating, likeable, spontaneous.

List of adjectives used to describe lack of charisma

Self-effacing, shy, banal, discreet, ignorant, introverted, withdrawn, reserved, vulgar, unpleasant, boring, weak, cold, hesitant, insignificant, modest, stammering, unsociable, clumsy, dull.

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How to recognise an opportunist?

An opportunist adapts his or her behaviour to the circumstances and the people he or she is dealing with in order to always take advantage of a situation. An attitude that generally disregards all moral principles.

What is opportunism?

It is an attitude that consists of adapting one's behaviour and ideas in order to make the most of a situation, even if it means compromising moral principles.

This way of putting one's interests before morality was described by the American economist Oliver Eaton Williamson in his work on "The Institutions of the Economy", published in 1985. He describes opportunism as a behavioural strategy based on fraudulent actions to gain an advantage.

How does opportunism manifest itself?

An opportunistic person will generally tend to put his or her own interests ahead of others through several types of behaviour such as manipulation and lying.

Opportunism can occur in the workplace, but also in relationships. It is most often associated with other faults such as selfishness, individualism or being calculating.

Can opportunism also be a quality?

Opportunism is not unanimously considered a flaw. For some, it is rather the ability to seize opportunities as they arise. Being opportunistic is a very good thing. Without it, humans would not have the capacity to adapt to survive.

A capacity to adapt to one's environment and to the person with whom one is dealing, sometimes valued in the professional world. Because opportunism can also be seen as a form of ambition where audacity, self-confidence, determination, observation or even anticipation are necessary to make a chance.

A game of strategy in which benevolence often has no place. In general, when we say that someone is an opportunist, it is a tribute to their intelligence but not a praise of their level of ethics. Because being opportunistic is mainly characterised by putting one's own interests ahead of others.

Testimony: I was in a relationship with an opportunistic man

When she fell in love with David in 2015, Sara did not immediately perceive the opportunism of her companion. "We had vaguely crossed paths at a party several years ago. I learned from a friend that he was looking for a company to complete his final year of a master's degree in the IT sector. I kindly put him in touch with my father, the technical director of a company. He offered me a drink to thank me, it was the first time we met again. I immediately fell in love with him.

David and Sara moved in together two months later. "At the end of his six-month internship, thanks to his performance and my father's support, he got a fixed-term contract and then a permanent contract.

Although the relationship seemed to be on the up and up, it quickly deteriorated when the girl's father resigned to join another company a year later. "I felt his behaviour change. He became less and less present until one evening the tone rose. After pestering him with questions, he confessed to me that his desire to seduce me had been motivated by my father's high position, that our relationship was the result of an unfortunate spiral and that he had not dared to leave me to preserve his professional advancement."

Hurt and burned by her break-up, Sara took a long time to trust again. "I felt manipulated. I also felt very guilty for not having recognised the signs of an opportunistic relationship. But even with hindsight, I don't think I could have anticipated such deception. Today, I am much more attentive to the interests that drive a person towards me. I want my future partner to think that being in a relationship with me is a great opportunity to be even happier. A healthy, shared opportunism."

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What is considered video game addiction?

Excessive playing of video games can be dangerous for young people. Establishing a few rules is essential to protect them. Focus on the signs of this form of addiction, possible treatment and prevention solutions.

The public most susceptible to video game addiction

It is mainly young people who are exposed to video game addiction. However, cases of serious pathological addiction are quite rare. The greatest risk of addiction is with networked games, especially multi-player role-playing games. Addiction to video games is considered to exist when the player engages in this type of activity excessively, i.e. for 30 hours a week or more, which is much more than the time spent by hardcore gamers, i.e. between 18 and 20 hours a week.

Spotting a video game addiction

There are certain signs that should alert parents, as the symptoms of video game addiction are usually the same. For example, there is a sudden drop in school results, a lack of interest in any other type of activity, but also in social relationships (friends and family). Indeed, the practice of video games in the context of an addiction occupies most of the time, since the subject is unable to reduce the time he devotes to games. This is to the detriment of other activities that they used to be passionate about, such as sport, cinema, music, art or simply going out with friends. The young person tends to isolate himself and no longer wishes to leave his home.

When you notice changes in your child's behaviour, it is important to look for the cause. This may be completely unrelated to the passion for video games.

Video game addiction: the risks

There may be repercussions on sleep, as the addicted gamer tends to play even at night, thus shortening his or her rest time. Sometimes the addiction can also affect the diet.

A fragile person who is addicted to video games runs the risk of ending up sooner or later in a state of psychological suffering and great loneliness if no care is taken. The result is obvious malaise. In rare cases, a video game addict can become extremely sad or aggressive.

If nothing is done to enable him to break with his addiction, the young person is gradually exposed to failure at school and desocialisation. In the long term, he or she may lose self-esteem.

Video game addiction: the right response

As we have seen, video game addiction can have a significant impact on the mental and physical health of young pathological gamers, but it is still not very common. Reacting as soon as possible is essential to limit the impact of this addiction. The gambling addict cannot limit himself. On the other hand, parents must control the time spent gambling.

It is essential that they establish a dialogue with their child, during which video games must be discussed without taboos. This is a good way of taking an interest in this very topical phenomenon and showing your child that you share their interest. Above all, it is important to avoid power struggles.

A video game can be positive if it is perfectly adapted to the age of the child or teenager, and if the time devoted to it is reasonable. It should not interfere with family life, schooling, sleep and leisure time. It can also be an activity to be shared with the family. When young people play alone, it is advisable that the space reserved for video games is located in the areas of the house reserved for the whole family. In this way, the young person is not isolated in front of the screen and it is easier to limit the time spent on this activity.

Parents who are at a loss when faced with the onset of their child's addiction to video games can turn to their doctor. The young person can then be looked after by a psychologist specialising in addictive practices. This is useful if the young person is a pathological gamer, which is fortunately not very common. Moreover, addictive behaviour is much more common among adults than among young people. In any case, in the case of an extreme case, it is best to refer the young person to a specialist in adolescent and child behavioural problems.

Preventing addiction to video games requires the establishment of real but not drastic rules: there is no question of banning access to video games. Thirty to sixty minutes a day, depending on the age of the child or adolescent, is a perfectly reasonable and safe amount of time to play.

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The four agreements of Toltec wisdom

The Toltec Agreements - What do you need to know?

The Four Toltec Agreements proposes to free us from the daily pressure - a devious and counter-productive energy invented by modern man - responsible for much physical and psychological suffering. Contemporary societies feed our bodies and minds with fear of tomorrow and thus limit our ability to perceive the feeling of freedom. This essay does not impose any doctrine, but advises on the paths to take in order to consider a quest for freedom...

1st Toltec Agreement

Let your word be impeccable.

Translation:

This is undoubtedly the most important agreement, but also the most difficult to respect. Your word is not only a communication tool:

It is also a force for creating the events of your life. It therefore has a strong power to cause chaos around you.

This is why it is recommended to speak only with integrity and say what you really think, avoiding backbiting and lying.

Practical exercise:

Keep a workbook and list the things you have said about which you have had doubts.

Under each statement, answer these questions:

1. Do you agree with the deeper meaning of these words?
2. Do they correspond to what you want to achieve and who you are?
3. What words could you have used instead?
4. What impact might this change have on the future?

2nd Toltec Agreement

Whatever happens, don't make it personal.

Translation:

This agreement denounces behaviours induced by susceptibility such as sulking, backbiting or revenge. To avoid them, it is important to remember that what others do or say is only a projection of their reality. It is therefore important to be immune to the opinions and actions of others.

Practical exercise:

Observe and record your reactions to the behaviour of others in your environment.

1. Do you criticise them?
2. Do you find your behaviour objectionable?
3. Where you wish to be free, offer the same freedom to others.

3rd Toltec Agreement

Make no assumptions.

Translation:

Assumptions lead to many misunderstandings, dramas, arguments, separations, anxieties. The Third Toltec Agreement encourages you to take courage to ask the questions and express what you really want. It sounds like a simple agreement, but in reality it truly transforms the way you are.

Practical exercise:

1. Think of an attitude, a behaviour, a way of proceeding of an individual (relative, friend, media individual) that you initially disliked.
2. Think of several reasons why they might have acted in that way and notice the differences in your feelings about it.

4th Toltec Agreement

Always do your best.

To put this agreement into action, you must remember that "your best" changes according to the situations, the years, the periods of your life. Whatever the situation, do your best so that you don't have regrets or feel guilty.

Practical exercise:

1. Plan simple, measurable actions to improve your satisfaction.
2. Carry them out and observe the effect they have on you. Did you do your best?
3. Detail the areas of your life that you are dissatisfied with and try to plan new actions that will improve your satisfaction.

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What to do when faced with a mythomaniac?

Origin of mythomania

The term mythomania was coined by the forensic physician Ernest Dupré at the very beginning of the 20th century. It originally referred to the elective aptitude of children for lying and simulation and more precisely to the "pathological tendency, more or less voluntary and conscious, to lie and to create imaginary fables". For Dupré, haunted by the risk of miscarriages of justice, the child is driven by a constitutional need to harm adults by lying in a natural way. Even if he specifies that these acts are always unintentional, such a discourse constitutes a real indictment of children, and all the more so as he does not put forward any hypothesis to explain the phenomenon. According to him, the child's conscience only intervenes at the very beginning of the lie, which, by progressive autosuggestion, imposes itself on the child's belief. The child would live his lie so intensely that he would end up sincerely believing it.

The lie

The term lie traditionally associated with thought, with intelligence in action. Today, it designates an "assertion knowingly contrary to the truth, made with the intention of deceiving", which confirms the idea that the liar never believes his lie. In other words, a person who says something false that he believes to be true is not lying, he is mistaken.

The linguist A. Reboul confirms this by adding that an assertion can only be qualified as a lie on the condition that "the speaker intends that his interlocutor believe that he believes in the truth of what he is saying.

The definition of a lie therefore comes up against the idea of "lying to oneself". However, it seems that the mythomaniac himself believes his own lies... Can we call the mythomaniac a liar?

Is the mythomaniac a liar?

A. Eiguer defines "mythomania" as a form of mystification towards others, but also towards oneself. Classically, the mythomaniac creates a self-validating persona to which he or she adheres with such determination that he or she is able to convince those around him or her.

"Mythsters must sincerely believe in the stories they tell and the characters they invent in order to better convince others. Even if they don't at first, they eventually get caught up in their own game.

In other words, mythomaniacs start by lying, and then end up taking ownership of the theme of their narrative. A theory was developed in 1891 by the psychiatrist A. Delbrück to describe and explain the phenomenon. Delbrück to describe and explain this phenomenon: the theory of pseudologia-phantistica. The doctor considers this phenomenon as a day dream told to another person as if it were reality, and without any intention to deceive.

Mythomania today

Mythomania today is a pathology characterised by falsehoods in which the perpetrator believes. The individual elaborates scenarios, events, acts and characters that have never taken place or do not exist. They claim to be actors or witnesses in a story that they themselves have imagined and which often places them in an advantageous position.

The mythomaniac ends up acting partially or totally according to his imaginary production. "Not having the strength to exist in reality, they do not really know who they are, since they identify themselves only through the imaginary,". It is therefore a way of escaping an unacceptable reality or one that is difficult to face without suffering. It is a "defence of the organism against a feeling of inferiority and regression".

By an almost unconscious decision and to avoid frustration, the mythomaniac locks himself into a false universe where reality and fiction merge. In most cases, this process tends to last a long time.

"The liar acts with the intention of giving false information. He always has a choice between telling the truth or not, and he knows the difference between the two. Mythomaniacs, who know they are not telling the truth, are unable to control their behaviour and are not aware that they are lying".

The causes of mythomania

Why do some people lie to their interlocutors without any material reason? What psychological benefits does a relationship where others are deceived bring to the liar?

Why does a child lie?

There are several reasons why a child might lie. They may want to feel valued, to avoid responsibility or to fear reprimand. In any case, the child would be unaware of lying before the age of 6 or 7: before that, he or she often alters reality, but unconsciously and without intention to harm.

The typical portrait of the mythomaniac

Because the confession is unbearable, mythomaniacs quickly become great mystifiers. They must be believed or else everything collapses and their imaginary world collapses. He therefore does everything possible to be as accurate as possible, feeding on reality, drawing fragments of truth here and there. Nothing is left to chance, everything is thought out so that the fabrication is credible.

The mythomaniac is typically fragile, hyperemotional, subject to a strong dependence on the gaze of others and whose powers of imagination are increased tenfold. Whatever their profile, they are often the first victims of their imaginary stories, which they have difficulty distinguishing from reality.

What happens when the liar is found out?

This is the worst case scenario for a liar: being discovered. It is a moment that he experiences in an extremely anxious way and that pushes him to take several paths:

• Embark on a new lie.
• To sink into depression.
• Flee to another place where everything can be started again.

What to do when faced with a mythomaniac?

When dealing with a liar, it is recommended not to pay attention to his lies, at the risk of pushing him even further into what he believes to be reality. Similarly, it is not advisable to violently contradict what he says, at the risk of causing obstinacy from which it would be even more difficult to escape.

The best solution is to gradually help the mythomaniac to become aware of the falsity of his reality, by confronting his speech with elements that are not in line with it, while bearing in mind that mythomania can be a serious illness. There is no point in constantly telling him that he is lying.

Therapy is the most recommended treatment, but the mythomaniac must be willing to seek it.

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