Some people are simply the epitome of hypocrisy . They don't tolerate certain behaviors from their partner -- cheating, wasteful spending, getting drunk -- and yet they carry out those very behaviors themselves in disguise. It's because of this double standard that so many relationships go down the drain. People who have certain expectations of their partner that they themselves can't live up to -- those who don't practice what they preach -- shouldn't commit to anyone in the first place. It demonstrates selfishness, a lack of maturity, and the inability to consider their partner's feelings. The golden rule of relationships is to treat your partner the way you want to be treated. If you don't want your partner to cheat on you, remain faithful. If you don't want your partner running up credit card debt, spend responsibly. If you don't want your partner making a fool of herself after having one too many drinks, drink in moderation yourself. The...

When leaders punish subordinates, they often do this out of distrust. Afraid of losing their position, they use punishment as a deterrent. However, new research shows such punishments are not very effective. Distrust is the primary reason why leaders impose punishments on individuals over whom they have power. Leaders expect others not to follow the rules, and punish them on the basis of this distrust. Ironically, not only are these punishments hardly effective, but they have the potential to exacerbate the situation. When people feel distrusted, they are less inclined to obey the rules. They deem this assumption on the part of the leaders as a clear sign of disrespect. Thus, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. Furthermore, leaders are afraid of losing their power, and act out of the desire to protect that power. That's why they wield punishment as a deterrent -- to ensure that rules are never broken again. They feel that if they're too trusting of others, thi...

The notion that there's a perfect job out there for everyone is, in a word, absurd. Sure, there are jobs that would suit us far better than others, but that in no way means they're perfect in every way. There's always at least one thing about every job that we wish we could change. Many employees can't stand their boss or at least one fellow coworker. Others are paid poorly, work ridiculous hours, have a nightmare of a commute to contend with each day, or just don't feel inspired or challenged anymore. If work were perfect, we really wouldn't be able to call it work, would we? It'd be more like a hobby. Like everything else in life, work is a definite trade-off: we give an employer our time in exchange for money with which we support ourselves and our families. As part of the deal, we consent to adhering to the employer's policies and working with other employees to advance the company's mission and meet or exceed its goals. However, at...