Essays on Human Psychology, Democracy, Power, and Social Change
This library brings together all essays published on Unpuzzling—a growing body of long-form analysis examining how human psychology shapes political systems, social movements, and historical change.
These essays explore recurring patterns beneath today’s headlines: the rise of populism and autocracy, democratic backsliding, ideological extremism, moral certainty, technological disruption, and the cognitive forces that influence how people think, believe, and act.
While many pieces engage directly with current events, their focus is not news commentary. Instead, they ask deeper questions: Why do societies repeat the same political mistakes? How do belief systems override evidence? Why does fear spread faster than reason—and how do power structures exploit that fact?
Read individually, each essay offers a focused inquiry. Taken together, they form a framework for understanding the turbulent era we are living through—not as unprecedented chaos, but as a predictable interaction between human nature, social systems, and modern technology.
The Four Toxic Pillars of Trump’s Foreign Policy
| Topic 6.2: The Rise of Autocracy...
Donald Trump’s foreign policy is built upon toxic pillars of greed, coercion, nativism, and incompetence. AI image by Gemini In Brief: The Four Pillars of the Donroe Doctrine Overview of the "Donroe Doctrine": With the U.S. Delta Force’s capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026, Trump’s foreign policy “Donroe Doctrine” becomes real—an offensive inversion of the Monroe Doctrine aimed at hemispheric dominance of the Americas. Policy Deception and False Flags: Trump’s true design ...
Read More The Rise of Populism: Beware of Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
| Topic 6.2: The Rise of Autocracy...
Why is global democracy failing and populism rising? by Wayne Stelk, PhD December 2025 (Image by funstarts33 for Shutterstock) Note: This post is part of a series I am writing about A Playbook for Autocrats. In this playbook, populism is the key driver in the autocratic destruction of liberal democracies. The introduction to this series is available here. In Brief: Populism: An Empty Promise Populism isn’t a solid governing platform but a “thin ideology” that ...
Read More Peace in Ukraine: Trump vs. Putin
| Topic 6.2: The Rise of Autocracy...
Peace planning for Ukraine is a contest between Trump's imperial capitalism and Putin's imperial geopolitics. Who wins? Not Ukraine. by Wayne Stelk, PhD December 2025 AI Image by DALL-E In Brief: Transactional Foreign Policy: Despite campaign promises to end the war "on day one," Donald Trump has failed to resolve Russia’s war in Ukraine after 11 months. Trump’s approach has shifted U.S. foreign policy from traditional principles of national sovereignty to a transactional "peace through ...
Read More The Global War on Democracy: A Playbook for Autocrats
Across the globe, autocrats are waging a war on democracies. The autocrats are winning. Why? How? (Photo by author) by Wayne Stelk, PhD November 2025 In Brief The Global Decline of Democracy: The essay introduces an essay series about the "Global War on Democracy", arguing that autocrats are winning. For the first time in 20 years, 91 autocracies outnumber 88 democracies, with 72% of the world's population now living under autocratic rule. The V-Dem report ...
Read More Dancing at the Edge of Chaos: Finding Stability Through Change
| Topic 1.01: Dynamic Balance: Roots & Wings...Essay Count...
An introduction to models of the human mind Stability through change (image by author) by Wayne Stelk, PhD June 2025 In Brief This is the first post in a series that will build on a theme reflecting my firm belief that how we think is the key to understanding what we think. Future posts will explore models of the mind that will help you understand the working of your mind, as well as the mental ...
Read More American Democracy Has Fallen. Up Next? America, Inc.
| Topic 0.01 Newsletter
The Ultimate Plan To Make America A Business-State (Image: DALL-E) by Wayne Stelk, PhD February 2025 America’s newly elected president, Donald Trump, is the figurehead of a warship plying untravelled ocean waters. We’ll call it the HMS Trump Troupe—a band of zealots and bad actors who favor shotguns over pistols. In ancient times, sculpted figureheads symbolized a ship’s spirit. The Egyptians adopted figures of sacred birds to ensure protection and vision. The Romans and Greeks ...
Read More The Toxic Triangle: A Perfect Political Storm
| Topic 4.4: Social Movements and Extremism...
Unpuzzling the Forces of Democratic Backsliding (DALL-E Image) If you see a wild man yelling “I can save you!” and he’s running naked down New York City’s Fifth Avenue, worry for the man. If you see a crowd of people who have shed their clothes and are running after the man, shouting “Save me!”, worry for the followers. Across the globe, many decent people are chasing after ruthless leaders who have long since abandoned all ...
Read More You Want Liberty? Which One?
| Topic 4.1: Which Liberty? For Me or For Us?...Essay Count...
On March 25, 1775, at a church in Richmond, Virginia, an American patriot gave an impassioned speech to his fellow townsmen, urging them to approve of a resolution for Virginian troops to join in the Revolutionary War against British colonialism. Toward the end of his brief speech, Patrick Henry implored the delegates: Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know ...
Read More Playbook for America, Inc.: Make America a Profit Center Again
| Topic 0.01 Newsletter
Dispatches from America, Inc. Issue 2: A 12-step guide to a corporate-style autocracy (Image: DALL-E) Are you driving yourself crazy by trying to make sense of the mind-bending chaos that has infected the politics of the United States? If yes, you are not alone in feeling overwhelmed by the apparent insanity. Thomas Friedman, opinion writer for the New York Times, recently rendered his view: If you are confused by President Trump’s zigzagging strategies on Ukraine, tariffs, ...
Read More Unpuzzling Political Terrorism: Dead Catting and Gut Messaging
| Topic 4.5: Political Dynamics and Culture...
The history of human civilization is the story of increasing exposure to information. Access has multiplied through evolving technologies: stone tablets, Gutenberg printing press, telegraph, radio/TV, internet, and, today, social media apps. Given the exponential increase in information available to everyone, you might think that electing representatives in modern democracies has become a rational process of gathering facts about candidates’ priorites and then matching these facts to voter’s policy preferences. If you think the politics ...
Read More Three Pathways for Personal Growth: Which Is Best for You?
| Topic 2.9: Pathways to Personal Power and Purpose...
A friend of mine is obsessed with physical health and personal growth. He works out daily in a gym, reads the latest self-help books, takes multiple nutritional supplements, and engages in exotic treatments. While visiting his home recently, I noticed on his desk a self-help book by Jill Bolte Taylor, PhD, titled Whole Brain Living (2021). I was surprised I didn’t know this author, so my friend enthusiastically briefed me. Dr. Bolte Taylor is a Harvard-educated neurologist ...
Read More Personal Growth Strategies: Stages of Change
| Topic 2.9: Pathways to Personal Power and Purpose...
Who doesn’t have a bucket list of nagging problems in their life that they wish they could change? These problems can be small and annoying — or large and debilitating. Small problems might be wishes to improve the quality of your life with minor adjustments here or there. You exercise, but not enough. Maybe you’ve been told to cut back on your sugary desserts, but you love your after-dinner carbo-rush. Or maybe, like me, you’ve spent the ...
Read More Do Morals Need Religion? Ask Your Pre-Verbal Toddler
| Topic 2.2: From Beliefs and Biases to Action...
Around the world, our involvement with religion is changing. Participation in religious activities is declining in well-resourced countries where citizens feel relatively secure about a stable future. In countries that are less resourced and where citizens’ futures are more uncertain, participation in religious activities is increasing. What impact does declining participation in religious activities have on morality? Does distancing ourselves from religious congregations inevitably lead to a decline in our moral standards? The Christian Bible contains narratives that ...
Read More Your Personality: Who’s in Charge?
| Topic 2.3: Behavioral Genetics...
Unpuzzling the Nature and Nurture of Your Personality Your personality is the core of your self-identity. What do you know about the personality that make you the person you are? Do you control it — or does it control you? Can you change your personality traits if you don’t like them? How did you end up with the personality you have? Does your personality influence your political affiliations? The question is simple: who are you? Try answering ...
Read More Social Synchrony: Strengthening Social Bonds at Home, Work and Community
| Topic 3.2: Social Identity and Social Cognition...
Have you ever had the experience of meeting a best friend after losing touch for several years? You get together over lunch or some activity, and the talk flows between you non-stop, as if you had never been separated. Or perhaps you’ve experienced the joy of joining a project team that clicks. After a brief period of getting to know one another, you “put your heads together” like a well-oiled machine, moving smoothly and quickly. ...
Read More Why Are Global Cancer Rates Rising for Young People Under Age 50?
| Topic 2.9: Pathways to Personal Power and Purpose...
Conspiracy theorists were in a tizzy when Princess Kate disappeared from public for several months. Now that she has confirmed having cancer, the rumor mongers may want to delete their gossipy posts about her. Kate, the Princess of Wales, has announced her diagnosis of cancer, which was identified after her abdominal surgery in January 2024. While British citizens and the rest of the world sympathize with her and her family, Kate has joined a club ...
Read More Looking Beyond Astrology: A Better Way to Read People
| Topic 2.1: From Perceptions to Beliefs and Biases...Essay Count...
Image: DALL-E by author Unpuzzling Astrology as a Match Maker and Futurist "What's your sign?" It's a question you've probably heard at parties, on dates, or even during job interviews. Humans have looked to astrology for centuries to understand themselves and others. We've all had that moment of nodding along as someone describes how being a Scorpio explains their intensity or how Mercury being in retrograde affects their decision-making. By nature, humans are prediction machines. ...
Read More Meeting the Challenge of High-Quality Writing
| Topic 5.1: The Anatomy of Information...Essay Count...
In a 1964 case brought before the Supreme Court of the United States, a movie theater owner in Ohio showed a French film, “Les Amants” (The Lovers), directed by Louis Malle. Some viewers were offended, so the State of Ohio declared the film obscene. The theater owner was fined $2500. He fought back. The question before the Court was the definition of obscenity. Was the French film shown in Ohio obscene? In response to this question, ...
Read More Autocrats Need You To Be Stupid. Are You OK With That?
| Topic 4.5: Political Dynamics and Culture...
Afghanistan’s post-occupation political landscape is today characterized by an authoritarian regime with unique ideological features, including the most severe restrictions on the freedoms and human rights of any current dictatorship, particularly for women and girls. A few months after the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops in August 2021, Afghanistan’s ruling party, the Taliban, announced that girls were barred from studying beyond sixth grade — or age 13, about the time when young women can begin to ...
Read More Why Does Hate Travel Faster Than Love?
| Topic 2.2: From Beliefs and Biases to Action...
When Meaningful Words Have No Meaning The late John Lewis, Georgia's representative in Congress and a life-long human rights activist, said this about democracy: "Freedom is not a state; it is an act." This piece of wisdom is inspirational but not operational. What is "freedom"? What "acts" move us toward freedom? Common words, like freedom or liberty, are pervasive. Because everyone uses them according to their own purposes, these highly abstracted idea words have no singular or absolute ...
Read More When Is Enough Enough to Change Your Mind?
| Topic 2.1: From Perceptions to Beliefs and Biases...Essay Count...
In a skit, comedian Richard Pryor plays a husband whose wife comes home early to find him in bed with another woman. The naked woman grabs her clothes and makes a quick escape. The dialogue ensues: Wife: You’re cheating on me! Husband: I’m not cheating on you. Wife: I saw that woman in bed with you with my own eyes! Husband: Well, who ya gonna believe — me or your lying eyes? Have you ever believed in ...
Read More Donald Trump’s Business Practices: Construction or Demolition?
| Topic 0.01 Newsletter
Will Trump’s past business record predict future presidential success? Shutterstock: Donald J. Trump for President Advertising Posters Donald J. Trump, in his second administration as the 47th president of the United States (Trump 2.0), has stirred a hornet’s nest of controversies in his quest to undermine liberal values and establish an autocratic government where criticism of his judgment is not tolerated. Like all good authoritarians, Trump is demanding zero accountability for his policies and priorities. ...
Read More Donald Trump’s Would-Be Assassin Resembles The Profile of a School Shooter
| Topic 3.5: The Dark Side of Social Identities...
On July 13th, Thomas Crooks, age 20, made an apparent attempt to assassinate former president Donald Trump, who was speaking at a political rally in Pennsylvania. This despicable act left Trump wounded and killed a father who was shielding his family from flying bullets. Two other rally attendees were seriously wounded. Having been killed by security forces within a minute of opening fire, Crooks was identified by the serial number of the AK-15-type semiautomatic rifle ...
Read More When Religion Collides With Politics, Frozen Embryos Feel the Heat
| Topic 4.1: Which Liberty? For Me or For Us?...Essay Count...
Science and religion aren’t inherently at odds, but claiming their union is a bed of roses overlooks the thorns. Introduce politics into this already peculiar partnership, and we find ourselves with a whole bush of nettles, guaranteeing a prickly experience for everyone involved. A recent event that occurred in the U.S. State of Alabama has much to tell us about how religion, science, and politics get along in the Land of Conservative Ideology. A ruling ...
Read More Predictive AI Is Coming. Are You (and the World) Ready?
| Topic 5.3: Generative & Predictive AI...
Who among us doesn’t ponder the future? How often do you think about your life unfolding over short and long timeframes? Do you wonder about your future health and lifespan, your children’s success, or the outcome of working hard at your job? These deeply personal questions reflect our innate curiosity about what lies ahead. Prediction is the cornerstone of human existence. A coherent life means anticipating what comes next. You cannot plan for the future ...
Read More The Pain and Price of Cybercrimes: Pig Butchering and Sextortion
| Topic 3.4: Social Identity and Social Media...
Catfishing became a popular term with the 2010 publication of an indie film by the same name. As a documentary shot in real-time using smartphone cameras, two film producers, Henry and Ariel, followed their friend Nev’s growing attachment to an attractive woman he met online. The story unfolds with countless Facebook exchanges over several months between Nev, who lives in New York, and his Facebook girlfriend, Abby, who lives in Michigan. After becoming increasingly suspicious of inconsistencies in ...
Read More Book Vibes > Fascism Rising in America: It Can Happen Here
| Topic 6.2: The Rise of Autocracy...
A timely review of DiMaggio, Anthony R. (2022). Rising Fascism in America: It Can Happen Here By Wayne Stelk, PhD August 26, 2025 In Brief DiMaggio's 2021 warning about Trump’s fascist values in American politics is contrasted with Trump's 2024 re-election and subsequent power consolidation Classical fascism has evolved into neofascism that works within democratic frameworks while systematically undermining them, using digital media and culture-war populism as primary tools Both right-wing media manipulation and liberal ...
Read More Book Vibes > Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World
| Topic 6.2: The Rise of Autocracy...
by Anne Applebaum(2024). Haiti is widely regarded as a failed state. With 200 to 300 active criminal gangs, the nation’s economy, governance, political systems, and public services have all collapsed. In addition to instilling fear in the public, these gangs have also been engaged in conflicts with each other. By 2023, a total of 4,789 murders were recorded that year, the majority resulting from inter-gang violence. These deadly tribal wars inspired one gang leader, Jimmy ...
Read More Book Vibes > The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America
| Topic 6.2: The Rise of Autocracy...
(by Timothy Synder, 2018) Unpuzzling Democracy's Retreat The Book In Brief In The Road to Unfreedom, Snyder examines the ideological currents, historical precedents, and political manipulations that have weakened democratic institutions and norms in Europe and the United States. He examines the influence of Russian ideology, with its authoritarian worldview and Christian nationalist fervor, as a blueprint for Putin’s autocratic regime. Armed with this ideology, Putin and his supporters have engaged in influence campaigns in ...
Read More Essays on Human Psychology, Democracy, Power, and Social Change
This library brings together all essays published on Unpuzzling—a growing body of long-form analysis examining how human psychology shapes political systems, social movements, and historical change.
These essays explore recurring patterns beneath today’s headlines: the rise of populism and autocracy, democratic backsliding, ideological extremism, moral certainty, technological disruption, and the cognitive forces that influence how people think, believe, and act.
While many pieces engage directly with current events, their focus is not news commentary. Instead, they ask deeper questions: Why do societies repeat the same political mistakes? How do belief systems override evidence? Why does fear spread faster than reason—and how do power structures exploit that fact?
Read individually, each essay offers a focused inquiry. Taken together, they form a framework for understanding the turbulent era we are living through—not as unprecedented chaos, but as a predictable interaction between human nature, social systems, and modern technology.