Peggy Drexler - Research psychologist
Peggy Drexler
Research psychologist
Peggy Drexler, who writes frequently for CNN Opinion, is an assistant professor of psychology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University.
Latest
Opinion: Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s dilemma is a reminder of this universal question
Apr 14, 2023
The conversation being sparked by calls for Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California to resign has resonance for the rest of us, and we’d do well to see it as an opportunity to think about these issues in our own lives, writes psychologist Peggy Drexler.
Opinion: The example John Fetterman is setting
Feb 18, 2023
Depression is so common that virtually no one in America is untouched by it in some way. Psychologist Peggy Drexler writes that it’s fair to ask how Sen. John Fetterman’s role as leader is affected by his depression, but the bottom line is that depression on its own ‘simply isn’t prohibitive to thriving in life and career’ and Fetterman’s seeking help sets an important example.
Opinion: Why Prince Harry can’t stop oversharing
Jan 9, 2023
Where Prince Harry may have once engendered some sympathy for having endured a lifetime of being the “spare”—the lesser of the two brothers—empathy is running short as lurid details continue to leak out from his forthcoming memoir, writes psychologist Peggy Drexler. Harry is not special—his is one of the commonest dramas of human nature, she says.
Opinion: Why ‘Harry & Meghan’ is a royal disappointment
Dec 10, 2022
What we learn from ‘Harry & Meghan’ is that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are less interested in staying out of the spotlight than in staying in complete control of how that spotlight makes them look, writes Peggy Drexler. The fatal flaw for the couple and their series is in thinking they can dictate how others see them, Drexler writes, when in truth, none of us can.
Opinion: Child-centered parenting can be the highest peak of all to climb
Oct 31, 2022
Sam Adventure Baker, 8, became the youngest person to summit El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, a rock formation 2.5 times as tall as the Empire State Building. Peggy Drexler writes that whether the pursuit is physical, like summiting a 3,000-foot mountain, or intellectual, like getting good grades, there’s a fine line between encouraging children and pushing them beyond their natural capabilities.
Opinion: The question shouldn’t be whether Florida teen is ‘mature’ enough for abortion
Aug 20, 2022
While teenagers are still children who need guidance, they are old enough to know what they can handle, including motherhood. As such, we have to listen to them – and it’s to our detriment if we don’t, writes Peggy Drexler
Opinion: Why the Little League hug has everyone on social media tearing up
Aug 11, 2022
Psychologist Peggy Drexler writes that the embrace between a pitcher and a batter, after a rogue pitch hit him in the head, shows that we are searching, maybe a little desperately, for signs of goodness and humanity and hope.
Opinion: Loving your family even when they make horrible choices
Aug 5, 2022
Peggy Drexler unpacks the complex emotions of having a loved one with extreme views, noting that you can be disappointed by someone and still care for them.
Opinion: Air travel chaos leaves us with one simple choice
Jul 15, 2022
In summer travel, as in life, you can control your expectations – and your response – but not the outcome itself, writes Peggy Drexler.
Putting your Covid diagnosis on blast is no longer a thing
Mar 29, 2022
Governments and health officials acknowledge that the Covid-19 virus may be around in some form for a very long time. That means learning to coexist with it – without resorting to screaming headlines for every new case contracted by a celebrity, says Peggy Drexler.
How to stay sane heading into year three of the pandemic
Dec 31, 2021
At this point in the pandemic, we have information that is both reassuring and less-so, writes Peggy Drexler. This raises a few key questions. How do people assess their own risk and how much risk they take on? And how to weigh this risk against the desire, and very real benefits, of returning to normal life?
The real issue with Nicki Minaj
Sep 17, 2021
Clearly, touting misinformation—from anyone—is not helpful to persuading vaccine-resistant Americans. But do Minaj’s opinions, or any celebrity’s opinions, make a meaningful difference in the Covid landscape? They can in one sense, writes Peggy Drexler: such statements give us the chance to debunk them publicly, loud and long.
Can you do something about stubborn unvaccinated people? Yes, you can.
Aug 1, 2021
Covid cases are going up. Mask sales are again on the rise. And yet, vaccine resistance grows. Does this make any sense?
Valerie Bertinelli’s truth
Jul 12, 2021
Think we’re moving past the days when a woman’s body was everybody’s body – there for the ogling, the analyzing, the commenting on, judging, shaming? We can always harbor that hope– but then along comes a story like the one this week, writes Peggy Drexler.
The urgent lesson of the University of Michigan sexual abuse scandal
Jun 15, 2021
The reluctance to acknowledge male sexual abuse is heightened in a male-dominated environment where masculinity and “toughness” are rewarded, such as in college and pro sports, writes Peggy Drexler, and boys and young men are discouraged from coming forward. Institutions – and parents – must ensure that safe avenues of communication are kept wide open to protect youngsters from predators.
Naomi Osaka’s courageous choice
Jun 1, 2021
The truth is that Naomi Osaka’s ability to give media interviews has little to do with the talent for which she is famous, writes Peggy Drexler. That is why forcing her to choose between her mental health and a few media sound bites was entirely unnecessary.
About
Peggy Drexler is the author of “Our Fathers, Ourselves: Daughters, Fathers, and the Changing American Family” and “Raising Boys Without Men.” She is an assistant professor of psychology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and a former gender scholar at Stanford University.
