Ask Me Anything

with The Jordan B. Peterson Premium Podcast

Ask a question

Battling rising nihilism

Hello Dr. Peterson, thank you for what you do. I do not know if I would be sat here writing this question if I hadn’t of come across your work when I did, so thank you. Recently I have been struggling with a rising sense of nihilism- the same nihilism that, after reading your work I was able to stop. I don’t want to bore you with my sob story, but after facing a decade of child abuse, varies stints as a homeless teenager, the bushfires where the property was almost destroyed, my father dying from COVID in mid-2020, coming to terms with the effects of over two years of heavy substance abuse, and relationship breakdowns. I must confess the ever-creeping sensation is building deep within my Being once again. The one thing I still have going for me is university where I study a double degree in Psychology and Biotechnology, but alas it appears that for the third continues year my undergraduate experience will be conducted predominantly online. I know, in truth I have nothing to complain about. I look around the world and see billions of people exposed to conditions of such depravity that I cannot truly comprehend. Do you have any advice that you may be able to pass on not only to me, but to people in my generation who I feel are facing similar thoughts to myself at the moment? P.S. I have written a short piece about my experience of trying to get help while I was being abused that I would be happy to share with you. I believe it shows a direct anti-male bias within the discourse surrounding boys and men as victims of domestic violence. Best wishes and warmest regards, Zak

A moral obligation to be happy?

I recently heard a popular radio psychologist say that we have a moral obligation to our fellow man to be happy and I can't stop thinking about this. Do you think that's true and do you think it is at all related to the story of Job?

Brains that can't write

I have purchased the self authoring suite and have yet to start it. I shrink back from being judged, even by myself. I have been told to journal my entire Christian life (converted at 23) but I refuse to do that too. Can one think without writing? Is this a dragon I must slay?

Personality traits and autism/adhd

Personality traits is a subject that you often discuss (very interesting!), but you seldom talk about autism/adhd etc. My question is about the connection between the two, since it seems as though for example autistic persons are very low in openess. How are personality traits and autism/adhd conditions related?

PTSD/Anxiety

I have been dealing with PTSD for decades. (A mass shooting as a teen) The anxiety over the last four years is getting to be too much for me. I’ve been to several psychologists and psychiatrists and all I’ve been left with is an addiction to clonazepam. The American mental health system is terrible. It takes 3-4 months to get an initial appointment and then you find out what you’re getting, after a year, you may or may not know by then if there’s going to be any progress. As my life is crumbling around me, how do I find a good dr? Where can I go? I feel like I’m running out of time.