Twice within the last six months, I’ve heard the 18-year-old son of friends use the expression “put to shame.” The first time, he told me that Lea Michele’s rendition (Glee) of “Don’t Rain on My Parade” put Barbra Streisand’s version to shame (I beg to differ). More recently, he told me that a certain designer’s… Continue reading Snobbery and Pretentiousness
Category: Defense Mechanisms
The most prominent psychological defense mechanisms, including repression, denial, idealization, splitting and projection. This is the category for you.
Projecting and the Law of False Attribution
I’ve been meaning to write this post for more than a year now; from the beginning, I’ve had this particular title in mind although I’m not 100% sure that it’s the right one. If anyone has a better suggestion for how to name this particular mental process, feel free to submit a comment. I call… Continue reading Projecting and the Law of False Attribution
‘Hard’ and ‘Soft’ as Character Traits
I haven’t written a post in two weeks — unusual for me — because during that period, I have felt almost overwhelmed by the events in my life, mostly enjoyable and of great meaning to me: my oldest son’s 21st birthday, my middle child’s high school graduation, my daughter’s promotion from middle school, two flights… Continue reading ‘Hard’ and ‘Soft’ as Character Traits
Vacation Breaks in Psychotherapy and Defenses Against Need
Clients often react to their therapists’ vacation breaks as a kind of “abandonment”, responding in ways that shed light on their feelings about neediness and dependency.
Emotional Dependency in Psychotherapy
If psychotherapy is to be effective, the client must to a degree become emotionally dependent upon the therapist.