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 […]
‘Hard’ and ‘Soft’ as Character Traits Read More »
Last week, I decided to withdraw from my contract with New Harbinger for the publication of my book on defense mechanisms. If you’ve read my earlier post where I discussed what this book deal meant to me, you’ll understand this was a very difficult and painful decision. The editorial committee had been enthusiastic about the
Contempt as a Defense (Mine) Read More »
When an anti-Islamic loner explodes a bomb outside a government building, killing eight people, then travels to a nearby island where he guns down 69 more, we naturally view that man as a dangerous lunatic. His paranoid tirades against multi-culturalism and “Eurabia”, along with his grandiose view of himself as crusading member of the fictional
Anders Breivik, You and Me: What We Have in Common Read More »
In a very early post on this site, I described people who view the world in terms of winners and losers, where one person will shore up his own self-image by triumphing over someone else, usually by demonstrating that he’s more successful, better-looking, wealthier, more popular, etc. Feelings of contempt for the “loser” usually go
When people find out I’m a therapist, they usually assume I chose my profession because I want to help others. While I derive a deep sense of satisfaction from doing just that, I mostly chose to become a therapist because it was the only line of work I could envision that would support me and
Why I’m a Therapist Read More »
Before I decided to stop writing my ‘Movies and Mental Health’ blog, I had intended to do a video about the narcissistic mother as portrayed in two different films, Black Swan and The Fighter; in this post, I’ll be referring to those films but I won’t include video clips. If you haven’t seen them, I
The Narcissistic Mother Read More »
When artists use their medium as an attempt to escape from internal “ugliness”, performance anxiety may reflect the fear of being exposed, their true damaged self becoming visible to the audience.
Performance Anxiety and Shame Read More »
Charles Foster Kane from the classic film ‘Citizen Kane’ displays narcissistic rage and a lack of empathy, psychological features that show up in different personality and autistic spectrum disorders.
Narcissistic Rage and the Failure of Empathy: ‘Citizen Kane’ Read More »
Early failures in attachment lead to the development of defense mechanisms, permanently structured into the brain’s neurology as it develops. This lasting damage does NOT mean that real and meaningful change is impossible.
Attachment Theory and the Tenacity of Defense Mechanisms Read More »
A discussion of Allan Schore’s video lecture on the neuro-psychology of attachment, and how failures of attunement between mother and child permanently alter the development of the infant’s brain.
Attachment Theory and the Origins of Shame Read More »