The desire for attention, respect and admiration from others is normal, a kind of everyday narcissism, as long as it doesn’t interfere with our ability to notice, respect and admire others and to have meaningful relationships with them.
On Everyday Narcissism Read More »
A discussion of the ubiquitous experience of shame in *civilized* cultures and why it is sometimes appropriate to feel shamed.
When Is It Appropriate to Feel Shame? Read More »
Some thoughts about how to silence the savage inner critic so that you can learn something from your experience, rather than simply beating yourself up.
Coping with that Savage Inner Voice Read More »
Charlie Sheen’s rant on The Alex Jones Show and how it demonstrates the characteristic defenses against shame, including features of pathological narcissism.
Charlie Sheen’s Rant and the Power of Destructive Narcissism Read More »
The false analogy between diagnosing physical and mental illness provides a rationale for reimbursement from insurance companies to psychotherapists, helps alleviate shame in patients and enables the pharmaceutical companies to make billions of dollars.
The Fallacies of Psychological Diagnosis Read More »
In modern American society, a large number of people pursue the twin cults of celebrity and romantic love as the sole sources of meaning in life.
Celebrity and Romantic Love: “Meaning” in the Modern World Read More »
A discussion of three underlying dynamics in clinical depression: unconscious rage, a drastically fragmented self and toxic levels of shame.
Different Types of Depression Read More »
Narcissism, blaming and contempt — the three core defenses against shame — are illustrated with clinical material from the author’s psychotherapy practice.
Defenses Against Shame Read More »
Authentic self-esteem is not something that can be obtained through outside sources such as praise or compliments but rather grows from living up to our own standards and expectations so that we feel ourselves to be a person we esteem.
Narcissism vs. Authentic Self-Esteem Read More »
An examination of Mark Zuckerberg’s character in the film ‘The Social Network’ as a way to understand Narcissistic Personality Disorder and pathological narcissism.
A Portrait of Narcissistic Personality Disorder in ‘The Social Network’ (2010) Read More »