Good things about the superego, and how it came to have a bad rap.
Category: Shame/Narcissism
Defense Mechanisms V: Idealization
Idealization reflects a drive to escape from an internal experience felt to be unbearable and to connect with something perfect. This defense mechanism may take aim at another person, an actual experience or one’s own self.
The Difference Between Shame and Guilt
While people generally use the words ‘guilt’ and ‘shame’ interchangeably, they actually refer to different experiences. Shame concerns painful feelings about oneself; guilt relates to the hurt or harm one may have caused somebody else and depends upon the ability to empathize. Guilt and shame often occur together.
Pride and the Healing of Shame
The healing of shame does not mean “triumphing” over it, but rather learning to bear that shame and not respond defensively to it, thereby earning feelings of pride and self-respect.
Narcissistic Rage and the Sense of Entitlement
A sense of entitlement, along with the expectation that life should be much easier and less frustrating than it actually is, often lies behind the expression of narcissistic rage, a feature of Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder and other superficially discrete categories of diagnosis.