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.
When Is It Appropriate to Feel Shame?
A discussion of the ubiquitous experience of shame in *civilized* cultures and why it is sometimes appropriate to feel shamed.
The Rise of Bipolar Disorder Symptoms and Treatment
Why has Bipolar Disorder, once a fairly rare phenomenon, become so pervasive in our society? This article looks at four influencing factors: (1) improved diagnosis; (2) an enlargement of our conception of the illness; (3) a “vogue” for the label that has led to over-diagnosis; and (4) illicit drug-use and psychiatric medications that have actually increased the incidence of Bipolar Disorder.
Empathy vs Sympathy in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
Sympathy usually means entering into and sharing feelings that another person has verbally and intentionally expressed; empathy involves intuiting something unspoken, of which the other person may sometimes be entirely unaware. A psychotherapist’s ability to empathize with and understand unconscious parts of a client’s communication depends in large part upon feeling comfortable with those parts within him- or herself. Personal psychotherapy must therefore play a central part in training.
Do You Want to Be a ‘Good’ Person?
What we consider “moral behavior” can be motivated by religious beliefs, an inherited set of values, empathy and enlightened self-interest. The appearance of extreme virtue may mask highly “immoral” and destructive feelings through the process of splitting and projection.