I often get books on psychology sent to me by publishers, and the other day I received Jeffrey Kottler’s On Being a Therapist. The book is now in its fourth edition, and this latest edition “puts the spotlight on the therapist’s role and responsibility to promote issues of diversity, social justice, human rights, and systemic changes within the community and the world at large.”
Whoa: I thought the therapist’s role was to increase the client’s well-being and treat mental illness.
It used to be that therapists just saw clients and sent them a bill. Now — perhaps because the “sending them a bill” part has gotten more difficult in these days of managed care and public skepticism about the profession — they are transforming themselves into superhuman beings who think they can save the entire world. Therapists may have been narcissistic before, but it takes a special kind of narcissism to see one’s own self as a world-saver.
Tag Archives: Narcissism
White Horse Inn – the Narcissism Epidemic
Listening now...
But first! On my way home from my sister's house...I followed the sign:
Yes...this is the "White Horse Inn"
Now...the show. (indented parts are what I took from the show, the left justified are my thoughts)
"this" generation is more narcissistic...because the world is more competitive...a little self-esteem is good...lots is better.
And yet, they also seem to be more adrift and "lost at sea" than any other generation.
Those who are truly successful are those who are humble, who get along with others, who are hard working and give their teams credit.
This is a good lesson for all of us to learn...be quick to praise, quick to recognize your own faults. Play nice with others.
Narcissist don't think they have to study because they're already smart.
Having lived with a person with narcissistic tendencies...golly, he read and studied all the time (the better to show people up with)
Doubting yourself can make you work harder.
It can...or it can lead to despair. I think it's a fine line.
anxiety and depression are higher than previous generations...focusing on yourself takes away from focusing on others.
Strangely, this generation also grew up with "forced volunteerism" in school - community service for a grade. It seems that being made to do good works isn't effective.
“Who Does Obama Think He IS?
WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama wants to speak at the Brandenburg Gate. He figures it would be a nice backdrop. The supporting cast -- a cheering audience and a few fainting frauleins -- would be a picturesque way to bolster his foreign policy credentials.
What Obama does not seem to understand is that the Brandenburg Gate is something you earn. President Reagan earned the right to speak there because his relentless pressure had brought the Soviet empire to its knees and he was demanding its final "tear down this wall" liquidation. When President Kennedy visited the Brandenburg Gate on the day of his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, he was representing a country that was prepared to go to the brink of nuclear war to defend West Berlin.
Americans are beginning to notice Obama's elevated opinion of himself. There's nothing new about narcissism in politics. Every senator looks in the mirror and sees a president. Nonetheless, has there ever been a presidential nominee with a wider gap between his estimation of himself and the sum total of his lifetime achievements?
Indeed.