My patient’s parent recently complained about her adolescent daughter’s angry outbursts. These episodes occurred particularly during discussions about taking showers and completing assignments for school. Early adolescence is a time when children often desire more independence. As it turns out, defiance was not the problem. Fear was the culprit. Let’s call my patient, Pearl. Some inquiries…
As I enjoyed Thanksgiving with my family, it struck me how much has changed over this past year. Rather than having everyone together in our home, laughing, eating, and celebrating such a joyous holiday, we set up in our garage. My wife and I ate at one table, and across the garage were my grandchildren…
Before becoming a psychologist, I always thought narcissism was a disorder of excessive self-love. This premise was likely based on hazy recollections of high school readings of Greek mythology, where Narcissus, known for his youthful beauty, spurns nymph Echo’s love and instead becomes so enamored with his reflection that he perishes from the unrequited romance.…