- Table View
- List View
The Self-Regulation of Health and Illness Behaviour
by Linda D. Cameron Howard LeventhalSelf-regulation theory focuses on the ways in which individuals direct and monitor their activities and emotions in order to attain their goals. It plays an increasingly important role in health psychology research.The Self-regulation of Health and Illness Behaviour presents an up-to-date account of the latest developments in the field. Individual contributions cover a wide range of issues including representational beliefs about chronic illness, cultural influences on illness representations, the role of anxiety and defensive denial in health-related experiences and behaviours, the contribution of personality, and the social dynamics underlying gender differences in adaptation to illness. Particular attention is given to the implications for designing effective health interventions and messages. Integrating theoretical and empirical developments, this text provides both researchers and professionals with a comprehensive review of self-regulation and health.
Self-related Cognitions in Anxiety and Motivation
by Ralf SchwarzerResearch on anxiety and motivation has witnessed substantial progress in recent years in developing innovative perspectives and applying advanced psychometric tools. The most important contributions were made by cognitively oriented psychologists who have related the information processing view to anxiety and motivation. The organized knowledge about oneself and the storage, processing and retrieval of information concerned with one's attitude and behavior strongly influences the way people think, feel and act. Therefore, self-referent thoughts play a major role as a cognitive component in anxiety and motivation. It is the idea of this book to integrate different lines of thinking in the field of anxiety and motivation by relating both topics to self-focussed attention, self-concept and self-evaluation in achievement contexts as well as in social contexts.
Self-Renewal: The Individual and the Innovative Society [First Edition]
by John W. Gardner“The only stability possible is stability in motion.”—John William GardnerIn his classic treatise Self-Renewal, John W. Gardner examines why great societies thrive and die. He argues that it is dynamism, not decay, that is dramatically altering the landscape of American society. The twentieth century has brought about change more rapidly than any previous era, and with that came advancements, challenges, and often destruction. Gardner cautions that “a society must court the kinds of change that will enrich and strengthen it, rather than the kind of change that will fragment and destroy it.”A society’s ability to renew itself hinges upon its individuals. Gardner reasons that it is the waning of the heart and spirit—not a lack of material might—that threatens American society. Young countries, businesses, and humans have several key commonalities: they are flexible, eager, open, curious, unafraid, and willing to take risks. These conditions lead to success. However, as time passes, so too comes complacency, apathy, and rigidity, causing motivation to plummet. It is at this junction that great civilizations fall, businesses go bankrupt, and life stagnates. Gardner asserts that the individual’s role in social renewal requires each person to face and look beyond imminent threats.Ultimately, we need a vision that there is something worth saving. Through this vision, Gardner argues, society will begin to renew itself, not permanently, but past its average lifespan, and it will at once become enriched and rejuvenated.
Self Research: The intersection of therapy and research
by Ian Law‘Self research’ is both a therapeutic and a research endeavour that enables the subject of the research to interpret and validate their own data. In Self Research, Ian Law outlines and draws together the theoretical, institutional and practice elements of this work, and offers illustrative examples of how different elements of the methodology can be applied in practice. He proposes a methodology for the practice of self research that is based on an epistemological approach, thereby closing the interpretative gap between the researcher and the researched. Engaging in therapeutic work with those who experience their sense of self as problematic can be transformative in two key respects: it enables them to produce a sense of self which acknowledges that an understanding of one’s self is discursively produced, and it helps locate that sense of self within its historical, political and social context. By setting out the theoretical underpinnings of the process across a range of different contexts, Law develops a methodology for doing ‘talk therapy’, and researching the self that are one and the same. This methodology allows those who are both the subject and object of their own research to have the authority to determine its meaning, relevance and validity. The book will be essential for advanced students of counselling, along with practicing therapists in psychotherapy across different schools of practice.
Self-restoration of People Living with HIV/AIDS in China
by Rongting HouThis book adopts an approach based on relational psychoanalysis, developed in the USA in and since the 1990s and guided by the self-psychology championed by Kohut and the Post-Kohutians. How people infected with HIV/AIDS live their lives is a growing concern in China. The book, based on relational psychoanalysis, explores their self-restoration, and more specifically, how adopting an attitude of “dying to live” helps them face tremendous challenges in life. By interviewing selected individuals at a given organization, the author focuses on their life experiences and on corresponding interventional mechanisms. The book’s three most important features are as follows: 1) its application of self-psychology by Heinz Kohut into the context of psychological intervention; 2) a wealth of qualitative data gathered through in-depth interviews; and 3) the author’s self-reflection and analysis. The book offers a valuable guide for graduate students, researchers, and policymakers alike.By interviewing selected individuals at a given organization, the book focuses on the life histories of selected individuals after being diagnosed with AIDS (screening HIV positive) and on corresponding interventional mechanisms. Further, itemploys the self and self-object as key explanatory terms for the necessary psychotherapeutic interventions,and in order to create guidelines that sufficiently reflect the illness and corresponding interventions. Given its scope and focus, the book offers a valuable guide for graduate students, researchers, and policymakers alike.
The Self-Restorative Power of Music: A Psychological Perspective (Psychoanalytic Inquiry Book Series)
by Frank M. LachmannThis book explores how we can understand the place of music from a self psychological perspective, by investigating three journeys: the one we take when listening to music, the literal journey of the author from Nazi Germany to the United States, and the subjective round-trip between the past and the present. Drawing on the work of Heinz Kohut, the author examines how music can provide us with a way to reconnect with a sense of self, and how this can manifest in psychological and physical ways. There is particular reference to the work of Richard Wagner, Cole Porter, and Richard Strauss, and an examination of how their music enabled them, in times of stress and crisis, to restore and maintain a more positive sense of self. Finally, the book looks back at the author’s own experiences of music and the place of music in the Jewish world. With clinical excerpts, personal narrative, and sophisticated psychoanalytic insights, this book will appeal to all psychoanalysts wanting to understand the place of music in shaping the psyche, as well as music scholars wishing to gain a deeper appreciation of the psychology of music.
Self-Studies of Science Teacher Education Practices
by Shawn M. Bullock Tom RussellPart of a vital Springer series on self-study practices in teaching and teacher education, this collection offers a range of contributions to the topic that embody the reflections of science teacher educators who have applied self-study methodology to their own professional development. The material recognizes the paradox that lies between classroom science and the education of science teachers: the disciplines of science are often perceived as a quest for right answers, an unintentional by-product of the classroom focus on right answers in student assessment in science. In contrast, the profession of teaching has few right answers and frequently involves the management of conflicting tensions. A dilemma thus arises in science teacher education of how to shift perspectives among student teachers from reductionist to more inclusive attitudes that are open to the mercurial realities of teaching. The self-studies presented here are unique, fresh and stimulating. They include the input of a beginning science teacher as well as science teacher educators from a range of backgrounds and varying levels of experience. In addition, the volume presents a truly international perspective on the issues, with authors hailing from five countries. Providing analysis at the leading edge of education theory, this collection will make fascinating reading for those teaching science--as well as those teaching science teachers.
Self Supervision: A Primer for Counselors and Human Service Professionals
by Patrick J. MorrissetteThe book synthesizes past and current literature on the theory and practice of self-supervision and provides counselors and human service professionals with a plan for the pursuit of independent professional growth. The author provides the reader with a foundation for understanding the issues that must be examined when evaluating one's own work.
Self-Supervision: A Primer for Counselors and Human Service Professionals (Routledge Mental Health Classic Editions)
by Patrick J. MorrissetteSelf-Supervision synthesizes the literature on the theory and practice of self-supervision and provides counselors and human service professionals with a plan for the pursuit of independent professional growth. The classic edition includes a new preface from the author reflecting on his work and on the changes in society and the field since the book’s initial publication. In these chapters, professionals will find cost-effective and efficient strategies for developing their skills while still ensuring that they’re providing quality treatment. They’ll also find a diverse array of strategies for self-supervision and a thoughtful discussion of reflective processes required to effectively evaluate one’s own practices.
Self Supervision: A Primer for Counselors and Human Service Professionals
by Patrick J. MorrissetteSelf-Supervision synthesizes past and current literature on the theory and practice of self-supervision and provides counselors and human service professionals with a plan for the pursuit of independent professional growth.Beginning with a historical overview and discussion of the counselor-client relationship, boundary transgressions, the counselor's family-of-origin and unresolved issues, and disclosure styles, the author provides the reader with a foundation for understanding the issues that must be examined when evaluating one's own work. He then outlines the reflective process and describes the actual practice, guiding principles, and strategies for self-supervision. Finally the author presents several proactive measures for counselor self-care that readers will find useful.
The Self-system: Developmental Changes Between and Within Self-concepts
by Annerieke Oosterwegel Louis OppenheimerThis book presents a longitudinal study dealing with developmental changes within and between self-concepts and their relation to personal functioning. Within the psychological literature -- and the developmental literature in particular -- the interest in the ideas people hold about themselves and their relation with personal functioning is rapidly growing. This interest is reinforced by the emphasis on individuality in Western society. The self-system is now thought to consist of a collection of self-concepts in which a distinction is made between domain-specific self-concepts -- the real and ideal -- and context-related self-concepts -- the academic, the athletic and the social. It is also considered to be subjective rather than objective. This subjective self involves characteristics such as continuity and distinctiveness from others. These characteristics have been the primary focus of recent research. In existing literature on the development of the self-system, little is known about the structural characteristics -- that is, developmental changes in the interrelationships among domain-specific and context-related self-concepts, or between and within self-concepts. Similarly, little information is available about the relationships between individuals' real and ideal self concepts, their perceived concepts of others, and the actual ideas others have about the same individuals. This book integrates hitherto separate and different components or aspects of self-knowledge into one encompassing, multidimensional self-system.
Self-Talk for a Calmer You: Learn how to use positive self-talk to control anxiety and live a happier, more relaxed life
by Beverly FlaxingtonPowerful techniques for managing your anxiety!Every day, millions of people struggle with anxious thoughts and feelings of dread, but you don't have to be one of them. With Self-Talk for a Calmer You, you can change the way you approach your worries and finally break free from the tight grip of anxiety. Filled with practical advice and positive self-talk scripts, this empowering guide provides a variety of strategies for dealing with uneasy thoughts in a constructive manner and moving past detrimental hangups. Complete with quick assessments that reveal anxiety triggers, you'll also learn how to create a self-talk plan that fits your needs.From the workplace to personal relationships, Self-Talk for a Calmer You gives you the tools and confidence to develop a healthier way of thinking, overcome stressful situations, and reclaim your life.
Self-talk in Sport (Routledge Psychology of Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity)
by Alexander T. Latinjak Antonis HatzigeorgiadisAthletes are naturally exposed to significant psychological challenges in sports, but do not wait helplessly for the assistance of sports psychologists or trainers. Instead, they practise one form or another of self-regulation. Self-talk in Sport explores one such self-regulatory strategy: self-talk, the inner voice that accompanies every human being throughout their lives. Over time, research has revealed many secrets of self-talk in sport, though many others remain unveiled. This book offers you the opportunity to discover the multiple identities of our self-talk, how the “inner coach” serves as a rational counterpart to the irrational self, and what we need to do to develop our inner voice to reach its maximum self-regulatory potential. There is a general need for concrete interventions in sport, exercise, and performance psychology. In addition, the autonomous functioning of people is a central aim of psychological interventions that align with positive psychology and focus on people’s strengths rather than weaknesses. In this volume, researchers and applied practitioners are shown how they can use self-talk interventions to strengthen people’s rational self-regulation in order to deal with a variety of situations that apply to both sport and other exercise and performance contexts. Since self-talk is a tangible result of cognitive processes and inner experiences that researchers and applied practitioners can barely access, Self-talk in Sport is a tool for sports psychologists to understand and interact with hidden parts within athletes that have a major impact on sport and exercise experiences and performance. A book demonstrating the diverse – both rational and irrational identities – of self-talk, as well as specific interventions to change the inner dialogue of athletes, is a fundamental piece in the education of sport scientists.
The Self-Talk Workout: Six Science-Backed Strategies to Dissolve Self-Criticism and Transform the Voice in Your Head
by Rachel Goldsmith TurowSelf-talk matters, but what methods of building healthy self-talk actually work? This how-to guide shares evidence-based techniques to go from being your own worst critic to your own best friend. Perhaps you want to be nicer to yourself but don&’t really know how to get there. Or maybe you&’re someone who assumes self-criticism is a permanent part of your personality. Rest assured you&’re not alone—millions of people struggle with the toll that excessive self-criticism takes on their minds, energy levels, jobs, and relationships. And problems with self-talk vary dramatically from one person to the next: they can appear as mild but persistent inner criticism, full-blown self-loathing, or the pain of internalized oppression or abuse. After over twenty years of working with individuals, groups, and classes on self-criticism and related challenges, psychologist and mindfulness teacher Dr. Rachel Goldsmith Turow offers the &“self-talk workout&”—six doable exercises that can help you replace self-criticism with self-kindness and self-encouragement. Specific self-talk strategies such as &“Spot the success,&” &“Fail forward,&” and &“Allowing all feelings, skillfully,&” require just a few minutes a day. These skills can be practiced individually to transform your self-talk, or you can choose to combine two or more exercises to enhance your self-talk workout. Each chapter features a core exercise, variations on the strategy that might feel right for you, scientific studies supporting each approach, and success stories to inspire your own practice. Turow includes examples from her own life and experiences as a psychotherapist, as well as lessons from her students and respected public figures such as Michelle Obama and Thich Nhat Hanh, to show that the burden of harsh self-criticism need not go on forever: the way that we relate to ourselves can be changed.
Self-theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development (Essays in Social Psychology)
by Carol S. DweckThis innovative text sheds light on how people work -- why they sometimes function well and, at other times, behave in ways that are self-defeating or destructive. The author presents her groundbreaking research on adaptive and maladaptive cognitive-motivational patterns and shows:* How these patterns originate in people's self-theories* Their consequences for the person -- for achievement, social relationships, and emotional well-being* Their consequences for society, from issues of human potential to stereotyping and intergroup relations* The experiences that create them This outstanding text is a must-read for researchers in social psychology, child development, and education, and is appropriate for both graduate and senior undergraduate students in these areas.
Self to Lose, Self to Find: Using the Enneagram to Uncover Your True, God-Gifted Self
by Marilyn VancilDiscover the growth that&’s possible when we understand our authentic selves as God intended by exploring more deeply the Enneagram tool, paired with profound scriptural insights. &“This book is a gem. It&’s one of the top five books I recommend on the Enneagram.&”—Ian Morgan Cron, author of The Road Back to You &“An accessible, biblical and practical roadmap for anyone who wants to live fully into their true, authentic, God-given identity. I highly recommend it!&”—Brenda Salter McNeil, author of Becoming BraveThe Enneagram—a system of nine interconnected personality types—has been developed over many years to offer opportunities for personal development and provide a foundation for understanding others.Now a certified Enneagram coach shows how a scriptural perspective can lead us to a path of freedom. In Self to Lose, Self to Find, Marilyn Vancil unpacks our human dilemma, sets the scriptural foundation, explores the nine Enneagram personalities, and shows us practical ways to have a more meaningful life and healthier relationships. At its best, the Enneagram doesn't merely describe who we are, but shows us why we do what we do. It invites us to see the innate gifts and inclinations of our original design—the person we were before trials and traumas began to shape us. It also reveals the strategies and false narratives that keep us from becoming who we're truly meant to be.Vancil offers a compelling biblical case for the Enneagram by drawing from John 12:24, which describes how we, like seeds, construct a protective coat that helps us survive in a world where we encounter challenges and insecurities. But for us to truly live a fruitful life, we must allow the protective coat to soften and fall away in order to grow.This is what sets Vancil apart as both a seasoned Enneagram expert and a spiritual director: Within a scriptural context, she demonstrates how the Enneagram can be a vehicle for growth and transformation by laying out the realities of each Enneagram type, affirming the inherent genius of each type, showcasing the unhealthy tendencies of each type's false self, and illuminating the undeniable path to freedom for each one.Combining rich biblical wisdom with Enneagram wisdom and real-life experiences, this compelling resource is a must for anyone who longs for a happier, freer life.
The Self Under Siege: A Therapeutic Model for Differentiation
by Robert W. Firestone Joyce Catlett Lisa FirestoneHow much of our identity or 'self' is truly representative of our own wants, needs, and goals in life and how much does it reflect the desires and priorities of someone else? Are we following our own destiny or are we unconsciously repeating the lives of our parents, living according to their values, ideals, and beliefs? In this thought-provoking book, noted clinical psychologist Robert Firestone and his co-authors explore the struggle that all of us face in striving to retain a sense of ourselves as unique individuals. The self is under siege from several sources: primarily pain and rejection in the developmental years, problems in relationships, detrimental societal forces, and existential realities that affect all people. Through numerous case studies and personal stories from men and women who participated in a 35-year observational study, the authors illustrate how voice therapy, a cognitive/affective/behavioral methodology pioneered by Firestone, is used to elicit, identify, and challenge the destructive inner voice and to change aversive behaviors based on its prescriptions. The theory they describe integrates the psychodynamic and existential approaches underlying voice therapy and is enriched by research findings in the neurosciences, attachment research, and terror management theory (TMT). An important addition to the area of personality development theory, The Self under Siege offers a new perspective on differentiation and the battle to separate ourselves from the chains of the past. It provides psychotherapists and other mental health professionals with the tools needed to help clients differentiate from the dysfunctional attitudes and toxic personality traits of their parents, other family members, and harmful societal influences that have unconsciously dominated their lives. This book will have a special appeal to clients and, in fact, to any person interested in his/her own personal development
Self Versus Others: Media, Messages, and the Third-Person Effect (Routledge Communication Series)
by Julie L. Andsager H. Allen WhiteSelf Versus Others explores the third-person effect and its role in media as a means of persuasion. This scholarly work synthesizes more than two decades of research on the third-person effect, the process in which individuals do not perceive themselves to be impacted by particular messages—such as persuaded to engage in risky behaviors or encouraged to be violent—but they believe others will be. Authors Julie L. Andsager and H. Allen White focus their analysis specifically on the role of media and media messages, and assert that the third-person effect functions as a means of persuasion. They explore the underlying concepts and connections this effect shares with established theories of persuasion and mediated communication. The only volume to date focusing on the topic, Self Versus Others demonstrates the significant impact persuasion has on public opinion, behavior, and policy. As such, understanding the means through which persuasion can be accomplished thereby provides a powerful tool. Timely and succinct, this book:*provides thorough synthesis of third-person effect literature;*argues that systematic versus heuristic processing underlies third-person perceptions; and*conceptually links third-person effects with co-orientation. Intended for communication scholars with an interest in persuasion, as well as those in key areas including mass communication, health communication, and political communication, this book is also appropriate for advanced courses in persuasion, communication theory, and campaigns.
Self Within Marriage: The Foundation for Lasting Relationships
by Richard M. ZeitnerSelf Within Marriage combines the theoretical orientations of object-relations theory, self psychology, and systems theory as a way of understanding and working with couples and individuals whose relationship and emotional difficulties have centered on the common conundrum of balancing individuality and intimacy. Based on detailed case examples and couple therapy techniques, Self Within Marriage provides individual and couple therapists with a refreshing new framework for working with clients and for helping them understand who they are as individuals and as partners.
Self–Acceptance: How to banish the self-esteem myth, accept yourself unconditionally and revolutionise your mental health
by Dr Harry BarryHow to look after your mental wellbeing in times of stressIn an age where self-esteem is seen as essential to mental health, we are seeing unprecedented rises in mental health difficulties from depression anxiety, eating disorders and many others. Is there not a dichotomy at play here? Is Self - Esteem (ie 'I live for my rating') a reality at all or simply a myth we are all buying into. In this book bestselling author Harry Barry challenges the conventional wisdom and explores why the terms self-acceptance, self-respect and self-actualization are more helpful in developing positive mental health. In his trademark style he also provides practical examples of what we should all be doing instead to build confidence and reach our full potential.Part 1: The myth of self-esteemPart 2: Debunking the myth of 'low self-esteem'Part 3: Debunking the myth of 'high self-esteem'Part 4: Debunking the myth 'others can dictate my self-esteem'
SelfAcceptance: How to banish the self-esteem myth, accept yourself unconditionally and revolutionise your mental health
by Harry BarryIn an age where self-esteem is seen as essential to mental health, we are seeing unprecedented rises in mental health difficulties from depression anxiety, eating disorders and many others. Is there not a dichotomy at play here? Is Self - Esteem (ie 'I live for my rating') a reality at all or simply a myth we are all buying into. In this book bestselling author Harry Barry challenges the conventional wisdom and explores why the terms self-acceptance, self-respect and self-actualization are more helpful in developing positive mental health. In his trademark style he also provides practical examples of what we should all be doing instead to build confidence and reach our full potential.Part 1: The myth of self-esteemPart 2: Debunking the myth of 'low self-esteem'Part 3: Debunking the myth of 'high self-esteem'Part 4: Debunking the myth 'others can dictate my self-esteem'
Selfhood: Identity, Esteem, Regulation (Social Psychology Ser.)
by Rick Hoyle Michael H. Kernis Mark R. Leary Mark W. BaldwinThis text provides an integrative survey of the burgeoning social-psychological literature on the self. By way of an introduction, the authors establish the intellectual climate that gave rise to contemporary perspectives on the self and integrate early and more recent research on the structure of the self. The core of the text surveys the literatu
The Selfhood Of The Human Person
by John CrosbyWe often hear it said that "each person is unique and unrepeatable" or that "each person is his own end and not a mere instrumental means." But what exactly do these familiar sayings mean? What are they based on? How do we know they are true? <p><p> In this book, John F. Crosby answers these questions by unfolding the mystery of personal individuality or uniqueness, or as he calls it personal selfhood. He stands in the great tradition of Western philosophy and draws on Aquinas wherever possible, but he is also deeply indebted to more recent personalist philosophy, especially to the Christian personalism of Kierkegaard and Newman and to the phenomonology of Scheler and von Hildebrand. As a result, Crosby, in a manner deeply akin to the philosophical work of Karol Wojtyla, enriches the old with the new as he explores the structure of personal selfhood, offering many original contributions of his own. <p> Crosby sheds new light on the incommunicability and unrepeatability of each human person. He explores the subjectivity, or interiority, of persons as well as the much-discussed theme of their transcendence, giving particular attention to the transcendence achieved by persons in their moral existence. Finally he shows how we are led through the person to God, and he concludes with an original and properly philosophical approach to the image of God in each person. <p> Throughout his study, Crosby is careful not to take selfhood in an individualistic way. He shows how the "selfhood and solitude" of each person opens each to others, and how, far from interfering with interpersonal relations, it in fact renders them possible.
Selfie: How We Became So Self-obsessed And What It's Doing To Us
by Will Storr“In this fascinating psychological and social history, Storr reveals how biology and culture conspire to keep us striving for perfection, and the devastating toll that can take.” —The Washington Post We are living in an age of heightened individualism. Success is a personal responsibility. Our culture tells us that to succeed is to be slim, rich, happy, extroverted, popular—flawless. We have become self-obsessed. And our expectation of perfection comes at a cost. Millions are suffering under the torture of this impossible fantasy. The pressure to conform to this ideal has changed who we are. It was not always like this. To explain how we got here, award-winning journalist Will Storr leads us on a “terrific tour through the history of self-obsession” (NPR, On Point) that explores the origins of this notion of the perfect self that torments so many of us: Where does this ideal come from? Why is it so powerful? Is there any way to break its spell? Full of thrilling and unexpected connections among history, psychology, economics, neuroscience, and more, Selfie is an unforgettable book that makes sense of who we have become. Ranging from Ancient Greece, through the Christian Middle Ages, to the self-esteem evangelists of 1980s California, the rise of the “selfie” generation, and the era of hyper-individualism in which we live now, Selfie tells the epic tale of the person we all know so intimately—because it’s us.
The Selfishness of Others: An Essay on the Fear of Narcissism
by Kristin DombekThey're among us, but they are not like us. They manipulate, lie, cheat, and steal. They are irresistibly charming and accomplished, appearing to live in a radiance beyond what we are capable of. But narcissists are empty. No one knows exactly what everyone else is full of--some kind of a soul, or personhood--but whatever it is, experts agree that narcissists do not have it.So goes the popular understanding of narcissism, or NPD (narcissistic personality disorder). And it's more prevalent than ever, according to recent articles in The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Time. In bestsellers like The Narcissism Epidemic, Narcissists Exposed, and The Narcissist Next Door, pop psychologists have armed the normal with tools to identify and combat the vampiric influence of this rising population, while on websites like narcissismsurvivor.com, thousands of people congregate to swap horror stories about relationships with "narcs."In The Selfishness of Others, the essayist Kristin Dombek provides a clear-sighted account of how a rare clinical diagnosis became a fluid cultural phenomenon, a repository for our deepest fears about love, friendship, and family. She cuts through hysteria in search of the razor-thin line between pathology and common selfishness, writing with robust skepticism toward the prophets of NPD and genuine empathy for those who see themselves as its victims. And finally, she shares her own story in a candid effort to find a path away from the cycle of fear and blame and toward a more forgiving and rewarding life.