Narcissistic injury, also referred to as narcissistic wound, occurs when an individual with narcissistic traits faces criticism, rejection, perceived abandonment, or failure that challenges their inflated self-image and overwhelms their defense mechanisms. This experience can trigger intense emotional reactions, often manifesting as anger, shame, or anxiety. Narcissistic rage may follow as a defensive response to perceived attacks on the person’s…
Category: Psychology
Childhood Attentional Variability May Predict Psychosis Risk
Your risk of developing psychotic-like experiences may be influenced by both childhood attention problems and genetic makeup, researchers at UCLA have found. The findings1 build upon a long-studied association between childhood attention problems and the likelihood of later developing schizophrenia. UCLA researchers led by Dr. Carrie Bearden used data from around 10,000 children over a…
Vicarious Traumatization: Understanding Secondary Stress
Vicarious traumatization refers to the transformation in a helper’s inner experience resulting from empathetic engagement with trauma survivors. It differs from burnout or compassion fatigue by specifically altering one’s cognitive schemas and belief systems. Irene Lisa McCann and Laurie Anne Pearlman coined the phrase vicarious trauma (VT). The phenomenon is also known as secondary traumatic stress,…
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Dyslexia Share Genetic Links
Scientists have clarified the genetic basis of dyslexia by demonstrating how it interacts with that of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Under the direction of the University of Edinburgh researchers, this study1 is the first to investigate the genetic links to dyslexia — thought to affect 10 percent of the population — in the framework…
What is Ganser Syndrome
Ganser syndrome is a rare dissociative disorder characterized by a set of distinctive psychological symptoms. It typically manifests as giving nonsensical or incorrect answers to simple questions, a behavior known as “nonsense syndrome” or the “syndrome of approximate answers.” Patients with Ganser syndrome often display confusion, memory loss, and impaired consciousness. They may appear to…
Obedience to Authority May Depend on Physical Proximity
Scientists at SWPS University – formerly known as the Warsaw School of Social Psychology- recently investigated the causes of obedience in the famous Milgram study. They found that the experimenter’s physical proximity increases subjects’ compliance, whereas the learner’s physical proximity diminishes it. In the early 1960s, American social psychologist Stanley Milgram developed an experiment that…
The Freeze Response – Beyond Fight or Flight
The freeze response, also known as freezing behavior, or tonic immobility, is a survival mechanism triggered by the brain in response to perceived threat, involving a sophisticated interplay between psychological and physiological factors. It stands alongside the well-documented fight or flight responses as a fundamental mode of stress reaction, although the phenomenon, while well-researched in…
Psychological Models of Impulsivity
Impulsivity is a multifaceted construct often characterized by actions taken without forethought. It is typically regarded as a personality trait but can also be observed in various psychiatric conditions. Psychological models often emphasize the lack of behavioral inhibition as a core component of impulsivity. These models attempt to explain impulsive behavior as a failure to…
Rothbart’s Three Dimensions of Temperament
Temperament refers to the inherent traits that determine how individuals react to the environment. These traits are biologically based and observable from early childhood. Unlike personality, which can evolve over time influenced by various life experiences, temperament remains relatively stable and consistent. Temperament qualities (such as neuroticism, sociability, impulsivity, etc.) are different patterns in behavior…