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Excitement in shame: the price we pay
1National Group Psychotherapy Institute of the Washington School of Psychiatry, the Washington Psychoanalytic Society, and is Clinical Associate Professor at George Washington University Medical Center. He is also in private practice in Washington, DC.
Abstract:
This paper explores the role of excitement in shame, extending the theoretical underpinnings of my work (Aledort, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009) on narcissism and the omnipotent child syndrome. Shame, excitement, and early narcissistic self-states are complexly intermingled, each influencing the other. Empathy alone is insufficient; the passion connected to shame can be easily hidden. Detailed case studies describe a model for working with the excitement in shame, how it functions, and how it gets resolved.
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