Épisodes

  • Self Psychology: Heinz Kohut and the Psychology of Narcissism

    Self Psychology: Heinz Kohut and the Psychology of Narcissism
    Nov 1 2026
    Why do some people depend so heavily on admiration, reassurance, or recognition to maintain their sense of self? Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Heinz Kohut developed Self Psychology to explain how early relationships contribute to psychological cohesion, self-esteem, and vulnerability to narcissistic injury. This episode examines mirroring, idealization, selfobjects, and how Kohut’s approach changed the psychoanalytic understanding and treatment of narcissistic difficulties.
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    3 min
  • The Dark Side of Being Good: Nietzsche, Moral Superiority, and Psychological Defenses

    The Dark Side of Being Good: Nietzsche, Moral Superiority, and Psychological Defenses
    Oct 26 2026
    Why do some people become most cruel precisely when they believe they are morally right? Drawing on Friedrich Nietzsche's concept of ressentiment and psychodynamic theories of projection, reaction formation, and splitting, this episode examines how unacceptable feelings can be transformed into moral judgments about others. We explore how the need to maintain an idealized self-image can prevent individuals from recognizing their own hostility, envy, and desire for control. The episode reveals how psychological defenses can turn genuine moral convictions into instruments of aggression.
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    4 min
  • Object Relations Theory and Splitting: Why We Divide People Into Good and Bad

    Object Relations Theory and Splitting: Why We Divide People Into Good and Bad
    Oct 19 2026
    Why do some people struggle to recognize that someone they love can also disappoint, frustrate, or hurt them? Drawing on Melanie Klein’s object relations theory, this episode examines splitting as an early psychological defense and explores how psychodynamic therapy helps individuals integrate contradictory feelings about themselves and others. We discuss the paranoid-schizoid and depressive positions, the development of whole-object relations, and how therapeutic approaches such as transference-focused psychotherapy address persistent patterns of idealization and devaluation. Finally, we examine the clinical applications and limitations of these theories, including why splitting should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of a personality disorder
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    2 min
  • Schema Therapy Explained: Why Childhood Patterns Continue to Shape Adult Behavior

    Schema Therapy Explained: Why Childhood Patterns Continue to Shape Adult Behavior
    Oct 18 2026
    Why do some people repeatedly enter unhealthy relationships, struggle with abandonment, or experience intense feelings of inadequacy despite recognizing these patterns? Developed by psychologist Jeffrey Young, Schema Therapy integrates cognitive behavioral therapy, attachment theory, psychodynamic concepts, and experiential techniques to address deeply ingrained emotional patterns. This episode examines early maladaptive schemas, schema modes, limited reparenting, and the clinical evidence supporting this approach, particularly in the treatment of personality disorders.
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    4 min
  • The Many Voices Inside Your Head: Are We Really One Person?

    The Many Voices Inside Your Head: Are We Really One Person?
    Oct 14 2026
    Have you ever felt as though different parts of your personality were arguing with one another? One part wants security, another demands adventure, and a third questions every decision. Psychologist Hubert Hermans developed Dialogical Self Theory to explain how our identities contain multiple internal perspectives that interact, compete, and sometimes contradict one another. Discover why these inner voices may be essential to understanding personality, emotional conflict, and psychological growth.
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    4 min
  • Personal Construct Theory: Why Two People Can Experience the Same Event and See Completely Different Realities

    Personal Construct Theory: Why Two People Can Experience the Same Event and See Completely Different Realities
    Oct 13 2026
    : Why can two people experience exactly the same event yet interpret it in completely different ways? Psychologist George Kelly believed that we each construct our own understanding of reality through personal beliefs, expectations, and experiences. His Personal Construct Theory explains how these mental frameworks shape relationships, influence decisions, and sometimes trap us in patterns of misunderstanding.
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    3 min
  • Attachment Theory in the Therapy Room: What Secure, Anxious, and Avoidant Attachment Actually Look Like

    Attachment Theory in the Therapy Room: What Secure, Anxious, and Avoidant Attachment Actually Look Like
    Oct 4 2026
    Attachment theory is often reduced to labels people use to explain their dating lives, but its clinical origins are considerably richer. Secure, anxious, and avoidant patterns describe different ways people organize themselves around closeness, separation, dependency, and the possibility of rejection. In psychotherapy, these patterns may emerge not only in stories about relationships but in the patient’s relationship with the therapist. An unanswered question, a therapeutic silence, a vacation, or even the end of a session can acquire very different meanings depending upon the patient’s expectations of others. Understanding attachment therefore gives clinicians a way of thinking about what happens between two people when one person begins to matter to the other.
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    4 min
  • Object Relations Theory Explained: How Early Relationships Shape the Adult Mind

    Object Relations Theory Explained: How Early Relationships Shape the Adult Mind
    Sep 27 2026
    Why do some people desperately seek closeness but become frightened, angry, or distant once they receive it? Object relations theory proposes that our earliest relationships can become internal psychological templates that influence how we experience ourselves and other people throughout life. This episode explores the ideas of Melanie Klein, D. W. Winnicott, and Ronald Fairbairn—and what therapists actually do with these concepts in the therapy room.
    Afficher plus Afficher moins
    5 min