Pathologies of the Self: Exploring Narcissistic and Borderline States of Mind

Pathologies of the Self explores both narcissistic disturbance and borderline states. For several decades of clinical practice, Phil Mollon has explored and pondered the nature and structure of identity as a core aspect of what drives human action. We are collectively trapped in images, either of our own choosing, or imposed on us by others. These illusions of self shape how we think, feel, and behave and are seemingly necessary for our functioning in society. Some of us become invested in grandiose self-images, consistently sacrificing perceptions of truth and reality in the service of maintaining these fictions. In such states, we are blind to both the subjectivity of others and to the deeper and more authentic aspect of self. Narcissism affects all human beings, and its thematic tentacles enter all forms of psychotherapy.