Survivors of maternal abuse can feel burnt out, guilty, and misunderstood — Key Points Maternal abuse may seem unbelievable to many since it debunks culturally entrenched gender stereotypes. Gender essentialism biologizes and spiritualizes gender norms that are modeled and reinforced. Emotional manipulation that does not appear to do harm is a common form of maternal abuse. Mothers can be more likely than fathers to…

Nearly half of the non-binary workers in the U.S. endure employee discrimination at least monthly, a mere one-third feel comfortable “coming out” at work, and over thirty percent report bias in the hiring process alone. Thankfully, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is now considering tracking workforce data on non-binary…

Silence can be weaponized to abandon, invalidate, pressure, provoke, or punish. — Key points Unreflective people can ghost meaningful and necessary conversations to avoid taking responsibility for harm and being vulnerable. Entitled individuals can deploy the silent treatment to resist yielding to and reciprocating respect for others’ values, needs, and boundaries. Manipulators can weaponize non-responses to frame victims as immature and unstable, thereby deflecting…

Five ways narcissists weaponize punitive institutional policies and protocols. Key points Legal abuse consists of covert, institutionalized tactics of power and control, and weaponizes policy and protocol in retaliatory ways. Embellished child abuse reports, fabricated petitions for involuntary commitment, or threats of deportation are all examples of legal abuse. Motives for weaponizing punitive institutional policies and protocols mirror driving forces of…

Clinicians and survivors of spiritual abuse can use an assessment survey. — KEY POINTS The term “religious trauma syndrome” refers to leaving an authoritarian, dogmatic religion and coping with the damage of indoctrination. Spiritual institutions, where democratic accountability systems are rare, can attract people seeking power over and control of others. Abusive spiritual leaders may cover up spiritual abuse by employing the same narrative-controlling…

Narcissists see forgiveness as establishing their false narrative as the truest. — KEY POINTS An expectation of special treatment and a deficit in empathy can cause narcissists to seem entitled to forgiveness, even while still harming you. For many narcissists, conflict resolution and communication are often games to win, and humility and self-reflexivity are seen as liabilities. A narcissist’s terms of forgiveness often rush…

One requires spiritual warfare with humanity, modernity, pluralism, and science. — KEY POINTS Fundamentalist leaders often instill self-doubt via the doctrine of total depravity, endorse authoritarianism, and promote scriptural literalism. Healthy spirituality promotes a consensual, individualized spiritual journey and balances faith with reason. This piece originally appeared in Psychology Today.

Narcissistic victimhood may render extremists too rivalrous to be teachable. — KEY POINTS There are hundreds of hate groups and dozens of extremist groups operating in the U.S., many of which hold far-right ideologies. Both collective and individual narcissism demand external validation of a false reality and sense of supremacy, to avoid feelings of inadequacy. “Dominant group victimhood” can intensify collective narcissism among…

Confusing healthy self-esteem with narcissism can trivialize narcissistic abuse. KEY POINTS Individuals with healthy self-image can balance high self-esteem with prosocial behaviors that nurture reciprocal relational dynamics. Clinical narcissism is characterized by authoritarianism, envy, grandiosity, shallowness, and sociopathic deficit of empathy and remorse. Clinical narcissism can arise from insecure parent-child attachment during early childhood and a subsequently underdeveloped prefrontal cortex.