Writing this book springs from a deep feeling for people and a grave concern that without a proper understanding of the reasons for their inhumanity in relation to one another and the development of a compassionate world view, it is likely that human beings may eventually destroy themselves and life on the planet. This work is an attempt to explain the source of destructive behaviour and how it manifests itself in personal relationships between men, women, couples, and families, and in the social arena. The author presents a position that offers a hope of altering the destiny of humankind's unethical behavior through better psychological understanding and education. Understanding the source of a person's aggressiveness in defending the fantasy bond and learning to cope with the voice process have strong implications for child-rearing and better mental health practices.

Writing this book springs from a deep feeling for people and a grave concern that without a proper understanding of the reasons for their inhumanity in relation to one another and the development of a compassionate world view, it is likely that human beings may eventually destroy themselves and life on the planet. This work is an attempt to explain the source of destructive behaviour and how it manifests itself in personal relationships between men, women, couples, and families, and in the social arena. The author presents a position that offers a hope of altering the destiny of humankind's unethical behavior through better psychological understanding and education. Understanding the source of a person's aggressiveness in defending the fantasy bond and learning to cope with the voice process have strong implications for child-rearing and better mental health practices.

How much of our identity or 'self' is truly representative of our own wants, needs, and goals in life and how much does it reflect the desires and priorities of someone else? Are we following our own destiny or are we unconsciously repeating the lives of our parents, living according to their values, ideals, and beliefs? In this thought-provoking book, noted clinical psychologist Robert Firestone and his co-authors explore the struggle that all of us face in striving to retain a sense of ourselves as unique individuals. The self is under siege from several sources: primarily pain and rejection in the developmental years, problems in relationships, detrimental societal forces, and existential realities that affect all people. Through numerous case studies and personal stories from men and women who participated in a 35-year observational study, the authors illustrate how voice therapy, a cognitive/affective/behavioral methodology pioneered by Firestone, is used to elicit, identify, and challenge the destructive inner voice and to change aversive behaviors based on its prescriptions. The theory they describe integrates the psychodynamic and existential approaches underlying voice therapy and is enriched by research findings in the neurosciences, attachment research, and terror management theory (TMT). An important addition to the area of personality development theory, The Self under Siege offers a new perspective on differentiation and the battle to separate ourselves from the chains of the past. It provides psychotherapists and other mental health professionals with the tools needed to help clients differentiate from the dysfunctional attitudes and toxic personality traits of their parents, other family members, and harmful societal influences that have unconsciously dominated their lives. This book will have a special appeal to clients and, in fact, to any person interested in his/her own personal development

Three psychologists provide readers with all the tools they need to overcome the kinds of nagging, judgmental, or abusively self-critical thinking that contribute to low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. The inner critic is the voice in our heads that whispers, whines, and needles us into place. It edits our thoughts, controls our behaviour, and inhibits our actions. It thinks it is protecting us from being hurt or abandoned - but all it really does is reinforce feelings of shame and guilt, sabotage our intimate relationships, and contribute to drug and alcohol abuse. Conquer Your Inner Critic presents a revolutionary new strategy for dealing with the inner critic: externalising it. This subtle yet powerful reframing technique turns internal self-criticisms into "you" statements, that when written or said aloud can finally be subjected to a reality-test and seen to be the gross exaggerations, unfair comparisons, or flat-out lies that they really are. Step-by-step, readers learn to keep track of their negative thoughts, analyse their reality, and recognize how negative thinking impacts their lives. They then learn to use a variety of techniques to help them release the inner critic's stranglehold on their lives and combat its subversive effect on career achievement, intimate relationships, and sexuality. A final chapter offers parents simple ways to help their children avoid forming a tyrannical inner critic.