They implicitly trust that their thoughts, beliefs, and feelings are their own, and fail to recognize that they may be “channeling” someone else’s thoughts and feelings.
People must come to the understanding that they do not have a fixed identity. They have the power to identify and alter features of their personalities that they find negative or unpleasant.
It is a full-time job to cope with alien elements from both interpersonal sources and societal influences.
In order for people to live their own lives and fulfill their destiny, they must differentiate themselves from destructive environmental influences.
Differentiation is a universal struggle that all human beings face if they wish to fully develop themselves as individuals.
Differentiating from parental introjects and psychological defences based on the emotional pain of childhood is essential not only for neurotic or seriously disturbed individuals; it is a central developmental issue in every person’s life.
Without differentiating from parents or caretakers we may never succeed in living our own lives.
To the extent that we retain the critical attitudes and destructive elements we have incorporated into our own personalities, we remain undifferentiated from our parents throughout our lifetime.
Our real self is under siege by our anti-self.
