Category Archives: impression management

Love Bombing Is Covert Aggression

September 25, 2026Abuse, Aggression, Covert-Aggression, Empowerment, gaslighting, impression management, Integrity, Love, Lying and Deception, Manipulation, Manipulators, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychobable, Psychological Manipulation, Psychology, Relationships, Social Issuescharm, charmer, covert-aggression, ego massage, manipulative, narcissist, Narcissists, seduce seduction, spell, tactics, thiefDr. Simon

Love bombing has little to do with genuine love. It’s a tactic to charm, disarm, and seduce you into doing what you otherwise might not.

Finding a Partner with a Healthy Self-Image

June 25, 2026Character Matters, Entitlement, impression management, Intimacy, Lying and Deception, Manipulation, Manipulators, Mental Health, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychological Manipulation, Psychology, Relationships, Self-Esteem, Social Issues, Spiritualitycharacter disturbance, egoism, entitlement, healthy self-image, narcissism, relationships, self-indulgence, wholesome characterDr. Simon

Developing a healthy self-image is a formidable task made even more challenging in a culture that encourages and rewards narcissism.

Humility and Gratitude Are Foundational

June 16, 2026Character Matters, Entitlement, impression management, Integrity, Intimacy, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Psychology, Relationships, Social Issuescharacter, entitlement, gratitude, humble, humility, indebtedness, obligation, relationshipsDr. Simon

Humility and gratitude are foundational character qualities, qualities you want to see clear evidence of in a potential relationship partner.

Discerning Character Requires Certain Skills

May 28, 2026Abuse, Character Matters, conscience, Empowerment, gaslighting, impression management, Integrity, Intimacy, Love, Lying and Deception, Manipulation, Manipulators, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Psychological Manipulation, Relationships, Self-Esteem, Social Issues, Spiritualityabuse, character, healthy shame, metanoia, narcissism, predatory behavior, shame, toxic shameDr. Simon

Discerning decency of character in our times is a challenge. With all manner of character dysfuntion “normalized,” we’ve largely become desensitized, even to the most egregious forms.

Narcissistic Pomposity and Pretense

May 20, 2026Abuse, Empowerment, Entitlement, impression management, Lying and Deception, Manipulation, Manipulators, Mental Health, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychological Manipulation, Psychology, Psychopathy and Sociopathy, Relationships, Social Issuescharacter disordered, exploitation, grandiose, impression management, narcissism, Narcissists, pomposity, pretenseDr. Simon

Pomposity and pretense are common in narcissists. Sometimes, it’s an act. But it can also reflect grandiose, nearly delusional beliefs.

Mind Control and Heart Control

March 27, 2026Addiction and Recovery, Aggression, Entitlement, Faith, impression management, Intimacy, Lying and Deception, Media, Narcissism, Neurotics, Psychopathy and Sociopathyaggressive personalities, character dysfunction, control, dominance, heart, heart control, manipulators, mind, mind control, surrenderDr. Simon

Mind control is about holding sway over what a person thinks. But mind control can morph into heart control. Manipulators know this.

Impression Management Skill and Gaslighting

December 9, 2025Character Matters, Covert-Aggression, gaslighting, impression management, Integrity, Lying and Deception, Manipulation, Manipulators, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychological Manipulation, Psychology, Relationships, Social Issuesbeing good, covert characters, gaslighting, genuine love, impression management, looking good, seductionDr. Simon

Impression management skill and gaslighting often go hand-in-hand. When others don’t see your nemesis the same way you have come to see them, it can make you feel crazy, which is what the gaslighting effect is all about.

Healthy Versus Unhealthy Self-Image

November 10, 2025Abuse, Character Matters, impression management, Integrity, Mental Health, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychology, Relationshipscharacter disturbance, grandiose, image, impression management, narcissism, Narcissists, self-imageDr. Simon

A person can see themself as inherently defective, inadequate, unlovable, etc., and that type of unhealthy self-image can cause many problems in life and lead them to forge relationships for a lot of unhealthy reasons. But a person can also harbor a self-image that’s distorted for sure, but in an overly glowing or grandiose, as opposed to negative sort of way. And persons who think too much of themselves or want others to adore them cause very different problems in relationships.