Tag Archives: enabling

Emotional Dependency Versus Mutual Regard

November 4, 2019Abuse, Empowerment, Intimacy, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Relationships, Self-Esteem, Spiritualityabuse, codependency, emotional dependency, enabling, self-worthDr. Simon

Emotional dependency lies at the heart of many abusive relationships. And disturbed characters know just how to exploit a person’s need for approval.

Bearing the Burden of Responsible Living – Wrap-Up

March 6, 2015empathy, Entitlement, Narcissism, Neurotics, Personality and Character Disorders, Relationships, Responsibility, Social Issuescharacter disturbance, enabling, Neurotics, relationships, responsibility, socializationDr. Simon

To care enough about the welfare of others to want to work on their behalf requires empathy, and is the essence of genuine love. Disturbed characters lack the capacity to love in this way because they lack empathy, and the warning signs are always in the attitudes they display toward accepting obligation.

Bearing the Burden of Responsible Living – Part 2

February 27, 2015empathy, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychology, Relationships, Responsibility, Social Issues, Therapycharacter disturbance, enabling, relationships, responsibility, socialization, therapyDr. Simon

Some individuals possess innate traits and have learning experiences that together more easily prepare them to lead a responsible life. But other individuals possess traits that make the socialization process inherently more challenging than usual. And, if on top of that such folks just happen to come from environments replete with various types of abuse, neglect, or inadequate guidance, they can enter adulthood with little motivation to bear the burden of responsible living.

Bearing the Burden of Responsible Living

February 20, 2015empathy, Neurotics, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychology, Relationships, Responsibility, Social Issuescharacter, character disturbance, empathy, enabling, Neurotics, responsibility, socializationDr. Simon

Learning to be responsible is largely a matter of accepting burdens for the greater good, and folks lacking in empathy rarely have the motivation to bear such burdens. The willingness to do so can only arise out of love, which is why a person’s incapacity to genuinely love is always reflected in their shirking of responsibility.

Sexual Irresponsibility: Illness, Addiction, or Character?

July 11, 2014Infidelity, Mental Health, Personality and Character, Psychobable, Psychology, Relationships, Responsibility, Social Issuescharacter, enabling, infidelity, relationships, responsibilityDr. Simon

Being a faithful, committed participant in a life partnership has never been an easy task. It takes integrity of character to resist the many temptations one faces on a daily basis, to honor one’s vows and to genuinely love.

Affluenza: Is “Spoiled Rotten” The New Accountability Excuse?

December 20, 2013Entitlement, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychobable, Responsibilityaccountability, affluenza, character disturbance, conscience, enabling, entitlement, treatmentDr. Simon

The judge’s decision in the Ethan Couch case left many wondering whether being “spoiled rotten” will become the new defense for delinquent juveniles hoping to evade accountability for their actions.

Baldwin and Ford: Poster Children for Character Disturbance

November 22, 2013Abuse, Aggression, conscience, Personality and Character Disorders, Responsibilitycharacter disturbance, conscience, enabling, entitlement, impression management, responsibilityDr. Simon

The antics of two public figures have illustrated the cardinal features of character dysfunction with such clarity that I think it fair to dub the actor Alec Baldwin and Toronto Mayor Rob Ford the new poster children for character disturbance.

What Made Them This Way?: Understanding Disturbed Characters

December 7, 2011Abuseabuse, boundaries, character, enabling, irresponsibility, limits, neglect, relationships, responsibility, trauma, understandingDr. Simon

When you strive too hard to “understand” a person’s behavior, you can often inadvertently excuse it.

Character on Trial: Some Lessons to Learn

October 13, 2011Personality and Character, Psychobable, Relationships, Responsibilityboundaries, character, enabling, irresponsibility, limits, relationships, responsibilityDr. Simon

Society can set all the limits and boundaries it chooses. But the willingness to respect those boundaries and limits instead of trying to get around them is an a matter of each individual heart.

Anger Issues or Something More?

September 15, 2011Abuse, Addiction and Recovery, Manipulation, Manipulators, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychological Manipulation, Relationships, Responsibilityabuse, abusive, aggression, anger, anger management, boundaries, character, control, dominance-seeking, enabling, limits, relationships, Unhealthy RelationshipsDr. Simon

The most important thing for anyone to accept is that the disturbed character’s behaviors are his (or her) problems to address through appropriate guidance and dedicated self-correction.

Dr. George Simon

A Resource for Understanding and Dealing with Narcissists, Manipulators, and other Problem Characters