The Construction of "Self" in Individuals With Congenital Facial Palsy.

Congenital facial palsy is a rare medical condition that causes paralysis of the facial muscles, lack of facial expression, and an unusual appearance. Findings from developmental psychology suggest that the face plays a central role in the construction of self. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 adults born with congenital facial palsy. Participant's constructions of self across the life span were explored and a grounded theory of this process was constructed. Theoretical sampling was conducted with two parents of children born with the condition. All participants reported "struggling to make connections," "experiencing invalidation," and "struggling to regulate affect," which lead to "constructing a defective sense of self." Alternatively, "making validating connections" facilitated the process of "constructing a validated sense of self." This study provides insight into the unique social and emotional challenges often experienced by those born with congenital facial palsy and highlights the need for early psychosocial intervention.

What is the prevalence of narcissistic injury among trainee counselling psychologists?

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the level of narcissistic injury among trainee counselling psychologists using the Narcissistic Injury Scale (Slyter, 1991). This 38-item Likert scale is based on Miller's (1981) definition of narcissistic injury; a specific type of psychological damage which focuses on feelings about the self and past relationships related to self-development. Theorists suggest that if untreated, narcissistic issues can interfere with client work and lead to a number of problems for trainees, influencing drop-out rates and increasing burnout. The results of the study indicate that a high degree of narcissistic injury may be prevalent among trainee counselling psychologists and furthermore, that narcissistic injury does seem to be related to the quality of the perceived parent-child relationship. Consequently, the study suggests that therapeutic work could be affected in those trainees who fail to address their own narcissism. The study provides some tentative support for the utility of the Narcissistic Injury Scale.