I would disagree with this assessment regarding openness—though absolutely agree that this openness is needed. I think the stigma of psychopathy is great and not easily erased by assigning it a medical label. This matter of openness at a personal level is very important and should be assigned as much weight as dental hygiene.
The isolation and trauma of the pandemic have taught us that managing our mental health is crucial. Do we really want to take the health of our teeth more seriously than the health of our minds?
I would suggest that empowerment (leaving the cliff) requires that openness regarding our personal pain take place in our society. Furthermore, we must be just as open regarding the craziness that is embedded in our society—and even in our health and mental health communities (Bergquist, Guest and Rooney,2004).
I propose that human distress can be seen through a set of lenses that relate to an appreciation of our Aspirations—as they are successfully and unsuccessfully fulfilled at specific moments in our life. A short-term, symptoms-based focus and a mechanistic, deficit-based view of human distress lead many human service professionals to utilize psychotherapy primarily to “fix” behavioral deficits and to “heal” perceived mental illnesses. This focus and view is poorly aligned with the current realities of our age of anxiety. I would respectfully note that Rosmarin is correct in his diagnosis, but not in his remedy. Human service programs that are effective will build at a fundamental level on a deep sense of appreciation for the aspirational potential of all those who are being served.
