Read More....I do not know Rep. Weiner. But I do know he seems to have the features of a narcissist. Narcissists feel empty. Narcissists feel invincible. But their emotional landscape is barren. They are trying to evoke something through these inappropriate experiences. They feel they are entitled to these interactions.
And those of us watching from the sidelines are drawing the erroneous conclusion that this is the totality of what's going on. It's not. With many men, it's sex addiction. I do not know if Rep. Weiner is a sex addict, but he could be.
So, is it cheating? Yes. You don't have to have a physical relationship with someone other than your spouse or significant other to betray him or her. That's why the guilty party tries to prevent the truth from coming out. They know they are cheating and they don't want to get caught. Rep. Weiner said it straight-out -- he wasn't protecting his wife. He was protecting himself.
Here's what I am most concerned about: Rep. Weiner has been publicly shamed. Shame is a shattering experience for a narcissist. He simply can't avoid it because of who he is and how his lies came to light.
People who are narcissists and experience such shame can develop depression, or commit self-destructive acts. I would keep a close eye on this man. We have to remember, this is a human being at whom we're all taking aim.
We have judged, criticized, and even condemned Rep. Weiner, and that's where our own responsibility comes in. Let's think about the consequences of that.
I'm not saying that what Rep. Weiner did was OK. But let's allow him to get his personal life in order...
Drew Pinsky is the host of "Dr.Drew" on HLN, shown weeknights at 9 p.m. ET and PT. A practicing physician, he is on the staff at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, California. Pinsky is also assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the Keck USC School of Medicine.
Westwood One has announced the return of the syndicated radio night show “Loveline” to the New York market debuting on Emmis rocker WRXP-FM New York beginning June 8th. Hosted by Dr. Drew Pinsky and “Psycho” Mike Catherwood, “Loveline” addresses the issues of young people today in the arena of sex, relationships and health.
As the mother of a daughter who was married briefly at 24 to someone who exhibited the exact same behavior, I can tell you how devastating this behavior can be to the spouse. When this happened, we had no idea what this behavior was, but after reading both books and internet information extensively, this behavior is Narcissistic Personality Disorder and it cannot be fixed. All the readings indicate that it would take at least 5 years of therapy and extreme hard work for someone to make any gains when they have this disorder. Their emotional brains did not form properly in childhood and therefore certain traits never formed such as empathy, healthy self-esteem, honest view of themselves, ability to put someone else ahead of themselves. They constantly need narcissist supply from both primary and secondary sources and that need never goes away.
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