self-construct (self • kon • strukt'), v.i. to take responsibility for engendering your unique gifts by completing the job left unfinished by your parents.

A Self-Guided Tour of Your Upbringing – An Introduction to Section I

Little tykes don’t look around their world and wonder, “Hmmm. Does this look right to you?” They look around their world and think, “Hmmm. So this is life.” This state of affairs serves the general population very well in that naïve children are easy to train.

It's Not Your Fault. Really. No, Seriously.

When I was a young girl attempting to play basketball, I would always dribble backing up so that I could keep my body between my opponents and the ball. I was sure that if I turned around and put the ball out in front of me, someone would steal it and I would look...

Shame: The Actual Monster Under the Bed

A sound mind is, in actuality, a well-run committee. Freud notwithstanding, a healthy psyche is made up of the many aspects of our personality, each arguing reasonably yet passionately from its particular point of view.

Pricked: The Sleeping Beauty Effect of a Poor Childhood

Ours is a zeitgeist of sky-high expectations. We are all supposed to move surely and swiftly toward personal, professional, and financial successes, navigating capably through one life challenge after another.

Life Is Difficult
Glossary
The Existential Roots of Career Choice
Triumph in the Game of Life