Weekly Insights: Reflections on Dichotomous Thinking

Heal NPD

The "Weekly Insights" series is for paid members of Dr. Ettensohn's Heal NPD Youtube channel. In the short-term, Dr. Ettensohn is posting all even-numbered episodes free of charge. If you would like access to the full series, please follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHeT5kujD1JqHRAi-x8xD-w/join

In this weekly insight, Dr. Ettensohn discusses the limitations of polarized or dichotomous thinking, particularly when it comes to self-experience.

Inspired by viewer responses to a previous episode on the false self, Dr. Ettensohn discusses why concepts like “true” and “false” self can be misleading when taken too literally.

Our internal experiences are complex, layered, and dynamic—identity, thought, feeling, and behavior are not static or easily divided into “good” and “bad” categories. Psychological health involves learning to tolerate and even appreciate this ambiguity rather than striving for certainty.