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Jonathan Shedler
@JonathanShedler
Professor, psychologist, author. Tweets about psychology, psychiatry, psychotherapy. Writings, podcasts, talks👇
San Francisco and Vail
linktr.ee/jonathanshedler
Joined August 2013
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    Jonathan Shedler
    @JonathanShedler
    Aug 6, 2024
    1/ One of most important things I've learned: Severe personality problems find *camouflage.* No one thinks “I’m a sadist” or “I'm a malignant narcissist.” They find a belief system/social group that validates their most hateful, destructive impulses & construes them as virtues.
    1M
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    Jonathan Shedler
    @JonathanShedler
    Jul 3, 2024
    A prefrontal cortex
    7.1M
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    Jonathan Shedler
    @JonathanShedler
    Jul 28, 2024
    1/ Social psychologists long ago proved something utterly terrifying People will disregard WHAT THEY SEE WITH THEIR OWN EYES to conform to what other people say In a classic 1951 experiment by Solomon Asch, people looked at a picture of three lines & were asked to choose which
    2.6M
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    Jonathan Shedler
    @JonathanShedler
    Sep 24, 2021
    1/ One of most important things I've learned: Severe personality problems find *camouflage.* No one thinks "I'm a sadist" or "I'm a malignant narcissist." They find a belief system/social group that validates their most hateful, destructive impulses & construes them as virtues.
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    Jonathan Shedler
    @JonathanShedler
    Jun 11, 2023
    This study suggests that people who publicly shame & dogpile on social media are not motivated by moral outrage or a desire to do good, but by sadism They just get off on the cruelty papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cf…
    2.2M
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    Jonathan Shedler
    @JonathanShedler
    Sep 24, 2021
    Replying to @JonathanShedler
    2/ The most toxic and hateful people in the world are 100% convinced they fight for what is true and right.
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    Jonathan Shedler
    @JonathanShedler
    Aug 8, 2025
    I’m the author of the paper @grok describes here. It’s among the most read and cited articles on psychotherapy outcome—required reading in grad programs around the world Grok gets literally everything wrong The paper shows psychodynamic therapy is as or more effective than
    396K
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    Jonathan Shedler
    @JonathanShedler
    Jun 27, 2023
    1/ Depression is the psychic equivalent of fever. Fever is a non-specific response to an enormous range of underlying physiological conditions, from the common cold to ebola. Depression is likewise a *non-specific* response to an enormous range of underlying conditions. It is
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    Elon Musk
    X
    @elonmusk
    Jun 27, 2023
    Replying to @CensoredMen
    Depression is overdiagnosed in the US, but for some people it really is a brain chemistry issue. But zombifying people with SSRIs for sure happens way too much. From what I’ve seen with friends, ketamine taken occasionally is a better option.
    676K
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    Jonathan Shedler
    @JonathanShedler
    Feb 28, 2023
    1/ One of most important things I've learned: Severe personality problems find *camouflage.* No one thinks "I'm a sadist" or "I'm a malignant narcissist." They find a belief system/social group that validates their most hateful, destructive impulses & construes them as virtues.
    452K
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    Jonathan Shedler
    @JonathanShedler
    Sep 24, 2021
    Replying to @JonathanShedler
    3/ They find a way to give free rein to their cruelty, to attack, to treat others cruelly and viciously. *And they find allies to cheer them on* who also believe they are on the side of all that is true and good.
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    Jonathan Shedler
    @JonathanShedler
    Sep 24, 2021
    Replying to @JonathanShedler
    4/ For colleagues looking for more theoretical explanation, the psychological processes are splitting, projection & projective identification. Splitting means not recognizing one's own capacity for hate, cruelty, and destructiveness. The person is blind to the bad in themselves.
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    Jonathan Shedler
    @JonathanShedler
    Oct 24, 2023
    ❌Therapist: "This is a safe space" ✅ Therapist: "I'm a stranger to you. You have no basis for knowing whether you can trust me" ✅ Therapist: "Help me understand what might make you feel more comfortable or less comfortable talking to me" Bullshit vs authenticity
    258K
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    Jonathan Shedler
    @JonathanShedler
    Jul 28, 2024
    Replying to @JonathanShedler
    3/ Watch the video and see for yourself This happened even when the truth was visibly obvious If person after person will say something that is blatantly false to conform with total strangers, imagine what can happens when the truth is more ambiguous or complex, as with social,
    169K
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    Jonathan Shedler
    @JonathanShedler
    Sep 24, 2021
    Replying to @JonathanShedler
    7/ they are (this is what is called is "projective identification.") The end result is that the person can deny their own sadism, cruelty, and hate—while simultaneously acting it out without restraint. And feel themselves to be 100% on the side of truth and right as they do it.