In a sense, he is right. His negative traits are not a part of his original nature. They are forged out of pain and become a part of an assumed identity, an alias that helps him maneuver in a complex and sometimes hostile world. This doesn’t mean, however, that he doesn’t have these negative traits; there are any number of witnesses who will attest that he does. But in order to maintain a positive self-image and enhance his chances for survival, he has to deny them. These negative traits became what is referred to as the “disowned self,” those parts of the false self that are too painful to
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