BEYOND
PIPE DREAMS
AND
PLATITUDES

Insights on Love, Luck, and
Narcissism from a Longtime
Psychologist

Geraldine K. Piorkowski, Ph. D.

This book is a collection of eight essays that was written to communicate what the author learned working with individuals of all ages, races, sexual orientations, and walks of life for over fifty years.

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Besides reaffirming that all people are fundamentally the same, she discovered many psychological realities that run counter to popular culture. Among her insights is the observation that positive thinking does more harm than good at times, especially when it bypasses the normal processing of negative events and emotions. Another cultural misdirection is the overemphasis on romantic love as the be-all and end-all of existence, where unrealistic expectations lead to love’s downfall. She also notes that unhealthy narcissism, which runs rampant in American culture, is quite different from the healthy variety that is the bedrock of self-love.

Winner in the CIPA EVVY AWARDS Competition (2021)
in the Cultural Studies/Social Issues Category

BOOK REVIEW

“In this short but enlightening work of nonfiction, Dr. Piorkowski shares what she has learned over the course of her 50-year career in psychology. These lessons converge into eight surprising observations, each with its own chapter, including the downside of positive thinking, the psychological benefits of anger, the conditions necessary for lasting love, and the difference between healthy narcissism and pathological narcissism.”

– Lynnabeana

“In this short but enlightening work of nonfiction, Dr. Piorkowski shares what she has learned over the course of her 50-year career in psychology. These lessons converge into eight surprising observations, each with its own chapter, including the downside of positive thinking, the psychological benefits of anger, the conditions necessary for lasting love, and the difference between healthy narcissism and pathological narcissism.”

– Lynnabeana

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Geraldine K. Piorkowski is a retired clinical psychologist who received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Since then, she worked in a variety of academic and clinical settings for over fifty years. She has written a number of psychological articles as well as two books about romantic love: ADULT CHILDREN OF DIVORCE: CONFUSED LOVE SEEKERS and TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT: EXPLORING THE RISKS OF INTIMACY

OTHER BOOKS

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT

Exploring The Risks Of Intimacy

Countless experts offer us advice on how to create the “perfect relationship,” fostering the unrealistic expectation that forming an intimate bond will be a painless experience. Unfortunately, few experts are willing to confront the powerful challenges and emotions inherent within close relationships today.

Adult Children of Divorce

Confused Love Seekers

Romantic love is often an elusive, fragile, and tenuous state, difficult to maintain across time. The rates of divorce, re-divorce, relationship violence, and abuse today attest to the fact we are failing at romantic love. And for teen-aged and adult children of divorce, romantic love can be especially elusive.

LOVE, LUCK, AND NARCISSISM:

When Popular Culture Gets It Wrong

In Love, Luck, and Narcissism: When Popular Culture Gets It Wrong, a retired clinical psychologist, Dr. Geraldine K. Piorkowski, with more than fifty years of experience offers an intriguing series of insights that challenge the modern self-help obsession with relentless positivity.

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