An offense involves fighting hard enough to secure a goal and remove obstacles to that goal. A defense involves expending just enough energy to ward off an attack or prevent injury.

For neurotics, behavior such as denial is an unconscious defense mechanism that protects against the experience of unbearable pain. With disordered characters, what we commonly perceive as unconscious defenses (e.g., denial) are more often deliberate tactics of impression-management, manipulation, and responsibility-avoidance.

I think that it is of utmost importance that campaigns ‘against obesity’ should not make an underclass of overweight children who it is OK to treat however we like, because the health police and media are on our side. Both teasing, and pushing overweight teenagers to diet are likely to increase the likelihood of them discovering, and getting stuck in, destructive eating patterns.

Whereas once the bullying that occurred in school corridors or in the streets could be escaped from at home, now every part of a child’s private world can be touched by bullying, and it can be seen by absolutely everyone who knows you and thousands who don’t. The scope for harassment and bullying is now immense.