In today’s world, there are a lot of people who like to intensely criticize others while rarely taking responsibility for their own behavior. They often have traits of Cluster B (narcissistic, antisocial, borderline, and histrionic) personality disorders, which tend to be “dramatic, emotional, or erratic”1 and have strong associations with “domineeringness, vindictiveness, and intrusiveness.”2 If you have to deal with such a person, either occasionally or every day, there is a simple way to minimize the impact of their negative words on you. This is a good technique to use when you are setting limits on someone and expect them to push back with criticisms of you, as we describe in our book SLIC Solutions: Setting Limits and Imposing Consequences in 2½ Steps.3

First, come up with one (or two) short statement(s) affirming one or more of your positive qualities. Write it down to help you remember it. In our........

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