The Mask and the Mirror

Welcome to The Mask and the Mirror.

My name is Chelsyea M. Jackson, and I am a doctoral student in clinical psychology with a strong interest in personality theory and psychopathology. My academic path has consistently drawn me toward understanding how enduring patterns of thinking, feeling, and relating shape psychological outcomes. While diagnostic categories provide structure, they rarely capture the full complexity of a person’s internal world.

My professional background in education and assessment strengthened my appreciation for individual differences early in my career. Working within systems that required careful evaluation and documentation sharpened my attention to context, developmental history, and functional impact. That experience continues to inform how I approach clinical psychology. I am particularly interested in how personality structure, defense mechanisms, attachment patterns, and temperament interact with symptoms over time. From my perspective, effective clinical understanding requires looking beyond observable behaviors to the underlying organization of the self.

This blog is part of my coursework in personality theory, but it also reflects a broader professional commitment. I value rigorous scholarship, yet I also believe psychological knowledge should be accessible and responsibly translated for wider audiences. Throughout this series, I will explore how major personality theories help explain the development, maintenance, and treatment of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. The goal is not only to define the disorder, but to examine the internal processes that sustain it and the therapeutic pathways that may support change.

My goal is to engage thoughtfully with both academic literature and clinical implications. Whether you are a fellow student, a scholar, or simply someone curious about how personality shapes mental health, I hope this space invites careful reflection on what lies beneath the surface of psychological presentation.