For a generation or two, everyone, especially women, has been urged to get in touch with their own feelings and needs. But don't overdo it. In a case with abundant evidence for termination of a mother's parental rights to seven of eight children under 13, one part of that evidence, cited by the Court of Appeals, predicts the future based on a diagnosis:
Dr. A.J. Anderson, a psychologist, evaluated mother and determined she is excessively self-focused and preoccupied with her own needs and feelings to the extent that it likely prevents her from giving adequate attention to the needs and feelings of others. Dr. Anderson also concluded that mother has narcissistic characteristics that limit her response to interventions. He opined that mother is not likely to “self-correct or be open to constructive criticism.” Dr. Anderson stated that individuals diagnosed with mother’s personality disorders often do not change considerably over time, even with treatment.
From the opinion it looks like the mother did not challenge the admission of that testimony, or its use as a reason for termination. Also, it was not a generalization or prediction made in a vacuum; all of it was consistent with the mother's existing behavior.
Robinson-Miles v. Danville Division of Social Services (Va. Ct. App. Unpublished, 9/15/2015)