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Mark Banschick

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Oct 1, 2026, 10:25 AM

Narcissism in Our Midst

This is a four-part series about narcissism in a variety of its permutations. It describes a problem, almost as ancient as Judaism, and still important today. Part One looks past the ancient myth to examine how healthy self-regard can...

Nov 6, 2018, 12:16 AM

8,600 Dollar Emails

The University of Maryland (UMD) has a wonderful reputation. It has academic diversity, a rich Jewish life, and offers a great education with a price that’s right for parents worried about retirement. Yet, all is not right. On October 30, 2018,...

Nov 24, 2017, 9:48 AM

Orthodoxy, Abuse & Redemption: A Critique from the Heart

For those searching for a spiritual practice rooted in historical significance, Orthodox Judaism is tremendously compelling. To be observant is to engage in a system of spirit, community and truly inspired values. Still, despite the richness of our tradition, too...

Mar 29, 2017, 9:17 PM

The Four Sons – A Jewish Riddle

It’s that time of year again! Homes will be scrubbed clean for a divinely mandated spring cleaning. The remaining crumbs, found in nooks and crannies by a candle-lit scavenger hunt, will be burned in an act of symbolic spiritual cleansing....

Feb 23, 2017, 2:36 PM

From the Couch – HaRav Kook’s Good Religion

Many of us walk through life wondering why we can’t be happy. Perhaps you want to lose weight, curb anger, give up an addiction, repair a relationship, or change a bad habit. We all have things that we wish we...

Dec 21, 2016, 11:01 PM

Hanukkah from the couch

Grab the Good because Bad will surely find you. It’s a meditation of sorts, and it is a crucial perspective on a life well lived. While often elusive, happiness is linked to gratitude and perspective, two concepts basic to a Jewish...

Nov 29, 2016, 12:33 AM

Alums for Campus Fairness – An Effective Voice Countering BDS

Hundreds of University of California alumni recently petitioned UC, President, Janet Napolitano, denouncing the misuse of classrooms for anti-Israel and anti-Jewish rhetoric. The letter in and of itself is news, but something else of importance is also happening. It took...

Aug 14, 2014, 11:14 AM

Calling out Joyce Carol Oates

Social Media - When Good People Do Bad Things Joyce Carol Oates is an important contemporary American author and Princeton professor. I am calling her out today with no ill intent. The purpose is not to embarrass a great writer,...

Jul 3, 2014, 4:56 AM

The psychology of hate

Today’s news brings us tragedy -- and rage. Who hasn’t been triggered by the week’s events? Who can’t identify with our precious boys, brutally taken? Or with their anguished parents? Israelis and Palestinians are both peoples of trauma, and...

Jun 1, 2014, 4:18 PM

Vassar Alumni – Stepping Up for Israel

A Call for Fair Debate on a College Campus Mark Banschick, MD Vassar ’78 As it goes, most alumni enjoy their college or university from afar. They donate, help recruit students, hang out at reunions and share great stories. And, that’s...

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About Me

Mark Banschick, MD, is a child and family psychiatrist and a co-founder of Alums for Campus Fairness, which works to protect Jewish students and restore open, respectful debate on campus. He is also co-founder of the Katonah Study Group for Integrative Medicine and writes for Psychology Today. The author of the two-volume The Intelligent Divorce, he is completing Too Special For Their Own Good, a book on narcissism (Armin Lear Press, 2027).