Case of the "3-Star" Chef: Fame is No Protection
Author: Ronald J. Comer
Princeton University
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This video case tells the story of a man, Chef Bernard Loiseau, who committed suicide when he failed to meet his own rigid standards of professional achievement. His obsessive fears and perfectionism were tied, in particular, to critical reviews of his restaurant. When he (incorrectly) believed that the restaurant was about to lose its 3-star rating, the highest rating in France, his self-esteem plummeted and he felt that he could not go on. In the video, Loiseau’s wife talks about how she had interpreted his preoccupations, and how she is now affected by the suicide.
1. In this video case, the suicide of the famous French chef was linked to which of the following suicide triggers?
2. The chef's belief that he was a failure unless his restaurant had four stars is an example of what kind of thinking (common among suicidal people)?
3. If the chef had confided his suicidal thinking to a therapist, the clinician might have instituted a suicide prevention approach which would consist of each of the following steps, except:
4. The chef displayed each of the following characteristics. Which one made it less likely that he would indeed commit suicide?
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