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Because words reveal much about the narcissism of the user, such as his self-image, the quality of his object relationships, and his role in society, the implications of the use of the word 'shrink' are explored. Often the word retains both affectionate and vicious import, reflecting the user's ambivalence in his efforts to devalue those upon whom he depends. 'Shrink' may connote one who depletes (the psychiatrist), as well as one who is depleted (the patient), implying that the need for treatment is a narcissistic wound. Tolerating regression in the transference may be experienced as humiliating, particularly if the patient views it as 'shrinking' his omnipotent control. He feels threatened because his exaggerated 'head size' (his narcissism) is in need of 'shrinking'. In reality, as one ages, the body does shrink and death, the ultimate narcissistic wound, may also be conceptualized as a 'shrinker'. Perhaps there is an adaptive function in the use of the word in our anxiety-ridden times, since all of us feel unappreciated, dehumanized, devalued, and shrunken in everyday life. There is also the magical attribution of the word to psychiatrists, as if they were our society's version of the witch doctor. Oversimplifications and condensations in our language reflect man's shrinking away from responsibility for his own aggressive actions, while searching for a better world.