I just wanted to say that my tactics as a JD are exactly what Hexergirl does. I can pretty easily solo mobs that are 10 CLs above my CL with no to minimum damage, so while I agree Psi shield can seem a little flimsy sometimes, the idea is that you don't get hit. I don't see how this is elitist or anything, just my working strategy for playing a JD. Like previously said, "If you get hit, you're doing it wrong."
As a JD, you are NOT the following:
1) Tank (damage aborbant) You are not a Progen! If you want to play like a PW, go make one.
2) Kiter (to an extent) You can kite, but I'm not saying it's going to work very well most of the time. This is mostly reserved for the Terrans and their missiles
3) Support (you can only apply Psi shield one at a time, fold has limited group usefulness, and most rely on JE for battery since Energy leech doesn't help very much) You should worry about fighting with your super DPS beams and let others take care of the helping.
You ARE the following:
1) A Ninja. Use your stealthy abilities to keep mobs from seeing you.
2) One of the masters of DPS. Go get yourself some high DPS beams. Plasma works the best because of the constant damage even while you're cloaking/cloaked, but you're going to need an energy beam or two depending on the buffs.
3) A lone wolf (Not because people don't want to group with you, but because you can solo almost anything). Tied to being a Ninja, you should be able to solo almost anything you need to with the correct tactics.
So far JD is my most favorite class, so I spend a lot of time on him. I'm no expert, I just do what works. If you think differently about that, I can't change your mind (but I'm sure you're not gonna have too many JD fans on your side )