Nice schema, Dr.S., enc..
Yet I fear that among Faux Liberals the "stress" of having to think seriously is insurmountable, regardless of cause.
As always, Dr. Sanity, your observations offer many superb nuggets to mull.
Two examples of your insights come to mind from my reading of literature and from life experience.
A recently read Irwin Shaw short story about the importance of coming to terms with loss, "Where All Things Wise and Fair Descend," relates the tale of a young man who spends the day with a fellow college student grieving the recent loss of a more-favored sibling through an auto accident. The narrator, likewise favored in life's deck of chance as was the deceased, learns that "the capacity for sorrow was also the capacity for living."
Unfortunately, too many well-meaning parents who protect their children from life's bumps, hurts, poor choices/behaviors,and disappointments do their children a disservice in learning how to cope. That protection from learning that there is a relationship between choice and consequence, that the world is not always "fair", and that we don't always get what we want fosters an immaturity in youngsters not tolerated in the real world of hard knocks. Infantalizing a child through such protectiveness ultimately hurts the child, preventing full autonomous adulthood.
(That observation just struck me for its relationship to the anti-war crowd's referring to our troops as "children"-- but that's a point for another comment at a later time.)
The other literary reference is a poem by Anne Bradstreet that likens a mother's role through metaphor to a bird urging her fledglings to fly the nest. The mother bird recognizes that her children may fall to predators or fall to a bruising lot. Yet she contents herself with the wisdom that she has prepared her brood to be as self-sufficient as possible in an uncertain world. Thus, her task at parenting is complete.
"Many people seem to think that ALL stress is bad for you and must be eliminated from your life. But this position fails to understand the importance and necessity of stress in our lives."
As a cardiologist, when I'm discussing coronary risk factors I constantly get the questioned about how to treat 'stress.' (Of course the smoking, sedentary lifestyle, diabetes and obesity never are at the top of their lists for intervention.)
The folks who hone in on 'stress' are usually, in my experience, looking for a way for me to make their lives painfree (i.e. get disability, prescribe sedatives, tell their spouses to get off their backs etc) rather than a way to process stresses in constructive way.
"Stress, our perception of it and our response to it, can help us to mature and expand our capabilities"
Excellent points Dr. S!
Wonderful post!
In part, many liberals use the psychotic, neurotic, or immature defenses you describe because they don't know any better. Having sometimes taught an introductory educational psychology course to undergraduates (200 students at a time), I discovered that none of the ed psych textbooks (300 pages in length) I had to use presented any aspects of Freudian psychology at all, so concepts like repression, projection, or defense are never brought to the attention of most undergraduates.
The lack of attention to "the talking-cure" concepts of psychoanalysis, I discovered, is not only in ed psych departments, but also in regular psychology departments. The concepts you use and which I have always found incredibly useful in understanding myself and others are considered "unscientific" and "not confirmable by empirical science" by professors in most psychology departments, and so they don't teach them.
It seems to me that this profound defect in academia--a refusal to accept the concepts of psychoanalysis--plays itself out in society when otherwise well-educated people remain in total ignorance of the concepts and, as a result, cannot think properly about themselves and their attitudes.
I think it is wonderful that you blog away and manage to disseminate such important concepts to people in general. Thank you for taking the time to do this.
In college I took the required psychology course, got the 4.0, then chucked the book.
In my first job the organization was given a temperament test as a part of some training and I joked about the results with my buddies for all of 10 minutes before I chucked it.
I watched movies and read books which had deviously evil characters, was entertained, then chucked them.
Suddenly I found myself doing political warfare with a workmate ‘friend’. It all became completely insane despite my every attempt to negotiate, defuse or escape. In hindsight: I refused to be a tool (suicide bomber is a good analogy) and had to be eliminated.
I’ve been obsessed with the dark side of social psychology ever since.
Americafirst -
Have you read Dalrymple's book "Life At the Bottom, the Worldview that Makes the Underclass"? You might find it interesting, and very disturbing. I'm currently reading it, and finding pathologies quite similar to some of the drive by trolls that have posted here...
J.
What I'm talking about relates to a study (which I can't place right now), done about left-wing terrorist groups in the 70's. Many of the worst members were found to have upper class if not wealthy backgrounds.
I'm implying that the Doctors theories, if accurate, only apply to those who reside in the ‘hump’ of the temperamental bell curve – average folks. Extreme individuals don’t have defense mechanisms because they don’t have painful emotions to defend against. They can't ever care. I never would have believed this if I hadn’t witnessed it for myself.
"...groups of individuals and even entire nations or religions adopting paranoia or projection or denial in order to cope with an unacceptable reality..." - Dr. Sanity
Group self-delusion is a fascinating subject. I can understand it in a totalitarian regime like North Korea (or, to a lesser extent Iran), but wonder how it takes root in a free and open society. For instance, the blind acceptance of global warming alarmists, when there is so much nuance and complexity involved, including contradictory evidence. It seems that when it occurs in a free society such as ours, it's likely a result of the group (neo-Marxists/Democrats, for example) agreeing on an issue (global-warming) -- with little regard to the truth -- if it can further a cause (anti-capitalism).
Looking forward to more on the group phenomenon.
Ah, 'My kingdom for a bit of insight.'
Dr. S,
If you have time to educate a non-psychologist a bit further:
What are some typical defenses for someone who feels guilt?
Thanks
JLawson: I'll assume I'm one of the drive by trolls you refer to, since I tend to drop in and out of the discussions and also tend toward the harsher end of the spectrum when it comes to dealing with our enemy.
I would like to point out though, that there are some very valid lessons to learn from some segments of the socio-economic sectors of our society.
Fear is both a tool and a weapon.
The strongest man can be brought low if he allows his frustrations and fears to be fed by those that want him destroyed.
Weakness draws predators. Those that exist through exploitation will seek the weak and confused upon whom they feed.
Reasoning with the unreasonable causes a man to slowly give ground until he becomes neutered and unable to stand against the unreasonable.
Mercy and kindness are weakness when faced with unrelenting enemy.
These also apply to nations as well as individuals and social groups.
We are seen as a weak and wobbly nation, because we constantly present a weak and wobbly aspect.
No matter how strong and dedicated our Soldiers, no matter how professional our military, no matter how "stand up" our POTUS, for so long as we allow the loud and divisive traitors to freely ply their trade, we have no hope of survival in the long term, let alone any prospect of victory in our current fight.
One of the major false conceits of the "intellectualists" is this idea that the pen is mightier than the sword.
The pen can only be applied when there are ranks of swords to protect the penman and the only value the penman will ever serve in times of great peril is to motivate the swordman.
Without actions, words have little value.
Terrorists who blow themselves up are probably the weak and confused.
Terrorists who manipulate others into blowing themselves up are far more likely to be in it for the sheer thrill of it.
Grimmy wrote "Without actions, words have little value."
Without the right ideas, action has either no direction or a self destructive one. Fact, ideas, words, actions, and consequences form a closed circle. Diminish the content of any one or the connection between any two of them and your survival no longer depends upon you. Your survival will be totally determined by random events and actions of others.
Ideas matter. Fundamental ideas matter most.
Talk about the cluelessness of the Left:
"The Palestinian kaffiyeh, symbol of the intifada and decades of violence and terrorism, is being marketed by Urban Outfitters as an “Anti-War Woven Scarf.” (Hat tip: LGF readers.)"
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/...e_Clueless&
only
Why do the Lefties embrace symbols of the most repressive regimes and "leaders" like Che Gueverra? Are the moonbats so self-absorbed and ignorant of history that they demonstrate their "rebellion" by wearing odiously symbolic clothing?
Grimmy -
Actually, the trolls I was thinking of were the folks who'll drop in, say (usually in either all lower case or all caps) that the good Doc doesn't know what the F she's talking about (usually with misspellings) and then never come back.
Dalrymple wrote one essay on how the uneducated in England (after many years of compulsory education, a significant number graduate unable to read, write, or do basic math) work hard to discourage and tear down any of their number who actually try to get an education. (Rather like black youths making fun of those who do well in school by saying they're acting white, as if the epitome of blackness is to be uneducated, illiterate, unable to speak well, and render yourself essentially unemployable.)
So it's not that the Doc is stupid per se, THEY can't understand her, therefore SHE is the stupid one.
I'm finding that book to be very worrisome, because I see in it a lot of trends that are playing themselves out in American society... and if we don't get a better handle on things than England's done, it's gonna hurt a lot.
J.
Grimmy,
Understood. Lawson is an ally. Repeat. Ally.
"Fear is both a tool and a weapon."
"Weakness draws predators..."
Precise. Not sure I understand your "stand up" quotation though.
What are your options?
Mitt?
Okay, okay, okay...they f**k you at the drive through!
Please allow me get to the original reason I wanted to say at first.
Leftism = commercials.
Who here believes that Mr. Clean" really does what is promised?
What about 99.9% of anything you see or read in advertisments.
That is precisely how I see the Left/Lib "We promise it will work" Democrats.
Bank on it.
I work tech support, so I know a thing or two about stress and coping mechanisms. Rarely do I have to mutilate the toys on my desk. I took up a sport that involves hitting your buddies, my husband also participates in that sport, and my oldest son is working up to participating. When I begin to recognize I am reaching a "burnout point" I try to ask for alternate assignments.
You either deal with the stress, or you snap all over a customer and lose your job.
JLawson: Thanks for helping square me away on that. I agree fully. As for respecting the efforts, knowledge and wisdom of our good Dr. Sanity, she's one of those helping the rest of us to be guided by the better ideas, as Anon above states.
WR: The "stand up" had quotes around it because I thought it was slangy and y'all deep thinker types might misread me into saying the POTUS should never sit down or sleep or some such. No telling with y'all smart folk 
As for what I'd personally like to see in the office next...Chaney or Rumsfeld would suit me fine. But in reality, it doesn't matter. Unless and until we wrap our heads and hearts around the issue of the trendy treason that has spread through our society like gangrene, no POTUS or federally elected officials of any sort will be able to keep the wolves at bey.
So Grimmy, "One of the major false conceits of the "intellectualists" is this idea that the pen is mightier than the sword."
Not anymore Grimm. Not anymore.
I stand behind you always.
Sorry, it takes me a little longer....
Dr. Sanity,
Can an ego wear out?
That is, does the 'self' ever trump the ego and render it useless?
I ask because I heard a psychiatrist say one time that someone had no ego. He was serious.
Thanks for the effort on this piece.
The commercial analogy works for me. The ads (and pundits) that piss me off are the ones that give you absolutely NO useful information. You know the ones I mean: they never outright LIE to you about the efficacy of whatever they're selling you, but that's because they keep their claims so damn vague that you can't prove or disprove any of it. No concrete facts, jsut platitudes about its greatness. Barack Obama seems to be sliding dangerously close to the edge of this phenomenon, and even the great GWB himself has indulged in it at least a few times.
What a meaningful and important post this is. Thank you so much!
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