What we learn from our family within society affects the development
of a conscience. According to Freud, our conscience is designed to inhibit or
weaken man’s aggressive impulses. Briefly, he viewed a state of tension between
the ego and the superego. And the tension within the superego is experienced as
guilt and a need for some form of punishment. He viewed guilt as a loss of love,
or a threatened fear of loss of love resulting from bad- sinful behavior or
even the intention to perform the deed. This loss of love is likely from
another person- parent upon whom the individual was protected from a variety of
dangers. The punishment –loss of love or some restriction etc. could be from an
important person, such as parent or even from a family member, friend or society.
Let’s say that an individual child grows up in an environment in
which the parents and other family members are involved in maiming or killing
an infidel, which is the perceived enemy. And further, these family members are
not in any way punished by anyone within their milieu. Not only that, their
religious beliefs or Supreme Being- Bible interpretation does not in any way
consider killing the enemy a bad, wrong or a sin. In fact, they are told that their God
loves them for this despicable, hateful antihuman behavior. In other words,
these individuals are reared without a fear of either an internal or external loss
of love from- family, or God. Within this model, these individuals have a
distorted view of right and wrong. As a result, a necrophilia’s aggressive or
destructive impulses are not in any appropriate way able to be controlled.
Without a built-in internal mental framework or lack of conscience, these
terrorists are out of control and continue these anti-life behaviors. Not only
that, they model or teach this form of behavior to the young. Over and over
again, we view young masked individuals discharging rifles in the air, or
throwing rocks, bottles or bombs at the uniformed opposition. Behavior gets
repeated without punishment or loss of love, but instead these behaviors are
reinforced and admired by their peer group and elders. It’s difficult to expect
change in behavior, in the young, if their wishes are taken over or
internalized by the significant persons in their lives that have destructive
and hateful personal standards of their own. It would be like being reared by
an Osama bin Laden and thereby internalizing, and learning his values with his
so called conscience. The saying that an apple doesn’t fall too far from the
tree fits.
I am glad that my bleeding eventually stopped and I accept my injury
as a consequence of trail running. My impulses and conscience are in check and
I have no plan to physically hurt another. However, I did run on the trail with
Tony and Chris. As it turned out, Chris and I ran a shorter distance than Tony.
Despite that, Tony wanted to beat us, regardless which means that he was going
to push, punish or even inflict pain upon himself. Chris and I met a friend
about a quarter mile or so from the finish, and we were walking leisurely. Tony
saw us ahead of him, and did his best to catch up, regardless of the personal
cost. Out of breath, Tony caught up to us. After joking, laughing after our
run, we sat on the deck drinking refreshments. Tony got up and begin walking
and limping like a very old man. We all laughed. Tony knows about masochism as
well as sadism. He had to catch us, irrespective of the consequences. He did.
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