Aunt Eva Knew

 

Linda and I recently viewed a Tom Hanks movie  titled” The Green Mile “based on a Stephen King novel.  Hanks  was in charge of the unit in a southern  state prison that facilitated the electrocution of criminals.  A huge giant of a man was sentenced to die for killing two young children.  It was clear from the beginning that the   man was innocent.  During the film, this man resolved Hank's urinary condition; brought back to life a young mouse and took away a woman’s diseased brain tumor.  Making a long story short, the man , prior to being executed,  passed along some of his God-given magic to Hanks.  At the end of the film, Hanks at 109 years of age  told a woman in the old folks home that God cursed him to live that long and lose loved ones because he allowed God’s messenger to be electrocuted.  This disquisition raises the question, is it a curse to grow old and lose your loved ones?

 In the Old Testament, God's supernatural power was  exemplified by  curses of Eve, Cain and Abel, Jezebel, Noah, etc.Male old age was illustrated by Methuselah, Adam, Seth, Enosh,Mahalalei, Jared,Enooch and Lamech.  In Greek  mythology, the gods had no difficulty with their curses and told  dramatic stories about man. For instance, Sisyphus with his heavy boulder battling the mountain by pushing it up but never reaching the top over and over again; Hercules’s initial strength but insanity followed; Prometheus  day after day had an eagle tearing up his gut; and the personified figure of Geras, a bald bent, emancipated figure with pendant and reversed genitals as he leaned upon a thin, crooked stick.  In other words, the Greeks had mythical struggles between  strength which slayed the monsters, drained swamps, built walls and then  the feeble old man barely standing at the end.

Currently, we turn to the writings of Erik H.  Erikson, considered a neo-Freudian.  Erikson saw life as encountering psychosocial crises along the way.  If these crises were mastered, the individual would have developed a sense of character integrity.  If these crises were not mastered, the individual would have developed  a sense of despair in his character.  Jungian James Hillman wrote about the force of character during  aging.  Hellman, incorporated. Greek mythology and wrote about man’s struggles and  the outcomes that affect his character in a positive way. He stated what people do is who they are, is all they are.  In other words, character cannot be divorced from behavior.  He pointed out that aging is necessary for the human condition and suggested there's a reason why  we outlive  other mammals.  That being said, he believed  the last years confirm and fill one's character.

It’s true that aging can turn out to be a positive or negative experience.  For the negative. Dad passed away at 70 years of age. My grandfather died ,from diabetes,when father was 9. Dad began taking insulin for his juvenile diabetes diagnosis at age 21.  In his career, he was a union president and fought for his members and accomplished the extraordinary.  I was amazed when I attended one of his retirement dinners and heard about  his wonderful acknowledgements. His dreaded disease affected him physically and emotionally. At the end, he knew it was near when they began amputating his toes.  At the very end, he felt hopeless and in despair.

Mom was well thought of and well-liked.  She lived more than two decades after dad's passing.  Her life was directed towards taking care of her grandkids, reaching out to friends, former friends and helping a young  Charlotte navigate her life.  Mom sang,  played the piano, loved the movies, movie stars and demolished the competition at board games.  Mom lived independently and her children, my brother, a physician, became her personal doctor. He lived nearby with his family; my sister visited frequently ; and I often flew across the country  each year.  Mother being the second oldest had one brother, four sisters, and outlived all. She lived with integrity.

Yes, it’s true that with aging, there is loss.  If there is economic stress.  there is the likelihood of physical, emotional, and cognitive deficits.  Within that framework, aging can be  difficult as evidenced by addiction, obesity, loneliness, and suicide rates.Further, genetic predispositions can also affect aging in a negative way.Yes, we lose many terrific  and meaningful friends during the aging process.  As humans, we  can reflect and smile upon the  positive memories.

Today's centenarians are models for positive aging with  independence, prudent behavioral choices and with their cognitive and emotional  well-being.  For successful aging, one has to be able to keep physicality and play.  Jack Kirk comes to mind.  Jack was known as the Dipsea Demon.  Jack ran his first Dipsea at the age of 23 and ran his last at the age of 97; Ironman Lew Hollander competed in Ironman competitions into his 80s; Jim Steere, at 80, was the oldest to complete the Tevis and Doc. Shay, the rowing legend, in 2009 made her 30th crossing of the Molokai to Oahu, crossing.

Intellectually for optimum well-being during aging, one has many opportunities.  Reading,  incorporating and assimilation can continue to occur as wisdom develops and evolves.  Learning has no end but is a continuous process and there is much to uncover regarding our world and society.  Art, drawing for continued creativity employing imagination is paramount to none.  Other ways to stimulate cognition are engaging in philosophical and intellectual discussions.  Attending college classes, continuing education and seminars also provide avenues for stimulation and challenge. Personally, I enjoy all the above and incorporate material into my essays.

 Of course, thinking and behavior are related.  Engaging in risky behaviors, Is based upon  a distortion of reality. Playing competitive football, riding motorcycles, and competing in equestrian activities are factually  statistically dangerous irrespective  of meeting emotional needs of achievement, affiliation, aggression,  dominance and play. Our thinking is multifaceted and can deceive us easily.  Those risky behaviors are threats and stresses to well-being.  As a result, I had to repress or forget the dangerous realities. I did just that in my thinking.  I denied the danger's; rationalized the fun aspect and used reaction formation as defenses  by turning the potential harm to mind and body into excitement, thrills, with dopamine pleasures.  In other words, when confronted with real or imaginary intrapersonal , interpersonal, or predictive threats,  thinking  distorts reality in a multitude of ways. Thus, we cannot always trust our thinking as actions  are generally justified.  And believe me, with life, there are continuous threats and dangers ranging from physiological, safety, economic, power, prestige, possessions, love, and other losses as well as fear of disapproval, punishment and aggression from others or even  guilt. Reality presents dangers and subsequently we retreat inward to our imagination and wishful thinking. 

. Therefore, these risky behaviors are a realistic and potential  danger to  cognitive and physical or  mind and body . In thinking about these activities, one denies, distorts, and rationalizes  about the real  danger thereby with an attempt at distorting the reality of the threat . In other words, perception,thinking ,emotions and tension are at the site of our ego.  The proof is in the pudding or in the last phases of aging when one can ask “was it worth it?” Of course, one can and does continuously fool himself throughout. It’s not a curse by God  but about thinking and behavior.

Moreover, because of the negative attitude and opinion about aging in our culture, we need to reframe it completely.  Old age is not an affliction.  We have to change perceptions and illusions about aging and discover our intellectual intensity and/or passion.  Because we spend so much time in our minds, we have to think differently about our bodies.  We are more than our bodies.  We have our mind and imagination which separates us from all others. T.S. Eliot wrote, "Old men ought to be explorers."  Follow your curiosity, challenge old truths, look for reality in new places and by all means do not fear aging and death.

Emotional  well being requires contact with others.  I can't think of a greater gift than giving of self to another without the expectation of return.  Helping, assisting another is related to love and a humanitarian way of being.  Love is more than just words or a smile.  Love has to do with  attitude and behavior.  One has to be able to respect and trust oneself first.  If you can't respect and trust yourself, you can't do that with others.  Love also has to do with caring and being responsible.  With care, one has to be able to become aware with empathy of the needs of another.  To be able to care for a parent and/or spouse has no greater reward.  Being involved in their welfare and protection while keeping this awareness in your mind is significant.  Another way to give to another is through volunteering and the sharing of one's wisdom.  One can also provide monetary assistance to those in need.  There are many opportunities for giving and not taking which benefits both the giver and receiver. Of course, the physical, the intellectual and the emotional are based on character and character is a lifelong process.The quotes by Susan B.  Anthony "The older I get, the greater power I seem to have to help the world” fits nicely and by Johann Johannsson "Find the thing you do well and do it again and again the rest of your life."

In essence, aging can be a wonderful and positive experience or a negative and dreadful experience.Attitudes and beliefs are based upon the development of character.  Character determines the ability to make prudent, rational and self affirming choices or irrational, self-defeating, superficial, illusionary or supernatural ways of being. Of course, genetics counts for about 1/3 as far as  health is concerned.  In other words, examples  of our ability to deny, distort or falsify reality include finding scapegoats, blaming of parents, or a Que Sera Sera attitude.Thus irrational thinking simply reinforces the behavioral stance of being a victim.  Victims tend to perpetuate the behavior of being rescued and then behaviorally wind up persecuting that rescuer. Victims  also easily employ ego defenses of repression , reaction formation,rationalization,projection and endorse the fictional belief that they are entitled.More specifically, irrationality, in  thinking, is based on a neurotic  or misperceived danger . It’s anxiety or tension which is associated with helplessness; and/or the fear of interpersonal loss; fear of the loss of love or some gratification; some social ostracism threat, an idea , disapproval or punishment.  Unfortunately,  irrational thinking is repeated and followed with the repetition of turning against  self with punishing behavior.

References

Hillman, James.  The Force Of Character and the Lasting Life. 

Lieberman, Frank.  It Has Nothing To Do With Age.

PS

Aging provides a perspective.However, with aging we are aware of the transformation taking place physically, yet distort and separate the adolescent thinking taking place.  Historically, I marvel at all the outstanding and extraordinary accomplishments made by man.  On the other hand, I view the preponderance of lies, deception, misinformation and irrational behavior that's exhibited.  This war in Ukraine is an illustration.  We had no trouble invading Iraq because of the “weapons of mass destruction “ fiction. On the other hand, aunt Eva roughly  65 years ago, give or  take, provided me  with the secret of aging-one’s health.

Freedom Is Another Word For

 Today’s essay is based  on an article titled “The Exploitation  of Freedom “ found in the New York Times, February 6,  2022. The word freedom  as a noun is defined as “the power or right to act, speak, or think if one wants without hindrance or restraint.”   Additionally, this word suggests the absence of necessity, coercion or constraint in choice or action.  Religion, economic, political,intellectual, academic, etc.  are areas to express freedom. Similar to freedom are the words  privilege, prerogative, and due.This disquisition pertains to freedom.

Points made  in the article  include the following: 1 An Executive Order to ban the teaching of critical race theory, explaining that the state must promote freedom of thought.  2.  Lifting mask mandates in public schools, citing individual liberty.  3.  An individual freedom bill in Florida that would limit the discussions about race and discrimination in schools and businesses.

Other points made include the following: 1.  At the time  of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, only 2% of the city’s population were qualified to vote 2.  Slave codes allowed white property owners to possess black humans.”White Freedom” the belief that freedom is central to white racial identity and that only white people can or should be free.  3.  Freedom for a white master extended to torture, rape, and lifelong control over humans, he or she owned 4.  In 1827, a  legal scholar argued the law had given man a reasonable superiority and control over the person -of his wife.  He may even put gentle restraints upon her liberty, if her conduct be such as to require it 5.  In 1963, governor George Wallace couched his stance against Integration as our right for freedom and justified it as the ideology of our free fathers.

 Employing the old southern playbook, the current politicians are now motivated to keep their own uninformed and ignorant as opposed to their dark skin  subjects..  Yes, it’s freedom  to be a racist.  For George Wallace,  his argument is really I enjoy having the freedom to be a bigot. Don’t tread on me.

It’s obvious that the word freedom applies to those in power and not to the majority. In 1773, the Sons of Liberty protested King George’s tax.  Suggesting economic motivation, these protesters dumped, in the Boston Harbor, 342 chests of tea that belonged to the British East India Company . 90 years  or so later, a  civil war began.  However, there was nothing civil about that war.  Civil is defined as relating to ordinary citizens and their concerns, as distinct from military or ecclesiastical matters.  Another definition relates to being courteous and polite with similar words as well mannered, well  bred ,gentlemanly,respectful, cultivated, civilized, etc.

Conditions at the Andersonville military prison were described as housing 45,000 Union soldiers and nearly 13,000 died.  This was the largest southern prison  and known for its unhealthy conditions and high death rate.The war  for the South  was about their economic interests.  The white wealthy plantation owners required slave ownership in order to make a profit and sustain their manner of living.  Eliminating slave ownership dramatically affects profits.  Allow slaves to vote, affects political power.  The question  of freedom  relates to a white minority and their economic interests at best.

Today,  groups claim that not being vaccinated,  not wearing a mask  or what not to teach is about Freedom. They're obviously not employing the meaning of the word Freedom correctly .  I bet that some clearly know the definition of freedom,while others do not. Essentially, the  use of the word freedom,  for these individuals  suggests they are compensating for feeling a sense of  lack of power or control over their lives.

Moses  led the Israelites  from Pharaoh, thus emancipating the slaves from Egyptian rule.  The Passover Seder ,characterizes the beginning of the rebellious story of the Israelites and their liberation. The Pharaoh was not happy as having slaves was in his political and financial self-interest.

Freedom is very limited under authoritarian rule.  For example, the Romanov family  was the last imperial dynasty to rule Russia.  They first came to power in  1613 and  ruled over the next three centuries. 18 Romanovs  ruled  the Russian People.In 1917, Nicholas 11 abdicated the throne and in 1918, the Emperor and his family were executed.  My grandparents left  Russia prior to World War I in their quest for freedom to escape discrimination. Since the Russian Revolution, Stalin, Khrushchev and now Putin  and others have ruled Russia.  Their dynasties are more short-lived than the Romanov’’s.

Under authoritarian rule, freedom for whom?  According to news reports, Putin lies about his  Ukrainian war.  Some of the  Russian soldiers believed they were going on Military  exercises.  Now, it is reported that his privatized military is creating havoc among the civilian population in Ukraine.

It’s obvious that Putin was not elected democratically; has killed his opponents  and imprisoned other opposition.  There is no free press; no free media; and the state  dictates his wishes.  Putin has oligarchs, his military,  and  his own political system.  This group has more freedom according to the definition.  The population at large does not have as much freedom.

Roughly 80 years ago, there was Nazi rule in Germany.  An  authoritarian took control and began a  war on Poland, claiming they first attacked.  The humiliation suffered in World War I; the Great Depression; employment scarcity , poor economic conditions  and the Jews were blamed for Germany’s plight. Does that mean that .Albert Einstein,Paul Ehrlich, Erik Erickson,Kurt Goldstein,  Kurt Lewin, Sigmund Freud, Fritz Perls, Theodore Adorno, Theodore Lessing, Herbert Marcuse, Karl Marx, Hannah Arendt, Gustav Mahler, Felix Mendelson, Andre Previn, Anne Frank , Heinrich Heine,Eugene Sandow ,Alfred Adler, Viktor Frankl ,Franz Kafka etc had to be scapegoated and blamed for German blood being what? 

What were the dynamics that  caused  so many Germans to follow an authoritarian madman with the result that they became victims? Briefly, many of these lower middle class, jobless officers , and students were alienated individuals. They were experiencing unconsciously and somewhat consciously their insignificance  especially if out of work or with limited income.  Spousal and family relationships suffered.  One can be king of the castle only when wife and kids  are his subjects.  Not being able to provide economically also affects one's self-esteem as well as one's relevance. Further, related are feelings of being powerless.  How can one change their economic deficits without some manner of control?  They did not have control over opportunities for employment; availability of employment; let alone able to determine hours and wages.  With economic constraints, one does not have the power and control over self or others.  This leads to feeling inferior, especially when comparing themselves to others who seemed to be doing  well like German Jews.

One way to escape psychologically these feelings is through  transference or identification .It’s a mechanism  in order to supplement or compensate for a weakness.  One can identify with a person, a flag, tribe, country, or even an animal like in times of old.  In other words, the individual requires some outside something outside oneself in order to acquire that strength or deficit which that the individual is lacking.  It's essentially a substitute .

With identification, a sadomasochistic character trait becomes established.  When one identifies, one becomes dependent on, subservient, relying upon, and devoted to. This dependency often expresses itself passively to this external force.  In doing so, one accepts blame, resignation,  fate, willing to admit wrongdoing and even atone. In other words, one can easily become a victim  with masochistic tendencies.  Also, aggressive, callous, perverted, vicious, brutal , cruel or sadistic tendencies become activated.  We now have a sadomasochistic character trait.  In  inflicting pain upon another, one often  requires a scapegoat. In one's collective unconscious, the Jews have been targets.  So German  and Austrian Jews can be conveniently scapegoated because of envy of their economic well-being, their educational excellence,  professional superiority, and their artistic talent.Their contributions to German society becomes irrelevant.

Let Hitler rise from the ashes.  With the brutal  and humiliating defeat of World War I,a treaty was implemented.  There was a Treaty of Versailles that consisted of Germany accepting guilt for starting the war; limiting the Germany army to 100,000 men; Germany having to pay for damages caused by the war; and German territories and  colonies being taken over.  Germany despised the treaty, did not take part in the conference and disagreed upon the terms imposed upon them by others.  We now have the motive for revenge or to avenge that  wrong handed out by these other nations.

With that being said, rising from the ashes was Hitler.  This egotistical madman was hypnotic during his late night  rallies when people were tired at the end of the day and suggestable to be hypnotized.  His messages were carried on the radio and newspaper. His rhetoric symbolizes strength, power and sureness despite lies and mixed messages.  Individuals wore armbands, saluted him and marched with togetherness. The strength was reinforced while the military-industrial complex began arming themselves for the next conflict.  The youth was indoctrinated and fed the propaganda of superiority.  Who cared that Hitler did not acknowledge Jesse Owens' triumphs at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin?  Hitler became their model, their idol and their god.

His loyal followers  followed him to their graves.  Yes, they did follow him and wound up being victims themselves and they didn't even have to commit suicide.  Did these followers of Hitler, establish freedom?  Is freedom associated with  defeat; is freedom associated with being a loser; is freedom being associated with being killed; is freedom associated with entering a war that can't be won; is freedom associated with hearing one side of the story; is freedom associated with lies ; is freedom associated with having to serve in the military; is freedom associated with the burning of books; is freedom associated with hate; is freedom associated with discrimination ?

 Being alienated, the individual is  unable to  trust  or have faith in self, to trust or have faith in others but instead escapes to an idol.  In doing so, the individual negates his individuality and his ability to reason.  In essence, the alienated are escaping from freedom  because the idol leader negates freedom.  For example, Hitler was called the builder of a new Germany.  Instead, he was the maniac of destruction.However, freedom is possible, likely, under certain conditions.  These conditions include knowledge of self, of others, of socioeconomic conditions, of a collective unconscious history while pursuing truth and independence. 

PS

Janis Joplin your words "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose"  is discouraging to say the least.  Without freedom in areas of economics, health, education, politics and religion, we have everything to lose.Pope John Paul II added “ Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.”

Reference

Fromm,Erich.  The Sane Society.

Lock Him Up

An article titled  “Is  Life  Better When  We’re  Together?”  in the New York Times, December 26, 2021 edition was relevant.This article  was about a Hermit and a social  psychologist employing  Covid-19 and the January 6  criminal attack as examples .This disquisition critiques the article.

Serbian hermit Panta Petrovic, according to the article, has lived in a cave for approximately 20 years because he was aggravated by society and irritated by individuals' existence over the wretchedness of capitalism.The hermit seemed happy and commented, “Here, there is freedom, I was not free in the city.  There is always someone in your  way.”

It was pointed out that in 2021, there was a lack of connectedness from a record high number of drug overdose deaths .Also, as the academic and social emotional deficits incurred by kids who couldn’t be physically together in school. However,  it can be horrible when connecting to human beings because they can kill you by refusing to put on their mask; by politically denying adequate healthcare; allowing the homeless to live on the street ; and by being  shot with the guns with the excuse “ I felt  scared.”The question, “is life better when we are together?”   The article went on to  describe a few social psychology  group findings.

One experiment in the 1970’s occurred at the University of Bristol. 64 teenagers were divided into two groups.  The experimenter asked the subjects to estimate how many dots were flashing on the screen. Then classified them either as over estomaters or under estimators.  Then he instructed each person ,in isolation, to allocate money to members of their  group  and to members of the other  group.  He found that more  money was given to members of their own group than the other.   In another study, people were divided into group A and group B.  The researchers found that people essentially stuck to their group based on some arbitrary or superficial division.  In fact, their positivity toward  people in the group  even increased on a brain imaging machine that showed the picture of strangers In their group .

With the flip of the coin,are new identities formed in a matter of minutes or not? However, the expectations and probability of these subjects for receiving a reward or  possibility of avoiding failure was not present.  Further, they did not experience  social pressure or coherent  cohesiveness by being in the group. Social psychology  has demonstrated that a group can  easily originate.  Social psychology has also found  that groups come into existence : 1.  Group may be created deliberately by one or more people in order to accomplish some objective  2 Group may be formed spontaneously by the people who come to participate 3.A collection of individuals may become a group because they are created in a homogeneous way by other people.

Historically, group dynamics took hold  empirically just prior to America’s entry in World War II.  M . Sherif published a book containing a theoretical analysis of social norms among groups of people incorporating ideas from sociology and anthropology.T.M. Newcomb, building on Sherif’s  research, selected natural rather than laboratory settings in which to study social norms and social influences by interviewing students at Bennington College.  His research showed that the attitudes of individuals are strongly rooted in the groups to which they belong, and the influence of the group upon an individual’s attitude depends upon the nature of the relationship between the individual and the group; and the groups evaluate members, partially at least, on the basis of their conformity to group norms.

Examples of positiveness between people is evidenced  by the fact that people spend their time helping others. Every year Americans spend roughly 8 billion hours volunteering and  an estimated 200 billion worth of labor given for free. It was pointed out that it's a false myth that “we are socialized to believe that charity is selfless, that it shouldn’t feel good.”  The researcher  found out the volunteers that stuck with their volunteering longest were those who transcended altruistic motivation, enjoyed the inevitable or self-interested rewards, and  reaped benefits in the process as well.  Volunteering creates  friendships, expands social networks and gives volunteers a greater sense of belonging to the other volunteers in the community at large. 

 It was also pointed out that ``Togetherness is a fissile material  that we can’t necessarily predict or control what reaction it will set off.”  The process that leads individuals to take action-fulfilling their own motivations, connecting with other people with a shared sense of community-these processes work.  whether we approve or disapprove of the ends to which they are ultimately put. “ 

An historian  stated that he’s never seen antisocial behavior to this scale in his lifetime in the United States.  Never has he seen  it raised up to the level of mainstream politics on January 6.  There was a community of grossly misinformed  if not willfully misinformed insurrectionists who, although they had been unmistakably riled up by authority figures at the rally beforehand, were storming the capital as a self organizing group of volunteers.  Also, when  people feel that their group is in danger , that a disaster has occurred, It will take action in innovative ways.  it’s hard to imagine more antisocial behavior than attempting to undo a democratic election with mayhem and violence with these insurrectionists .They were  pretty joyous.They were snapping, selfies posting them to Facebook with stupid jokes in real time.  In essence, the article concluded that people can come together and respond for better or for worse.  Some will be volunteers and some will be vigilantes.This January 6 attack by the mob was a cohesive group with a clear identification component.  It was not a superficial group without meaning.

Yes, people do come together because it is simply a human need. In fact, people come together either to love or like , to inflict harm, hate or for safety, security and belongingness.  Of course the third choice is like the hermit, to isolate from others.  But you can predict motivational tendencies providing you know the detailed history of the individual. Was it  positive and/or negative self defeating behavior?. The two  social  psychology experiments demonstrated that even being assigned to a group randomly influences liking, being associated  in that artificial setting making a superficial decision.

But  joining or being part of a group has nothing to do with  identification.I defined identification as a transference process in which one adopts attributes of another based upon one’s own  anxiety,dependency, insecurity in fulfilling a deficit.  The identification fulfills  the emotional deficit . With that being said, becoming part of a group can be more  than the need for affiliation- identification. 

Anr example of a group without identification comes to mind.  In 1957, prior to the start of the football season, a group of players and former players met at the high school for a pickup game.  I do not remember how the players were selected, members of my team or even the score of that game.  However, I do remember that on one occasion the opposing team kicked off our team.  I did not  catch the kickoff so my task was to block the opposition.  I blocked  Mitch and knocked him to the ground.  Mitch got up  and told me I made a terrific block.  Later, at the start of the season, our team huddled on the field  prior to our first game.  Mitch, a team captain, said to our team that today was a Jewish holiday, and we’re going to win this game for Frank.  Final score was Denby six touchdowns and Southeastern, one touchdown.  Later in the season, our undefeated team was scheduled to play another  undefeated team.  Coach Rutherford, Moses to me,  told me to knock down their quarterback as often as I could so he would start thinking of me. Final score, Denby six touchdowns  and U of D one touchdown. I would’ve followed  Moses across the Red Sea.  Being part of that team, I identified with the coach.  Prior to the football season, that  pickup game was just a group that met at a time and a place with the one objective  to win the game.  No identification present.

However, when a group is exposed to any common source of external stress such as the loss of the game,disapproval from significant others like family, friends, teammates along with other various signs of potential failure, humiliation, loss of status etc., these are factors for group cohesiveness.as well as identification.

Yes, becoming part of a group volunteer or being a vigilante relates to either transference, benign or malignant narcissism; identification; a  moral or immoral conscience that expresses itself with altruism , humanism, hate or destruction.Clearly the January 6 insurrection was propagated by an insecure and threatened authoritarian .That  leader exhibited tendencies for illegal actions; lying; discrimination; hatred; love for money and power.  Many of those that identified ,over idealized and misperceived reality with this  leader , and were easily misled pawns. 

 In 1963, Irving Janis published  in the  British Journal of Medical Psychology the following : With group identification ,they develop a propensity for affectionate ties; become extraordinarily sensitive to his demands and directive; continually attempt to do and say things that will please him; and become disappointed or even depressed when they’re not protected by  him. This occurred last year under conditions of threat. Note, last year, comments like  “The election was stolen.  Take your  country back. We will march to the Capital and fight like hell “ were the threats for action. These  loyalists  seemed happy In their sadistic destruction  but overestimated his power, authority and control as they are now serving time or awaiting sentence.

Today, we have another example of the hateful repetition compulsion of man versus man.  Putin versus Ukraine has resulted in fear.  With fear, according to Hans Selye, behavior is exhibited in flight, flight , or freeze.  It's not clear what Putin fears, but it is clear what people of the Ukraine fear, which is the threat of the Russian military.  Pres. Zelinskyy and his fellow Ukrainians fear Putin's military might.  The Ukraine  president remains in his homeland.  While many prepare to fight and are fighting,these Ukrainian people have identified with their president, and are protecting their president, their country,families and their homes.  Their loyalty, courage, and will are apparent.  These brave individuals are risking their lives.Other Ukrainians  are fleeing the country to welcoming borders.  The people in   other countries are engaging in humanitarian efforts to help those Ukrainians fleeing from fear and danger.  Other fearful Ukrainians remain in their country.Russian military are following orders to inflict  destruction on the Ukrainians.  Obviously, following these orders is irrational. Putin is an authoritarian war crimes criminal.

Trump is clearly guilty of attempting to overthrow the 2020 presidential election.  He knew from the start that he, like other Republican candidates, are not likely to win the popular vote.  His plan was to overthrow the election results with a variety of illegal and erroneous claims and procedures.  The last ditch attempt. was to disrupt the constitutional ceremonial counting of electoral votes on January 6.  His mob , that morning ,was attended to and made up a cohesive group that identified with him.  It was not a pickup group.  The group knew what he needed from their leader without him saying a word.  However, he did say and he did instruct his followers to fight at the capital and that he would accompany them .  He reinforced fear which was easily apparent to the mob.  Affectionately, they wanted to please him by following his directive.  It didn't matter that they could possibly kill Pence. Pelosi etc. They might even have to give up their life.  What mattered to them was to be a loyal follower regardless of this idol.  He was in fact supreme and above the law.  And that he would protect them.  Yes, he's guilty, lock him up.

 

Reference 

 Cartwright,D and Zander, A. Group Dynamics  Research and Theory.

Janis, I.  Group Identification Under  Conditions   of External  Danger.

PS

A few comments regarding mob behavior within a cohesive group follows.  When there's obedience to this authority figure,it likely puts one's conscience out of action. So that impulses that were once inhibited become active . The behavior becomes  contagious when viewing the acting out of others. In other words, Internal law abiding  standards of control  are temporarily set aside or modified as the result of the  modeling interaction of others. These despicable behaviors are based on the illusionary belief of ethical validity with rationalizations such as "it must be okay if everyone else is doing it; we.re all in this together, so they can't punish any of us." 

Four Options

 Last week’s essay addressed Alzheimer’s  and mild cognitive  impairment along with a new treatment model. This week’s essay describes four options available for dealing with this irreversible progressive disorder.

Why is the health of this country in peril?  Then last week on television , I saw testimonial ads from somebody about a product. It was said that this person now had a healthier brain . Another person said that he’s sharper- it helps your brain.  Yea for the changing of the  testimonials. I won’t name  the supplement. Let it be said that I take supplements  such as Fish Oil,L Carnitine, Ginkgo Biloba and CoQ10.

The  advertised supplement, in question ;according to AARP  states “The makers of the supplement  are deceiving millions of aging Americans with claims that the supplement can treat age-related memory loss. AARP says they agree with the lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission and the New York Atty. Gen.  They were sued because of claiming that  it improves memory and brain functioning.Specifically, what memory category does it improve? Does it improve declarative, procedural, episodic, semantic or working memory?   But, wait, you can get a healthier brain.

A second example follows. I contacted  a Franchise program that provides home caregiving  with specially trained professional caregivers on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias . I told the  first representative that I was interested in Alzheimer’s and dementia information. She referred me to a second representative. I asked a number of questions and will provide some of her responses. She told me that all caregivers had to go through 16 hours training to meet initial state requirements. For those interested  in providing Alzheimer’s and dementia information ,an additional four hours was required. I asked her about the qualifications of the presenter. She told me  that this employee has been with the company for many years and worked her way up the ladder. She added that she  was experienced  but did not elaborate. I said  your website states “  stimulates  brain and promotes cognitive engagement. I asked what technique was used , and she replied  “ they play cards.” I asked her what kind of card games?  She said she didn’t know. She also stated that they were  not licensed for medical care. I did not ask her to explain the following on their website:  “our relationship centered approach enables our caregivers to provide professional care that : builds confidence and enhances physical strength; maintains a routine to prevent agitation and other dementia related behaviors; manages changing dementia related behaviors; creates opportunities for social interaction and reduces the feelings of loneliness and depression.  And  this is based on  some presenter presenting four hours of something to various minimum wage part-time individuals with no healthcare coverage? The website  clearly suggests their professional care   employees build confidence; reduce feelings of loneliness and depression etc.  Forget about psychotherapy and psychotropic meds.  Does the state allow these misrepresentations ? So what if there are baseless claims  without any  supporting documentation or definition of terms.

In comparison, UC Davis has a Health Aging Initiative and Clinic. Their website says they have an integrated approach  of Inpatient geriatric experts ,ambulatory clinics ,and Upcoming Educational programs now being developed. The Dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine and Co leader of the initiative started “our goal is to deliver our care in order to optimize The Quality of life, function and autonomy across a person’s life span across all care settings.”

The  website also stated that the UC Davis Medical Center is nationally ranked for its inpatient geriatrics  care outcomes. The Alzheimer’s disease center is internationally recognized for  cognitive research. The Family Care Institute leads international discussions on research and workforce education to strengthen clinical skills and support family caregivers of older adults. Their website also  stated: “ provide age friendly care ; promote healthy aging through an integrated approach across the lifespan and all care settings by providing age friendly care supporting family caregivers leveraging technology for independent living. Teaching the next generation of care providers, the staff encompasses geriatrics, physicians, advanced practice providers, nurse practitioners ,pharmacists and physical therapists.

A Fourth program for treating mild cognitive impairment in early Alzheimer’s disease is based on the Bredesen Clinical Protocol. This protocol  has identified new and previously unrecognized causes of Alzheimer’s disease such as nutrition  and lifestyle components according to the website. This program is  a functional medicine program called True Health.

A few of the expectations from the program includes: An initial intake process including extensive patient history utilizing functional medicine timeline, matrix, clinician observations, and discussion concerns expressed by the patient family or caregiver . Validated assessment tools include Montréal  Cognitive  Assessment and CNS-  Vital Signs .Both of these tools are equal to or superior to the Mini Mental  Status Exam  for detecting dementia and other subtle changes in intellectual function. Other validated family caregiver assessments of patients include : the A.D. 21, and the Short IQ CODE to assess a patient’s memory recall . The Bredesen protocol is a personalized program based on the patient’s physiological and nutritional needs. Using this information we can help to reconnect old neurons and form new connections, a process called  synaptogenesis thereby improving or reversing cognitive decline.

It’s clear that the physical health in our country is very poor based on CDC statistics  regarding deaths and life expectancy. With that being said, we have an increase in nonreversible  cognitive impairment, and dementias such as Alzhheimer’s. As a result, there will  be an increase in testimonials, propaganda, advertising, commercials, and the Internet  promoting new products that claim to fix cognitive deficiencies. The greedy charlatans with a profit motive will take advantage of the vulnerable.

There are many parts  of the human brain that are affected neurologically. For example, the brain stem ,cerebellum,thalamus,basal ganglia, hippocampus ,hypothalamus and amygdala are all affected and take place within the cerebral  cortex in the left and right cerebral hemispheres of the brain. Further, occipital lobes, temporal lobes, parietal lobes  and frontal lobes also play a part.We  are talking about 100 billion neurons and a  possible 100 trillion possible connections between the  neurons.

Briefly, cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s dementia affects memory. It’s memory that allows us to remember the past, function in the present and predict  for the future. There are stages of memory . Sensory  memory is about perceiving and short-term or working memory Is about attention. Importantly, we have a process called long-term memory such as declarative and procedural. Within declarative memory there is explicit memory.  Further, there are two main types of long-term declarative memory types called episodic and semantic. Episodic declarative memory is related to time-based life events as In autobiographical memory while  semantic declarative memory is related to facts not tied to a particular time such as driving a car.

 Would you trust  the most complex biological structure that exists to a for profit service franchise that provides four hours of something presented by somebody  and which makes all types of unsupported claims regarding cognitive Impairment and dementia  on a  website? Do you trust  an age old testimonial television commercial  about a non-FDA approved  supplement? On the other hand, the following are critical and scientifically supported:1. An assessment and general diagnosis 2. Physical exercise for at least 30 minutes a day 3.  A proper  diet i.e. Mediterranean diet 4. Mental stimulation. Playing card games does not meet that requirement. Let the buyer beware; Sometimes the emperor  is not wearing clothes;You get what you pay for ;You get what you deserve and A frog in the well knows not the ocean comes to mind.Unfortunately, many of the buyers have cognitive impairments and therefore make inappropriate decisions and choices.

Reference

Institute For Natural Resources . Understanding  Dementia.