Guns

   The January 29 2023 edition of The New York Times had a timely  article titled "A Smarter Way to Reduce Gun Deaths “ .  Do we or do we not  value human life ? Forget the unrealistic commandment "thou shall not kill."  Statistically, more people in this country ,since 1977 have died from gun involvement - suicides , homicides and accidents, about 1.5 million, than from  all the killing of our soldiers ,1.4 million,  since the Revolutionary war and we recently added 6 more .  Our capitalistic political system, in the hands of the minority, values profits and power over human and animal  life.  This essay addresses firearms with additional  ideas. 

The following from the article: 1.    In 2021,  48,000 Americans were killed by firearms, including suicides, homicides and accidents .  2.  American women aged 50 or older commit fewer than 100 gun homicides in a typical year while men 49 years of age or younger typically kill more than 500 people each year just with their fists and feet.  With guns , they kill more than 7,000 each year.  3. There are more than 700,000  fully automatic weapons(machine guns) outside the military.  Most are owned by federal, state or local agencies.  With a background check and permission, members of the public can buy an UZI submachine gun  or mounted 50 caliber machine guns made before 1986.  The background check includes a clean record and  $200 for a transfer tax process that takes several months to  complete. The individual must report to the authorities if it is stolen and get approval if  moved to another state.  4. In Mississippi, the buyer of firearms must not be underage or drunk. 5. People are barred from buying alcohol or cigarettes before they turn 21.  6.  Wyoming  established a minimum age of 21 to buy a handgun.  7.  Federal laws  bans felons from owning guns.  Individuals convicted of violent misdemeanors- stalking, domestic violence and alcohol abuse should also be restricted.  8.  We have universal background checks, but there is no comprehensive system to remove guns from people who become ineligible.  9.  Why not license a person to buy a gun ? Massachusetts, one of the lowest gun mortality rates in the country, has applicants pay $100 for a license , be fingerprinted ,undergo a background check and explain why he or she wants a gun . If granted . It typically takes a few weeks with an obligation to store it safely and report it if stolen . 10.  Since 2020, an additional 50 million guns have been sold in the United States. 11. Driving a car used to provide many deaths, but we've reduced the number of deaths from driving.  Firearms now kill more people than cars.  12.  Rifles are known to have been used in 364 homicides in 2018 and shotguns in 200  homicides .13.  AR 15 style rifles are designed to kill as many people in a shorter time as possible.  American troops are not allowed to fire with hollow point bullets which cause horrific damage because they might violate the laws of war, but civilians can.  14.  The most lethal weapon of all is a 9 mm handgun and other semi automatic pistols . They have the advantage of being easily concealable .  Handguns are steadily overtaking long guns . In one study of crime, guns recovered by police departments  totaled  46,000  Five were identified as hunting rifles.  

Briefly, some strategies to reduce gun deaths: 15.  Gun owners with military or police background strongly believe safety training  requirements for people carrying handguns is necessary.  16. Background checks to purchase ammunition and red flag laws are promising.   Reducing gun suicides  in Indiana,red flag laws reduced gun suicides by 7.5% over 10 years.  17.  Waiting; limits on how many guns one can purchase and warning labels for guns and ammunition  make sense. 18.  1% increase in handgun prices historically reduced demand by 2 - 3% . Each murder cost society about $17.25 million in policing ,courts, incarceration,  work  productivity  lost and insecurity.  19.  Encourage homeowners to rely on a shotgun rather than an assault weapon . 20.  Ease restrictions on pepper spray.  21.  Concealed carry permits don't turn communities into Dodge . Individuals go through the permit process  and they are typically  middle-aged adults with no criminal history with pretty good self-control.  22. Assault rifles cause fewer than 7% of guns used in crimes.  California bans assault weapons.  However, manufacturers promptly designed compliant weapons that are almost the same as those that are banned  and are technically legal, 23. There are probably more rifles in private hands in the United States than  in the armories of the United States military .Large capacity magazines play a significant role in mass shootings, but handguns kill more people.  24 Research finds that better street lighting and the conversion  of vacant vacant lots into green areas seem to reduce shootings.  25. Counseling and intervention strategies reduce suicides which  constitute a majority of gun deaths .  26.  North Carolina requires a license to buy a handgun.  27.  New York state has a firearms death rate less than one quarter that of all gun friendly states like Alaska, Wyoming, Louisiana and Mississippi because of their gun safety regulations.

I propose more comprehensive license requirements than Massacussetts states, for  purchasing a firearm and ammunition in California . For example, the set of conditions are as follows : 1. Incorporate  or create  an additional class from the Administration of Justice (Sierra College) program  The class would address field work at a shooting range and focus on safety and responsible gun ownership. Note, a student would be eligible to receive an associate degree In the Administration of Justice curriculum at this  Community College.  

From a mental health point of view,  the instructor would  be a licensed psychologist, MFCC or LCSW. The mental health  professional would  be required to conduct a pre-and post interview.  A  brief mental health evaluation would entail taking a social, economic, employment and academic history along with assessing attitudes towards firearms  , citizen responsibility, social welfare of others that are different, along with  assessing levels of anxiety and depression.  

The purpose  of the interview would be to evaluate the responsibility of being a citizen, taking into account the person's history.  Applying to the community college community, the  licensed mental health professional would have high school grades and the ability to contact former high school counselors.  A  formal application could be established along with references - from an employer,  high school counselor, high school teacher, religious administrator , athletic coach or law enforcement individual.

In concert, both staff would consult and determine if the student was eligible for gun and ammunition purchase. This program could easily be evaluated  for effectiveness..  A certificate or license  would be necessary for gun purchase and for ammunition in California .

PS

I have contacted  ADL and California elected federal and state representatives regarding my proposal .

Tension and Hostility

 

Recent articles found in The New York Times are as follows: For Police, Body Cameras Break Old Code of Silence; Patent Manipulation Made Drug Company 114  Billion; A Daring Quest To Escape Russia, by Motorboat; Both Sides of Abortion Battle Zero in On State Constitutions; This Is Actually the End of History; A Smarter  Way  to Reduce Gun Deaths; Tomorrow's A.  I.  Actively Insidious; In The Woods, A Flashpoint Over Policing; Suspense at the Movies: What a Seat Will Cost.  Just recently we had  2 bank closings related to  industry deregulation, risk and those bank executives were reinforced with $ for their greed before the Fed takeover.  Also, a Russian jet forced down an American drone over the Black Sea ; inflation ; talk of recession; the billion plus lawsuit against Fox news and Trump's upcoming indictments.  We live in  scary times.  This disposition addresses fear, anxiety( tension) and aggression (hostility).

Essentially, Homo sapiens can be characterized as being fearful with  anxiety and hostility.  Fear is considered to be objective and a reaction to dangerous situations that may be accompanied by physical sensations such as trembling, perspiration , and increased  heartbeat. etc.  Anxiety is also a reaction to danger  but is subjective and may be a disproportionate reaction to danger or even a reaction to  an imaginary danger ; disguised ; and one may not even be aware of feeling anxiety and/or hostility .  Animals react to danger with fight or flight.  Our ability to obsessively ponder a danger separates us from animals.  Freud saw aggression as an instinct  and Murray referred to it as a need.  Murray's definition of aggression: "To overcome opposition forcefully.  To fight.  To revenge an injury.  To attack, injure or kill another.  To oppose forcefully replenish another."  Related to aggression is hostility which is a perceived emotional reaction toward another based on fear or anxiety (or tension } .These terms are used interchangeably.

Fear, anxiety and  aggression or tension and hostility (TH) are significant motivations and essential qualities of Homo sapiens and  influence  personality dramatically for good or for evil .  They are the ground floor, so to speak, the foundation  for Homo sapiens that begins and ends with life-and-death. Traumatic { the inability of the ego to cope effectively with stress }  experiences are associated with weaning, stranger anxiety and separation anxiety.  TH are mechanisms that assist in dealing with life’s dangers .  We are born in a state of helplessness and our anxiety or tension system becomes activated for survival.  Generally  we attempt to avoid the unpleasantness of the tension and seek to reduce that with actions  associated with a reduction of such or pleasure.  When anxiety cannot be dealt with effectively. a traumatic episode, it’s like the individual returns to his original state -  infantile helplessness.  In other words, TH is  dangerous and must be addressed.  We engage in many behaviors  in an attempt to reduce that terror .

With child-rearing experiences , the dynamics of TH continue.  The child perceives  actions by the male parent in his interactions with the female parent and other siblings.  Stressors for the male parent may relate to some physical ailment  or condition; work or employment related; his wife, etc. The  parents' verbal expression or reaction may be hostile or not.  Was the frustrated reaction said in a quiet, rational manner ?  Was the frustrated reaction said with hostility  with the use of swear words?  Was there a physical reaction like breaking of objects and / or   physical spousal abuse ?   When family violence  occurs it encompasses spousal battering , marital rape, child sexual abuse, and child physical and emotional maltreatment.  It also includes elements of control and abuse of power by the person committing the violence.

By being a witness to a parent's aggressive and hostile behavior, the child learns how to imitate the hostile actions.  In other words, hostility is modeled and thus learned.  The child also learns how the female parent reacts to violence.  Does she fight back against spousal abuse ?  Similarly, when the child exhibits hostile behavior, is that met with corporal punishment by the  parent ?  How  do  parents  respond to the child's hostile behavior ?  Do the  parents use corporal punishment or do they ignore, make excuses, give a lecture, or reinforce that behavior depending upon circumstance ?

Because of childhood  TH , coping mechanisms lead to becoming compliant ; seeking favoritism;  or developing some educational or sport skill .  Also contributing to and associated with insecurity  and hostility during development , are rivalries . We seek favoritism from  caretakers and  engage in competition with siblings- called sibling rivalry.  The importance of the peer group  associations cannot be underestimated.  A sense of belonging, being popular, fitting in, being part of  are quite necessary for a sense of security.  Being a best friend , wanting to be picked first becomes important and continues through life . 

Back in the day, high school football games ,in Detroit ,were played during the evening.  Then, one Friday evening, a serious knife fight occurred, in the stands, with students and followers from  archrival  Pershing . The result, no more night football games.  In college, I pledged to the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity.  As a pledge, I had to carry a gold colored brick with ZAM lettering.  A pledge from a rrival fraternity took my brick.  He suffered the consequences of my actions, and no one took my brick again. Needless to say, I exhibited TH with that  pledge rival.

Frustration is also associated with hostility.  Frustration occurs with interference  to goal seeking behavior.  Research by Dollard ,Miller and others explored the frustration - aggression hypothesis.  They believe that the amount of frustration  is related to the intensity of a goal and that response  by the degree of interference or barrier with the response.  Further, the frequency of interferences or how often the frustrated response takes place is also significant. The frustration mechanism or barrier can be either verbal or physical . Also, the frustration response can be repressed , immediate , delayed or displaced. Significantly, the hostile  response may be turned toward the frustrating agent or agents  as in  scapegoating or even inward  toward self. Frustration varies according to  severity of punishment expected  .One may display hostility towards the child, but not toward an authority figure . Research has found that parental styles contribute greatly to the hostile expressions of their children.

A few ways that Homo sapiens engage to escape TH include the defense mechanisms.  Repression is one defense mechanism . How many times  do we experience irritation when driving on the freeway.?  Another driver may cut you off.  You may decide to "forget it," because of fear of a  possible acceleration of hostility.  There are so many times that one experiences  the feeling of being agitated and  decide not to consciously react.  Having to drive the freeway daily, these situations continue. This adding up repression of TH is not associated with a loving attitude to drive back and forth to work.

Denial is a second defense mechanism to attempt to escape the tension or anxiety .  The election loss by Donald Trump is a good example.  Hold onto the lie and deny the reality that Joe Biden was elected president fairly.  Then with the Fox news. -  Dominioni lawsuit, we find out that they, being Fox news, knew the truth and yet perpetuated the big lie because they didn't want to lose their viewership  because  of  that association with profits  Denying the fantasy of marriage and living happily ever after, is a contradiction as illustrated by the number of divorces and remarriages.  Is there one perfect woman or man to meet all one's needs?  There's also an illusion about the perfect job; the dream house; the exotic vacation etc .These marketing clichés or non-truths propel individuals over and over  to chase their fantasies regarding  some fairy tale .

Another way humans attempt ,with repetitive failure, to reduce  the unpleasantness of TH is by addictive behavior with alcohol, drugs, food, gambling and sex .  Hostility is often displayed under the influence  of alcohol as impulse control and critical thinking  becomes compromised. Avoid, for  well-being, drunks and drunk drivers . In fact,  craziness and hostility was exemplified when the government established alcohol  prohibition . Bootleggers ,mafia  types and Elliott Ness had their engagements . These addictions only temporarily mask the unpleasantness associated with the reality of living in an imperfect world.

Additionally, another way to  attempt to escape TH is with  mental or physical activity or inactivity with hypnosis, meditation etc.  Keep busy with any activity to distort reality. Keep your calendar full, exercise, become a workaholic or find any  activity to distract . Does success or the fantasy of success result from becoming a workaholic ?  How long does having the right job with the right salary result in success and feeling good about oneself ?  When Is one totally in control of all the factors that take place related to  job promotion ? No man goes before his time — unless the boss leaves early.

— Groucho Marx

Today's adolescents have that electronic device in their hand and  don't leave home without it.  They are  engaged in their device, and one  purpose of that is to not notice their  anxiety.  Forget about playing sports, studying , so forth and spend that time with your device.  Just think of all the nonsense that one is exposed to when using these devices with the  plethora  of social media  hate, lies, falsehoods and scapegoating that occurs.  A number of school shooters ( loners, inadequate  powerless types) were alienated and their "peer group" was simply  a hate group on social media.  If  feeling  alone ,helpless and  powerless, get a gun, become part of a hate group, and gain TV and social media “fame.”

Another way to attempt to mitigate that infantile feeling of helplessness , fearfulness and powerlessness ,that has been reinforced throughout one's life cycle, along with the demands for rivalry and success within our discriminatory capitalistic system, is through gun accumulation .  Talk to anyone about the thrill and the feeling of "power" while at  a target range or killing an animal . We also know that people have difficulty correctly identifying their feelings.  This so-called “power” is only a rationalization going on between one's ears.  It's a defense mechanism designed to dismiss factors related to self-esteem, powerlessness, as well as TH.  This gun industry, with  slick propaganda ,presents a contradiction between  needs and the factual frustrations in satisfying them. For economic reasons, these insecurities are constantly being stimulated by this capitalistic  culture with advertisements and conspicuous consumption.  One hears, there's gonna be a ban on guns and that results in more gun and ammunition sales.  It's a clever dishonest device and essentially is a psychic consequence for the individual who is troubled with a constant discrepancy between his desires and his fulfillments.

When I lived in the Bay Area, there was a neighbor that lived miles away.  I didn't know him but was told that every time he had a disagreement with his wife, he  moved dirt and plowed more trails on his land .  He had numerous trails. Plowing dirt is a safer substitute than gun purchase.

In summation, biologically, all organisms turn to "dust."   Homo sapiens, with evolution, have developed a cortex.  Despite this “new” brain that separates  us from animals, man continues to be driven by his helplessness, TH and needs.  With increased levels of TH, the character deficient have-nots still have the means to act out hate and murder with their killing weapons. Is it too late for common sense  weapon legislation  ?  If it is too late, expect more of the same.  

Reference

American Psychological Association.  Violence and the Family.

Horney, Karen.  The Neurotic Personality of Our Time.

Murray, Henry.  Explorations in Personality.

Affection, Love and Hostility

 

Unions among Homo sapiens are ” the good, the bad and the u gly “ per Clint Eastwood .  The February 19 , 2023 edition of the New York Times had two  articles pertaining to that movie title.  They were titled "My Friend Won't Leave Her Abusive Husband. What Do I Do ?"  and “Unhappily Married .”   This essay examines how  an  excessive  or neurotic requirement for affection affects unions  .

Homo sapiens , in their  journey,  are coupled with  ongoing dependency, separation , anxiety  and hostility .  The importance of child rearing and its difficulty has been well documented.  More specifically, warmth, affection, feeling loved, wanted and belonging are required to assist because of the immense helplessness for the  developing newborn .  

Parents' own needs  often interfere with the child's healthy physical and psychological development.  For example, the child's will , physiological and psychological  wants, desires and needs can be thwarted , interfered with or frustrated  during its development.  Excessive crying and later hostility , as a result of frustration , becomes  evident.  Often, the child's hostility is repressed because of fear of loss of love.  A child's hostility can also be the result of many factors, such as parental  preference for  another, siblings, some  perceived unjust action, some deprivation of wants,,something real or imagined, being lied to and a plethora of unfulfilled promises.  Moreover,  frustration of wishes,and desires,  can result in  jealousy and hostility. Was that particular punishment fair or was it  humiliating ?  Jealousy and envy along with lack of perceived warmth ,security and affection are sources for  hostile hatred.

Some parents have a tendency to over shelter and make their child or children obedient , keeping them ignorant and overprotected  and reinforce these actions by intimidation  . Keeping a child  a dependent results in  reinforcing a feeling of helplessness for the child.  This child is fearful and has to repress his hostility because he is dependent on that parent.and fears a loss of love.  Keeping the child afraid of a “ dangerous “ world also  results in repressed hostility. Essentially, when “genuine” affection is absent, the child has to repress his hostility for fear of losing love.  These factors  contribute  significantly and  interfere with healthy development.

With unhealthy  infant and child development, the occurrence of basic anxiety is associated with feeling insignificant, helpless, deserted, endangered ,and fearful with hostility .  In other words, basic anxiety and mistrust is established with hostility towards others because of being distrustful of them. It’s difficult to get close to those that you mistrust and/ or are toxic. With basic anxiety, there’s potential conflict with the inability to rely on self  and being unable to trust others . With mistrust ,there’s  hostility  and the seeking of reassurance  during development. Thus, in spite of mistrust, the need for some type of affiliation  remains.  

Affiliation is the need to draw near and enjoyably cooperate or reciprocate with an allied other.  To please and win affection for a cathected object . To adhere and remain loyal to a friend.  Within this definition, we are going to focus on “to please and win affection for a cathected object”  Also important to note  is that neither love  nor marriage are needs, but sex is according to Murray. 

There are essentially four ways that Homo sapiens engage and employ  to protect  themselves against basic anxiety in order to seek pleasure and reduce pain.  One  significant and foremost motivational tendency  results  in a striving and  wanting to be loved, approved , appreciated, desired and  connected.  This desire for seeking “love “ and affection,  is the reassurance against anxiety. It can result in the illusion of loving, especially with a person whom he likes. Often this results in a feeling of infatuation and/or  responses depicting some kind of gratitude and/or kindness.   In other words, any kind of received  or degree of affection may result in the superficial or the illusion of love with the primary intent  of reducing the separation anxiety. 

Seeking affiliation and affection, for a neurotic, as a result of the wish to reduce the dreaded anxiety or protection results in submissiveness.  Submissiveness is essentially a conscious awareness but unconsciously motivated. It’s a wish or belief : If you love me, you will not hurt me;  if I give in to you , you  will not hurt me.  In other words, obedience for affection becomes so important that the behavior becomes a willingness to pay any price in complying with the demands of  another. One hears  a lot of “ I’m sorry.”

Unfortunately, with feelings of helplessness, ineptitude, neediness and inadequacy, and the perception of living in a hostile negative world, the search for affection to help with some  appreciation seems logical.  However, for the” neurotic”  there’s a history of failures  with friendships, marriages ,love affairs  and work relationships.  In other words, it’s like the chasing of the Phantom of love,for approval, being loved and belonging.

Hostility and anxiety are dynamics  for the  neurotic . It’s a dilemma . On one hand, he's incapable of loving and yet he's in great need of love from others . How can he love  others, when he despises, and distrusts them. He still , at the same time , craves for  their affection, help and support.  Therefore , it's difficult to make the pursuit of affection possible  because  additionally the pursuit of a union also arouses fear of being dependent , controlled and manipulated . This quandary is impossible to resolve and end unhappily .

A few more illustrations associated with the neurotic’s need for affection.  They include a compulsiveness of behavior and activity  without discriminating and translates "I must be loved at any cost."  Examples are compulsive eaters , alcohol, drugs and shoppers who attempted to fill that cavity.  Weight gain, poor health and needless accumulation of things can neither be helped nor controlled by the neurotic. These behaviors suggest that they overvalue the irrationality of their activity. It’s  simply a failure to undo and protect the individual from  the earlier trauma of being reared inappropriately. Being liked ,  secure, approved, loved and belonging is paramount. 

 Also, for the neurotic, his seeking of love must be  exclusive and  unconditional .  This translates :“love me for what I am , not for what I'm doing.”  Disregard my behavior, forget it, doesn’t mean much  even  though  I engage in  unethical ,immoral criminal  activities.  I must be loved unconditionally.  Of course it's realistically  impossible for another to fulfill that requirement. 

 The neurotic is aware of his excessive hostility and has realistic fears that the other will withdraw based on his  excessive  demanding behavior .  In other words, the insecurity around  a potential loss of love, results in seeking  constant reassurance, as in "do you love me ?" or "why do you love me?" Also, this individual is deeply sensitive to criticism, which is actually felt as a withdrawal of love and translates :“  If you love me ,you won't criticize me.  “ This individual is also selfish and wishes to be loved, without having to love in return as well as without any advantage going to the other. Further, wishing to be loved , for the neurotic ,has to have sacrifices.  The other person must sacrifice  and demonstrate something like  money, time, or gifts that indicate love. It doesn't matter that the sacrifice might be disastrous to the other.  In other words, there's a disregard for all others and these demands and  activities with its hostility seem obvious to all.

Is  the craving for affection, a panacea or contradiction for reaching a state of nirvana?  Yes, finding affection can result in feeling less isolated, less threatened, less hostile , less anxious while becoming more certain of self .  However, since it becomes associated with love, It has become  overvalued in our society.  Just read all the poems about love , all the song lyrics and the politician  saying “ I love you.” Obtaining affection ,”love” is the illusion that it is a solution for all  problems, Because of our expectations that it can accomplish much more than the reality as in “they lived happily ever after .”  In essence, the ideological emphasis that is placed , all messaging like “diamonds are a girls best friend”  etc. serve to cover-up the  psychological needs which create our exaggerated requirement for it .The dilemma is the necessary requirement for receiving affection and the difficulty in obtaining it.As Ben Franklin said “He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals.”

A Master Criminal

 Thinking  about the devil, I then turned my thoughts to a few famous United States criminals like  Bonnie and Clyde, Dillinger, Machine Gun Kelly , Al Capone and of course Mafia  Carlo Gambino .  Then, it became clear who was  our  number one master criminal.  As a noun ,master is defined as "a man who has people working for him, especially servants or slaves.  This disquisition applies psychoanalytic principles describing  our  master criminal.  

Briefly, a few  psychoanalytic concepts to consider for background.  The Id is a representation of activity that takes place in the mind.  It's inherited at birth and includes instincts, such as sex  and aggression.  It represents the inner world of  only subjective experience  nor awareness of objective reality.  It operates according to the pleasure principle and/or tension reduction.  This criminal's  behavior exemplified uncontrolled sex and frequent expression of aggression toward his enemies . He could neither  control his impulses nor  stop at anything that would prohibit him from his coveted goal of holding on to power, prestige and possessions.  He placed the country in danger irrespective of consequences ,.He’s  an example of evil and/or the devil.  His id impulses were not controlled. He seeked pleasure without a properly functioning  or lacuna conscience to control his criminal behavior .  He is the devil.

The Superego is another concept for consideration. The superego is the internal representation of traditional societal values and ideals  as taught by the parents. \ Did his parents transmit traditional ethical values ,morality, justice to their child or were these values unethical, narcissistic , criminal and exploitation  ?  With normal development, the superego strives for perfection, not for pleasure.  So ,with a well functioning conscience,  amoral  behavior , not representing  traditional societal  attitudes, values and rules , is followed by punishment, not reward.  However, with an unethical immoral  parent, a child lying or hurting another becomes  rewarded , not punished. Rewards and punishments from the parents  determine right from wrong and embedded in the child’s conscience.  Was lying ,hate  and discrimination  implanted and formed  this boy’s conscience? His father cheated, discriminated , exploited , lied and hated while his mother was sickly.  It’s been documented that this man's father was a liar, cheat , swindler and exploited many for his wealth. The fathers only apparent consequences were fines.  Further, the grandfather was  noticeably seen at a KKK rally in New York roughly hundred years ago. 

Superego identification occurs  with both parents. However, with the father the child can vicariously enjoy that masculine role.  Was that father dominant, aggressive, controlling, punitive , rigid and strict ?  It’s not uncommon for children to fear the wrath of the father and be afraid to displease him.  In other words, irrational violence, attitude of hate can be incorporated and counter socially and morally accepted judgments by society when reinforced by the parents.  Were immoral attitudes and behaviors forced down that child's throat so to speak ?  In other words, did their child learn socially accepted moral and ethical standards or not ? With an absence of  morally adequate parental figures, the superego fails to develop rapidly and his relations  with others remain at the narcissistic level.  Therefore, a child becomes an adult and winds up realizing that he can only love himself with a superego referred to as lacuna or not completely developed.

The Ego Ideal occurs during superego development ..  The ego ideal is not concerned about punishments that relate to guilt but instead the ego ideal rewards itself by making the individual feel good about himself.  It's a nonrational attempt to make the world into the child's own image.  In other words, the ego idealizes the picture of the self or the inspired self . It results in a number of ambitions, fantasy, goals and strivings for  future  possible or impossible attainment . These  aspirations, fantasy, dreams are often based on historical , illusions or  some mythology. Therefore, In  the ego ideal ,  on one hand, one can become  a master criminal , or on the other hand , a serene sage or some other superhero.  This individual in question  likely idealized figures like Attila the Hun  , Genghis Khan , Caesar  and Germanic mythology. It was reported he kept Mein Kampf at bedside.  These ideals,  models and aspirations in his fantasy, at  a young age ,were motivational  desires  within his ego  ideal. His current heroes include Putin, Kim Jong  un, Viktor Orban, and  Tayyip Erdogan.

In describing this criminal, I'm going to omit his   fraudulent foundation's , other financial entanglement shenanigans,  Covid -19  debacle , IRS  non-payment and call girl involvement . Instead, based on the article titled "When the Authorities Put Trump Under a Microscope found in the February 12, 2023 edition of The New York Times  , are illustrations from the Mueller report; interactions with Zielinski and the January 6 insurrection . These are examples of his Mafia -like behavior with his subservient lieutenants. This man employed his chief of staff, cabinet ,congress, justice department, supreme court  and other government employees as  criminal  conduit’s for himself and not the country.

Pertaining to the Mueller report, his lieutenants held him above the law.  Bill Barr wrote that the sitting president could not be indicted and  incorrectly summarized the Mueller report.  Mueller himself was fearful and wrote in doublethink when he concluded, "while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him."  This Report suggested  weakly and vaguely that Trump bent and sometimes broke the guardrails. “ It also raised the question whether Trump and his advisers committed certain acts willfully .” Please spare me. The Mueller report also did not declare that the president deserved impeachment or committed crimes, but didn't mind if someone else reached those conclusions and stated, "preempt constitutional processes for addressing presidential misconduct."  The Mueller report also suggested that "a successor administration would be able to prosecute a former president."  Wow ,what courage. Trump also told his previous Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions that he would  go down as a "hero" if he reversed his recusal from the Russian investigation.  Further, when Michael Flynn resigned from the White House and committed lying about his contacts with Russian officials,Trump responded, "will give you a good recommendation." These few examples demonstrate his power , control with enablers..  He was above the law.  He was the law.  He got away with anything he wanted without  proper consequences.

Trump attempted to strong arm president Zielinski.  He  put pressure on Zielinski to say they were investigating  the Joe Biden family but didn't care if they actually did it.  He just wanted the negative publicity for his re-election.  Trump also relied on the Department of Justice to fire the FBI director and used the Office of Management and Budget to delay the reimbursement of  military aid to Ukraine as examples of his mob-like power within the government.

Proceeding to the January 6 Report,  we find the following: 1.  He's declared unfit to return to the nation's highest office or any office below it.  2.  Trump knew that his actions violated the law and that his statements ran counter to the truth.  3.  Trump told Pense that he would be known as a “patriot"  if he  helped overturn the 2020 election.  4.  “Trump placed his personal and political interest above the national interests of the United States, sought to undermine the integrity of the US presidential election process and endangered US national security."  5.  "I just want to find 11,780 votes" 6. To his mob   "Be there, it will be wild!"  7.  Trump was the architect  and  learned  to maneuver his way through the executive branch and grew bolder in his abuses of it.  8. Trump was in charge and others followed. 9.”Trump’s own campaign officials told him clearly that claims of fraud were false." 10.  “Many times the president was informed of the facts of the election, but he continued to lie about them."  11.  “Two days before the speech, Trump already floated the idea to advisers that he would join the protesters at the capital and that he even briefly considered applying 10,000 members of the National Guard to protect him and his supporters from any supposed threats by left-wing counter protesters “12..  Rather than worry about violence against lawmakers and the capital itself, Trump was focused on protecting his supporters.!3. His followers  interpreted the president's call to join him in Washington as a commander in chief to save their country violently; if necessary, they stood down only when he issued a video instructing them to do so. 14.  Trump wouldn't call down the protesters because he wanted the insurrection.  15. Cassidy Hutchinson explained the morning of January 6, “ the president was incensed that the presence of magnetometers used to detect weapons was inhibiting some  of his armed supporters from entering  when the president was to deliver his speech. “ 16. Trump wanted a bigger crowd, said Hutchinson and heard him say something that I don't  “ Fuc ing care” that they have weapons.  They're not there to hurt me, take the “ Fuc ing”  magnetometers away.  Let my people in 17.  Trump  was concerned about his safety only.

The founding fathers created a job description for the presidency.  They did not give this person unlimited powers.  There was to be a separation  of power among the three branches of government.  The Constitution did not state that a president could not be indicted.  In fact, they set up the mechanism of impeachment to remove the man from office.  Not only that, but they didn't trust  ordinary men to democratically elect any individual to that office.  They  cleverly came up with  a discriminatory process or procedure in which only a limited number  or minority would  elect the president with the fragile and flawed  electoral college.  In fact, we now know how disastrous that process and procedure is to a democracy or our Republic.  In fact, his plan  was to create fake electors to overrule the popular vote in  particular states .

The founding fathers made sure that this Republic was not patterned on a monarchy.  One can’t find the rule of law applying to a monarchy with a Kingship for Queenship.  Henry VIII comes to mind regarding his authoritarian, amoralistic and criminal behavior.  An office does not commit a crime, but individuals do.  It’s simply doubletalk to suggest that a sitting president could not be indicted.  Indictment refers to criminal actions by an individual not to a political office. Trump acted like a king but was only an inept character, flawed human .

The multifaceted criminal behavior of Trump to remain in the White House demonstrated his horror, terror and fear of separation and loss of power, prestige, and possession.  After all, his ego ideal resulted in the formation of these anxiety driven tendencies that are who he is with his  neurotic flawed character.  Remember , pursuing power is hostility in the form of a tendency to be a domineer and a reassurance against  unconscious emotional helplessness.  Prestige is the hostility that affirms , in the form of a tendency to humiliate and is an unconscious attempt for  reassurance against humiliation.  Possession is hostility and appears in the form of a tendency to deprive others, which is a reassurance against  emotional destitution .  These strivings are neurotic manifestations and are  disguises in which they appear.  He was dependent on that Presidency as his reality , The threat of him losing the election terrified him.  He could not face the proposition, the reality of being alone  , helplessness ,insignificance and vulnerability for prosecution. 

Trump’s id impulses and his weakened superego were on display with his  fear, anxiety and aggression.  He  knew he committed  a series of  non legal, unethical and immoral actions and behaviors . He projected to  his cronies to “fight like  hell” and  knowing that failure  would result in a more like "death"  for him. These crazy maneuvers were examples of  his  need for abasement - to accept criticism,to seek punishment and misfortune.  In other words, guilt is  the consequence  of actions that are out of line related to  the moral and social standards for a president.  During his campaign, he told the crowd."  Lock her up. “ Those words are a projection which is an unconscious defense mechanism that allows the emotionally unacceptable part of the self which is unconsciously rejected and thus contributing to his projection to others.  It's a foreshadowing of his future.  He reminds me of Melville's Captain. Ahab.  Ahab was at the mercy of his id impulses with his ineffective superego . He could not give up his search  for a union with the White Whale.  In the end, his union resulted in separation - Ahab's death.  Trump unconsciously seeks  to be punished and so let him  be.

 

Freud, Rank and Murray

 Last week's disquisition  mentioned birth trauma with its implications.  Some might question  its relevance to today's understanding of man's motivation.  After all, we know there can be deleterious effects to that embryo based on the mother's ingestion of harmful substances during pregnancy.  Also, we are speculating about an  embryo without a cognitive memory.  In any event, this disquisition begs the question.

Both Sigmund Freud and Otto Rank hypothesized that the dependent embryo was nevertheless protected during  a normal pregnancy.  However, the birth  with separation was traumatic  and additionally  the newborn  now had to display initiative for its survival.  In other words, the infant  separated  from a safe , secure and blissful environment to a very different  and stressful situation .  And that transition or parting was the first traumatic, and anxiety producing event for the newborn.  It was so significant that  Freud and Rank  stated , this event was the basis and prototype for all future situations associated with danger ,anxiety and being apart or separated etc.  Therefore the trauma of birth  , unconsciously , resulted in  major  motivational tendencies  to find , to return to a safe place and bliss of the womb  (“ childhood home or breast” ) ;  and avoid the  death-like  terror associated with this disconnection. In other words, there is a symbiotic connection with mother in the uterus and the birth results in death of that union. . Further, this leads to dependency and individuation conflicts throughout life unless resolved ..  Rank also hypothesized that weaning, as the breast  was an almost equivalent of the womb during the oral phase of psychosexual development, was  a traumatic  death like separation  experience and was associated with frustration, conflict, and  the  parting, the dreaded fear of abandonment.

Henry Murray  followed and  created his own theory of personality in a book titled . "Exploration in Psychology"  among other publications.  His theory ,based in part upon Freudian thinking, included other variables  as  in  identifying and defining 20 secondary needs ; importance of  culture and societies institutions as well as  acknowledging man's uniqueness , adaptability to his surroundings and addressed  the challenges in explaining man’s behaviors,   His research, included a variety of causes , stresses and conflicts that occurred in social settings ranging from non supportive families to individuals affected by physical, social and intellectual impairments. 

 Within this theory, he studied the importance of early childhood experiences with its impact on development. For instance, within the birth trauma , Murray acknowledged that there were compromises  related to  the painful experience of birth  and separation .Murray suggested that this particular trauma could be  best understood by conceptualizing  different complexes to represent a set of important  , significant early childhood experiences and their consequences for later expression.  He acknowledged and understood  that within the womb , there was protective security, passivity, and dependance for survival  that was “compromised” by the painful  expulsion of birth and separation .

Murray created his own terms to explain how infantile experiences affect later behavior.  He referred to these experiences and called them complexes which he defined as having varying degrees of emotional value and strength.  Pertaining to birth, he referred to this as the claustral complex.  He described  the claustral complex as a wish to reinstate the condition similar to those prevailing before birth; with anxiety and motivational seeking behaviors while attempting to reduce helplessness and driven by anxiety; with actions  directed to avoid and reduce suffocation and confinement.  

Murray suggested that the claustral complex,  a reinstatement of uterine conditions ,was characterized by motivational tendencies for seeking and returning to womb-like enclosures with unconscious attempts to mitigate. the horror of separation . Therefore, an interpretation for returning to the womb might be motivation, and a behavioral tendency for seeking warmth , comfort,darkness, aloneness and quietness.  Further, tendencies to engage in swimming and water activities such as kayaking , canoeing ,scuba diving and  being on some floating flotation device are other examples.  Other illustrations could be  seeking and being attracted to  unconditional nurturance or proclivity from motherly objects . A third category could be  being  attracted to sleeping bag activities, monk-like quietness , aloneness and  sensory deprivation.  Within this character type , could be individuals delighted in recalling and telling, in detail, stories and events  of the  glorious past.  In other words, these character traits are associated in repeating, fantasizing and wishing for yesterday or the past. They likely have difficulty with innovation and change.  The slogan make America great again is another example of  a symbolic interpretation.

Is the simple claustral complex concept significant,and one of the most powerful  variables  affecting character development ?  His two other claustral complexes, fear of in support and egression , depict a more complete picture  of character development that provide  construct  validity .  In any event, Murray’s theory has  provided much to ponder about  

  In conclusion, all Homo sapiens experience fear and anxiety; face  a multitude of separations , grief ,losses  of temporary ,nonpermanent unions; seek repeated pleasure and "happiness" during  a  lifetime.  Personally, mom passed over 20 years ago and I still grieve her loss more than any other separation . Thomas Wolfe  wrote  "you can't go back home to your family, back home to your childhood, back home to romantic love, back home to young dreams of glory.. . Back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed so everlasting but which were changing all the time.  All I have left of home now are my memories.

PS

Just yesterday I received a notice from the University of Michigan's  Alumni Association that stated, " As A Member , Wherever You Go, You Are Home."