Identity

 

This essay pertains to  Erik H.  Erikson's psychosocial  theory ,in understanding the  crisis “affecting our  society.  Statistics pertaining to loneliness; suicide rates and lone wolf attacks are  associated with ta mental health sickness with  our young “ adults .”   

This  crisis  is reflected in our culture .For instance, Hollywood provides some insight into our values, ethics, morality and ways of being .To compare the past  to differences with the present are a short list of   motion pictures ,depicting significant unions and love affairs : 1.  Casablanca with Rick and  Isla  2.  Gone with the Wind with Rhett and Scarlett  3.  An Affair to Remember with Nickie and Terry 4.  The Way We Were with Katie and Hubbell , 5.  Doctor Zhivago with Yuri and Lara 

.However, today's action filled motion pictures do not primarily promote terrific unions and mature love affairs . Generally, they tend  to portray the stereotype of the self-sufficient action protagonist masculine male. These heroes are aggressive,friendless, and may display  brief sexual ,non love  encounters. A few of these motion pictures include:  Rambo, Jack Reacher, James Bond and Jason Bourne .They are solitary men.

Erik H. Erikson in Childhood and Society presented a psychosocial model of Sapiens development from birth through old age. His theory is based on the idea that we humans encounter 8  psychosocial crises during our history. And,  If the individual is successful at mastering the first of his  psychosocial issues ,he then has an excellent chance of  engaging with the next  and successive stages. However, if there's  a non successful resolution in that first stage ,he has  difficulty  with the next succeeding stage and stages.In stage 1, the  initial crisis for the child is being able to develop  a sense of trust vs. developing a sense of mistrust. With that being said, this essay only addresses stages 5 and 6  of his model. Stage 5 is developing an Identity versus Role Confusion and Stage 6  is developing a sense of Intimacy versus Isolation.

identity occurs in a series of  introjections  identifications or internalizations beginning early on. With continuity ,these become  synthesized resulting in an unique self that occurs despite  all the contradictions , inconsistencies , barriers, failures and  endures with a degree of fidelity throughout the many experiences within his life space .A "successful" identity configuration,results in the ability to form meaningful associations ;a genital union ; a career path; energetic competitiveness ; a psychosocial  self definition  on the path to a sense of  Integrity. 

Failure at this stage of  identity development is characterized by a  weakened ego’s , executive and the super ego's moral functioning, severed intimate  social connections ,self absorbed energy ; being attracted to toxic anti society causes and being prey to anonymous social media sources.This is called Role Confusion.

For me, my many introjections , internalizations,and  identifications began with  mother and father. Then as an American Jew living in the East Side of Detroit with the likes of   Gordy Howe ,the Red Wings, Ted Gray  and Johnny Groth the Tigers, Doak Walker the Lions, Hank Greenberg, Samson, King David , Steve Reeves, Marlon Brando,Norm Shamansky,Bert Ruby , ,Eugene Sandow,Coach Rutherford, Denby High .Wayne State University, Sigmund Freud, Carl Rogers, University of Detroit , Wayne State University ,University of Michigan, PhD Psychologist ,residing in  California with Linda .With that being said, I am an American Jew, a Detroiter,  an athletic  psychologist living  with Linda in California . In essence,I have maintained  consistency and continuity with the past , present and anticipated future  by a multitude of  activities , maintaining long-term relationships with family and friends with  periodic visits  to Detroit.

Today, forming and maintaining entities has been problematic, as result of the rapid changes occurring in our society .These consequential changes  interfere in forming one's identity and as a consequence  often result in  role confusion.  In our  replacement society, residences shift,  neighbors come and go, nuclear families disintegrate,serial marriages, fragile relationships, kids , step kids,daycare centers , baby sitters are exchanged resulting in  anxiety and a failing sense of  belonging ,drifting , anywhere  and nowhere or to no one.occurs  Home becomes defined where one is residing,  “ Papa was a Rolling Stone  wherever he laid his hat was his home,” sang  The Temptations. There are also career and employment upheavals as well as the changing  societal values. What is right,wrong, good , bad ,truth, lies ,abortion,  democracy, rule of law and gender inequality are some of the ideas that  become blurred.

Toxic dependency on computers ,Internet, social media,and  AI add to diminish the feeling of  authentic relatedness making it difficult to identify with parents ,as parents become  easily outdated.  The rapid changes which resulted in making a link to them.becomes severed  The future becomes more unpredictable and the past irrelevant . With that being said, fidelity and continuity become   inconsistent and tenuous resulting  in a weak ego. With  anxiety and incomplete  identity, one looks for a deviant  anti-social group to be faithful.too. 

The impact of role confusion results in difficulty in establishing  the ability for intimacy which directly affects the inability to meet the ego need of affiliation with a multitude of  stereotyped ,anonymous and non-human contacts.This means there's interference , a fear, mistrust and with  a weak  ego’ ,there’s an inability to  cooperate with  another; to please ,win affection and remain loyal. With . Isolation,there’s  severe intimacy  issues which have  serious implications for one's mental health. Also , it interferes with the failure to commit oneself ; to  mutual orgasms with a loved partner;and the strength to abide and endure such commitments despite all the significant sacrifices and compromises .The solidarity of close affiliations and sexual unions cannot be overstated.

Freud was once asked what he thought a person should be able to do well. Freud responded to love and to work.  Freud meant the importance of genital love and  the ability for productive work.General work productivity does not preoccupy the individual to the extent that it interferes with him being genital and a  loving human being.

Moreover, these mistrusting, suspicious, conspiratory ,,isolated, suicidal and lone wolf terrorists,  with an incomplete  or negative identity are associated with the following characteristics although there is more to the suicide ,loneliness and Lone Wolf story These negative identity individuals  all share to some degree the following characteristics: 1.  Their inability ,despite being intelligent, lack of focus, inability to concentrate and  engage in  a meaningful career choice direction.  Likely it's the result of being unable to re-identify , introject and able to successfully compete in the areas of commitment ,achievement and perseverance with their highly  successful parent or parents.  Or, they have re-identified and introjected with those negative, lazy,victim-like parental qualities associated with not  having a successful  working career of the parent or parents.  This individual failure of  being successful , engaging in productive work  and career direction is often associated with the  unsuccessful resolution at the oedipal stage characterized by the necessary ability to identify  and compete with the powerful ,achievement oriented parent.  2.  A sense of despair, boredom, anxiety and ,depression translated “is a wish to die”  as suicide becomes that point of no return, a better option  as a negative identity choice.  It's an identity of  a self destructive preoccupation that becomes fixed  when one loses the out of reach  capacity for intimacy, growth, exploration ,future , sociability, and well-being. What misery were they leaving?  3.  There are a series of undesirable and dangerous  negative identifications relating to destruction and  death fantasies in the unconscious.  It's also a defense against the excessive ideals demanded by ambitious parents.  In other words, it's societal contempt ,a rejection of moral and ethical norms  with rationalizations ,arguments ,opposition and engaging in drugs ,alcohol and other acting out behaviors . As a result , it’s no surprise that they are drawn towards negativity  resulting that these individuals are easily pliant and susceptible to causes , groups  associated with anti establishment  resentment , hate, destruction , violence and death .And ,with the Internet- social media  it becomes  much  to easy to become an anonymous  "member" with no real tangible commitment.  And, Lone Wolf attacks often result in a “glorious “ suicidal death shoot out . It reminds me of Richard Gere’s death scene shoot out. In  Breathless. 

 Additionally, another implication for the difficulty to  meaningfully connect was found in the July 6, 2025 edition of The New York Times.  The article "The Science Of Making Better Decisions" highlighted the importance of human associations and that our brains are configured to pursue rewards that come as soon as possible. The following four  points were made  1. Our  brains are configured to pursue rewards, especially social awards 2 . Our brains seek short-term  rewards as opposed  to long-term rewards.  For example, it's easy to eat a doughnut compared to thinking about  one’s long term health  3.  Individuals are more productive and better able to handle difficult and challenging tasks when working together.  While working together, one sees what others value , what others model ,what others accomplish which is an important and powerful influence 4 The most powerful source of reward is working with others, especially in goal choices and achievements.  In essence, affiliations, friendships become extremely important in goal setting and goal success. Don't forget what Bo Schembechler said. It's about The Team, The Team, The Team..

One example of the disastrous effects for isolation relates to trends of suicidal behaviors for males and females . From 2011 to 2021, the following was reported:.  The percentage of females who seriously considered suicide increased forboth males  and females . A similar trend was observed in suicide planning . The percentage of females andmales who made suicide plans rose . Also, suicide attempts for both increased However, the percentage of females who had injuries,from  suicide attempts also exhibited an overall upward trend while the percentage for males slightly decreased.

Loneliness in the United States shows that social connections are declining and  some groups have higher rates for social disconnection. The  disastrous impact of technology on  inauthentic social connections result in isolation and interfere with physical and mental health and well-being. For example, survival mortality, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, infectious diseases, cognitive function, depression ,anxiety, suicidality and self-harm are examples  of the physical and psychological harm occurring in the US associated with severed connections 

Lone Wolf terrorism from 2001 through 2013 included 45 Lone Wolf attacks, killing 55 people and injuring another hundred 126. Interestingly, 12 law enforcement officers were killed or wounded by lone Wolf terrorists in the 60 years preceding 9/11.  This figure doubled in the first 13 years following 9/11, when the number of law enforcement personnel killed or wounded by lone wolves rose to 24.  Statistics on loan Wolf terrorist are associated with  unemployment,  single white males, with a criminal record, less educated,and more prone to mental illness and suicide .

In summation, identity, role confusion,  and isolation are significant psychological issues with grave implications..  It's clear that the negative effects of isolation affect one's physical and mental  status.  Also, the current political, moral and ethical divisions are also associated with role confusion. To illustrate “ I Pledge Allegiance to the flag...... with liberty and justice for all,” is far from the truth.  That pledge is meaningless and false. Also, being born in America does not necessarily translate to being an American. The toxic messaging of authoritarian politics and oppression  today is an expression of Anglo-Saxon supremacy,a  desire to dominate the world but not to  be held accountable by the world. And, unfortunately  there’s  a consensus for this negative identity formulation.

Reference

Erikson,Erik H. Identity Youth and Crisis.

PS

For a sad fairytale  about loneliness , I refer you to Hans Christian Anderson's "The Little Match Girl." 

Small Hands

 

Masculine behaviors  are defined  culturally  as males become socialized by various activities and personality characteristics.  Masculine  behaviors in the US are associated with aggression, self-reliance, independence, prestige, ambition , being adventurous with  self-confidence. With that being said, we are familiar with the satire and chivalry in the Don Quixote story. This narcissistic  powerful fictional character  nearing 50 years of age , seduced numerous females . His behavior was not about  a special romance , a commitment, or a  lasting  or forever love. Motivationally, sexual conquests  can be viewed according to Alfred Adler’s “ masculine protest .” The motivation of this acting out behavior is related to  the desire for superiority and completeness rising out of a felt inferiority or incompleteness . Masculine protest and  masculinity are related. .Also important is the anxiety behind the tendencies for affection,power , possession and control. This essay is a fictional imitation or representation of  the masculine protest for a Don Quixote type.

Biologically ,in order  for the typical male to function sexually, he must have and maintain an erection during intrcourse until reaching orgasm. Factually, man must have the ability to satisfy his female partner sexually which is based on his demonstrating and maintaining an erection ..During  active intercorse, It's up to the male , not the female  to perform.  If he is not able to perform,he experiences anxiety over the dreaded fear of failure . 

A fear of failure is an attack on man's ego,  prestige,  power,  value , masculinity, potency  and is also related to diminished pleasure and satisfaction.  A “ normal “ man doesn't have to worry about his potency, but the neurotic  does.  However,man’s satisfaction is also  dependent on the woman's will and for  her to reach orgasm for her to feel sexual satisfaction.. 

A significant NSSHB finding reported that about 85% of men stated that their partners had an orgasm after their most recent sexual event.  In contrast , only 64% of women reported that they had an orgasm after their most recent sexual event. Also , one third of men reported a problem with their sexual function. Furthermore , sexual problems are common , for males, with increasing age and have been linked to serious health issues.  And  about 5 million American men have low testosterone  levels, which can affect their sex drive, muscle , bone health,, energy and mood. It’s no wonder that American males are anxious  and compensating about their  fragile masculinity.,.Statistics on gun ownership tell that story. 

The “ masculine” male ,for enhanced self esteem, requires prestige which is emotionally based on proving that he can perform sexually which ,in essence ,places him in a precarious position.  It's an expectation that he has to perform which becomes obvious. Because of his potential fear of failure,, the male  seeks  other  pursuits  and behaviors for reassurance,, for a reduction in anxiety,  as  with his tendencies for acquiring  power, status and  control with  things ,and others. .This results in his ego's need for competing , achieving ,dominating with aggression in many other spheres of  his life. These  ego needs are also associated with -competition ,  willpower,endurance, physical strength, and intelligence  which are necessary assets  for ensuring successful outcomes.  

This ego need of competing,is  related to prestige and expresses itself both in attitudes  and interactions especially towards other men.  With a fear of failure, this  individual has to  repeatedly prove that he is  superior, more popular, better, more competent and more powerful  than any  other man. .He boasts that he is handsome , smarter and he knows more about any topic under the sun.  He  also claims that he's the best negotiator and he, alone, can make better deals .Furthermore, he has to repeatedly demonstrate his power and control over everything..This  man boasts about his  golfing ability.,his  golf trophies,and his  golf facilities . Yet,it has been documented that he  repeatedly cheats in various ways during his rounds of golf. He has  been called Commander in Cheat

.A few other illustrations of his  competitive ego  need seeking prestige and popularity relate to his boasting  falsely about inaugural  crowd size and ,attacking  the character  of Presidents . Obama and Biden,and  Beyoncé ,Oprah,Powell, Fauci and so many others

Some men are gropers and have impulse control issues. .This man has a history of groping behaviors. This behavior is not likely about receiving pleasure but demonstrates his  anxiety, emotional  immaturity by demonstrating his power and control over those that appear to be weak and vulnerable without significant consequences. In fact, he bragged about it on a TV interview and  on another  occasion was found guilty  of sexual misconduct in a court of law when ,finally, a brave female ,despite his sadistic intimidations, stood up to his verbal abuse .

He also had and competed  over young females with his “friend “a  notorious and convicted sex trafficker,  He recently  claimed that he ended , although there is no evidence, that  relationship because his friend took  attractive young females away from him but not because of his fiends criminal behavior.

Associated with the  ego competition need illustrates his desperate , anxious  inadequacy, over vanity  His vanity  is repeatedly expressed and is used  to show off , to demonstrate  and mask that he is not afraid of failing. His  real estate fiascoes and bankruptcies  are masked  by  him placing his name on buildings.  He's concerned with his  appearance thus focusing on makeup and hair  which also relates to his narcissism.  He proudly sells numerous  items and had his own “University.” . He constantly boasts  of his tariff policies irrespective of  the objective reality. Another example of his male vanity is the ability to attract women sexually, to win them over  or take advantage  of  them based on his  power, wealth and celebrity status. Yes , he also pays them.

His  precarious psychological position sets up his fear of being ridiculed and embarrassed  .Psychologically , his quest for survival results in his  aggressive tendency which is a defensive aggressive function. With females,irrespective of ages, he has to dominate with power , to make them feel weak, helpless and fearful . And, if she’s  afraid of him , she won't dare  to  ridicule or take him to court .  So ,when this man is accused of being sexually inappropriate, he springs into  defensive aggressive  action by attacking , threatening and intimidating  that female. It's  his attempt for  sadistic  power over another person. .This aggressive defensive expression is not only related to females . He  dominates, controls and attacks with intimidation over anything and everything . No living person can now  doubt his power and ability for harm..

His quest to compensate for feeling inferior and inadequate are  also demonstrated and  seen repeatedly with his tariff flip flops,mass firings, deportations,  takeover of the justice system, treasury, defense ,Health and Human Services ,colleges , universities,,media and press .. 

In conclusion, some might view or speculate  Don Quixote's masculine protest  was  also related to his fear of castration. However, this essay is based  only on speculation ..

Reference

Fromm,Erich. The Art Of Loving.

Love

 

 Love, the subject of this essay, falls within the powerfully significant affiliation ego needs .Fond memories come to mind personally and from  watching movies with all the  passion, joy, conflict, sadness, and losses.  Some of my favorite movies include   Samson and Delilah with Victor Mature and Heddy Lamar;  Spartacus with Kirk  Douglas and  Jean Simmons; From Here To Eternity with Burt Lancaster,Deborah  Kerr,  Montgomery Clift and Donna Reed;  Cleopatra with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton; Greece with John Travolta and Olivia Newton John; Doctor. Zhivago with Omar Sharif and Julie Christie; The Way We Were with Barbara Streisand and Robert Redford; Helen of  Troy with Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom and Diane Kruger..These  relationships are  universal with  elements of harmony, cooperation and mutual satisfaction, but also  of struggle and disharmony.  

Musically  a few examples of  “love”  lyrics: 1.  Bonnie Tyler's  "It's a Heartache."  It's a heartache  Nothing but a heartache  Hits you when it's too late  Hits you when you're down   These opening lyrics  implies a deep feeling for someone.  Later on lyrics .  It ain't right with love to share    .  When you feel he doesn't care for you   , it ain't wise to need someone   as much as I depended on you.  In this stanza, the lyrics suggest the ego  needs of a masochistic  dependency  that have been severed, resulting in pain, anxiety, and the loss of security.

2.  John Legend's "All of Me"  in verse 1 .  What would I do without your smart mouth?  Drawing me in you kicked me out  .  You've got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down   What's going on in that beautiful mind. I'm on your magical mystery ride   And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright .  These lyrics suggest an intense feeling and the ego need of affiliation, which is to please with affection for the object  and masochism dependency. 3.  Engelbert Humperdinck’s last verse  , And I know that my song isn't saying anything new   .  All, but after the Lovin  (after the Lovin)    I'm still in love with you.  Yes, after the Lovin()  After the Lovin I'm still in love with you  Hmm  , After the Lovin I'm still in love with you  .  The ego need of sex  is implied here. 4.In Paul and Linda McCartney's  "Silly Love Song" lyrics  .  Love doesn't come in a minute   .  Sometimes, it doesn't come at all .  I only know that when I 'm in it    .  It isn't silly  .  Love isn't silly   .  Love isn't silly at all( Yeah ,yeah) .  These lyrics suggest that it's difficult to describe love, especially the feelings.  With that being said, the ego need of affiliation related to winning affection of the object is implied. 

5. Verse 1.  In Hopelessly Devoted To You by Olivia Newton John as follows:  Guess mine is not the first heartbroken  My eyes are not the first to cry   .  I'm not the first to know   there's just no getting over you  .  You know, I'm just a fool who is willing   To sit around and wait for you  But baby, can't you see There's nothing else for me to do?  I'm hopelessly devoted to you.  These lyrics suggest unmet ego dependency needs ,symbiotic masochism with the inability for individuation as a result .6. Roy Orbison's "Only The Lonely"   Only the lonely  (dum- dum - dum-dumdy- doo- wah    Know the heartaches I've been through  (ooh--yay-yay- yay-yeah) )    Only the lonely( dum-dum-dum-dumdy- doo wah)  Know  I cry and cry for you( dum -dum--dum- dummy- doo- wah) ..Separation results in loneliness.

The universal, sweet sounding and familiar  stories in love songs generally fall into the following categories 1.  A union representing happiness, pleasure, euphoria- a major ego need fulfilled  2. A breakup of the union representing pain, heartache,  and loneliness.  3.  A sexual union which is another ego needs fulfillment.  4.  Silly, irrational ,unrealistic , misunderstandings ,  fantasy  and illusions 5 . A  symbiotic sadomasochistic union-one possesses ,controls, their " baby," “my,” ” mine,” you belong to me” and as in being hopelessly devoted  which is submissive, unable to be independent 

.However, these lyrics  are emotionally familiar  ,with extremely  wonderful performers and  pleasurable,wish fulfillments , representing a dominant and necessary   ego need of affiliation for survival  with  terrific sounding rhythm , tempo and beat resulting in  motor movement   accompaniment and well being  These stories , with gratification and union ,suggest the  importance of meeting the ego needs of  affiliation ,safety and belonging. Without meeting these needs results in anxiety ,separation, unpleasantness and being alone . Also expressed  is the importance of the sexual  ego need ..

From  fiction, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet illustrate an example of "romantic love."  These two young lovers have this symbolic teen age infatuation  and/or crush . These young individuals " interact," only from a distance .Their “love” is an example of a  wish fulfillment with a tragic ending.  In other words, love is something associated , in the mind, with  a multitude ,repetitively with various illusions, fantasy and a wish fulfillment . These two did not experience a mature love..For survival, man’s ego needs are not  based on fantasy, illusions  and wish fulfillments.

Abelard and Heloise were medieval lovers.  Abelard, a theologian and his pupil,and nun shared a secret marriage, their son and Abelard’s castration.  Abelard was imprisoned and the two exchanged love letters written in Latin during the 12th century.  For a glimpse into the past is a tale of their love and suffering related to the  sadistic separation of their physical union.

In psychology, " love," was omitted from a psychiatric glossary of the American Psychiatric Association.  However,  love in the  Dictionary of Psychology is defined as a typical sentiment involving fondness for, or attachment to, an object, the idea of which is emotionally colored whenever it arises in the mind  ….of invoking  the whole, gamut  of primary emotions, according to the situation in which the object is placed or  represented;  often by psychoanalysts, always, used in the sense of sex -love, or even lust.

When a politician or entertainer  tells the crowd that he loves them, what does he mean?  More than likely, he's referring to what he's experiencing and that experience “feeds” his narcissism.  Yes, he or she  liked that they showed up,supported , clapped,  cheered ,shouted  and paid his bills .

Psychologist Paul Ekman ,in his research across cultures,listed six universal- primary  emotions.  They are happiness,sadness,fear,disgust, anger,and surprise. Note the absence of love .

Briefly, Erich Fromm  in The Art Of Loving   “ Love is not a sentiment, easily indulged in...... in order to love one has to develop total personality and achieve a productive orientation........ satisfaction of individual love can't be attained without the capacity to love one's neighbor..... Without true humility, courage, faith and discipline.... And the capacity to love remains a rare achievement." 

 Fromm went on and described love as a most powerful overcoming of  human separateness, loneliness and  as a fulfillment for the longing for union.  He also wrote that love is active ,not passive. And,it requires the union of oneness and importantly individuation along with  attitudes and behavior resulting in care, respect, responsibility, and knowledge within  a productive character orientation . Fromm also described, brotherly love, motherly love, erotic love, self-love and love of God.

A quote by Marx "Assume" man as man , and his relation to the world as a human one, and you can exchange love only for love...... Every one of your relationships to man and to nature must be a definite expression of your real individual life corresponding to the object of your will. If you love without calling forth love as a loving person  that is ,if your love as such does not produce love, if by means of an expression of life as a loving person you do not make yourself a loved person, then your love is impotent, a misfortune.”

Harry Stack Sullivan wrote about failed interpersonal love relationships and unions as  parataxic   Simply put, humans have a tendency to perceive others based on their own past experiences and unconscious biases, illusions , fantasies and rationalize their bad motivations using excuses of  benevolence, duty or necessity. And, the same dynamics occur with the love object as well. Simply put, the distortions  and so forth are not based on experience with the other  but are  unconscious  projections and not reality based.

It’s not surprising, the word love is overused, and  misused with  its various meanings.  Lyrics in popular  songs are  generally  universal but trite, silly, unrealistic, pertaining to sex as well as with the implications of symbiotic sadomasochism with ownership, domination, loss of self and/or individuation  within  dependency. But, the music , the harmony, rhythm and beat are terrific. However, when someone expresses the words "I love you" they might be meaningless because of  ignorance, from lack of understanding  a wish fulfillment motive and/or an inadequate character.. Further, with a limited amount of psychic energy, love can be derailed by threats from nature as in flooding , fires, earthquakes;;progressive illness , disease and from cultural, economic, social and political norms because of man’s fragileness, anxiety of aloneness and/or his ego's need of affiliation in his  pursuit of survival . Humans have created a  plethora of” love”  stories in religion, songs,poems, novels, and movies for a variety of motives. However, enmity is not predominant in our culture. . .

Capitalism, Religion and Psychology

 

The wealthy and  the poor have been present for centuries according to  religious, economic, social, and psychological variables. . Currently,within our capitalist system,  the gap  and discrepancies are absurd . This essay addresses the haves and the have nots from  a humanistic and non humanistic framework by presenting a brief synopsis of  a few historical figures and their acts of disobedience , obedience  and freedom within the  last 6000 years .

The Old Testament begins with themes of   disobedience, obedience and love of God from a patriarchal point of view. There’s an emergence of a father figure God  who establishes just principles, laws, rules for men to follow, and stands for the highest value of good. 

Love for a father figure was represented by the faithful obedient,loyal and with  submission . It’s his love,his protection  as a helping father in times of difficulty. Further, it is  up to man to respect his commandments and lead a moral and ethical life. 

Adam and Eve , in the  Garden of Eden , biting the apple symbolized  disobedience . Their actions allowed them to open their eyes and recognize each other as strangers in the hostile world. Man was now  independent and humanistic, 

Acts of disobedience,obedience  and independence followed with Moses . He challenged Ramses and freed the Hebrew slaves.They became independent ,free and dependent  by believing in God . Now, man did not have to be a slave ,constrained and exploited  by others, Moses ,with God’s assistance, assisted the poor by allowing them to have an opportunity  for independence of thought, ability to love , respect others within the context  of being an obedient follower,  The separation from being  a slave , in Egypt, under  Ramses allowed them to pursue freedom- independence within the context of being protected by the father figure- God if one remained loyal, but not by erecting a golden calf to worship. Humanism , justice and faith  prevailed.

The father figure God , disobedience , obedience and freedom  continued with the emergence of Jesus’s dogma.. Jesus was a rebel, who “revolted” against Rome . Pontius Pilate  ,the Roman governor, found him guilty. Jesus's followers ,at the time ,were  poor , socially despised, down trodden and they castigated the rich and powerful. With Jesus the human father  God  delivered and respected  the poor with salvation. Life was dangerous, evil, unfair and unjust . And, with salvation, God -Jesus  delivered the individual from sin and its consequences with a life in the hereafter.

 Respect for the poor have-nots was established. Humans must suppress cravings ,possession  and they must totally liberate themselves and share with solidarity.. For example Luke 6:27 stresses "love thy neighbor" …full concern for other human beings and complete surrender of all selfishness.”. Avarice is the root of all evil. The  humanistic dogma regarding the poor is clear and free from contradiction per early christianity.

Centuries later, the philosophy and attitude of Christianity  in medieval times was clear.  Summarizing  the medieval church  era  1.  The dignity of man was expressed .  2 The  freedom of his will, and the fact that his efforts were of avail.  3. A likeness between God and man.  4. And man's right to be confident of God's love .

.Economic interests were necessary ,but subordinate to salvation and morality according to  St. Antonio "riches exist for man, not man for riches"..., avarice is a deadly sin..... owners must be ready to provide to those that need it , even if they are not in  actual destitution. .”

These ideas contrasted with the Reformation era  -with Luther's theology with the middle class.1.They were fighting against the authority of the church 2 They resented the new moneyed class 3 They felt threatened by rising capitalism 4. They were overcome by feelings of powerlessness and individual insignificance.

The disobedient Luther rejected and rebelled against the authority of the Catholic Church. However, with an authoritarian character structure,Luther’s take on the people was that in this life, the people were dangerous, evil  , despicable and required being  dominated and controlled.. But, It was only  God  who could deliver the individual from sin and its consequences with a better life in the hereafter. Respect for the poor, the have not’s was not established in this life. Luther’s self hatred was projected onto others . The people had wicked thoughts with much anxiety. Only with salvation , could  the poor be blessed and would  only then  find "happiness" in God’s  afterlife.

The power, obedience and submission to God was  clearly the belief of  the disobedient Martin Luther.  The poor and others were not worthy  unless  God was in their lives.  There was no chance of salvation without loving God.  Luther’s “love” of God  was based on his unconscious feeling of being  powerless. He projected his insecurity  and consciously believed that man was evil , vicious and not soundly equipped or able ,on his own, to cope because of the depravity of his nature and  man must submit to God  for salvation  in this  hazard-filled world . Man’s only choice was to totally submit to God.

 Luther’s words :::For God wants to save us, not by our own by extraneous justice, and  wisdom,by a justice that does not come from ourselves and does not originate in ourselves but comes to us from somewhere else..... That is, a justice must be taught that comes exclusively from the outside, and is entirely alien to ourselves.   And..”. God-ward man has no "free will", but is a captive, slave and servant either to the will of God or to the will of Satan.”

The young educated Martin Luther  entered the monastery and became a  catholic priest. This psychologically troubled man had “a fit in the choir.”  The fit has been interpreted by many differently .  Luther , during  a service “fell to the ground,  like one possessed and roared with the voice of the bull. “ The German version was "it isn't me!"  The Latin  with "I am not!"  Was this  behavior associated with mental illness ,a reaction of his soul, psyche ,spirit and related to the Holy Ghost ? 

Luther ,according to   Prof. Preserved  Smith in  Erik H.  Erikson’s  Young Man Luther: A Study In Psychoanalysis And  History. claimed  that “ Luther is a typical example of the neurotic quasi-hysterical sequence of an infantile sex complex.... and  Luther's childhood wasn't happy because of his father's excessive harshness, and that he was obsessively preoccupied with God as an avenger, with the devil as a visible demon, and with obscene images and sayings."

With the transformation to capitalism ,psychological, non-humanistic motivations were also apparent  by the economic shift and development toward the end of the Middle Ages . Work now became increasingly  a supreme value. In fact, work efficiency  assumed the role of a high moral virtue.  Also occurring, was the desire for wealth and material success as it became an all absorbing passion. Simply put, the objectives of capitalism are capital, cost efficient labor, mass production (supply ) and excessive consumption(demand)  equals massive profits for only the deserving elites.

 According to Martin Butzer, a preacher  ..’ running after all those trades and occupations that will bring the most gain….... all the clever heads which have been endowed by God  with a capacity for the nobler studies, are  engrossed by commerce, which nowadays is so saturated with dishonesty that is the last sort of business an honorable man should engage in." 

So far it's clear that man has a limited degree of freedom, but is able to achieve "independence" only with a powerful father figure. However, with the Renaissance, the  Enlightenment and the French Revolution demonstrated that man didn't have to be enslaved by a King or human powerful father figure .Man was viewed as being  fundamentally good and his behavior an end in itself rather than unnecessarily serving other needs. And, according to Rousseau, evil arises from social organization.  Man is good and becomes spoiled  by a bad society. Furthermore, man can pursue true equality among men while pursuing and building a better and more just society in this life . 

The halves-the Kings ,queens, princes, princes , emperors,  popes and monopolists  represent a small number of individuals.  The masses have God as their protector,- in  the afterlife. However, capitalism now gave more individuals opportunities and more freedoms. But, capitalism still required the have-nots not only to produce but to consume. Adam Smith warned the power structure not to give the  poor  too much political power because they'll slowly  take unequal control of your wealth .

The misquoted , not  understood  Marx  was disobedient to capitalism.  First, Marx   suggested that man has two types of drives and appetites.  The first was a constant , fixed , such as hunger and sexual urges. The other drive ,he called relative  appetites which "owe their origin to certain social structures and certain conditions of production and communication."  For example,  "Need for money.... Is therefore the real need created by the modern economy, and the only need which it creates... This is shown subjectively, partly in the fact that the expansion of production and of needs becomes an ingenious and always calculating subservience to inhuman, depraved unnatural and imaginary appetites."  2 Marx's central criticism of capitalism is not the injustice in the distribution of wealth; it is a perversion of labor into forced alienated meaningless labor, hence the transformation of man into a crippled monstrocity.  3.  Marx did not want to abolish private property …so that the worker would own what the  capitalist  now has. 4.  Marx stated an enforced increase in wages would be nothing more than a better remuneration of slaves and would not restore ,, either to the worker or to the work,  their human significance and worth.  5.  Marx’s central theme is the transformation of  alienated, meaningless labor into productive labor, not the better payment of alienated  labor by a private or abstract state capitalism.

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 Marx 's theory suggested that man could become psychologically healthier when given an opportunity to take part in the manufacturing decision-making.  With greater equality, participation and control,  a humanistic man could become more independent , free with the ability to love self and others. 

At this point in history, more individuals, while still dependent on God,established more freedom and independence.  The poor significantly demonstrated their power in India with Gandhi’s leadership . The British Empire was supreme and ruled  India – one of its colonies.  Gandhi disobeyed , organized the poor have-nots, and they went on strike against their English rulers.  They  shut down India with their passive strike. Disobedience, obedience and humanism was clearly expressed .

This country was established and  psychologically ,associated with economic interests pertaining to power, status, and possession in the late 1700s.  And ,the Declaration of Independence was created by the haves ,the landowners.   All men are not created equal irrespective of what was written. This idea is simply a fallacy, false, mistaken, and simply not true. The Wasps  required slaves to participate and further their capitalistic pursuits. However, Amendments to the Constitution established more equality among its peoples.,. 

However, the poor remain poor and are required to support the halves. There’s a symbiotic relationship between the haves and the have not's.  Halves cannot exist without the have-nots and  the have-nots cannot exist without the halves.  The idea of salvation, currently,  may be expressed in  stated "beliefs" but not in universal, daily practice..Trump ,a  human godlike father figure is present -to be obedient , to be submissive in order to receive some form of  his blessings and safety.

There are protests of disobedience but it’s not as powerful as in the previous historical  times . Listening to the  day's news reinforces the idea of the poor being exploited ,discriminated against and being subjected to cruel and unjust actions by the government and others.

In summary , humanism, disobedience and independence  can be associated to Adam ,Eve, Moses, Jesus, Rousseau, Marx, and Gandhi and the nonhumanistic attitude to Luther, Jefferson, the  Founding Fathers and capitalism .Within history, man has made progress  since the Old Testament in terms of his ability to understand his world, have more comforts, more achievement opportunities, more variety, better health while in  survival.  However, the dynamics of the haves- the powerful and the have nots - the  poor continues and is exacerbated. by  capitalism and the powerful Megachurch groups, a religion of the power structure with a different mentality from early Christianity. They now provide and promote avenues for success,  avarice messaging ,political authoritarian compliance along with  their moral  scandal failings .The Jesus’ teachings do not promote avarice nor Trump’s authoritarian attacks on the poor etc..The basic nature of mn”s  Insecurity remains.and  It results in a powerful  quest for union irrespective . That continued unconscious search for union, a safe and secure father figure, protector ,object of worship can be with God , another human , idolization of money, power, status, possession or  AI technology.

Reference

.Fromm,Erich. Marx’s Concept of Man. 

Fromm,Erich. The Dogma of Christ. 

Why Vote

 

Almost 90 million eligible voters did not vote in the 2024 presidential election.  This essay  provides a psychological explanation as to why low income  eligible voters did not cast a ballot.  Low income eligible voters , 42% of the US population, are defined as earning less than $50,000 per year.  Some typical explanations or factors include not  having ID's, making it hard to vote ,long waits in line and the political parties not paying attention to this group.

Recently, the "Beautiful Bill" was  passed by Congress.  There were cuts to Medicaid, Affordable Care Act subsidies and  the Nutritional Assistance Program  etc.. It’s been reported that 75 million low income Americans are going to be affected with increasing health care premiums and another 16-17 million losing their  coverage ,in part ,from having to show proof of employment. With tariffs ,and cuts to government agencies such as EPA, CDC,  health research and with additional funds for  ICE , the people's health ,is put in further jeopardy, In other words, healthcare, food, nutrition, chemicals, family disruption ,economics and the  many environmental hazards are just some of the factors that pertain to the GOP's attack on our peoples .  Their message is clear-your hunger,security, health , welfare ,protection and safety are not a priority in this administration  And , Mitch McConnell said something to the effect “They'll get over  it.”

To assess why a number of these  economically low income , without status , angry,  limited social mobility, self centered ,immature morality  eligible voters did not vote , I turn to Abraham H.  Maslow's motivational theory.  Maslow's theory is based on the importance of  low and high ego needs being gratified or not . In other words  there is a hierarchy of less to other more potent needs. With gratification of  ego needs,individuals have the ability to become more psychologically and physically  healthy .Gratification also comes from the potential “satisfying”  practice of parents ,other peoples as well as governmental policies within our culture or lack of it,..

Without a proper ratio of gratification of ego needs leads to  crippling capacities, cognitive and moral pathology, despair, cynicism, rage, revenge , less maturity ,poor health and neuroticism . It’s the  unsatisfied physiological and ego  needs that tend to dominate actions  with organization and efficiency. But  with gratification , the need becomes  submerged which allows the next higher set of needs in the hierarchy to emerge, within the structure of the personality . Simply put, the physiological and human ego needs become life’s essence ..

According to Maslow, ego need gratifications lead  only to temporary happiness, which in turn tends to be succeeded by some other pursuit .Desires, passions, goals  and neurotic tendencies can further motivate the individual .Also,  ego needs are often associated with a number of additional actions. Further,  Maslow pointed out that human nature is extremely malleable and is  far too easy for the culture  to negatively  affect one's genetic and psychological  health , welfare and potential .

To illustrate, Maslow theory begins with the physiological needs such as food , hunger ,sexual desire,and sleep as indicators of    lack or deprivations  in the body. Hunger suggests that the body is lacking some chemicals . So, the individual, that is hungry,  has the motivation to fill that physiological need first before his other needs.  If one is severely hungry, or starving, the drive for  food is  stronger than the need to watch a  beautiful sunrise or write a sonnet. The need for food can also be related to “love” or lack , being alone , anxiety, depression ,boredom and survival 

 Moreover, with the ego need  of hunger being unsatisfied, the organism can become dominated by that physiological need, so that all the other needs simply become nonexistent or pushed into the background. Take Les Miserables  as an illustration. In this story, Jean Valjean stole a loaf of bread to feed his hungry family. Valjean's mission and purpose was clear.  His behavior was centered around fulfilling that physiological need, irrespective of any other need and  he was willing to steal regardless of the consequence.  His behavior was dominated and became organized by that unsatisfied need. The fulfillment of the hunger need is powerful , second to none  as human behavior becomes psychologically blind to other realities.

 Man driven by food scarcity or starvation  becomes dangerous.  Take Geronimo for example.  This Apache tribe leader went into battle with white eyes .His hatred was because his tribe was  driven from their land and food became scarce. This Apache legend is about him being a great warrior and killing all those white eyes..When deprived of  the ability to hunt for food , Geronimo became a murderer.

Some 80 to 85 years ago, the consequences of Hitler's sadistic policies were apparent when victims were liberated from the many concentration camps.  These political prisoners, deprived of food, were gaunt, skeletal, haggard and  drawn..

When one is chronically hungry during extreme physiological deprivation.,not only is man blind , he becomes irrational and can engage in self-defeating acts. With Trump’s  continued sadistic  war , economic threat of food , and/or employment deprivation, poor individuals focus on food acquisition and not on voting in elections. It doesn't seem to matter as previous  presidents , politicians come and go as these citizens remain hungry , poor and exploited - why vote?.

Maslow's second need ,in his  hierarchy , are the safety needs-security; stability; dependency; protection; freedom from fear ;from anxiety, chaos; a need for structure;order; law; limits; and strength in the protectors  We  Homo sapiens are security seeking and  have  a great capacity for acquiring  safety tools as with all types of insurance ,warranties ,seat belts  air bags, speed limits  etc. Safety, protection and control are extremely important especially when threatened. When I encountered the lioness and her cubs on the tail run, I was threatened  and retreated .

For another  example, take the infant and its reaction when threatened or endangered . Infants  can be easily disturbed when dropped suddenly , startled by loud noises, flashing lights or other sense provoking as with rough handling or a general loss of support when in  mother's arms  On the other hand , with age, experience, and knowledge, the individual can become better able to understand the loud noise of thunder and lightning and not be afraid. Watch a dog, they can not learn  and remain afraid of loud noises .

Historically, another example  of safety disruption occurred in 1938 Germany with  the Kristallnacht Nazi pogrom.  This was the beginning of the Holocaust and thousands of Jewish families sent daughters and sons abroad to safety. And, most never saw their parents again. Some 10,000 children arrived in Britain or in a handful of other European countries.  These children, many were alone,were placed on trains  in Germany.  Their safety and belonging needs were shattered as they were sent away to be cared for by foster parents in strange  language speaking countries.  

Children require routine and find it difficult  when there's a lack of limits. Too much permissiveness is not good . It’s important for the parents to provide comfort, familiarity  and limits . Adults also want   a safe, orderly, predictable, lawful,and  organized world.  Trump stokes fear when he calls LA chaotic, requiring the National Guard , Marines and ICE  along with calling immigrants, rapists, thieves and gang members. His deportation to  horrid third world prisons and erecting a structure in the Florida Everglades are other examples of fear and sadism.  Its purpose is to severely scare these people ..  He believes they will deport themselves as opposed to dealing with his horror as he cannot deport 15 million in one year as boasted.. 

 Growing up in an unexpected and chaotic or dangerous situation leads one to identify with powerful parents who are protectors . Trump is no protector of America but is an emperor with no clothes. Adults  want safety, prefer the known , the familiar rather than the unknown.  With social chaos, breakdown  of authority, of democracy, loss of job, loss of spouse, etc. leads to not feeling safe but anxious and insecure .

We have enough dangers such as disease, natural catastrophes, crime,  social disorganization,, discrimination, prejudice, hate, etc. as  examples. We have a desire for safety and we purchase  all types of false and/ or self defeating products in hopes of taking away those  threats.

Trump's GOP has imposed an authoritarian structure on our democracy and he provides real threats to law and order as he acts like a dictator with his onslaught of toxic danger.  There is a need to defend oneself.  We see that action with peaceful  protest on the street and thinking about the 2026 midterms come to mind.  However, when poor individuals are struggling, in poor health , they are not very well equipped to deal with the current onslaught, it is not a surprise that there's a withdrawal from the democratic process of voting.The poor’s physiological and safety needs continue to be under constant threat.  Their motivational behavior  becomes centered around these physiological and safety needs.

Reference

Maslow, Abraham H. Motivation and Personality.

GOP Castration Complex

 

This post pertains to an article found in the June 22, 2025 edition of The New York Times.  A 29-year-old second-year law student attending the University of  Florida was awarded a "book award" which was for the best student in the class. One instructor of the seminar was taught by a Trump nominated  Federal judge who gave the award. The seminar was titled” Originalism.” Originalism is a racist idea favored  by some who erroneously interpret the Constitution and relates to Project 2025 and MAGA .

A few of the 29 year olds  racist and paranoid  hateful words were  found on  a social media platform called X which is owned by Musk. His platform allows millions of people to perpetuate the far right’s craziness on the grounds that it's  free speech.The students' words follows  !. Referring to me as a Nazi would not be manifestly wrong.  2. Jews must be abolished by any means necessary.  3. The  Constitution was written exclusively for white people. 4. Nonwhites should be stripped of voting rights and given 10 years to move to another country  5.  Rescind birthright citizenship for those because aliens are second-class   6.  Courts should challenge the constitutionality of the 14th amendment  8 If the courts did not act to ensure a white country, it should be done by the slashing of her sword. 8. Trump and Rubio  were controlled by Jews, the common enemy of humanity. 9.  illegal invaders  should be done away with by any means necessary.  10.  The self flagellatory mindset of modern-day Germans  is  their failure to revere Hitler. 

Man's motivation is varied , complex and based on a number of characteristics.. With that being said ,words have various meanings but it's the behavior that tells man’s story.. What does “We the people “ in the Preamble mean in the constitution  ? The words and behavior of  Hamilton and Jefferson are perfect examples. 

1.Hamilton was born in the British West Indies and an illegitimate son of a  common-law marriage between a poor Scottish man of aristocratic dissent and a French woman .2.  Hamilton married Elizabeth whose family was rich, and politically powerful.  They had eight children. 3. He left his private practice of law and entered public service.4.John Jay, James Madison and Hamilton wrote the Federalist papers. 5.  Federalist number 51 pertained to the balance of power in state government with principles of checks and balances..6 Hamilton advocated the emancipation of the enslaved , bought ,sold and owned slaves.7.. Hamilton died after his duel with Burr. 

1.Thomas Jefferson was born in a British Virginia colony.  2.  He was the primary draftsman of the Declaration of Independence; the nation's first Secretary of State; second vice president and third president.3. He founded the University of Virginia School of Medicine and the University of Virginia.  4. His children included Sally Hemmings ,Madison Hemmings ,Eston Hemmings and Harriet Hemmings 6. He died from chronic  diarrhea.

It's clear that the power and discrimination of the  political structure of our Republic was established, at that time, by WASP males with their contradictory ,prejudicial and irrational rhetoric .  Women ,spouses , Blacks and others were discriminated against politically.  However, these white males subjugated  white and black females .  On the other hand, these controlling males  had black females work for them, had black people take care of them, had black females care for their precious children and had conjugal and sexual relationships with black females .  With that being said, “We the people “ means an inclusion of white and black females, Black males  and others per their significant and meaningful interpersonal relationships and unions

 In 1791  freedoms in the constitution began to be spelled out in more detail with the Bill of Rights.  However, it wasn't until Lincoln, Civil War and the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution  In 1868 ,politically granted citizenship with civil and federal protection to” all “ Americans . This amendment  forbids the states depriving any person of” life ,liberty or property without due process of law." " At this juncture, we have 27 amendments to the Constitution and hopefully more will be enacted to eliminate more of the injustices facing our Republic..

It's obvious that this 29-year-old racist law student is retelling the same old  story based on lies, misinformation, and distorting reality based on his insecurity and paranoid hate.  If immigrants are a  problem, does that mean that Hamilton  was a problem ? Immigrants are not the problem. Are Blacks a problem as well?  The MVP's in this year's Super Bowl and NBA championship were both black superstars.  Thomas Jefferson had black children. Are Jews a threat to humanity?  Moses, Jesus, Spinoza ,Einstein , Freud,  Oppenheimer,and Chomsky  are Jews that have extraordinary stories . And, Polish born American Jew Haym Solomon was the prime financier for the Continental Congress and financed Washington's revolutionary army.  Jesus was not a threat to humanity but this 29-year-old bigot  and other hateful people are .

I would have no trouble going back and reestablishing Washington as our president.  He never wanted to be king and retired after two terms as president.  However, I do not want to go back to muskets, carrier pigeons , thinking and treating my black friends as 3/5 human, travelling by carriage,  fighting and killing the English and  Indians.  Instead, I prefer making love with Linda, practicing psychology , pumping iron ,writing books & essays, ,watching Steph Curry shoot threes, enjoying Michigan football and basketball ,chatting with Thom Darden , sister Bev ,Tony, Lee  , family and  so many others.Hanging out with Dave, Joyce, Pat, Mike, Pat ,Ken , smoothies, Ride & Tie, Tevis   watching movies  and telling  many stories of past and current  with dear friends that have come and gone.

Project 2025 and MAGA represents  male WASP authoritarianism, discrimination, prejudice, exploitation  based on old cultural norms while rationalizing and  compensating for their fragileness while  benefiting  from the power and control of the few and subjugating the rest.

Psychologically, this  male WASP Project 2025 ( shrinking GOP destroying bureaucratic government with male WASP rule)  returning to an earlier time suggests symbolically regression and fixation.  Regression psychodynamically is a partial or symbolic return to an infantile pattern of reacting and is manifested in a wide variety of circumstances and associated with many mental disorders. 

 This "political" regression is related to the Oedipus Complex ( rivalry and possession of the mother) as a result of  GOP’s  fear, insecurity, frustration, stress and conflict.  With this invested energy,  symptoms reflect an impulse which, whose expression is greatly feared in the Oedipal dynamics which is fear of castration.and partly loss of love . Briefly, the little boy is always in fear and fearful .That threat could result from somewhere like  male adults ,females and/or  other children. The possession of the male  penis is highly prized, precious and so very important .

 This castration fear is deeply embedded during the phallic stage so it's practically unavoidable and “universal.”  During a fantasy  process ,the male child identifies unconsciously with the father in an attempt to overcome and inhibit the danger associated with the loss of penis. 

The child Identifies with the authoritarian  father and enjoys  the  powerful masculine role both physically and sexually.  In essence, he solves his  castration  and Oedipus Complex problem by incorporating controlling, dominating   might  and superior power of the parental attitude and being of his authoritarian god like father who gives or withhold punishment at his will ( Super Ego  development and conscience) . Now,in fantasy ,he is the  powerful king of the castle,  master and ruler of his world ,has eliminated his rivals along with his irrational violence..In essence, the project 2025 playbook is  both fixated and has regressed to  that Oedipal and SuperEgo drama.These charlatan GOP masters of domination are compensating, a pseudo sense of masculine actions  , for their fears and  inadequacies.

Reference

Monroe,Ruth L. School of Psychoanalytic Thought.

Essence of Success

 This essay is a critique of an  article in the June 15, 2025 edition of the New York Times. The book is a story about sibling job success.  The children identified were the Brontë sisters; Murguia brother and sister; the Chen children; the Paulus family and the Polgar sisters 

According to the reviewer, this book attempted to elucidate commonalities among families that had more than one high achieving child. A few of the points made pertaining to success were the following: 1.  Unlike helicopter parents who remove obstacles and challenges,the author concluded that parents should not intervene  but instead should emphasize resourcefulness and self-sufficiency.  2.  These parents tended to avoid effusive praise  and employed a  withholding approach. This approach  leads a child to state  “that whatever we do ,we always feel like it's not enough ."  3.  These children  competed , friendly and supportive of each other.  4.  Some of the parents were enterprising and went to great lengths to expose their children to the theatre, museums with  most important mentors. 5. Mothers in particular ended up sacrificing a great deal 6.  A neuroscientist explained that excellence in chess was  based on one child's innate long-term memory and higher level processing speeds . She also had a father that  pushed her  to devote  her young  life  to chess, which further developed this special brain circuitry. 7. The conclusion - expose  children to enrichment opportunities, socializing them and  reading to them. 

To begin, there is a plethora of research studies related to high achievement .And it's one of our  ego needs. Some research was related to parental parenting styles, birth order, family illness ,conflicts, tragedies and many other variables It’s unfortunate that these findings were omitted.

Years ago in "It Has Nothing to Do That With Age" I told the stories of 7  successful athletes who were 65 years of age and older who  competed in extraordinary sports.  First of all, these men and women were intelligent, driven, passionate, and excelled in their sports. All  overcame various degrees of crisis ,conflict ,setbacks and  compensated for their  fear of failure with exceptional training . Jim Steere, DVM, and Fulbright scholar for example, as a young teen rode alone for some 100 trail miles  on horseback, from his father's house in rural California  to his mother's house in Los Angeles..  Both parents were extraordinary identification models .  They  both reinforced self-sufficiency taking responsibility and caring  for self ,animals and others.The words patriot and friend come to mind.  

Later in "Bo’s Warriors    Bo Schembechler and the Transformation of Michigan Football" The stories of 9  successful  mentally tough individuals were told.  These exceptional athletes were part of the University of Michigan's historic victory over Ohio State in 1969 as they overcame great odds..  Once again, success was significant . All were intelligent.  Their  unequalled victory was a  team victory composed of black and white young men.  All these individuals were driven and passionate  about their sport and recognized that the  team was an integral part of their success. The team ,the team  was drilled into their head by  Coach Bo Schembechler. 

Thom Darden, All American, first round draft pick and  one of the Cleveland Browns greatest players provided just one example. To overcome his fear of failure ,Thom intelligently studied the game with his coaches and excelled at training.  He overcame and dealt with racial discrimination,from  other athletes and coaches, notoriety, and season ending physical injuries. Furthermore, he also had parents that were terrific  models  that taught him respect, fair play,  responsibility, treating others with dignity ,spirituality, independence in thought and action.

Another way to think more broadly  about success  is from a humanistic psychology viewpoint  provided by Albert Maslow.  Maslow's framework provided characteristics:enabling  an individual to find his way of life in terms of what is true , what is important to him and his own self realization or self actualization.

Existential philosophers, psychologists and psychiatrists have also written about  self-actualization  or what  is potentially best in   humans . Some ideas relate to perception , cognition , reality , productivity, societal welfare, self-realization and interpersonal relationships. 

 Maslow researched successful individuals such as Thomas Jefferson, Lincoln, Einstein,Elenor Rosevelt, Jane Adams, William James,Schweitzer,,Aldous Huxley, and Spinoza .. Other potentials included Eugene V. Debs , Goethe,  Pablo Casals, Martin Buber, John Keats , Adlai Stevenson, Sholom Aleichem, Harriet Tubman, George Washington,  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman to name a few..

 According to Maslow,  a humanistic  society should be rooted in brotherliness and solidarity , not blood and soil  which gives man the possibility of transcending nature by creating rather than destroying; a sense of self experience  which opens the subject s powers  rather than  conformity in which a system of orientation and devotion exists without needing to destroy,to distort reality or worship idols.

Briefly , a few of Maslow’s characteristics of self actualization follow: 1.Efficient perception of reality 2. Acceptance of self and others;3. Spontaneity 4. Solving problems  outside  of self 5.Need for privacy 6.  Autonomy 7. Appreciation of nature  8. Mystic experiences 9. Feelings of identification, sympathy, and affection 10. Significant relationships with a few 11. Respect;of people from all walks of life 12 Able to differentiate means from ends 13. Sense of humor  14..Creativeness 15.Resistance to enculturation .

Years ago, Ed Budde hosted a book signing event for my first book titled  “It Has Nothing To Do  With Age” in Kansas City.  Ed invited his friend Connie  Dobler to join us.  Conrad just completed his book titled "Pride and Perseverance  , A Story of Courage, Hope and Redemption ‘ with a  forward to his book  written by Dan Deardorff, a Michigan All American and teammate.  Conrad was called , at one time ,  "NFL's Dirtiest Player."  Conrad wrote about his successes and failures  over  his lifetime .  Unfortunately, Connie , now a caretaker, is dealing with a freak accident that paralyzed his wife Amy. Also on the back cover is a memorable and personal quote.  by golf pro Phil  Mickelson.

In summation, a capitalistic viewpoint  of success can be described economically, job attainment, retirement, number of toys ,dream home , vacations , things  etc..  Success can also  be measured from a phenomenological point of view and/or a psychological perspective. Significant points to consider include  a point in time as a measurement as opposed to that of the human lifecycle . In measuring success as a point in time is like thinking about Sisyphus’s punishment.. He continued to exert force and was driven to reach the top of the mountain, over and over again during his ordeal. However, in reality ,reaching the top  might be temporary or maybe there are other goals ,asirations ,expectations or mountains to reach. Importantly, I agree with Aunt Eva when she talked about the importance and treasure of health. Therefore, in addition to Maslow’s self actualizing  model,as  a successful human, I add  the striving for health :1. Education- understanding   Einstein said, Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school. Epictetus  said  Only the educated are free.  2”Keep moving” was mentioned by Ed Budde, All-American number one NFL draft pick  Super Bowl Champion- aerobics 3.  Strength training or pumping iron.  4.  Nutritional diet.

PS

Musk and  Gates are successful from an economic point of view.  However, one  exhibits severe , less healthy,neurotic character  flaws while the other has become a mensch with his “meaningful “  social welfare contributions. Having the most doesn’t bring happiness and contentment. From a successful , self actualizing, growth,  higher level  of human nature,  viewpoint, most human’s  fall short; some are like Sisyphus In that they come very  close  while only a small ratio reach that pinnacle.

Reference 

Maslow, Abraham H.  Motivation And Personality.