Life and Death

 

For centuries charlatans have proselytized "longevity" while being in an unfriendly world.Despite the irrationality, the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon was remembered for his futile "Fountain of Youth" pursuit . More recently, functional medicine , theories of aging  and even hucksters are pursuing better aging by promoting their various wares and their secrets. And today,  it’s not surprising that AI billionaires are in the transformation. 

A pertinent article titled "The Quest To Reverse Aging" was found in the May 10,2026 edition of the New York Times.  In this article, the focus, in part, was on a number of longevity experiments that included a rejuvenation of  cells in mice which  prolonged life in the laboratory and a search for cures like cancer. 

Existentially, we are a mere isolated speck in the universe . Psychologically ,that paradox is anxiety  related as  individuals are on a quest in  desiring  not only to make one's life matter  but also to find a meaning for one’s life.  That outcome  often results in becoming good at something and /or a  merging of self with another-something greater and a denial of mortality . 

Additionally, a  merging of self with another is related to man's separateness which arouses terror-anxiety.  In fact, the deepest need for man is to overcome his separateness ,his aloneness and isolation .Man has been very “ creative” in attempting to overcome  separateness, transcending his own individual life, finding meaning and denying death .  

Many years ago,  man’s anxiety from isolation was “lessened” with  religion . He   merged , spiritually, with a belief in God, to overcome  the anxiety related to his  separateness .And it did not matter if he was a slave, poor, evil, a tyrant, a criminal, ruthless, or even sadomasochistic . Because , with purgatory ,salvation, repentance and faith in Jesus Christ he could become  loved eternally in heaven.

Briefly, a few other ways of overcoming and/or escaping from the anxiety associated with separateness relates to induced trance, sexual orgasms, drugs, alcohol , sports, political , government  and group associations. Many of these avenues are  not only short lived  and they do not “fix”the existential crisis of finding meaning,alleviating anxiety, or solving the reality of aging or death.

With capitalism and its technology , modern man has  pursued power, possession,  status, and now AI as its new God  to solve his existential existence .

About 6,ooo years ago ,man turned to one God to deal with the terror of living and was able to transcend it by becoming ,identifying and becoming dependent on that supreme being.But, over time, man has fulfilled that dependency, separation anxiety need by being with another, thus replacing God.  A romantic love object became the desire, the ideal to fulfill one's life and  to meet all one's needs within  his existential state.

The love object has been deified in poetry, music, novels , art and movies and can be characterized by a hunger for the experience or a serious emotional yearning for such.  For instance love song lyrics strive as being of divine perfection, being wonderful, sexual objects, devotion, ecstasy, all encompassing resulting in transcendence, a merging with another .  A Hindu song provides an example "my lover is like God, if he accepts me ,my existence is.utilized.  "Love" , a dependency ,is  based on separation anxiety, and the  illusion that it results as a solution for man's  existence .

Although romantic love in marriage and unions have terrible statistics, the behaviors  still exist.  Man can and does not find a solution for his existence in love , marriage  and unions because of some of the following interpersonal characteristics found in these  relationships.  Briefly: 1.  A husband or wife is often the  replacement or rebellion against  one's parents  2.  There's a discrepancy between unconscious and conscious sexual desires and gratification-fulfillment of desires 3. There’s variations in coitus along with frigidity or impotence.  4.  Expectations and degree of love felt are likely overestimates and illusions 5.  Too many personal and professional sacrifices result in affecting one's independence  or becoming a slave. This compromise results in disillusionment ,buried hostility ,distrust ,disappointments  that interfere with monogamy 6.  Others become objects of love as one seeks new love objects when sex becomes tiresome and boring  7. The offspring gets more warmth, care ,empathy and tenderness 8.  Dread of not being able to satisfy is biologically the male as he must prove himself again and again-masculinity 9.  Imperfections don't change over time and become more visible .And, one cannot possibly fulfill all the other's needs.  10.  The ability to support ,lifelong companionship , fidelity and sexual cooperation becomes a tremendous burden placed on those two individuals.

Essentially, no human being can be godlike and everything to another.  Looking for that "perfect human object", looking for someone who will allow us to express our will completely without any frustration is unrealistic.  The object reflects the ideal image of ourselves and no human being can accomplish this.  Everyone has wills ,counter wills, moves against and with actions that offend .Everyone has imperfections and these shortcomings become major threats.

Importantly, fear, hate and  greed are primitive emotions associated with humans. However, being human is man's ability to develop his powers of reason and love. Is AI going to further the ability of man in  becoming more human and solve his problem of existence ?  Should we become disobedient to the propaganda of the  ruling class of AI billionaires like Musk, Huang, Wang ,Altman and others?  Disobedience is saying "no" to these powerful men while utilizing our intellectual capacity. as their passion is clear.

Years ago Adler hypothesized that it was empathy, concern for society and human welfare that directed behavior . However,these narcissists are characterized by  fear,hate and their insatiable greed. Their actions and their monetary accumulation depicts their primitive emotions and devotion to idol worship.  Their insatiable greed cannot ever be fulfilled.

 AI is going to replace many humans in the workplace.  However, AI cannot replace human innovation,  creativity , curiosity and imagination, nor can it provide meaningful mutual interactions with  actual emotional empathy, caring, respect or mutual organisms.

Larry Ellison "I don't want to die; I don't have to die."  Are you going to be ruled ,subjugated and dominated by these,   42%will eventually develop dementia  over age 55 and technology has no answer. How many of these billionaires are going to become dementia free? Add Ai to the threat of global warming, and nuclear war. How much time  is left on the  Doomsday Clock?

Man has developed many actions in dealing with the anxiety from his aloneness.  Some strategies work better than others but some have very bad consequences.  Further, the reality of our mortality  is clear as we all are going to pass.  It makes sense to use our intellectual capacity of reason, an understanding of our primitive emotions, and employing humanistic ethics while navigating our short time in this galaxy.

PS

The best  choices for optimum  health have to do with vigorous exercise , a nutritional diet, affiliation, intellectual  and work productivity while living in reality.

Reference

Becker, Ernest. The Denial of Death .

Horney,Karen. Feminine Psychology.

Gen Z

 

Needless to say, there are many problems going on in our Republic.  An article titled "Courtship in an Age of Narcissism" in the March 8 2026 edition of The New York Times depicted another significant concern.  This article stated that Gen Z-ers aren't dating because they're too self obsessed.  My response follows.

According to the article, many male heterosexuals are unable to connect with a romantic or sexual partner. Instead, they offer contradictions and rationalizations like blame  and objectify and denigrate females. They also rationalize that their looks have prevented them from entering into romantic and sexual relationships. Some are narcissistically obsessed with improving their physical appearance; talk about aesthetics as destiny and attractiveness  as a measure of human worth.

With their contradictions, limited reasoning ability,  the use of defense mechanisms,and other self-deceptions ,these teenagers  instead are choosing  AI ,Chatbot and other devices as pseudo-friends with the illusion and mythology.  Their choices are only “security blankets” which do not dismiss their anxiety, depression, boredom, loneliness, insecurities and other figments of their imagination that take place between their ears.

One moneymaking wealthy streamer known as Clavicular claimed that he injected steroids at age 14, to improve his physique ,dabbled in crystal meth and  hit himself in the face with a hammer to heighten cheekbones to create a sharper jawline. He added that dating was a burden in today's hyper- glamorous environment. And, that thinking he could have sex with a woman was perhaps better than the deed itself-it's a big timesaver.

 Gen Z-ers  were born between the years of 1992 and 2012  and have experienced an economic meltdown;Covid-19 pandemic-social isolation; and the technological smart phone revolution.  Online dating and advice  influencers like Tik Tok, Instagram, YouTube and streaming sites  have  dispensed warnings about having too many sexual partners, dangers of being excessively attentive , being submissive with uninterested love objects, and so forth . In other words, there's lots of online nonsense, hate,scapegoating and claiming  that  women are the evil ones.

Multiple studies find that  these young people are not dating, having sex or forming meaningful partnerships. It was reported that 30% of its respondents were actively dating and about half of them indicated that they were interested in finding a relationship . They cited a lack of confidence. Less than 40% believed themselves to be attractive and were not comfortable discussing their feelings with another. And only  1/4 % felt confident in approaching a potential partner or  staying positive after a dating  rejection .

The mutuality of  meaningful interpersonal relationships is based on many factors and it is no wonder that there's a declining birthrate in our country.  The Gen Z population is aware of many social, economic, and political problems such as the wealth gap, excessive and outrageous college costs, inflationary trends, online hate,AI, and the cost to rear children.  Also according to AI, approximately 40 to 50% of first  marriages end in divorce; second marriages 60 to 70% ;the average duration before divorce is about eight years; and the divorce rate is highest among individuals aged 20 to 24.  

A few Gen Z statistics follow: 1.  42% of eligible voters voted in the 2024 presidential election 2.  In the 10 to 24 age group, suicide was the second leading cause of death.  3.  54% are living at home with their parents.  4.  56% in the 18 to 25 age group are obese or overweight and 42% in the age group 18 to 24  5.  21% of 18 to 29-year-olds own a firearm.  6.  Average IQ is 101 7.  There is a 10 point decline in reading scores and a 15 point decline in math scores in 2022 8.  Luigi Mangione, Tyler Robinson and Cole Thomas Allen attained notoriety 9.  Teens as a result of  social media sites are  taking over , congregating  and forming  acting out mobs.  10.60% favor Hamas vs. Israel .11, Favor violence for political change.

According to Erik H.  Erikson's psychosocial model, humans proceed through eight psychosocial stages .The following stages apply : Stage 1 Sense of Trust versus Sense of  Mistrust; Stage 5  Identity versus Role Confusion and Stage 6 Intimacy versus Isolation 

The psychological  task in the first stage is to develop social trust which is related to  feeding , sleep, relaxation of  bowels and dealing with the discomfort that follows resulting from parenting. Does the  mother become associated with an inner certainty , predictability, consistency, continuity and sameness during this most critical  period  ?  If so, the infant has much going for him  emotionally and cognitively in tackling the next seven stages  With positive involvement, caring, love and experience and in developing a sense of trust with mother can and does generalize to others.  In other words, an  infant  boy's  emotional relationship with his mother has tremendous implications for future associations and relationships with females.

With the high divorce rate, many of these Gen Z ers are likely to have a single-parent as caregiver. Significant  research with the young has found that sleep difficulties are related to sexual and aggressive difficulties, emotional frustration from earlier unresolved issues along  with bedwetting and anxiety about masturbation. 

 Freud considered enuresis to be a form of "pollution" or masturbatory equivalent.  And ,it has been found that children use this symptom as an aggressive or passive aggressive way in dealing with their parents.Also, night time fears are associated with the identification with the opposite sex parent with fantasies of genital damage . As a consequence, punishment is belted out to the parents  as a result from this power struggle of wills between mother and child.

Defense mechanisms associated with these early childhood issues and conflicts  come into play. For example,Displacement is the mental activity in which the child symbolically exchanges one part for another, or one person for another There is a repressed desire for  bodily sensations, especially one's  masturbation impulses  .Also, in early development ,the feelings of hatred toward  parents are directed especially toward the mother . 

 Another defense mechanism Turning Against Self is when sex is prohibited toward females . This behavior is when the aggressive drive is turned inward , as in masturbation,which means sex is not turned outward.  Undoing is a defense mechanism in which the magic of  abstinence and  virginity annuls the forbidden act.

The defense mechanism of Identification is when the child unconsciously becomes the same as his parents or others as internalization takes place with  similar behavioral aspects .  In a single and two -parent household. The child or adolescent can  attack and even move away from  caring and intimacy with  others just like mother’s behavior .  

Therefore , lack of caring,intimacy or sexual engagement with females are just some of the psychological issues related to single-parent families in which the negative attitudes , values and behavior are openly expressed and transmitted to the children. The mother might constantly badmouth , scapegoat, blame and interfere with visitation and remove pictures of the other verbally, symbolically and behaviorally.  These negative and aggressive attacks toward the other parent  do irreparable harm and affect interpersonal relationships both in the short and long term .

To be continued

A Fearful Species 3

 

This essay is a continuation of "A Fearful Species."  Philosophically, there have been many descriptions and explanations of man's conduct that include motivation, knowledge, instincts, will,free will , consciousness, hedonism, fear, feelings and evolution.  With that being said, anxiety and contentment are significantly pervasive components underlying man's thinking and behavioral actions.

From a neurological point of view, human beings have "three brains."  They include the reptilian brain; the subconscious brain and the conscious brain.  In each of these locations of the brain can be found defending territory, fear, flight, fight ,anger and abstract thought.  Therefore, Homo sapiens are neurologically well equipped for survival- fear and anxiety.

Psychologically speaking, Freud and  Rank, with sophistication, accurately described anxiety as a prototype based on the terror of the newborn's birth.  Freud, in his psychoanalytic model, postulated the mental apparatus consisting of the id, the ego and the superego along with the psychosexual determinants of character and behavior that included the oral ,anal and phallic stages of development.

In the oral stage, the anxious infant is helpless and dependent.  That infant can be characterized as essentially being in a constant or inordinate state of anxiety or tension with no relief and developmentally followed with feelings of "love" and "hate."  Its contentment and/or confrontation is only provided by the ability of the caretaker.

A few of the characteristics that are associated with the oral stage include but are not limited to separation and stranger anxiety, obesity, oral aggression, drug and alcohol addiction, dependency trust, mistrust, passivity, cowardice, gullibility, and wishful thinking with numerous valences.

These conflictual dynamics, if not resolved from the oral stage, are present and transmitted into the anal stage of psychosexual development.  Toilet training becomes a struggle of wills with aggression ,passivity ,tension and anxiety with the caretaker.  At this stage, psychological issues of shame, control, independence, possessiveness, compulsiveness, stubbornness, coldness, suspiciousness and stinginess become apparent.

Moving to the phallic stage of psychosexual development,  are anxiety issues related to competition and sex.  Further ,problems with guilt, intimacy, celibacy, jealousy, adultery, masturbation, herpes, AIDS, sadomasochism, sexual abuse, divorce, and abortion dynamics associated with anxiety, fear, tension and action  are associated in  this stage of development.

Adler presented another  aspect in his theory regarding human motivation that included smallness, weakness, helplessness, and compensation for weak ,injured or absent body parts.  Further, Adler also postulated a psychic compensation mechanism, meaning a striving for superiority and that for him was perfection  which was the ruling principle of life.

In essence, anxiety, insecurity, tension and fear underlies feelings of inadequacy, weakness, and inferiority . When striving for the betterment or social interests of society one becomes confronted with  terror, injustices, income inequality, lies, oppression, wars, and discrimination within that  system of tension .

In Murray's personology theory, he addressed tension reduction and the categorization of needs.  He viewed the brain as an organization of perception, apperception, intellectualization,conation and action that's related to and accompanied by particular feelings or emotions which are associated with those needs.

The abasement need it described as accepting injury ,punishment ,mutilating the self ,seeking and enjoying pain and punishment which underlies anxiety or tension.  In other words, a hypothetical state of tension results in a movement toward a goal.  And with the abasement need, there are many actions related to harming self, which is of course related to character and self-esteem.  In my running of the 100 mile Western States, there was anxiety and pain that was necessary to confront .  This led to the achievement need, which is related to accomplishing something difficult.

Another example is the dominance need, which means controlling one's environment by suggestion ,command or by prohibiting which is also  associated with neurotic behaviors of pursuing power, possession, status, and affection.  Essentially, it's the dreadful experience of anxiety that underlines, needs, motives such as sex, achievement, affiliation, dominance, power, aggression, dependency abasement, and so forth.

From a cognitive point of view, Ellis hypothesized that thinking and emotion are associated and never separated fully from the other executive functions of perceiving, moving and feeling.  He described emotion as an acute disturbance involving marked somatic changes which is experienced as a more or less agitated feeling.  He felt that words can be emotionally charged and have physiological, psychological, and social components.  Further, he added that emotions arose from physical stimulation located in the emotional center of the brain-the hypothalamus and the nerve network of the body-the autonomic nervous system.  Second, through perceiving and moving-the sensorimotor process and third through desire and thinking-conation and cognition.

Rational Emotive therapy is based on the ability to use cognition or thinking to ameliorate one's emotional disturbances - thinking and emoting are related.  Clear thinking leads to sane behavior and irrational thinking leads to neurotic behavior.  And, attitudes, ideas, and use of negative or positive words affect emotions and behavior.

Ellis gave a number of examples of irrational ideas that stand in the way of leading an anxiety free life.  A few examples: 1.  The dire necessity for an adult to be loved or approved by almost everyone for virtually everything he does- need for approval.  2.  Individuals should be thoroughly competent and adequate in achieving in all possible aspects-fear of failure.  3 if something is or may be dangerous or fearsome.one should not be terribly occupied  about it-conquering anxiety.

Homo sapiens have created a capitalistic civilization in which individuals encounter enormous and ongoing fear and anxiety.  Anxiety, fear, tension, stress is pervasive in socioeconomic's religion, politics and government.  Economically speaking, the threat of inflation, savings, bankruptcy, homelessness, insurance ,war, criminal justice, lies ,and immigration is constantly witnessed in newspapers, television news, social media, TV advertisements, movies, novels, music, and so forth.  It seems that just about every aspect of living in our civilization is associated with obstacles and plethora of threats to well-being.

Nature also poses threats from  floods, fires, tornadoes, earthquakes, snowstorms, and global warming.  And man is feeble in his attempts to deal with these threats as exhibited by the injustices of insurance, government agencies, building codes, rules, regulations and so forth.  It's no wonder that i Phone technology has become a security blanket for so many.

Freud, Rank, Adler ,Murray and Ellis have provided insight into man's dilemmas.  Their insights are known, but a major stumbling block to man's security, safety, freedom and well-being lies within the brain's limbic system with its emotional non-evolutionary composition; the intellectual productiveness(cerebral cortex) to falsify, distort reality and identify with"father"saviors of power(defense mechanisms) which perpetuate minority control and take away freedom ,security and well-being .  God messed up!

PS

About 15 years ago,at age 71,I wrote in "It Has Nothing To Do With Age," I prescribed seven prescriptions for creating a healthier lifestyle cognitively and emotionally.  Factually, there's no need to make any adjustments as these ideas have served me well.  I recently had a Bruce Protocol Treadmill and the doctor said “ I broke the record with my performance.”  And, Benjamin Disraeli, "action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action."

Reference

Adler, Alfred.  Individual Psychology

Freud, Sigmund.  A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis

Harper, Robert A. and Ellis, Albert.  A Guide  To Rational Living

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

Murray, Henry A.  Explorations in Personality

A Fearful Species 2

 

Experiencing anxiety is at some level present , difficult to acknowledge and label .  This one example illustrates a lack of awareness of  its presence . A friend that we have not seen for awhile stopped by to see Linda. Some of her conversation “ Bill got angry , the last 10 years, when  I  was waving my arms giving him directions when he was backing up the truck to connect with our horse trailer. Now I only give him arm  directions when he is really close. Today, I  complained  to him that he cut me off when we talked .He said I was the one that cut him off . She asked me what she should do. I told her that she came here and was avoiding Bill . She denied it. She also talked about a member in her family not allowing her to visit with their children and  she wants to see them.Also, that her horse was being over fed by this knowledgeable  horse lady . But, this person was not responding to her  feeding request. She also  complimented me on my taking care of Linda . Bill called, she told him what I had  said . He said what’s the matter  and she replied she was leaving shortly. She mentioned that she was eating better, lost some weight  and thought it might or might not help her so she wouldn’t get Alzheimer's.  She added Bill would hire someone to take care of her as opposed to doing it himself

A few warnings of  the presence of anxiety  are associated with fear of being alone, being in public places  in which escape might be difficult , being in crowds, tunnels, bridges,and public transportation.  Is there constriction of normal activities based on fear and avoidance behaviors?  In other words,  avoiding certain situations is one cue -fear of heights, snakes, bugs and spiders and so forth.  

Physiological sensations related to anxiety include palpitations, chest pain, discomfort, choking, dizziness, feelings of unreality, tingling in hands or feet, hot and cold flashes ,sweating ,faintness, trembling or shaking, frequent urination, diarrhea, clammy hands ,lump in the throat high resting pulse and respiration rate.

Other warnings and the presence of anxiety include  paying  attention to the thoughts,worries and stories that take place in one's mind - between your ears .Are the  thoughts recurrent ,redundant, obsessive, persistent, senseless or repugnant?  In other words, anxiety  interferes with one's well-being as the worry often relates to insufficient information, not being in control or some erroneous prediction pertaining to the present or future. The stress and  anxiety are ongoing  and we ,with our cognitive functioning ,have the ability to think, imagine and worry about  all the what if’s .

Because of man’s frequent experience of anxiety( located in the  more primitive  “Old Brain” -Limbic system ) one employs a variety of  unconscious defense mechanisms ( located in a more higher level - the “New Brain” or the Cortex) to distort his reality .These defenses become habits, tendencies, coupled with feelings, emotions, attitudes and actions in an attempt to preserve the self from the  dangerous threat.This means that many are  not aware of  how anxiety becomes associated with ongoing self harm .For example ,repression as a defense helps to block the rage from awareness as it’s often not safe or smart to retaliate ,in the same manner, when hurt and angry.

 Hostility is one consequence  and associated with anxiety .Repressing  hostility  means "pretending" that everything is all right when instead, one should fight ,stand up and become assertive in dealing with the situation. Repression generates a feeling of  defenselessness which reinforces the already feeling of defensivelessness. Then, it becomes possible for others to take advantage of that individual.  And, if that hostility is repressed, the person does not have the faintest idea that he is hostile . And, with  build up, that rage can and  does become highly charged and volatile  when discharged with negative personal and social consequences .

Many cognitive and behavioral actions associated with the presence of anxiety,tension or stress include but are not limited to use of imagination , performing some difficult feat ,  attaining some prominent position, daydreaming about success, as well as other physical  activities-  plays, movies, novels, music ,work ,hobbies, exercise, and keeping “busy.”

A few positive ways to address anxiety are as follows: 1 .Progressive relaxation 2.Self hypnosis 3 .Meditation 4 Autogenics 5.  Refuting irrational ideas.  6. Time management 7. Assertiveness training 8. Biofeedback 9,Thought stopping 10 Exercise 11.Reframing 12. Nutrition13,Medical marijuana, Valium,  Xanax, etc.

Although our composition of a  well-developed cerebral cortex allows us to create works of art with unparalleled beauty ,create technological wonders and unequaled imagination, it  also has the capacity and ability  for  immaturity,irrationality and  worry  and fret about all the  potential losses ,hazards or interferences affecting our well- being  initiated by self  and society .It can not be denied that our fears result and are associated with anger,hate and rage and other negative  behavioral  interpersonal and health consequences  .Thus , because of our nature ,our sense of security is easily threatened and  our  insecurity  and hostility does not bode well both personally and interpersonally .And ,because our emotions are located in the more primitive development of the brain ( limbic system ) it becomes  a  mental health frailty for our species as we  create  and preoccupy ourselves in our ( cerebral cortex) with a multitude of real and  imaginary  dangers in our absurd , contradictory world of fear,anxiety and threat  It’s no wonder why there is a preponderance of  toxicity and inability to get along with others .

PS

 Years ago, Tony and I took our border collies for aversive rattlesnake training.  The trainer ,with the dog in hand ,introduced each dog to live rattlesnakes while using an electric shock for conditioning.  Fear worked ! And, experiments  of subcortical areas which is part of the limbic  structure done with monkeys with the destruction of their temporal cortex which almost always lead to damage of the amygdala were found: 1 Monkeys no longer exhibited responses of fear or anger 2 Monkeys forgot rapidly.  3 Monkeys exhibited hypersexuality demonstrating a sexual drive so strong that they would continuously stimulate their genitalia, copulate repeatedly for long periods of time and sometimes sustain small injuries in the process due to excessive biting.

A Fearful Species

 

Because of man's psychological and biological makeup; living in a terrifying chaotic world and experiencing uncertainty with nature, his life is filled with anxiety ,his mind , body , interpersonal relationships,socioeconomics ,culture ,religion , politics, and  nature is associated with  inordinate anxiety, stress, tension and conflict . Man is constantly and often unaware of his  imbalances and quickly employs rationalization,denial and activity to  restore homeostasis..It's the limbic system, with its set of brain structures involved in emotional processing,learning ,memory  and motivation  .

For homo sapiens, frailty begins with the birth trauma adroitly described by Freud and  Rank. This first traumatic  experience sets the stage for conditioning future anxiety ,worry and disequilibrium.  Simply put, anxiety is related to a threat to one's gratification of ego and physiological needs . It’s a fear or warning and is a cue for impending pain and/or danger.  Pleasure and pain found in the limbic system, have been described as major motivations and fear has been skillfully used by authoritarians in controlling and manipulating their flock.

The helpless ,dependent and fragile infant is at the mercy of the caretaker for its feeding ,being cared for ,receiving security, comfort and love.This helpless  infant cannot meet its needs independently which results as a major threat to its well -being. It’s an imbalance accompanied by tension and anxiety . 

The only significant response of that infant is crying which is not always  effective. And ,crying does not reduce that anxiety and tension directly but becomes “associated,’ conditioned ,with  the caretaker. This job is a herculean task and with other unsuccessful parenting experiences results in a sense of danger and uncertainty . 

That uncertainty is embedded ,remembered and conditioned along with the anticipation of helplessness, powerlessness, frustration, punishment, and discomfort.  Erikson called this psychosocial stage  -a sense of mistrusting others.  It's important for that helpless infant to reduce the painful experiences of anxiety which can only be met or not met by the actions of another  with conditioning consequences  of fear,anxiety and helplessness.

Anxiety,tension and worry  seems to be frequently perceived and experienced  with various degrees and intensities.  The ego’s goal is  to reduce or minimize that anxiety.  With development, goal seeking  becomes available and is  associated with tension, psychic energy, perception, thinking, remembering, feeling, and expectations.  Goal attainment might be related to an ego need , physiological desire  or an intention .  And that desire  might either have a positive or negative appeal in various degrees, which can be categorized as being weak, medium or strong.

Man needs to feel secure in his self-esteem.  However, those who are striving to be loved or approved of( anxiety) often go to any lengths to have that wish fulfilled,with the goal of reducing that threat . Those , for instance, who feel, or have the conviction of being unlovable (anxiety), spend an inordinate amount of psychic energy  in an attempt to protect their self-esteem.  However, that desire for affection may arouse fear of dependency and therefore create an emotional struggle.  They might unconsciously block awareness of this psychological state and /or disregard every evidence of perceived affection by insisting that the others are unkind and mistreating them in some ways.  With this being said, a separation might trigger a state of anxiety or tension, but their unconscious conviction of  not  being worthy of love interferes with the goal of reducing that anxiety effectively .Their options might include  giving in and  not taking steps toward self assertion.  Those whose anxious  strivings are dominated by the wish for success , power or possession have a tendency to shut themselves off from people and to be independent of them

As can be seen, it’s  not always easy to reduce the tension because there are barriers, roadblocks, hazards and other conditions interfering with goal attainment.  Sometimes barriers can be demolished or easily avoided.  Other times they are so strong and formidable that one has to figure out new ways to solve that problem.  This means it's up to the ego to reduce that tension or anxiety with energy that imparts a value, creates a formidable force and coping with the barriers that interfere with completing that task

Often with anxiety, ego needs and goal attainment do not always  result with all  positives. When I was in my early 60s, I made a decision to run the Western States 100.  Just thinking about that goal was anxiety producing . I was determined to complete that event because of its challenge which means it had a strong goal valence .Initially, I contacted friends that completed the event and gathered reading materials as well.  Thinking, planning, training and goal setting came into play.  I did not want to become a Jonah syndrome  fatality  and allow too much anxiety  to interfere with goal attainment ..

Up to that point I had competed four years in Ride & Tie competitions ,had training runs of at least 25 miles and competed in one 50 K.  I had to learn about running a 50 mile qualifying event; different training regimens; appropriate running gear, nutrition ,electrolyte balance hydration, pacers ,cut off times; crew , aid stations as well as the barriers and obstacles such as heat ,elevation change, animals,and running in the dark.  Needless to say, there were many subgoals and developing  new and different strategies along the way all  with the presence of tension and anxiety.  Paying attention to  the dialogue between my ears was important and I made sure to reframe with  positives, i.e. one step in front of the other and calculating miles completed were just two examples.

Many ego needs were experienced during that important time in my life.  For example, there was achievement, affiliation ,aggression , autonomy ,dominance ,exhibition and succorance.  Also, the  ego need of abasement was present. I had to deal with and accept the possibility of failure as well as seeking and enjoying pain. In essence, anxiety and fear is associated with  competition, setting high standards and  excelling in sports.

Because our species experiences ongoing anxiety and it’s a driving force with multiple outcomes, it’s beneficial  for the identification of such.  The easiest way to determine the presence of  anxiety is to pay attention to one’s breathing.  Are the inhales(relaxation} long ,deep and slow and the exhales, letting out that tension  deep,slow and easy ?  It's easy to check by being in the here and now. 

To Be Continued

Authoritarians

 

Our Republic is characterized by authoritarian rule.  AI synonyms of authoritarian include dictatorial: exercising absolute power or control; oppressive: unjustly inflicting hardship and constraint;; totalitarian: centralized control by an autocratic authority; despotic: exercising power in a cruel or arbitrary way; and autocratic: relating to a ruler who has absolute power.  Antonyms include a democratic system of government by the whole population; liberal favoring individual rights and freedom; participatory involving all stakeholders in decision-making; egalitarian promoting equal rights for all people and freedom not under control of another, or independent.  This  brief essay provides a limited view of a couple of psychological factors associated with  authoritarianism. 

In Sigmund Freud's structure of personality ,the superego is the third and last system to be developed.  Essentially ,it's an internal representation  of the traditional values and ideals of society as interpreted to the child by his parents and regulated by the use of  rewards and punishments directed to the child.  This system is the moral component of the personality and represents the ideal, rather than the real and that strives for perfection rather than pleasure. The system of rewards and punishments pertains to identification and introjection by the child from his all powerful parents .. 

Simply put, the early formation in the superego is based on authoritarianism.  Parents have omnipotent power and control and they can exercise it either in a loving and supporting manner, or in a cruel ,sadistic or arbitrary way.  The father ,according to folklore, is the king of the castle and has absolute power  as do authoritarians.

Years ago, psychologists and other researchers from the Fells Research Institute, employed interviews, questionnaires, home visits, and  structured observations  to evaluate psychological development associated with parent-child relationships and their effect on development.  With children of pre-school age , they evaluated democratic homes that were defined by general permissiveness, avoidance of arbitrary decisions, high level of verbal contact between parent and child - consultation about decisions, explanations for family rules and supplying answers to satisfy their child's curiosity.  They also evaluated authoritarian structured homes with control- these homes were characterized, in part,  by friction over disciplinary procedures.

A few findings pertaining to authoritarian controlled homes with low democracy  follow . These  children were described as quiet ,well behaved, nonresistant and  were socially unaggressive.  In these homes ,conformity was associated with restricting curiosity, originality, which was obtained at the expense of freedom of expression. Also, in these authoritarian homes, children were punished for manifesting curiosity, spontaneity, self-assertion, and were rewarded for obedience by their parents.  There was conformity with parental standards and suppression of curiosity. Compliance and conformity became strong habits for them.

In another study,  it was found that authoritarian parents did not  always practice what they preached.  They were more concerned with their own ideas and standards than with their child's interests and welfare .These homes were also associated with punitive discipline  and high restrictions.

Aggression and its antecedents were also studied .Findings  are as follows: !. Reinforcement was related to that behavior.  2 . There were imitations of aggressive models with elements of anxiety and guilt 3 .Parental use of physical punishment for aggressive behavior to enforce that aggression did not always work  but  it  actually enhanced the aggression instead 4 . Boys  highly aggressive in preschool were more likely to be highly aggressive in later childhood , adolescence and  adulthood 5 . Frustration and inconsistent discipline ; withdrawal of love, or other socialized techniques were factors . 6.Giving love and affection when the child behaved or withholding these rewards when the child  disapproved produced children who are highly dependent at home.

Another variable relating to authoritarianism relates to cognitive growth and moral development.  Kohlberg found that the average child in preadolescence was limited and able to think about moral issues simplistically. They were more apt to be influenced by conventional moral reasoning .In other words, behaviors approved by others(consensus and conforming) were perceived as good and right. Add social media and its negative affect on cognition and moral thinking which is familiar to those with authoritarian attitudes and orientations .

Developmentally , the next stage of moral development was characterized by more autonomous moral principles which have validity and application apart from the authority of the groups or the person who holds them and apart from the individuals identification with those persons or groups. 

 Many adolescents, particularly the brighter and more sophisticated,  no longer  adopted ,without questioning, the social or political beliefs of their parents.  They thought about moral behavior in terms of general rights and standards which had been examined and agreed upon by society as a whole. 

 As adolescence proceeds ,this orientation toward inner concerns in the individual's own conscience may increase for some as they become less other directed and more inner directed.   At the higher end of moral development, the moral reasoning stage was characterized by being able to formulate and be guided by abstract ethical principles appealing to logical comprehensiveness, universal reality and consistency.  For instance, the golden rule in which good was no longer defined in conventional moral terms of approved behavior to persons or action was considered good only if the adoption by all the persons would work out successfully.  It was not about conforming, but rather consistent internalized moral standards.  Only about 10% of young people over age 16 showed clear-cut principal thinking. This functional level of operational thought ( ability to conceptualize, reason, become more introspective and analytical)  is not associated with an authoritarian conscience.

In our culture, there are common stereotypes transmitted to our children, at an early age, about male masculinity.  For example, males are urged by their parents to be aggressive in the face of attack, independent in  problem situations ,sexually aggressive, in control of aggressive urges and suppressive of strong emotions, especially anxiety and crying. Check out the lyrics to Big Boys Don’t Cry.

 Further, there's great emphasis placed on authoritarian  American males to be adventurous, self-confident, assertive, ambitious,  aggressive with an emphasis on competition ,materialistic values  and less of concern for social justice, truth, reason ,civil rights and inequality about civil rights but wars are ok. These masculine roles are acquired and transmitted , at home, primarily through identification ,reinforcement with the imitation of the parent of the same sex ,like minded peers  especially as boys model themselves in their father's image. 

These male masculine sex roles become  instilled  early on as values , attitudes and  behavior explain why these boys are highly masculine,  In authoritarian households, these male sex role masculine concepts become values and attitudes early on as the result of identification along with  the development in the superego and explain why these boys are highly masculine and aggressive. Little boys play with guns and big boys are proud of their gun arsenal .During one presidential election cycle,  one of my neighbors displayed his Trump poster. This poster had a picture of Trump's head on Sylvester Stallone's Rambo gun holding a muscular body.

Just the other day, I heard an Elvis titled song Surrender and an Olivia Newton John song Hopelessly Devoted To You.  Both songs represent sadomasochistic tendencies associated within an authoritarian character structure. In addition, John Steinbeck's East of Eden novel depicted the authoritarian father Adam and his subservient son Aron.  And his Of Mice and Men novel  portrayed an authoritarian relationship between Lennie and George.  Hollywood has done a  terrific job in their movies depicting Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Henry VIII ,No Country For Old Men , The Wild Angels ,Easy Rider  and of course the Greek tragedy  Antigone by  Sophocles  along with Wuthering Heights and  so many other authoritarians from our history.

Sadomasochistic character tendencies and orientations are not new . According to AI, the word authoritarian is derived from the Latin word "auctoritas" meaning authority and influence  while the prefix "author" relates to the concept of an author or creator. Psychologically speaking , Freud's  super ego,  parent -child relationships , cognitive ,moral  development, masculinity stereotypes, with the  influences of society and culture are some factors associated with authoritarianism , it's no wonder or surprise that there’s  such a preponderance of authoritarian sadomasochistic tendencies in our civilization .Elect a neurotic  narcissistic authoritarian with the most powerful military in the world and nuclear codes and …….

Reference

Mussen,Conger and Kagan. Child Development and Personality.

A Religion

 This essay has to do with Trump’s  supporters as evidenced by a recent No Kings protest, a Hegseth comment and TV news. On Saturday, Linda ,Pat, Diane and I joined a large group in Auburn for the No Kings protest.  I was told that a few people going  by  in cars gave them the middle finger and also  heard about a few people being shot with BBs from a passing automobile.  Hegseth , during a press conference, prayed to God or something for the Iranians to be killed.  And, late night comedians are scheduled to be on a "vacation" because of their  anti Trump comments.

In Genesis-Chapter 1 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kind in the cattle according to their kind .... and God saw that it was good.  And God created man in His image of God He created him male and female.  He created them    And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea.........  Note that God created man in His image and they were to be fruitful and multiply and subdue all the other creatures that he created. Unfortunately, there wasn't any mention about killing or treating other humans inhumanely nor about wiping out and extinguishing  any of His creatures.

Is claiming to be a Christian a symptom of unresolved conflicts ; simply a convenient, manipulative slogan of inclusiveness or some other combination of  motives ?  We currently have an authoritarian government.and with this “Christian’ leader ;is his government associated with loving your neighbor ,promoting justice, reducing human suffering,  speaking the truth of happiness and contentment in an image of God? 

Hegseth's comments pertain to rallying around the “totem” flag, patriotism , nationalism ,power, and hate with  killing the  'evil’ Iranians all in the name of God. In what manner does  Hegseth resemble God ?  To what type of God was Hegseth praying ? Praying for God that he will assist you in killing another is simply evil, crazy and irrational.Pope Leo XIV rejects the idea that God justifies war.The authoritarian orientation of Hegseth claiming to be a Christian  is  doubletalk as he only speaks in God’s name. Love thy neighbor  and love thy enemy as thyself are just words for  Hegseth and  are indicative of religious hypocrisy 

This Hegseth character has  had multiple marriages, countless affairs, an alcoholic who stupidly gave away past military operations to a reporter. He’s a  faithful” Christian’ that worships himself and the pursuit of power, lies and destruction with  an authoritarian moral and ethical foundation. So, who is good- who is evil? And, Hegseth is good and those that oppose him are evil and should  submit .Hegseth is an authoritarian Christian .His professing prayers does not make him religious.

Christians go to church and hopefully  the  sermons are about love and charity.  And when political, hopefully they did not support the withdrawal of food and medicine - aid to foreign countries, nor  was there  support for all the various   raids and killings ignoring legal warrants by Ice.  How did the sermons address the injustice of the tariffs  AI, White House graft, the Save Act ,threats to the Constitution, attacks on the Free Press, Rule of law, the Epstein files and the Iranian war?  Were the sermons  humanistic or authoritarian in attitude ?

Freud, briefly the origins of religion, is essentially a repetition of early childhood emotional and behavioral experiences with authoritarian parenting orientation .Primitive man found himself helpless ,powerless , at the mercy and fearful in his encounters with the daily hazardous external forces of nature, as well as his own  instinctual drives.  At that  time ,primitive man did not have  the availability of scientific knowledge and thus was unable to use his  reason and rationality to deal effectively with all  these outer and inner forces. 

For all practical purposes, primitive man utilized  a magical illusional thinking  by  reverting back to the time  when he was that fearful , powerless and insecure as a  child. In essence, he remembered the safeguarding  and security he experienced with the  father , mother or leader of his tribe . That young child perceived those figures to be extremely  smart, with wisdom, omnipotent , strong and powerful  He learned that he could win  love,protection, defending and  a sense of belonging by obeying their commands. However, the  child remembered he would encounter anger,displeasure  or even being dismissed when he transgressed and/ or ignored their directions. These emotional  and behavioral dynamics represent authoritarianism - leader providing love and protection only with submission but rejection, loss of love and expulsion when disobeying .

Thus, the belief in authoritarian  religion is an illusion, magical thinking ,being part of a like minded  group  based on man's worship,obedience and loyalty only .But  for not believing, it was punishment and  eternal damnation. Illusion and magical thinking also interferes with critical thinking which impedes the power of reason , rationality and ethics  with a belief in an all present omnipotent God .With a lessening belief in  God and Him being dead leads to a destruction ,an attack on moral ethics, principles,values and behavior. And, it provides a blocking of anxiety awareness with its obsessive rituals, practices,prayers and traditions. For one example, listen to the  Tradition lyrics  from “Fiddler on the Roof.” 

And, when 22%, on one poll,  give the opinion that they are very happy with Trump’s  policies, this suggests  cognitive dissonance, rationalization, denial, authoritarian conscience  with their worship, support and devotion .With identification,he became their  orientation,  system of thought , action , conscience and “religion.”  A “god ,” who is their savior  and will  protect them . He is their safety net. They remain faithfully revering  subjects no matter what he says or does, as they are totally dependent, loyal and submissive to  him. When he says fake news  they agree and reinforce his distortion of reality. His reality is their reality. If  they rebel , he withdraws his love , attacks and punishes  those non-believing traitorous  infidels.

In essence , these Trump's followers have projected that he is associated with  love, wisdom and justice . And,in doing so,they are depriving themselves of these qualities.  They have become  small, completely powerless without strength as  their  thinking “ powers “have been projected onto Trump.

This mechanism of projection is also associated with  an interpersonal  masochistic submissive character structure . In that, one person is awed by another, and attributes his own powers and aspirations to the other person.  This projection  mechanism makes people endow Trump with many  human  qualities of super wisdom , justice and fairness ..Also, this dynamic results in  alienation, loss of faith in self and less empathy and an inability to love self and others different than themselves.

Are these Trump followers as happy as the characters are in all those television commercials?  They cling to the happiness  belief that we are the greatest country in the world and that Trump is making America great again .  Yes, that messaging is being drummed into them endlessly.  Just listen to Fox News , a Trump  tweet or interview . These followers are not longing for the truth, justice and love as their life is not based upon a solid foundation . Essentially, they  are ignoring the shadows of uneasiness, anxiety and confusion, which is constantly there by claiming to be a  good Trump Christian .

The authoritarian  religion of Trump and his followers  is not their answer to an active faith  and instead  it’s an escape from the intolerable doubt . They have made their decision not out of devotion but in search for protection,security,power belonging and consensus .

 

Demonstration, opposition and resistance are the foundations found in the  Judeo-Christian morality .Initially  it was Adam and Eve's disobedience, followed by Moses and then Jesus. And in our Republic, patriotic Americans such as Paine , Henry, Jefferson, Franklin, Thoreau, Emerson and Lincoln presented courage,faith ,reason, resolve and moral clarity with their thinking,emotions and  disobedient actions. Those middle finger pointing and BB shooting characters are characterized by their   ignorance, moral  authoritarian orientation and exasperated by their insecurity and hate. The peaceful protest of  peaceful  males and females of  Grandparent age  are admired as true patriotic Americans and terrific models .The aged knows and can provide super examples of truth, reason and care regarding our republic.

Reference Fromm,Erich. Psychoanalysis & Religion.