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.

Civilization 2

 

Sigmund Freud, categorized three major categories that  affect the development of personality . Last week I focused on Nature- one of those categories..  This week the  focus is on the body, another  of his categories. I am  the subject.

Not only was I born fearful, timid, insecure,powerless, dependent and timid, but I also had a childhood asthma diagnosis.  One earlier memory relates to my parents taking me to a treatment center in Biloxi, Mississippi. There, I recall having my body pricked all over to determine its reactions. That was unpleasant and scary  to put it mildly.  Another time I remember being at home in the fall with burning leaves  on Evanston Ave. in Detroit and my mother keeping me inside because of the poor air quality .And, I do have early  memories related to wheezing .

Alfred Adler's theory of personality deviates from Freud in that according to Adler, we are motivated primarily by  social urges . And ,this social interest is inborn and relates to specific types of relationships with people in social situations which develop and are determined by the nature of the society in which one is reared. My  address and zip code was 14949 Evanston Detroit ,Michigan 48224 which has served me well  Simply ,Adler’s major concepts related to the idea  that  within the social urge ,there is a striving for superiority with future goal seeking behavior .Thus, man is conscious of his goal seeking to compensate for his physical and/or psychological handicaps or inferiorities in that he thinks,intends, ambitions, plans trains, rests,and eats healthy  with other supporting figures . 

 Furthermore, man is motivated by expectations of the future and his striving ideals are  incorporated in that behavior. Man's style of life is based on early childhood experiences that are largely determined by specific impurities , fancied  or real.  Socially ,man makes his own personality , the constructs from  heredity and experience. His real self gives meaning to his life by creating the goals, expectations and means to achieve that goal .And ,that the final goal of man was to be aggressive,  powerful  and superior. 

.However, superiority strivings  for  primarily self preservation, personal interest to compensate for feelings of inferiority and inadequacy are neurotic. For Adler, superiority means a  drive  for completion  in which the goals are social in character.  In essence, a feeling of inferiority gives a sense of incompleteness and it becomes a great driving force for superiority, perfection, excellence  and social interest.. According to the Adler, " Social interest is a true and inevitable compensation for all the natural weaknesses of human beings."

 Another  of Adler’s thinking is related to the idea that  organ inferiority results in an overcompensation  to compensate. This means,because of feeling inferior  as a result of a developmental abnormality, the individual attempts to compensate for the weakness by practice , building  strength with intensive repetitive  training.  In other words, if there's a feeling of inferiority related to the body, one has a tendency to compensate for that weakness and feelings of inferiority by consciously seeking appropriate and healthy  actions and strategies.  And, Adler also believed that life’s goal was perfection or completion , not pleasure  . 

With the above being said, my early interest and compensation was related to sports with the exception of swimming- the breathing was the excuse.  As a young boy.  I loved baseball, football and hockey  and listening on the radio to Van Patrick. I also collected the players  cards with statistics from gum purchases.  At Wayne elementary, I read books by John R Tunis with his sport themes-heroes overcoming odds and  becoming excellent.  I also competed in gym class at Wayne elementary with my friend and rival Tom Smith.  Tom became a member of Dan Devine’s Missouri Tigers and played in a number of Orange Bowls .

Being outside playing baseball and football were priorities.  I frequently went to neighbors homes and recollected playing in the street or competing at that vacant nearby lot on Harper ave.. At Jackson Junior high  our three on three  basketball team of Tom Smith, Bob Adams and  t dominated the gym class in both  the seventh and eighth grades.  I also remember having my younger brother  Ron attempt to tackle me , in the backyard when  I was carrying the football. He was younger and he had no chance.

During high school years, I attacked my dad's York barbells in our basement.  I got stronger and had  brother Ron and his friend Dave lift the  heavy weight barbell so I could do bench presses.  I also played high school and college  football. I continued lifting weights with others and used extremely heavy weights requiring strong friends to be spotters when I did bench presses.

Childhood ,latency and adolescence were characterized by my compensation for that early asthma experience.I focused on being stronger, dominant and excellent  Further, I witnessed dad  dealing with his childhood diabetes diagnosis. Mom and I visited him many times while he was in the hospital receiving treatment.  In fact, he was at the University of Michigan  Medical Center and he became friendly with Terry Sawchuk, the Red Wings goalie.  I'm either 15 or 16 and  dad  had me perform a strength feat , for Terry, by lifting a chair by its one leg with one hand, straight and parallel to the floor.

Living in the Bay Area in the 70s, I recall the running phase with the likes of Jim Fixx.  I liked running around Lake Merritt in Oakland along with high schooler Stephen Hackel .  Years later, in 1997, I entered an endurance ride and met Tony and Jeff who were competing in the Mustang Classic  Ride &Tie.  My running resumed and became serious as I wanted to compete in the sport which includes two humans and a horse.  So far, my body has not failed me.

The next season,I recollect that when connecting my horse trailer to my truck and I hurt my lower back.  Foolishly, I did  setups afterwards and then had to crawl upstairs to my bed. The next day  I  called Ken ,one of my renters, a physical therapist, and he assisted so I was able to get out of bed and head for work.Ken provided treatment every day,prior to my going to my office.  During that week ,I stood while conducting psychotherapy with my clients. Sitting was awful and painful .

During that week,I ran in the morning as I was preparing for the championship Ride & Tie at Donner Summit in 1998 .  Steve was my partner and on Friday he came to my house, loaded my horse into the trailer and drove while I was the passenger.  Every hour or so we had to stop on the side of the road as I had to get out and stretch my aching back.  I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to compete on Saturday.  I didn't want to be found lying in the dirt on the trail.  That morning I mounted my horse and told Steve let's do it.  Running was good for me and I essentially kept myself erect while riding. We finished and then went to the award ceremony as I had to stand .Success!

For a number of years. I did not sustain any equine injuries and only minor injuries from running.  I had a massage from the Monster of Massage-Veloyce, physical therapy from Jim and chiropractic treatment  from ultra runner Matt. Veloyce suggested buying a hot tub and we talked about ibuprofen, Advil and other remedies.  Another friend, Jerome, introduced me to a blender and Georgia gave me a birthday book which became one of my Bibles "Stopping The Clock.”  In fact,  I became one of four individuals to have completed three 100 mile one day events-Tevis, Western States and the Swanton Pacific Ride & Tie.  Incidentally, I was the only one in my 60s to do so.

Then in 2009, riding with Linda , I broke some bones in my neck when I was thrown by my horse Gypsy.  That essentially ended equine competition.  The surgeon told me that I could become like Christopher Reeve  if I had another horse accident.  As a result, I focused on running and running.  I was running  50 milers and 50 K's until age 79 , and then Covid arrived. In my 80th year I ran the Jed Smith  1/2 marathon and enjoyed it.- my last competitive run . 

 With Covid,Tony moving and Linda’s  severe horse injury, competition ended . Currently, every other day  Linda drives the golf cart with Teddy  ,I run in front with music playing  and the other days we are back at the gym.  I am lifting free weights and doing the machines. By the way, I have already maxed out (most weight) on 3 of those  machines. 

Last week I had cataract surgery in one eye.  The ophthalmologist told me I can't lift anything over 25 pounds, but I can still walk as many miles as I want but not to endure strain.  This two week recovery time has been the longest I've had in approximately the last 30 years.  Initially, I felt anxious and thought about how much  it might set me back as a result.  In other words, my exercise pursuit now has nothing to do with my original asthmatic condition  nor competitive excellence.  I enjoy exercising even though it doesn't serve to meet those earlier basic needs. And this current pursuit is called functional autonomy as a motivational aspect of my behavior. 

 I know there will be a day when things change.  However,my orientation and devotion are caring, health , strength ,physicality and enriching the executive functions in my cortex. My lifestyle has been unique , creative ,congruent  and remains in concert with who I am.

Reference

Adler. A . Individual Psychology.

Civilization

 

The pursuit of pleasure is found in the U.S. Constitution.  However, a recent survey by the World Happiness Report found that the United States did not make the top 20 happiest nations in the world.  In other words, find your happiness elsewhere  This essay pertains to the why and how reality is falsified .

The existentialists identified the dualism crisis affecting mankind.  Simply put, man is a creation with a mind, imagination, self-consciousness and body.  But,with the body, there is finitude ,a decaying body.  In other words, it’s important for man to become aware and not to deny our biological  reality .

A newborn  is dependent, frail, insecure, inadequate, inferior and totally dependent on the parent or parents for comfort, safety and survival.  With experience, that newborn in various degrees either moves toward the parent or parents in a "loving" manner; moves against the parent or parents rebelliously and hatefully; or moves toward that parent symbiotically. In any event, fear, anxiety, frustration, love-hate become part of the reality .

Other  fear, anxiety ,distress ,hazards   affecting that newborn relate to the rules, regulations, barriers, conflicts, contradictions  within his society which includes socioeconomic's, religion, political philosophy, zip code, and the color of his skin.  Secondly, the anxiety associated with the biological reality of his body, in which there is evolution decay,frailty. And death .  Every part of his body is affected-brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and so forth.  The third fear and anxiety factor relates to nature with its hurricanes, blizzards, tornadoes, and tsunamis, earthquakes and fires.  In other words, being human is not only difficult, but has been called by Maslow "The Jonah syndrome That."  He called the syndrome "innovation of the full intensity of life."  We are just not strong enough to endure more;..... it's too much or I can't stand it.  Or I could die..... Delirious happiness cannot be born for long.  Our organisms are just too weak for any large doses of greatness…Therefore , the experience of survival  can be challenging to say the least.,

A few examples of my reality experience follows.  On one hand, my interaction with nature has been wonderful, exciting, pleasurable  with joy, bliss  and  satisfying . I've run  and ridden on many magnificent and wonderful trails in California, Washington and Oregon.; I visited islands in the Caribbean and sailed to Alaska; drove to the four corners in the Southwest and skied in Killington, Vermont.  I've dived in Hawaii and Mexico ; kayaked in California.  I've traveled and seen the wonders in Canada, England, France, Spain, Netherlands, Denmark and Germany with family, friends and lovers.  I've also been to the majority of our states…

On the other hand, a few other experiences  of  the reality of fear and anxiety follows. In the late afternoon in October in 1989 I was  providing psychotherapy in my office ,when all of a sudden the room started shaking, resulting from the 6.9 magnitude earthquake.  I was like that small child scared, terrified, insecure with that  powerful occurrence  taking place.  My concern was about safety, security and survival.  I later witnessed the damage on television.and eventually saw some of that  damage in San Francisco ,Oakland and Santa Cruz.  And earthquake insurance supposed to?  Earthquake insurance does not address fear, powerlessness, and terror.

A few years later we were living on a 25+ acre ranch in the Bay Area.  Our ranch home had a creek running parallel to my home and separating the acreage.  Tom, the original owner, built the bridge with three large culverts for the crossing.  At that time there was a drought and there were plenty of weeds in the creek bed.  Tom told me that if there was a storm, I should divert the trees and branches so they could pass through the culvert safely and not create a dam.  That sounded simple enough.  Then the following occurred in January in the 1990s.  It seemed to rain for that entire month and the creek became raging as I heard rocks and boulders being pushed past.  Unfortunately, I could not divert anything because of the river force as the trees, branches and rocks created a dam.  In essence, the raging water went around the blocked culverts and created a gap between the long driveway and my residence.  Initially a plank walkway was built for us to be able to reach the house and then a temporary bridge strong enough for  our motorcycle crossings.

The power and force of the January storm was awesome, powerful and destructive.  We even had the Red Cross visiting to see if we were okay.  Once again the feelings of anxiety, fear being powerless not in control and helplessness was again experienced.

After running the Western states.  I continued working out on the Wendell Robie trail.  Near home about  1 ½ miles from home ,  I encountered a lioness and her two cubs.  I stopped dead in my tracks, slowly backed up, turned around and went in the other direction.  I found a club and looked repeatedly over my shoulder as I backtracked.  I am no match for a lioness protecting her cubs.  I was terrified and eventually reached the safety of my home.  Another time Linda was riding with a friend on the Brown Bear trail when they encountered an angry bear and cubs.  Likely Linda and her friend and their horses were able to retreat from that menacing bear.

A couple years ago Linda and I were spending a few days vacationing in Carmel.  On our trip home, Paul called to tell us about the fire and that we should stay away because of the danger.  I continued driving in the direction of home  and near Roseville we witnessed the smoke.  We continued and did arrive home making plans to evacuate.  Fortunately, we did not receive a call to evacuate ..

Years ago our home insurance was canceled and we now have insurance administered by the state.  Each year I clear the weeds in and around my 11+ acre residence.  Our homeowners association has received grants to cut the surrounding fuel.  I know from experience that my weed eating might help.  But ,I also know that fire and winds create havoc and destruction.  During the summer and fall, Linda and I have moved from our upstairs master bedroom to the downstairs bedroom with bags packed.  Not only that when there's fire danger.  I check the air quality to determine if it's okay to go outside and run.  I am fearful  of the prospect of fire. I remain and acknowledge that residing in California can be terrific or terrifying.

It's clear that all Homo sapiens experience trouble, worry, anxiety, distress in various degrees throughout a lifetime.  Which means that human existence can be described according to Pascal ‘s reflection.  "Not to be mad would amount to another form of madness."  This means that we deny the truth of our condition and pretend not to be mad.  One explanation  of our condition relates to the existential idea that we are irrational, and therefore we are not logical nor reasonable.

Freud explained the cost of pretending not to be mad within his psychoanalytic theory.  He made it clear about the role that anxiety plays in development beginning with the birth trauma and then identified different types of anxiety which are anticipated by our thinking  from a real  or non real threat from the environment . Now, the  ego must defend itself against the outbreak of unpleasant ,uncontrollable anxiety  in which the ego  either flees or attempts some kind of effective motor action to remove the danger. 

 As a result, we have mechanisms of defense  like repression which is the weapon to exclude the danger from consciousness.  So this dangerous thought or idea is forced out of consciousness.  As a result of the signal of anxiety, the mechanisms of defense operate consciously and characteristically to deny, distort or falsify the ego’s perception of events, either internal or external or both.In essence, the mechanisms of defense interfere with  the perception of both reality and rationality.In other words, the defense mechanisms makes it possible to live in the overwhelming miracle, incomprehensive world  which is full of beauty, majesty and terror.

The defense mechanisms make it possible  for us to  be blind to our smallness, insignificance, physical and moral inadequacy, guilt, evil intentions, death wishes  resulting from our instincts,anxiety,  frustrations, barriers and conflicts. Essentially it's the anxiety that results in the face of life's dangers and  in the great necessities of fate against which there is no remedy stated Freud. 

Because of the significance of fear and anxiety, Homo sapiens easily pursue fiction, non-truth , illusion and propaganda in their thinking and beliefs for their well-being. However , the negative consequences related to political "news" is a perfect example of the distortion of reality.  The president and followers have presented a major amount of “fake news“ pertaining to Epstein.  Iran, tariffs, economy, healthcare, ice, global warming, etc. Another point of view comes  from the satire of Stewart, Colbert ,Fallon ,Maher  and Meyers. And your reality is ? 

In essence, humankind is extremely vulnerable and unable avoid the primitive emotions of anxiety, distress,love,hate  and threats.Subsequently ,man automatically and consciously  pursues many cognitive and behavioral diversions accompanied with a number of motivational tendencies, resulting in the consequences of malignancy, toxicity ,neuroses and self-defeat .Therefore,social history has been repeated with extinctions and revolutions .Also, another occurrence is the  composite of contrast of  rational-irrational, truth-lies, reality-fiction along with significant polarities between the powerful-powerlessness, wealthy-poor, healthy-unhealthy,authentic- unauthentic, educated-un educated, and intelligent-ignorant continues. Further, we can expect more of the same either before or during AI and/or the cooling of the sun.

Reference

Becker,Ernest. The Denial of Death.

Narcissism

 

Of  Sigmund Freud’s many contributions , narcissism was considered ,by him, to be one of his most important findings.  His concept,for example, pertains to love,hate, fear, jealousy, sadism, as well as the understanding of the willingness of the suppressed to show their willingness to their rulers.  Another significant concept  of Freud relates to the trauma of birth and the terror surrounding it. Freud called this event the prototype for all anxiety.  In other words, individuals are subjected and experience anxiety,sometimes of their own making ,throughout their lives based on being born helpless .This disquisition,utilizes these concepts  pertaining to  Trump.

 Freud postulated a primary state of narcissism in which psychic energy was directed inward. With development, that primary state of narcissism became secondary narcissism. In this secondary state became the  capacity for objective reasoning and object love . Psychic energy was now primarily directed  inward  For some,  narcissism becomes pathological and malignant in that it affects the individual's ability to relate to others appropriately.

One of Freud’s primary drives was  the death instinct and sadomasochistic behaviors. Jung added and described man's evil side and believed that it was man’s attempt to compensate for feelings of inferiority, self-hate, guilt and  that  hostility was projected onto others . In other words ,war is called on to  destroy evil . However, war  becomes paradoxical because this actually brings more evil into the world.. And,with war, a scapegoat is needed to blame for starting the war..

With the above,are a few titles of  articles found  in the March 1, 2026 edition of The New York Times pertaining to evil.  U.  S.  Strikes Iran;  Trump Calls for the Overthrow of the Government.; Attack with Aid from Israel, Risks a Broader Conflict.and   Trump's War of Choice, With a Key Question: Why Now ?

The above articles are associated with Trump's narcissism.  He has to constantly  matter  and be the omnipotent hero.. This  “matter” ,on display, absorbs his being and his assertiveness.  His narcissism keeps him in the forefront as being a central  major  figure. It's about him and he's unable to put any reins on his selfish impulses which unconditionally feeds his fragile self-worth.

Trump was a spoiled child.  He was unconditionally  pampered . His wishes ,wants, demands and obnoxious behavior were reinforced when he cried, complained,threatened,  employed guilt , temper tantrums.with poor control of his impulses. He learned to be offensive when anxious and frustrated .And this facilitated magical thinking . He believed his thoughts resulted in that event or situation to turn out because of him being  powerful and omnipotent  Magical thinking also occurs in  dreams ,phantasies and wishing .With the occurrence of magical thinking also follows the expectation that one is to be taken care of and his word becomes the law 

With magical thinking one can view himself in grandiose ways .One can be a fantastic football hero, an emperor, king, and even a  god like president with  fame, fortune and status. Trump’s magical thinking has led  him  to a grossly  inflated sense of self. At times when anxious,,Trump regresses and  becomes that emotionally spoiled child with too much immense power..

Donald was easily able to march into war because neither he nor any family member were not in any way going to be injured or negatively affected. As a young adult, he had 5 deferments. He also called John McCain a coward..Furthermore,  he is incapable of  feeling empathy for our military soldiers injured or dead.. In fact, he recently said regarding the death of a US military man  "It's a very small price to pay." He also projected his cowardice when he said "Show Some Guts” while referring to those oil tanker captains not going through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump acts like a spoiled child in that he's not ashamed at all about what he needs ,wants, even though it brings pain to others .His childlike behavior is also expressed in sibling rivalry  competition with others. Spoiled  children do not become generous socially mature adults .Competitively, he has to be first, to have more and to stand out.  He has to be the one and the  only one . He has to be the favorite one.  He has to be first, and never second, which pertains to his cheating while playing golf , his obsession over Obama’s crowd size and  with the 2020 election results.  He's just unable to allow himself to be second best.  He's the first president to blatantly ignore the Constitution , rule of law, free and fair elections ,discriminate against the free press and  the first to acquire  capital through fraudulent means while in the White House. Also, he considers himself to be the best and greatest president ever and can destroy any opposition.

In his first term as president ,not all of his Cabinet selections were totally submissive as his frequent firings indicated. This time around ,his cabinet members are loyal because they are there to  boost his feelings of worth with their unconditional support and remove the cognitive dissonance regarding his thinking..

Further, he must desperately justify himself.  He must stand out.  He must be the hero, he must be the one that counts. It’s his desire for status. This is evidenced by his renaming the Kennedy Center ,building the biggest ballroom in the White House ,winning the Nobel Peace Prize and having his name placed everywhere. His narcissism is a threat to decency, morality, rule of law and  Democracy.

In conclusion, this anxious and evil narcissist is driven based on insecurity and related to feelings of inferiority and inadequacy   As a result, his hostility to the  pursuit for power, prestige, and possession expresses itself. with tendencies to dominate, humiliate, and to deprive others.  And, his use of  repression as a defense,  interferes with the knowledge that he despises himself, feels weak,  inferior, worthless, evil and shameful.

Reference

Becker,Ernest. The Denial of Death.

Mattering

 

An article titled "The Human Condition"  found in the February 22 ,2026 edition of tTe New York Times is the subject matter of this essay.  A philosophy professor wrote a book titled The Mattering Instinct   How Our Deepest Longing Drives Us and Divides Us She suggests that this” m  attering instinct ‘is the most peculiar , the most human thing about us and that our actions flow from a byproduct of our brains which in turn are constantly preoccupied with devising ways to resist entropy or chaos.

This professor is not the first to philosophize about determinants of conduct.  For example, Socrates suggested that man is guided by the belief that knowledge and virtue are identical .And the right knowing that leads itself to right acting .Knowledge is good and the highest  goal of human life is happiness to be achieved through the activity that is unique to man. And, another  Greek ,Aristippus of Cyrene ,believed that pleasure is the only thing worth striving for. Along with the avoidance of pain.

Turning to psychology with  the importance of the unconscious as a motivating factor, we can more fully understand man’s drives and ego needs  motivations.  In essence, mattering,sex ,knowledge ,pleasure ,pain , affiliation,achievement,dominance are but not limited to other  motivational  aspects within an individual's character orientation.  With that being said, "mattering" can be applied within a narcissistic personality structure and  the blending of character orientations. For example, Willie Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman provides the concept of mattering within both marketing and hoarding character orientations.

Willie was a salesman who traveled ,by automobile,from place to place in the selling capacity. This was his life. As this  occupation was his identity which gave him meaning , mattering and self esteem  relevance. His  job  provided a sense of self esteem incorporating his ability to support  his  wife and two sons, 

Willie was portrayed as being  social, practical, economical, careful, reserved, cautious and loyal.  As time progressed his charm and personality changed as he became less productive as his sales declined.  In fact, his value, importance, relevance and worth declined.  Even though he spent  many loyal years with this company, he was out of a job.

In our capitalistic society. It's the economics of the market that affects man in his development ,self esteem ,worth and  being.  Initially for Willie, the  market was a meeting place , an exchange where he sold and they purchased .It was supply and demand, but that  demand changed.  Willie was once a commodity , it was his experience of self  in which he possessed an exchange value and that exchange value was his identity, his being

Material or financial  success was the personal acceptance by those that needed his wares.  It was his prerequisite for success.  Then over time, Willie could no longer sell himself ,his personality.  He was no longer sellable.  His”personality was no longer in demand . The psychological reality was  that if successful at selling, he was valuable, but if not, he was worthless . In essence, this striving, this relentlessness for success turned into a setback for him, and became a threat to his self-esteem, resulting in feelings of helplessness ,insecurity, and inferiority, which resulted in destroying his dignity and pride.

Within the hoarding orientation is a form of miserliness referring to money , material things, as well as to feelings and thoughts.  Love is essentially possession  and Willie had difficulty loving his wife and boys.This orientation is also characterized by sentimentality . It was about Willie and his elder son's football  past. The past was special, his boy was a star, a hero  that he attempted to hold on too. He indulged in  the memories of those bygone feelings and experiences.

 Tragically, Willie had no expectations, no future goals.  He was approaching the final phase of life with a sense of despair . He was ending life as a total failure. His son Biff was not a hero but also not fulfilled. a failure too . 

Miller portrayed Willie as a man whose self  esteem needs ,his sense of self taking a beating and for a man who is now without a future, without principles, values, anxious, unimaginative, and at loss with no options.  In essence, mattering can be best understood within the narcissism of self  esteem needs ,and the  character orientation of marketing and hoarding.Furthermore, Willie was stuck  without  future hope and severely depressed without integrity and virtue..

Albert Maslow hypothesized a hierarchy of needs, starting with the physiological needs.  Within Maslow's hierarchy were the esteem needs.  These needs represent “the need for a stable, firmly based, usually high evaluation of oneself ,for self-respect or self-esteem and  for the esteem of others."  Within this category was also the” desire for strength, for achievement ,for  adequacy,for mastery and competence, and second, “the desire for reputation or prestige, status, dominance, recognition, attention, importance or appreciation."  The end result is a gratification of these needs brings "feelings of self-confidence, worth ,strength, capability and adequacy." Willie’s self esteem was shattered.

Within narcissism, mattering can be seen within the self esteem need. Mattering is demonstrated  within   one's tension system ,goals, expectations, barriers, thinking, feelings, fear of failure and achievement.  For instance,the origin of mattering motivation occurs within a state of tension. This  tension relates to pursuing an interpersonal, achievement or some other related need.  In pursuing the mastery, pleasure or success of  reaching that mattering  goal one is faced with  internal and external  barriers,restrictions or interferences.  And when it’s more difficult to attain ,it means  there are more barriers and challenges to overcome .

 Goal seeking behavior  also relates to expectations of  success based upon previous experiences of  success or failure. A fear of failure  also has tremendous emotional impact .Furthermore, during the pursuit of goals various ego needs can be met.  For example, when I ran the Western States 100 mile endurance run, my affiliative needs were met. as I trained with others,,had a support system  and engaged with pacers etc. Being an age division winner met my ego needs for both dominance and achievement as well.  Additionally, during that run my ego need for deference was met as  I admired Scott Jurek the first place winner and third place finisher Mark Richtman  With all that being said, “mattering’ was  incorporated within my narcissism and just one aspect of my  or my self esteem and other  ego needs being met along the way..

In conclusion, mattering is an aspect of narcissism, and expressed through self esteem and other  ego needs resulting in various  behaviors.  As far as being a social animal, the existentialists stressed the  significant importance of being authentic.  Freud added that the mentally healthy are able to love and work creatively, artistically, and productivity.  I would add feeling and exhibiting mutuality with concern .empathy and giving

PS.

A diametrically opposed view to "mattering" can be found in the lyrics of the rock band Kansas. “ I close my eyes  Only for a moment and the moment is gone  .  All my dreams    pass before my eyes. ,a curiosity     Dust in the wind    .  All they are is just dust in the wind ……The wind

Reference

Fromm,Erich.Man  For Himself.

Maslow,A.H. Motivation and Personality