Thanatos

 

Humans  evolved  about 2.5 million years ago. However, the extinction of Neanderthals happened as recently as  30,000 years ago. And, for the last 10,000 years, Homo sapiens have been the species . Perhaps ,  previous species became extinct because of interbreeding and/or they were replaced because of incompatibility, genocide ,  technology, social skills  food , nutrition,and/ or other  factors . In other words Homo sapiens being supreme are associated with extinction .

For  example, the Orca Whales are now  headed toward extinction. Today, 70% of their offspring  die as a result of food scarcity. The King salmon is the whales  primary food source. But, in; last century, the King salmon has declined by 90%. African elephants, white rhinos as well as numerous other animals have and are becoming extinct.  Also, ecosystems have changed as well as water supply. The rapid population growth in Las Vegas and climate change has put the Colorado River, and Lake Mead in jeopardy because of the demand for precious water .Further,, American fauna was far richer 14,000 years ago .Biologically speaking., we are the deadliest species.

Emma Lazarus , the poet born in New York, New York in  1849 , wrote, "give me your tired, your poor, your masses yearning to breathe free."  Inscribed on the Statue of Liberty pedestal .Yet, what about the prejudicial Immigration laws and restrictions  of 1924 and today’s ICE raids  ?.  In 1933.there were about 9 million Jews living in Europe. In 1945 ,the number was reduced to about 3 million. And, the Nazi's antisematic laws were based on our  Jim Crow laws.  Do not forget we had 110,000  Japanese in  internment camps in the 1940s. To explain Homo sapiens cruelty toward  self,others and nature , we turn to Freud and Murray. 

In Freud's theory  of Eros(libido) and Thanatos(aggression),  both the life ,survival and death,destroy instincts  guide human behavior . In other words, Thanatos  represents the death drive leading people to assault others with sadomasochistic, destructive, murder ,self mutilation  and self-defeating behavior.  Freud’s motivational theory  is based on  the interplay between the life and death instincts. 

Within Henry Murray’s theory of Personology,are the  ego needs of aggression. Aggression is to overcome opposition forcefully, ; to fight; to avenge an injury; to attack, injure or kill another; to  oppose forcefully or punish another. Another related ego need is dominance. Dominance  is to control one's human  environment; to influence or direct the behavior of others by suggestion, seduction, persuasion, or  command; to dissuade,refrain or prohibit. Employing these two ego needs describes man’s aggressive, destructive and killing behavior .

This essay suggests that the Homo sapiens species is headed  in the direction of extinction incorporating the life-and-death instincts. and ego needs.  A few articles found in The New York Times July 13,and July 20 ,2025 depict man treating man and his environment in diabolical, heinous  evil ways and therefore headed in the direction of no return .

The article "The White House's War on Clean Energy Will Fail"  reported that the Inflation Reduction Act-energy , the transition to sun, wind and  batteries has been drastically cut by the Big Beautiful Bill. Note,that  many years ago Jimmy Carter had solar panels  installed in  the White House  Also ,9,000 deaths from inhaling pollution could be saved if we didn’t burn fossil fuel.. Further,.the Gulfstream has begun to weaken  resulting in the rapid rise of sea level on  our coasts.

The GOP's climate disruption stance  affects everyone and some more than others with the inordinate amount of fires, floods and hurricanes,while  a very  small minority profits from this destruction.  This disastrous misnomer suggests that immediate capitalistic greed rules and is more important than health, welfare and survival for about 10 % in our republic which is not a good public health statistic .

tn "America Is Rewriting The Social Contract" the East Hampton Community Community Center and Food Pantry provides  free groceries to about 5,000 families per month.  Recent estimates suggest that 47.4 million Americans suffered from low food security in 2023 and 3.8 million were children.The Congressional Budget Office -  2 million people will lose their SNAP  benefits  The new law will add 11.8 million to the 26 million without health insurance . Of course  black and Latino Americans are disproportionately represented.  Yet , about 3.4 trillion will be added to  the country's huge deficit over 10 years is the CBO's estimate.

The GOP’s attacking the physiological  ego need for millions of its citizens. It is despicable.  Does the GOP  expect that this action will interfere with those citizens  voting in the next election because they will be in and will expend their energy primarily  on survival  ? Is there a  humanistic rationale   for this governing group  to treat these citizens in this manner ?  The  consequences of this cruel action are far-reaching and disastrous and contrary to all religious teachings  and public health .

"Immigration Crackdown Hits Senior Care Work Force" is straining providers with senior populations..Nursing homes and home care agencies are staffed  by 28% immigrants’ according to Census Bureau data. With the median hourly wage of $16.72 in 2023, how many  white individuals are jumping at the chance to work in this industry?  If providers have to pay their employees more, they will have their clients pay more. Also, about 19% of the US civilian labor force is made up of foreign born.. With a growing need,the senior  worker problem gets worse. 

There is a health crisis in this country, especially for older citizens.  In fact, there's an Alzheimer's diagnosis for every one in three citizens reaching the age of 85.  Our capitalistic model is not as effective or more humanistic than the European Socialistic model. for  providing necessary  care to this population .  As a result, reducing the supply of workers will raise wages resulting in less profits. Less profits is not the capitalistic goal.

 There's already a shortage of providers and services for these special.individuals  The GOP does not value older individuals requiring assistance.  Also,these workers are not members of gangs, they are not criminals  but instead provide necessary care and pay taxes.  How is the GOP benefitting from this policy ?  In any event, the country is not . And again the Public Health consequences. are  troublesome ..

Another Trump GOP attack on public health  ,as  the "EPA Says It Will Eliminate IIts Scientific Research Arm" because of the  Trump administration.  This independent  agency research affects all the agency's policies and regulations.They evaluate and provide input on the  risk of hazardous chemicals, impact  of wildfire smoke on public health,  drinking water ,fracturing ,measures , atmosphere, environmental emergencies and exposures to  hazardous chemicals. "With which we don't have the means to assess impacts upon human health and the environment. “ This is another assault on public health in our country . Further, scientific  public health information is being distorted and misrepresented..  In essence, the Trump GOP administration is adding to the problem by lying to its citizens.

 This GOP policy favors the greedy billionaires ,corporations and CEOs.  They do not care about regulations and couldn't care less about Public health consequences.  We have enough hurdles and barriers interfering with public health. The banishment of scientific research  brains adds to the burden .Our  Ill-equipped healthcare  model plus  all the  millions of individuals  being dropped,or not eligible for healthcare, becomes disastrous for  the nation's public health.  Again, capitalistic profit and the almighty dollar is second to none

The GOP rationale for eliminating Medicaid  is simply that the insurance handout doesn't translate with better health outcomes because that population doesn't use the service. They didn’t look into causal  factors regarding that claim . Historically speaking, health care benefits were  first employed by employers, in the  1930’s  as a means to attract workers. In other words, health care insurance was not about providing medical assistance for better health. Instead, it was related as a recruiting tool. And secondly, if people don’t use the insurance,,according to a study at one particular time, take it away. With that reasoning, what if someone doesn’t vote,should we take away their right to vote? Health care  insurance is important for  the nation's health, even though there are better, more efficient models for health outcomes.Socialistic models are superior and more efficient compared  to our greedy capitalistic model on many variables.

In summation, the history of  sapiens can be  explained dualistically. On one hand , sapiens  have created ,explored , discovered and generated the unthinkable.  On the other hand, sapiens are hateful, sadistic,and  destructible murderers.  A doomsday clock , a symbolic measure of humanities' destruction, has been set at 89 seconds, its closest margin ever.  In the sapiens, subconscious brain,,located in the the limbic system   is the site for memory, hormone production, impulse control,fight, flight and anger .This subconscious part of our brain ,more often than not, becomes  more dominant than the functioning of the conscious brain where the  cortex  is located with its higher cognition ,abstract thought, usage of tools, formation and comprehension  of language and   social behavior..And,unfortunately,  77 million voters casted  their ballots in a self  harming derogatory way.  With that being said, the Trump GOP policies and forthcoming information are not credible nor associated with positive Public Health . Instead , its unhealthy policies  are associated with anxiety, fear,lies, destruction  and death .Thanatos rules  . .

Reference

Brain Injury: Alzheimer's, Stroke and Head , Trauma.  Institute for 

Natural Resources. 

Harari, Yuval N,.  Sapiens  , a Brief History of Humankind.

Murray , Henry A.  Explorations in Personality

PS

Ronald Reagan once said, "government is the problem. " it 

certainly can be like the present GOP government.  And, a fire official said that 95% of the fires are caused by humans.

Identity

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reference

Erikson,Erik H. Identity Youth and Crisis.

PS

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

Small Hands

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reference

Fromm,Erich. The Art Of Loving.