No Deliverance

 Last week's essay pertaining to  sadistic violence was one of the themes found in the movie Deliverance.  This movie had four city folks  Lewis, Ed, Bobby and Drew  going on a canoe trip in  an untamed  Cahulawassee River, in Georgia, that was about  to be damned.The  4  men encountered  2  mountain men with rifles.  One  mountain men sadistically raped  Bobby and the other was about to sexually rape Ed  . However, Lewis killed  the man while  the other fled.  A moral crisis occurred . Should the incident be reported to the police or should the body be buried ?  Later, Drew was shot and Lewis broke his leg traversing through the rough rapids.  Ed ,Lewis and Bobby become trapped  knowing that the  escaped mountain man was motivated to kill all three, Ed made a difficult rock climb and killed that mountain man . They sank the body of Drew and the body of the mountain man and proceeded on their journey.  Ed, Lewis and Bobby covered up their crime  . This essay  Illustrates principles of group identification under conditions of external danger  .

Situations of external danger demonstrate increased  group solidarity.  Individuals become willing( transference) to engage in hazardous situations that depend largely on group identification especially in dangerous circumstances.  For example, group solidarity comes from strong emotional bonds established( a transference,) between  members and the leader.  Lewis ,based on his characteristics of physique, knowledge and macho  behavior , became the leader. The other three are non-muscular, not knowledgeable about canoeing and have limited survival skills at the onset.  When Lewis killed the mountain man after the  rape of Bobby,   the group  had to decide what to do .  Drew  knew right from wrong and morally wanted to obey the law by going to the police to report what happened.  However, his sense of morality was put in abeyance . Lewis , exhibited no moral quandary, no remorse and told them that they would not get a fair jury trial because of the inbreeding in Appalachia.  Bobby shamed and humiliated ( narcissistic injury) does not want his personal traumatic  incident revealed .  His feelings of hate trumped morality and he wanted revenge. Ed’s sense of morality was held in abeyance . He wanted Lewis’ approval and went along with the plan.  However, his feelings of shame and guilt remained with him.  With group cohesiveness, the entire group buried the body per Lewis’ idea .

The  reality of  white water rapids  and  the sexual abuse by the mountain man, resulted in a transference reaction to the leader .They become dependent on Lewis for what to do during each of the dangerous situations that confronted them. One example was observing how Lewis navigated the white water rapids. When Lewis broke his leg, Bobby’s  transference goes to Ed to climb and  kill the threat.  At that point, Ed became leader as Lewis was immobilized.  Ed takes over the leadership role , was  anxious, somewhat fearless, and put aside moral principles in killing that mountain man. He also  lied to the sheriff at the end of their trip.

Lewis was  the  most delinquent among the four.  He didn't fear anyone.  He negotiated  with the people from  Appalachia;  cut them off while driving to the river to be first and  killed.  His actions had contagious effects.  He had no trouble killing, he was fearless and guiltless in covering up the murder.  He was business like- matter of fact.  Actually, the other three also went along with Lewis and  also engaged in delinquent behavior. Ed and Drew ' moral code became non-existent.   Bobby  was more overt .He had his revenge working for him.  He wanted to commit sadistic brutality to that dead man for what he had done to him.

Furthermore, group identification results in mutual support for a behavior that’s not likely to be committed when alone.  It's  the obedience to the leader that  results in their  conscience  surrendering and being put out of action .  It's almost like the creation of a different conscience or superego.  Drew is firmly against the cover-up.  However, he goes along with the other three comrades.  During the digging of the grave, his guilt was expressed  by  aggressively digging  the grave  in order for it to be over , accomplished quickly and  out of sight.  Drew was the gentle musician that engaged in Duelling Banjos with the young mountain boy and was the most gentile man in the group.  However, he went along with the  cover up.  Bobby was sadistically  raped ,made to squeal like a pig, and was mounted by the mountain man.  Bobby was totally subservient  ,helpless and at the whim of the other.  He wanted revenge and had no trouble going after that  dead  mountain man's body.

Within a psychodynamic framework,  transference results from strong emotional dependency needs.  In one scene, Ed with his bow and arrow went into the forest.  He was excellent with the bow and arrow  when practicing at a shooting range. However, in the forest, he encountered a deer.  He took aim and had difficulty letting go as his arm shaked from fear and anxiety.  He was not able  to slay that deer.  His arrow clearly missed  the mark and the deer got away.  Previously, Lewis, excellent with the bow and arrow, killed fish for  their dinner and talked about the difference between practice and actually killing. After the missed shot, Ed returned to camp.  He doesn't dare tell Lewis that he choked and couldn't kill the deer.  He lied and said he didn't come across any game.  Clearly Ed was fearful that Lewis would withdraw and change his attitude from liking and respecting to putting him down as a loser , incompetent , a failure and worthless .  He didn't dare admit his inadequacies to the macho leader  Lewis. He feared disapproval and rejection.  Unconsciously, separation anxiety from the past becomes significant. Early in life, children fear of being abandoned by their parents .This common unconscious dynamic becomes  exacerbated specially with  the unexpected, not being in control and with   obstacles of nature as well as man. Separation anxiety surfaced for Ed . He was anxious and fearful of losing Lewis.

Reassurance is another dependency that surfaces with  danger.  At the end of the film, Ed ,the new leader, created  a different  story than   Lewis’ to tell to the authorities.  Ed didn't want them to  look upstream because of the  2  drowned bodies.  The new story was that Drew drowned in the rapids and Lewis got injured in the rapids with no mention of the mountain man.  Yes, they had 4 life vests but Drew didn't wear his.  When asked why, Ed said he didn't know.  He was  fearful that the rock tied  bodies would be found .  Ed demanded that Bobby stick to the story and Bobby did as agreed.  Bobby was fearful but was strongly dependent on Ed.  He therefore suppressed any idea that went against Ed.  Even Lewis, when told that story was changed by Ed, agreed and told the sheriff he didn't remember anything.

At the end of the film, Ed visits Drew's family. He was remorseful  and experienced guilt when he lied about Drew’s death. He was the only one that demonstrated  overt guilt. He sobbed, placed his head against his wife;s breast,  rationalized his actions, but was unable to tell his wife the truth  This trip ,by the four ,was not a deliverance from evil but conflictual .    Bobby was sadistically raped,  Drew  was murdered , Lewis seriously injured  and Ed  murdered , experienced guilt and could not admit the cover up.  Bobby was ashamed , humiliated and could not admit  his experience to anyone .  There was no deliverance from evil . On the positive, there was  group cohesiveness, bonding, teamwork, physical prowess and survival.  On the negative,there was sadism ,rape, amorality , guilt and murder .

Sadism

 Five members of the Memphis Police Department sadistically murdered Tyre Nichols.  A couple of these officers are Scorpion Division members.  That division was recently formed to police street crimes operating in certain areas of that city.  It's been reported that they are faced with car thefts, gang investigations, narcotics and guns.  This unit has been credited with about 2000 arrests .  40 officers divided into four teams make up this unit.  To be clear, anxiety, fear, aggression,  irrationality, sadism, impaired morality and violence are exhibited under conditions of real or imagined  danger or threats  frequently to  their well-being for this group of men .  This essay provides reasons for violence  occurrences .

Special units like The Seals , the Rangers; and various other law enforcement units have been  created  to disarm, capture , and kill various targets.  Specifically, certain character types are drawn to serve  In these units and they undergo specialized  violence training .  They learn how to protect themselves and how to subdue others.  In other words, violence behaviors are taught and learned.

 Learning violent  behavioral techniques are taught  by Imitation and Modeling .  This teaching technique physically demonstrates strategies and/ or techniques designed to  hurt, damage, disarm, capture and even kill . In other words, violence can be taught, employing a number of methods or the how to.

Violence can also be described as playful. Playful Violence  occurs when displaying a skill.  The aim or goal is not to injure or to kill one's opponent.  For example, Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills tackled the Cincinnati ball carrier. A violent collision resulted in Hamlin collapsing as a result of a cardiac issue.  Hamlin's goal was to tackle and bring down that ball carrier.  His goal was not to injure or kill that player.  Sports, especially football, have many examples of violent behavior.  In an attempt to minimize injury , the players wear special helmets, shoulder pads etc. and even have referees handing out penalties for unsportsmanlike actions.

 Reactive Violence also occurs.  Reactive Violence is related to defending one's life, dignity,  property that’s perceived by real or imaginary fears.  Often that threat, but not always, is based on external  manipulating messages from  politicians.  It's  a culture , with  an attitude  toward violence.  Police units like Scorpion are designed to enter specific areas of the community that are classified as dangerous.  As a result of entering a potentially dangerous confrontation or situation, they become anxious or fearful.  In other words, the job, the assignment is associated with stress, anxiety and fear regardless of training or having weapons.  These individuals are ready to defend themselves at all times.  Regarding Nichols, were these policemen sadistically reacting based on threats to their well-being ?

One aspect  of Reactive Violence is the result of frustration.  Frustration can be the result of some goal not being met; a narcissistic injury; not being able to perform; etc. Frustration can be related and pertain to  interactions with  one's spouse, children, job, finances, and so forth.  Frustration can be immediate or it can be repressed based on earlier  goal  failures .  Were these police officers acting out their frustration when dealing with Nichols  and/ or were Nichols actions  the reason ?

 Violence frustration  and action  is also  based on envy, jealousy and hate.  This means someone else has what you want and /or  the other person is favored and  has some advantage . Paul Pelosi had much more going for him than his despicable attacker.  Were these policemen envious or jealous of something related to Nichols or his family ? Envy ,jealousy  and hate are psychological deficits. 

Revengeful Violence is a common theme in many current dramas and even has a special place in the Bible with the  Eye for Eye reference.  Gandhi cleverly remarked that this behavior can lead to the world going blind.  Essentially, revenge is based on some injury that has already occurred.  That  reaction is an irrational response that functions to somehow  magically undo what has already occurred.  It's really an attempt to restore  self-esteem, narcissism that has been threatened by having been injured or being deprived of something. It’s  not only common in primitive cultures, when the  tribe feels obliged to avenge the injury that was inflicted upon someone in their group . Jan 6 comes to mind. Were these officers inflicting some kind of “revenge” on Nichols or some other social ,cultural  present or past issue of revenge ?

A  Loss of Faith begins very early in life. For some,  there appears to be a life space filled with  goodness, love, justice, truth, and so forth.  Then as one  ages  that faith , that illusion  or trust in father, mother or God  becomes shattered.  Was the father truthful; does the mother favor another sibling and so forth?  The loss of trust, faith, ideals and being disappointed or betrayed result from a number of experiences.  Depending upon the amount, degree, frequency  of the negatives of the shaking of that foundation,  can result in tendencies becoming negative and skeptical.  As a rule, negative, skeptical individuals identify with some “powerful “ authority. That authority can be the church, political party ,leader or even a police force. It’s an unconscious attempt  to regain some faith in justice, fair play, or even law and order. Also,  seeking power, prestige, and possessions are other unconscious tendencies to magically undo  earlier disappointments.

Related to the shattering of faith, a deeply deceived, mistrustful individual often has tendencies toward hate and destruction . With despair, disappointments in life  lead to  hating self, scapegoating others, and self harm. Unfortunately, scapegoating is not only irrational , but it also becomes a defensive barrier and blocks a person's ability to take responsibility for aggressive and violent behavior while not admitting one's   flaws, failures, disturbed morality and misery. Scapegoating  with hate has been used for centuries by both the powerful and their followers.

Compensatory Violence is unconscious and is a substitute for productive activity occurring in the impotent.  It could be social forces and/or circumstances that seem to get in the way of mastery, achievement or success .It's easy to find scapegoats to blame for feelings of misery and impotence.  Generally, man wants to transform ,change, and have some form of  meaningful impact on the world. It’s difficult to accomplish  realistic change  when one's will is compromised by reasons of weakness, anxiety, incompetence, Intellectual deficits, and moral failings. It becomes very difficult to accept being powerless and the unconscious motivation is to attempt to restore those  deficiencies.  Often these individuals submit and identify to persons or groups having more  effectance and power. That substitution often results in disappointment ,frustration, doom  , gloom.and incarnation.  Submitting and being part of a powerful group does not mitigate feelings of  hate, low self esteem and impotence. They, in turn, become victims.

Related to Compensatory Violence is the drive for complete and absolute control over anything living. This is  Sadistic Violence which amounts to having complete mastery and dominance over  the living .  The goal is to make the  individual helpless because of our will; the drive to humiliate him ; and have him suffer without him being able to defend himself.  The pleasure is for complete domination to transform ,so that the individual loses his freedom, his quality of life.  This occurs because these sadists are crippled  with hate. This malignancy is  a result of many factors. However, despite their neurosis, these individuals still  have the potential for destructive and sadistic behaviors.  Sadism can be suppressed by fear of punishment but when submission weakens, the brutal inhumane behavior  becomes manifest.  These five policemen exhibited  malignant Sadistic Violence.  Tyree Nichols was dominated and treated without any dignity. These policemen had complete control and with sadistic brutality as he was beaten  and murdered . The Judeo-Christian morality of love thy neighbor,  thou shall not kill,  law and order was not present.  There was no opposition to  these murderers.

Another element, but beyond the scope of this essay, relates to  violence activated by group dynamics.  With special forces, a leader emerged.  Did the leader model  hateful Sadistic behavior ?  Did other members of the group engage in Sadistic behavior because of  their identification  with him   ?  Was  being one of the gang ;  membership with  the Scorpions and/or to the rest of the Memphis police force and/or law enforcement in general- with their uncontrolled  culture of sadistic behavior toward Blacks ?

Within group dynamics, the formation of a team becomes extremely important.  With  group cohesion, power, loyalty and a sense of brotherhood  emerges.  With group cohesion, team members rely on each other to the fullest.  In combat, it's not uncommon for one team member to perform some  heroic act to save another.  The goal is to acknowledge that you want that team member in the same foxhole as you.  Attitudes, feelings and goals become clear.  When there is  loss, PTSD symptoms occur.  The goal is the team, the team.  Did these external and situational factors of conformity , group goals  create behaviors  which otherwise might not be expressed ?

In summary, there are different motives  and amorality for engaging in  malignant sadistic behavior. The  amoral  police have a sadistic code of   hate, discrimination, oppression , not respecting  nor  being perceived as a full human and killing  blacks.There was no opposition to  these murders. It's clear that Tyree Nichols was the recipient of sadistic actions .   In any event, Nichols was the victim.  Statistics show that additional funding for the police does not  correlate with much less cause or result in less crime.  Therefore, a special police unit does not appear to be the solution for reducing crime.  Arrests, drug issues, car thefts  require a special unit ? Maybe less is better than more? 

Reference

Fromm, Erich.  The Heart of Man  , It's genius for good and evil.

US Exceptionalism

 

Morality leads to  the writings and research provided by Freud, Piaget and Kohlberg.Lying , for example, appears to be  the norm especially in politics.  Only when lying to Congress, under oath,and the FBI  appears to result in consequences.  Even the 10 Commandments:  "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" identifies lying as wrong.  In any event, to lie is based on the perception of the beholder.  A myth is also a lie and defined as a widely held but  false belief or idea.  It's been said"  The tension between myth and reality does not undermine the country, it defines it."  New York Times, January 8, 2023. This disposition pertains to lies and myths related to  the R political party .

Lying behavior begins  early in children.  Developmentally , at about 4 to 6 years of age , a child's notion of  good  or bad  behavior is based upon rewards and punishments administered by father and/or mother  based on their  standards within their superego. Telling a lie, for example, is likely to be followed by some form of physical or emotional punishment such as fear of disapproval or loss of love  . Then while entering middle childhood, behaviors considered good or bad tend to be based on conscience development  or an internal source.  With  conscience development , prohibitions against specific behaviors become less determined by external rewards and punishment, but by internal prohibitions  with cognitive maturity and development .

 It has been demonstrated, by Piaget and Kohlberg, that moral and cognitive abilities  develop.  A five-year-old does not have the same moral and cognitive capacities as an adolescent.  The five-year-old determines right and wrong, good and bad based on praise and punishment from an external source.  The adolescent, on the other hand, has the more mature moral, and cognitive development.  As a result, right and wrong, good and bad begins to be determined by abstract thinking , generalized standards as opposed to highly specific, concrete prohibitions.  Adolescents are more capable of shifting from absolutely rigid standards to more flexible  with motivational intent, rather than simply the act itself . They also are capable of  taking into account in assessing blame or determining guilt.  Many cognitive functions play a role in conscience development such as time, future gratifications, consequences of right and wrong..Also, values and ideals assist so that they may become increasingly more aware of the effect of their actions as well as the perception about the feelings of others .  They begin to see the logical necessity for people to cooperate with one another in the interest of all.  Conscience development through maturation allows them to become more aware of values and standards, commitment to following them depending upon other factors such as identifications and probability of experiencing guilt for  violations. 

  In other words, abstract reasoning, societal influences, parental identification, and ability to experience guilt also become factors in  behavioral actions. As an adult, however, loss of love, approval ,disapproval ,and/or  positive expectations for gain based on  deceit, falsification, manipulation  in one's quest for power, prestige, and possession are other reasons for lying with or without excessive guilt.

Historically, a story  published in 1806, nearly 7 years after George Washington passed, was that George at about six years of age, was given a hatchet and one morning he cut down a cherry tree. That never  happened and is just one of the myths about George Washington .

 Returning to the present, is the voter fraud lie about the 2020 presidential election. One lie was that  Dominion Voting Machine and the software firm Smartmatic were responsible for  irregularities that cost Trump the election.  Currently, there is a lawsuit of over $1 billion against Rupert Murdoch and associates scheduled to go to trial in April of this year.

On January 6, 2021, there was an attack on the capital called  patriotic and a spontaneous reaction by attorneys representing the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.  The Justice Department said no, their behavior was not spontaneous, it was a planned sedition.  They were found  guilty of sedition which is a conspiracy defined by Title 18 US Code of Justice.  Chapter 15.  It's essentially a federal crime for an uprising against or overthrowing the government through speech, publication  or organization.

About 70 years or so ago, the Republican Party made deliberate efforts to bring white Southerners to its side as the  Democratic Party grew more active and supportive of civil rights.  The growth of right-wing media platforms,  the Republican Party's declining commitment to truth have fostered  lies .  The reference to reshape the narrative about US history became a central theme of this Darkside movement in general and the Trump administration in  particular. From  Gingrich and now to DeSantis are efforts to change the reality around Critical Race Theory.  CRT is a multidisciplinary review by social civil rights scholars, activists, of  laws, social and political movements that are shaped by social conceptions of race and ethnicity.  CRT is more than 40 years old and points out that racism is not merely the product of individual bias or prejudice but also something to do with our legal systems and policies.  White supremacy lies about our reality of what happened to black slaves and Native Americans, in both pre-and post Lincoln's executive order and the Civil War.

One example was an article titled” Taking Liberties,” also found in the New York Times, illustrated the “Dark Side” in which  white Southerners were free to brutalize, plunder, lay waste and call sadistic behavior peace to rape and humiliate, invade, conquer, uproot and degrade.  These behaviors were propelled by J.W, Comer , a plantation owner, who in the late 19th century became the architect of the vast sadistic and extremely lucrative system of convict labor.  In fact, Pres. Andrew Jackson attempted  to bring order to the Creek Indian settlement of Alabama. However, a surge of whites  into the new state became one of the fiercest tides of human migration in human history.  There was an invasion of Creek  homes, burned crops, and  families being driven out and killings of these native Americans.  It was simply an excuse for  white entitlement . Alabama essentially made a mockery of the treaties with the Creek Indians as federal troops  turned their backs and did not contain the white wave of hate and destruction.  Instead, the  Federal presence touched off a series of violent reprisals, created a cast of martyrs, heroes that gave rise to the mythology of white victimization ,self-rule by local authority. This will to power became articles of faith ,fervid as any religious belief  that Alabama was wrought and consecrated through a bitter sacrament of blood, wrote one historian.

Later, George Wallace , of Alabama, entered  politics against the "ungodly government"and the persecution of whites.  Blacks were the perfect scapegoat for whites under strain and looking for someone to blame with their overt and covert  reaction against the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act . Racism was central to Wallace's appeal. His grievance, and enemies  included the  elites, press and the federal government.  Wallace declared “ Being a Southerner is no longer geographic,  It's a philosophy and attitude.” Now we hear the same from DeSantis, who won his reelection in 2022 by banning CRT in classrooms  and/or discussion of gender etc.. He  called this individual freedom ?

Another myth was called American Exceptionalism.  Exceptional can be defined as unusual, not typical ,abnormal and so forth.  Roughly 20 years ago,  politicians like Newt Gingrich popularized and hailed the United States as "the most unique civilization in history."  However, they assailed  anyone who did not bow before that concept.  Yes, America has exceptional athletes like Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Tom Brady, Jim Brown and others .  Our NFL players are predominantly from this country.  However, when it comes to basketball, three of the leading players for MVP are Jokic, Antetokounmpo and Doncic, all born on foreign soil .  Nobel Prize winners  Linus Pauling, Ernest Hemingway, Martin Luther King, Bob Dylan, Barack Obama, Doris Lessing and others are without question  exceptional human beings.  The list of individuals goes on and on.

  However, there are  other statistics that challenge and suggest hypocrisy regarding  US exceptionalism: 1.  We have about 121 guns per individual.  Yes, that's an  unusual statistic that I would call abnormal.  2.  Our Defense costs are more than all our major  allies combined.  That number is not typical but abnormal.  3.  We have tremendous income inequality and many became billionaires during the pandemic. Roughly 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck and income inequality is growing faster than ever .  Those numbers are not typical but abnormal.  4.  We have tremendous incarceration  rates per population exceeding other countries.  These numbers are not typical but abnormal 5.  Our school age children have lower academic scores for reading, math and science compared to other countries.  These facts are abnormal.  6.  A pathological liar, was elected president, and recently another elected to Congress.  On the front page of the January 15, 2023  The New York Times was an article titled "Santos's Deceits Weren't a Secret in GOP Circles" "Red Flags Seen  In ' 21.   These facts are not normal but abnormal 7.  Healthcare costs are more than  other developed countries.  These facts are not normal but abnormal. 8.  When was the last time two Wasp college football teams played for a national championship?  9.  When was the last time a Wasp won the Boston Marathon?  10.  Never has an all Wasp professional  football team won the Super Bowl. In the 1960s, the football gods said that a black man wasn't smart enough to play quarterback.  This year's Super Bowl has two black quarterbacks. Yes, we are exceptional, but ,sadly ,not in a  positive way .

Conservative is defined as adverse to change, innovation and holding traditional values.  Racism has been a traditional value in this country since Jefferson referred to Blacks as being 3/5 of a white male human.  They were not given a chance for life, liberty, happiness and justice in this country. This is  fact, not a myth.

 Another example of R racism relates to abortion as  "Abortion Opponents Attacked the Spread of Information" found in the December 4, 2002  edition of the New York Times.The GOP dismantled Roe v Wade.  With abortion being banned in more than a dozen states ,abortion opponents still have confusion about the legality of not just having an abortion but even discussing the procedure.  The ultimate goal seems to be ensuring that women are unclear about their options to obtain abortion or contraception in their home state or elsewhere  .A few examples: 1.  Nebraska law enforcement obtained a warrant to search a teenager's private Facebook messages. She told her mother of her urgent desire to end her pregnancy.  Mother is now being prosecuted on charges of helping her daughter abort the pregnancy by giving advice about abortion pills  2.  Proposed legislation in South Carolina would've made it unlawful to provide information about abortions.  3.  In September, the University of Idaho issued guidance that it might be illegal for employees to promote birth control or abortion 4.  In Texas , two abortion groups-groups that help people pay and travel for abortion this year received  deposition demand letters from people tied to anti abortion lawmakers for information on anyone who has aided and abetted the procedure.  5.  In Oklahoma, some library workers were warned about helping patrons find information about abortion, even uttering the word.  In an  Email, the employees were told they could face a $10,000 fine , jail time or even lose their jobs If they didn't comply.

Covid-19 and vaccination misinformation lies have been conveyed and boggles the mind.  Covid-19 is easily transmissible.  There is no vaccine that provides 100% protection from a virus, let alone the one in question.  However, research has found that by receiving vaccination and or booster, one is not going to die or likely wind up in the hospital with serious symptoms.  One recent lie was that Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills, who collapsed on the field,  was not of cardiac arrest or heart arrhythmia, but caused by the vaccine.  I also heard that a vaccinated person can  infect another-the vaccine somehow  jumps from one body into someone else's body to infect another ?

In conclusion, some voting R, have a primitive authoritarian conscience and cognitive development similar to young children .  They please, fearful of disappointing, are obedient,  obey and follow the authoritarian father figure . They are irrational, concrete  and do not have the ability for mature abstract thinking in order to synthesize and assimilate dissonant information.  Unfortunately, the truth, for them, is based on the external provided by the authoritarian leader  and/or the lies provided  by TV and social media platforms . Being a pathological liar and the spreading of misinformation does not matter-facts do not matter.  Lies distort reality in one's favor.  Motives  vary and individuals are easily misled and believe all types of supernatural and preposterous things as man's history has shown us.  The R party  holds on to its power by its lies .Others , in power, associated with the R party, lie , falsify information and express hate with their masterful and sophisticated ability to fool and deceive the less intelligent and morally weak.  Follow the money as millions are collected from online donations (extremists have raised at least $6.2 million between 2016 and 2022; Jones  etc.), and  find those that seek the gods of power, prestige, and possession. The means justify the ends. In other words, lying is the first commandment.

Exceptionalism

 

This essay portrays three incarcerated men. Capt. Alfred Dreyfus was imprisoned on Devil's Island; Dr. Viktor Frankel was in four different Nazi concentration camps; and Capt. Louis Zamperini in four different Japanese prisoner of war camps.  They were all subjected to unprecedented hate, sadism, brutal and inhuman and unconscionable levels of extreme physical and emotional stress.  Yet, these three demonstrated their resilience and overcame obstacles that confronted them daily and were able to give back to their fellow man.  This is a brief look into their character. 

Initially it can be stated that emotional and/or physical pain is in the eye of the beholder.  For example, when describing pain to a health provider, one is asked to rate that  on  a scale of 1 to 10.  Doctors prescribe pain medication based on one's complaint.  If addicted, one goes to multiple providers for their meds.  The number of pills can be limited but there is no objective way of discernment regarding pain or discomfort.

Years back, psychologically, an external stress index was created in an attempt to measure the stress levels of different life events.  Numerical values were  assigned to each episode.  A few examples of the higher valued levels of stress: 1.  Death of a spouse = 100  2. Divorce= 73 3.  Marital separation = 65  4.  Jail or imprisonment.= 63 and 5.  Death of a close family member =63.  Note, there was no measure for solitary confinement; being falsely accused of treason  ; being publicly shamed; being a witness to family and other human beings murdered; being subjected to starvation; being physically beaten and sadistically treated as if you were a nonhuman;or  being treated without any sense of morality, right, wrong, or reason.

Capt. Alfred Dreyfus, of Jewish ancestry, was born in Milhouse, France .  In 1870, the Franco- Persian war occurred and the Dreyfus family moved to Switzerland because that part of France was annexed by Germany .  After Alfred finished high school, the family moved to Paris.  That war, Germany taking what was once France , led to Alfred's joining the French military.  In spite of anti-Semitism, "Jews were not desired," Alfred was promoted  and became part of the general staff that was, anti-semetic.  Shortly thereafter, a French housekeeper found a torn up handwritten note of  French military secrets in a wastebasket at the German Embassy.

Alfred was accused of being a traitor and at his closed court-martial,  one member of the French staff testified that the handwritten note in question was written by Capt. Dreyfus.  With that "evidence" the military tribunal found him guilty of treason.  He was told that if he admitted the crime, he and his family would be exiled.  Alfred denied the preposterous charges.  That he would give war secrets to Germany, the country that made him and his family leave France, nonsense.

There was a ceremony  to humiliate and publicly shame Capt. Dreyfus in front of the military and the public.  Dreyfus had his rank insignia, buttons and braids cut from his uniform and his sword broken in  two pieces..  Capt. Dreyfus responded to the age-old shaming attempt with dignity and self-respect.  He looked straight ahead, not downward or shy away with a whimper.  His pride did not allow him to lose face as he cried out, "I swear that I'm innocent, I remain worthy of serving in the Army, long live France.  Long live the Army."  These are not words of the traitor, but of a proud, patriotic, Jewish French military officer.  France's motto of liberty, equality, and fraternity were absent along with honor of the military.  He was exiled to Devil's Island in French Guiana from 1895 until 1899.

Alfred was given food and shelter  in solitary confinement.  During those years, he wrote letters, but was not allowed to receive any .  He was cut off ,alone and isolated.  Yet, he prevailed, he did not allow the sadistic abuse to put him in despair.  During that period,on the home front, Emile Zola had published in a French newspaper, the lies, the betrayal and anti-Semitism related to that closed phony hearing by the French military.  A second trial was held.Of course, he was found guilty.  However, in order to save face for the military's mistake, he was given a pardon by the French president.  However, if he had refused the pardon, he would've been sent back to Devil's Island. In  Dreyfus's mind,he  was still seen as a traitor to France and said at his release.  "The government of the Republic is giving me back my freedom.  It is nothing for me without my honor."  He lived in house arrest until he was finally exonerated by a military commission in 1906.  During that time, the actual French traitor told his story and it was published for all to see.

 

While in the military, Alfred served the Army for France from 1890 to 1918 and achieved the rank of Lieut.  He participated at the battle of Verdun and the second battle of  Aisne during World War I.  Lieut. Dreyfus was promoted to officer of the Legion of Honour, and there is a statue of the Lieut. holding his broken sword at the exit of Notre Dame des Champs Metro Station . He passed at the age of 74.

Dr. Viktor Frankel was born in Vienna, Austria, and was educated as a neurologist and psychiatrist.  He later also earned a PhD in philosophy.  He founded a logotherapy school of psychotherapy that described a search for life's meaning as a central human motivational force.  Dr. Frankel , in nine days,wrote a book originally titled "A Psychologist Experiences the Concentration Camp."  This book was translated into English as "Man's Search for Meaning."

In 1942, nine months after his marriage, Dr. Frankel and his family were sent to the Theresienstadt Concentration camp, where his father died.  In 1944, the family was transported to Auschwitz where his mother and brother were murdered in the gas chambers.  His wife died later of typhus in another concentration camp. .He spent three years in four concentration camps and witnessed mechanized disgraceful mass beatings and killings of innocent men, women and children.

Briefly, he assisted many prisoners , with their psychological issues, during those terrible years despite the tragic losses he personally experienced.  Viktor had to confront his own anxiety, despair, depression, and grief.  His strong sense of self, identity and ego gratitude allowed him to be human despite the inhumanity all around him. 

He founded Logotherapy. It’s based on paradoxical intentions ie.  overcoming concessions and anxieties, distancing and humorous exaggeration; dereflection drawing the client's attention away from  symptoms; and Socratic dialogue asking questions designed to help clients find and pursue self to find meaning in life.  Self talk and challenging irrational ideas and illusions ; pursuing a future and future goals are significant for modifying negative emotions through verbalization.  These patients , in the past , had successful careers and family, and in the present suffered severe trauma, starvation, and loss of loved ones.  It was therefore  important to focus on many things, and not dwell on the past. The task was to find and focus on positives while searching for meaning in order to make sense of the sadism in their surroundings.

In 1947 Viktor Frankel remarried and he had one daughter who became a child psychologist.  It was later reported that after his death , he prayed every day and had memorized the words of daily Jewish prayers and Psalms.  He died in 1997 in Vienna, age 92,  of heart failure. His gratuitous life was characterized by responsibility ,staying intact , completeness, honesty, moral obligation, delight, psychological harmony ,psychological and ethical eros, sincerity, prudence, conscience,  amiability and holiness  . Other books he wrote include: The Doctor and the Soul, On the Theory and Therapy of Mental Disorders, Psychotherapy and Existentialism,  The Will to Meaning, The Unheard Cried for Meaning, Viktor Frankel, Recollections and Autobiography ,Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning, Yes to Life in Spite of Everything. Dr. Frankel earned many decorations and awards as well.  In 1995 he was Honorary Citizen of the City of Vienna and Great Gold-Medal with Star for Services to the Republic of Austria. Strength, resilience, achievement, and humanism define his character.

Louis Zamperini born in 1917, attended the University of Southern California and ran in the 5000 m race in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin finishing eighth while setting a new lap record in the process..  After the race, Hitler shook his hand and said, "you're the boy with the fast finish."  He was commissioned into the United States Army Air Force as a lieutenant, rose to the rank of Capt. and served as a bombardier on a B 24 Liberator in the Pacific.  He  later received the distinguished flying Cross award.  His plane crashed in the Pacific ,and after drifting at sea ,starving and fighting off sharks for 47 days with two other crewmates.  They landed on the Japanese occupied Marshall Islands and were captured.

 Capt. Louis was taken to  four different prisoner of war camps in Japan where he was tortured , mistreated and severely beaten specially by Mutsuhiro Watanabe.  This prison guard was called "the Bird '' and later included Gen. Douglas MacArthur's list of the 40 most wanted war criminals in Japan.  Louis was also held in the same camp as Greg.  "Pappy" Boynton .  The major described the Italian recipes that Louis wrote to keep the prisoners' minds off the food and conditions.  Once again the use of positive  thinking helped alleviate emotional distress.  Focusing and obsessing on the negative emotional reality becomes unproductive and contributes to anxiety, distress, depression, without future hope.

After  returning home, this veteran, awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, experienced  nightmares, thought about strangling his former captors and began drinking heavily, attempting to repress his POW experiences.  He had symptoms associated with PTSD. His dreams and nightmares were an insight into the sadistic situation that he experienced.  Thus, his dream symbolism were  sophisticated defenses against taking those actions to reality. He was safe in his dream world.  And when he mastered the symbolism of terror  of  his dream life, it set him free  and was again  to live with  ego integrity . Fortunately, his wife Cynthia became a Born-Again Christian and encouraged him to attend a Billy Graham Crusade. He found meaning ,his religious experience also reinforced his ability  to forgive his captors and when that happened, his sleep improved.  He then began a career as a Christian evangelist .  He visited many guards from his POW days and told them that he had forgiven them.  Four days before his 81st birthday, Louis ran a leg in the Olympic torch relay for the Winter Olympics in Japan not far from the POW camp where he had been held.  Louis  sent " The Bird" letter stating that while he suffered great mistreatment, he forgave him.  Louis never received a response and the bird died in 2003.  In 2005,  Capt. Louis returned to Germany to visit the Berlin Olympic stadium.  In his 90s,  he attended USC football games, appeared on Jay Leno's show and died of pneumonia in 2014 at the age of 97. Capt.  Louis' character and resilience was illustrated by slaying his demons and giving to others.  His character is associated  with  ego integrity.

  In summary, these three humans experienced  chronic stress with unimaginable levels of cortisol that not only endangered their being but also created traumatic memories and flashbacks pertaining to their inhumane nightmare.  Despite these conditions, these men were able to integrate  and unify  their ego integrity within a strong sense of self. Because of ego integrity , they were able to  adapt to the horrific  sadistic dark side  actions of their captors; they were able to accept the insecure, dependent, helpless reality of their situation because of their inner strength and fortitude.  They were also  able to defend their dignity of who they were, and not feel  despair ,despite the  consistent physical and emotional threats to their well-being.  They didn't fear death as they had the inner resources of their character and  personality .They had  personal meaning to give back to make the world better. 

Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact, said William James, philosopher and psychologist . 

Reference

Beebe, John.  Integrity in Depth. 

Erikson, Erik H.  Childhood and Society.

Assisting the Unfortunate

The article in the New York Times December 11, 2022    "A Doctor Has New York's Ear.On Mentally Ill"  is the topic for this disquisition.  Psychiatrist E.  Fuller Torrey  advocated  mandatory mental health treatment for many years.  In fact, he's been instrumental  with the enactment of  treatment laws in many states for the mentally ill.  States have enacted mandatory treatment or Kendra's law based on the belief that mental illness and crime are one of the same. However, epidemiological  research  found about 4% of violent acts can be directly attributed to mental illness while many of them are low-level assaults such as in pushing, shoving and slapping people. Recently, Mayor Eric Adams of New York  instituted a policy that  sends people with untreated mental illness. to hospitals even if they posed no threat to others. Unfortunately, the article did not define mentally ill,  treatment provided, particulars on how  individuals would be selected with what criteria, by whom and carted away in what type of vehicles.  If individuals did not want to cooperate, are they  now criminals?  Further, is there a plan to evaluate this policy ?

 California, with Short-Doyle legislation, began closing state mental health hospitals In the 1970s.  Funds were transferred to mental health treatment centers in  county  locations.  These mental health facilities provided outpatient mental health services for the general population, and for  the hospital patients that were being released into the community.  The outpatient treatment was provided by psychiatrists, psychologists, MSW's, MFCC’s and licensed mental health workers . The  psychiatrists   prescribed psychotropic medication .The treatment program also incorporated individual and group therapy along with other structured experiences.  Psychotropic medication was significant, and a major and necessary part of the treatment. Group homes,in the community, were also established to provide meals, housing, and staff on a 24-hour basis for these patients .

Mental illness refers to a wide range of symptoms and conditions that affect mood, thinking and behavior.  There are many examples of mental illness with diagnoses  found in the DSM - 5, the  diagnostic  bible.  However, only a limited number of  diagnoses found in the DSM 5 are covered by health or medical insurance. 3rd party payers discriminate. If a diagnosis can be treated by a pill, that condition  likely qualifies for a limited number of treatment sessions. The motive is profit , not mental health for the insured. Therefore, what individuals, with what mental illness diagnosis, are to receive mandatory treatment in New York  ? And, what are the particulars for the hospitalizations in New York?

As a psychologist in an outpatient treatment center and in private practice,  I provided individual, couples and family psychotherapy therapy  with a wide range of  diagnosis’ . Included, in treatment, were foster care children.  I also administered psycho diagnostic evaluations at residential group homes for adolescents; locked door facilities for adults; and for  incarcerated prisoners referred for competency to stand trial.  Psychotropic medication played a significant  and necessary role in treatment , for some,even with  side effects .  Unfortunately, meds  do reduce or minimize symptoms , but they do not reconstruct one's character or personality.

Mental illness is a broad category ,easily  misunderstood and loosely used. Do we use  an insurance definition of mental illness or the DSM-5 ?   Even a schizophrenic reaction  can be misunderstood.  For a brief  example, there is not only a wealth of symptoms and  various types of schizophrenia  but also they are not all mutually exclusive.  They are not even separate or are even separate subtypes of the disease.  Schizophrenics may have difficulty and misinterpret reality, sometimes exhibit delusions and hallucinations.  Mood changes occur with loss of empathy with others and actions  may be withdrawn, regressive and bizarre. Further, schizophrenia can be treated with  individual and group psychotherapy, drugs, group homes,and structure  as previously mentioned. 

 Briefly, precipitating factors for schizophrenia  are a loss or threatened loss of a major source of gratification as well as a loss or threatened loss of basic security.  The onset is often slow and insidious. Not being able to meet ordinary life demands becomes obvious.  Many schizophrenics have lived as children within a pathological family organization.  It's not uncommon for a potentially psychotic parent to be able to keep reasonably clinically well, by scapegoating one of their offspring - the identified patient or crazy .

One of the primary contributing factors for a schizophrenia diagnosis are the parents.  Some parents are sadistic, neglectful, or indifferent to the child who then  has no chance to internalize a stable parental image.  Some parents don't realize their craziness and defend what they are doing , even though it’s inappropriate, wrong and unhealthy.  Some parents are severely mentally ill  and have also been reared in a dysfunctional  family organization .

Last year, a 17-year-old from the state of Illinois, attended a political protest in another state.  This boy, armed with an automatic weapon,had his accomplice mother drive him.  She did  drive him and he murdered.  That mother was an accomplice and should have been charged too.  Also, a teen in Michigan  , killed  four students at his high school.  This time his parents were also charged.  Parents of adolescents should be held accountable for their role in contributing to their killer children.

Currently, there are over 400,000 children and adolescents in foster care.  These foster care children experience high rates of mental health disorders and are at an increased risk of experiencing negative long-term health outcomes as well. Further, the number of homeless in the United States is estimated at 552,830 and approximately 16 to 33% of these people are mentally ill.There is likely a significant and positive correlation between foster care children and adult homelessness.  More than likely, there is a great  percentage of mental illness with foster care, and homelessness   significantly related to parenting conditions.  Yes, sex is a psychological need, but rearing children is not.  There is no manual on child rearing or who should be a  parent.  Parenting is complex, difficult to say the obvious.  Socioeconomic conditions, divorce,political dysfunction, social media, Covid -19  add to fear, anxiety, threats to safety, security  and wellbeing .  

Parenting plays a significant role in increased numbers of the mentally ill’ What can be done about it ? A few suggestions: 1.  Years ago, lepers were taken to Molokai.  They were  pushed  overboard and had to swim  to shore for their survival  2.  We can continue the same policies and expect the same results  3.  We could limit the number of children per family and legislate who should be allowed to be parents  4.  We could encourage and support abortion  5.  We could establish some form of a kibbutz with collective principles that would generate very different upbringing. 6.  We could build more hospitals, more locked  facilities and have police round up  all the crazies 7. We could place clinicians in schools to help evaluate and recommend treatment and/or options for children and their families for those in need 8.  We could evaluate current foster care and / or implement a new model when taking children from their parents.  9. We could invest in mental health and make it a priority.

In reality, our capitalistic socioeconomic system is predicated on profit for a  minority.  Historically, that has been the policy and enactment of those in power.  Altruism, on the other hand, requires  concern for others and enlightened thinking. The Dalai Lama once said "our prime purpose in this life is to help others.

Reference

Cameron, Norman.  Personality Development And Psychopathology .  A Dynamic Approach.

The Dark Side

 

Over the years, children have been referred to as our most precious resource and wanting them to have a better  life.  However, revenue for public school funding has  been inadequate ,especially in metropolitan cities ; political pressure dictating what can be taught in the schools; and a declining interest  and supply of teachers suggests something very different regarding valuing  children.  The Education Office for Civil Rights logged a record number of discrimination complaints in the past year.  The complaints alleged  discrimination based on disability, race or sex. Child obesity rates continue to be a problem  ; depression, anxiety and mental health issue rates have increased for children; 11  countries have higher average mathematics scores and seven  countries have higher  science  scores.  Two thirds of eighth graders are not proficient in math and reading  and most common countries of origin for a degree in engineering are India and China.  And over 400,000 are in foster care. These statistics along with an article  in the December 18, 2022 edition of The New York Times also supports  the idea that children are not the most precious resource with the title "Since 2020, gun violence has surpassed car accidents as a leading cause of death for American children.  This disquisition points to significant thinking and action tendencies as described by Freud’s Id and Jung’s Shadow. 

A few statistics from this article : 1.  In our history, disease was once the number one killer of children and later was followed by automobile death.  20 years ago, even with the seatbelt  laws ,American children were still three times more likely to be killed in a car accident than to be killed by a firearm.  2.  The gun death rate for children is  five in every 100,000  3.  In 2021, 3,597 children died by gunfire according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 4.  Nearly 2/3 of those gun deaths involving children, or 2239 were homicides.  5.  The number of children that have died by suicide with a gun has also risen . Over the last decade , suicides made up about 30% of child gun deaths or 1,078  6.  Black boys are eight times more likely to die by gunfire historically 

 Applying the id  to children's gun deaths, the following is associated with murder . The id, according to Freud,  was the mechanism in which psychic energy was distributed and/or  also used by the ego and superego.  One of these systems could gain control over the available energy at the expense of the other two systems and become stronger than the weaker other two . Originally the id was seen as possessing all the energy and using it for reflex action and wish  or need fulfillment ( sex and aggression) by means of primary process  while pursuing pleasure  . This means these activities are  in direct service of the pleasure principle . In this very fluid state, actions  easily move from one action or image to another action or image.  Unfortunately, if the id had retained control over a large share of the  psychic energy, the behavior of the person  tends to be impulsive , primitive and aggressive in character. Thinking and behavior   becomes impulsive, irrational ,with dominant  tendencies and not affected by reason , objectivity, truth  nor  about right and wrong as with hate, prejudice, destruction and  murder .

Keeping irrational thinking and behavior regarding gun ownership in the forefront, the following questions and/or rationalizations are raised: 1.  The Second Amendment pertained to having  state regulated militias, a musket and not an AR automatic killing device.  2.  The gun is going to keep me safe, especially when I wear it in open view  3.  How many guns are required to keep an individual safe?  4. Bad guys have guns so I have to have a gun too.  Note, these rationalizations pertain to  underlying fear and anxiety.  The world can be dangerous and unpredictable.  Having control over many of the external random happenings  is fiction and fantasy.  Fear is about danger, it's objective and it's internal.  Anxiety is about danger.  It's subjective and it's internal.  Having the largest  Military and Defense expenditure in our budget is supposed to keep us safe and reduce anxiety or fear?  Having a multitude of  gun weapons is supposed to keep us safe and reduce fear and anxiety ? These beliefs are fantasy , delusional and crazy . An irrational  sick person with a gun is  dangerous.

Freud stated that the id is obscure  and  is in the unassessable part of  personality.  Also , the id contains everything that is inherited, that is present at birth and fixed in the Constitution of the individual. Briefly: 1.  The id is a mental function of idealized images and plays an active role in behavior determination.  2.  The existence of the id is illustrated by behavior, an absurd dream, daydreaming ,intoxications, delusions, psychotic symptoms, and sensory deprivation.  3.  The iid is the core of mental organization that is impervious to external reality,  asocial and never socialized.  4.  It's governed by pleasurable, immediate satisfaction of drives and needs without regard for consequences 5.  It's pleasurable, comforting with contentment, as in daydreams and fantasy 6.  Many different id needs coexist at the same time, and some are in conflict with each other 7.  The id's mental function persists throughout life, governed by drives for immediate gratification, called the primary  process .  8.  It's derived from physiological energy 9.  It gives rise to many irrational contradictions and therefore aspects of behavior are varied, not always understandable ,asocial and expressed in many different ways without consciousness  of what's happening or why.  It has no regard for consequences or logical reflection.

While thinking about Freud's id, I then focused my attention on  Carl Jung’s Analytic Theory. Jung had his own terminology.  For example, a man's personality  includes a Collective Unconscious which contains Archetypes . An archetype was a universal thought or idea, an idealized image in which  emotions  importantly play an active role in behavior determination. He identified many archetypes, One of his archetypes was called Shadow. The shadow was depicted as the  dark side of man. It consisted of  animal instincts which man inherited in his evolution from lower forms of life .The shadow was responsible for man's conception of Original Sin and when it was projected outward , it became the devil or the enemy. In other words, the shadow and/or the behavior is unpleasant and socially reprehensible with its thoughts, feelings and actions.  And, thus,the dark side of man could either be hidden from the public view or repressed into the personal unconsciousness . The idea of the  shadow is significant, with  its primitive animal instincts . It gives a more complete picture of  man’s destructive and aggressive personality and influenced by inheritance, development and societal influences .

Freud and Jung, brilliant creative giants both incorporated, in personality development, a dark ,destructive, and aggressive side of man.  Although both placed emphasis on . biology and personal interactions, Jung delved deeper into  interpersonal and societal and  causes for behavior. In any event,man can be characterized as being like a sheep with tendencies of  dependency  compliant, subservient, docile and following the crowd. Man can also be intelligent as with the Greek philosophers,  Enlightenment philosophers, natural, social  science  and political thinkers and others. They  have provided the world with knowledge, objectivity, morality  and reasoned enlightenment .  Man can also express aggressive tendencies and can  be irrational, impulsive,  reckless, guilty, criminal ,sinful, culpable etc. Religious prophets and laws have had  limited success in containing the dark side.  With that being said, it is obvious and predictable with our current laws, political dysfunction,  gun availability and interpersonal dysfunction, that children gun deaths have arisen.  The  inclusion of the Second Amendment into our capitalistic system is also contributing greatly to the killing of our children.  Perhaps,it takes more white children in high socioeconomic areas to be killed by guns, would there be change?

The dark side tendencies  of  the history of Homo sapiens has been well documented with the preponderance of lies, hate, prejudice, irrationality, discrimination, political dysfunction and death.  The last 250 years or so, our country  has also substantiated the same with the Revolution,  decimation  of native Indians, Civil War, Lincoln  assassination, World War I and with discrimination against German citizens, World War II  with anti semitism against Jewish refugees, prejudice  against  Japanese Americans and the Nazi sympathizers in Congress,  McCarthy hearings,  Korean War,  Vietnam , Civil rights movement, the Kennedy and Dr. King assassinations , Watergate,  Iraq and Afghanistan wars and January 6 etc.  Historically, the dark age of Trump will become history too .

Reference

Freud, Sigmund.  The Ego and the Id.

Jung, C.G.  The Integration of Personality.

Our Troubled Republic

 

Current statistics  on income inequality, mental and physical health, Covid-19 death, domestic violence, military expenditures  (  An article on the front page of the December 18, 2022 New York Times  titled "Bonanza for Arms Makers  as Military Budget Surges -Amid Ukraine War and Growing  Threats, US plans, 858  Billion in Spending "), global warming, IRS dysfunction  and homelessness suggest personal and interpersonal  toxic dysfunction. Other factors interfering with man's pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain is based on the ravages of nature as in hurricanes, fires, etc.; the decline or decay of the health of the body , as in obesity, asthma, diabetes,  cardiology , virus, cognitive deficiency; and  other restrictions, conflicts and disappointments occurring in our republic.  This essay addresses  Freud and Murray’s thinking regarding man's needs and drives for survival, affiliation, sex,  destruction and death.

Life is  difficult  with its numerous and painful disappointments, conflicts and impossible situations to resolve for  well-being and survival.  Man  attempts to distort this reality with various deflections, such as immersing himself in sports, entertainment, travels, social media;  finds substitute satisfactions such as imagination, fantasy, art, music and science;  ingesting intoxicating substances such as nicotine, alcohol, drugs;  and   withdraws as in yoga or seeks religion to be taken care of  and for affiliation along with it’s preposterous explanations of   life and afterlife meanings .

What is the purpose of life?  Why do we exist?  Is it seeking pleasure, happiness and the satisfaction of one's needs?  In any event, the relation of unhappiness  to happiness goes back and forth . The reduction of pain is called happiness.  A brief example follows.  One of my friends, in his early 70s, recently experienced 12 1/2 hours of surgery with four surgeons .  His recovery was difficult and taxing .  From that assault on his body, he  recently told me that he was happy because the doctors didn't find cancer and now he no longer has to carry a bag.  But, he has to be within 15 minutes of the toilet.

The striving for pleasure and avoiding unpleasantness is difficult because of the forces of nature, the physiological changes in our body and the multiple relations with others.  Therefore, the  seeking of pleasure is extremely difficult to fulfill and our pursuit of pleasure is really a protection against suffering.  However suffering is a sensation that exists because we feel it.   Also, perhaps, most of our suffering within human relations is related to our society, with its restrictions, unfairness, and contradictions that are contrary to the satisfaction of  drives and needs?

Freud described man's drives for survival,  destruction and death while Murray identified man's needs for Affiliation (To draw near and enjoyably cooperate or reciprocate with an allied other. To please and win affection of a cathected object.  To adhere and remain loyal to a friend.) ;  Sex To form and further an erotic relationship.  To have sexual intercourse ) and Abasement (To accept injury blame, and criticism .  To blame, belittle or mutilate the  self.  To seek and enjoy pain, punishment, illness and misfortune).  Statistically, the behavior of roughly half the individuals in the United States are pursuing short-term pleasure for  long-term pain  with issues of obesity, diabetes, asthma, heart disease.  A great many are expressing aggression and hate directed both inward and outward as suicide and death rates multiply.  The pursuit of pleasure for the unhappy is  temporary and  has harmful long term consequences for  well-being.

Number of years ago nursing homes were established to provide  care for individuals unable to return home because of lack of family support and for those requiring nursing  assistance.  Family support was compromised because of mobility and separation between parents and children.  It was  not uncommon for children to leave home and search for their fortune elsewhere.  Other  living arrangements for seniors were established and became available that provided assistance for those requiring it.  When  mother was in her 90s, she wanted to remain  living at home rather than enter some senior citizen arrangement with all those old people.  Around that time, corporate America created a franchise that would send a minimum wage employee non medically licensed into the home to assist.They were there to meet one's affiliative needs.  Capitalism took advantage of the separateness and assisted many  seniors in meeting their affiliative needs.

Sex is necessary for  survival.  Developmentally, testosterone is the main hormone produced in the testicles and secreted by the testes.  The major effects of testosterone is that it promotes libido, aggressiveness and sexual desire.  The effects of testosterone are most pronounced during puberty. However, In the 10 Commandments , It's a sin to commit adultery.  In certain evangelical teachings, adolescents are taught not  to masturbate, watch pornography or have sexual intercourse.  The proud boys are not supposed to masturbate more than once a month.  Also, a woman is not to decide on whether or not to receive an abortion. These beliefs  are absurd.

Religious  teaching is supposed to restrict and repress the biological and psychological nature of man?   Well, we know how that has turned out with all the sexual scandals, with priests and ministers.  We even established laws regarding adultery and divorce.  We also know how that has turned out.  Could the so-called restrictions  of the sexual nature of man, result in psychological illness and dysfunction as well as the plethora of pornography ?  Religion has  equated sex and guilt needlessly for too many and it’s preposterous.  Thank goodness, Nevada has a realistic humanistic and rational approach to sex with its legal brothels.  A woman has a right to engage in sex and in a capitalistic society and appropriately charge for it. It's her body and the state  makes money on that business. For example, sex is pleasurable, natural and important for survival.  Franchise genital love bordello’s  without the guilt and shame.

Thou shall not kill and yet the largest monetary expenditure in our budget is for the military.  It's difficult to remember when our country was neither at war nor was providing military aid.  Eisenhower called this the Military-Industrial Complex.  What would happen to our economy if we did not have so much expenditure for guns but had a large expenditure for butter as Paul's Samuelson, the first American to win the Nobel Memorial prize in economic sciences, wrote  ?  Samuelson opposed the craziness of Milton Friedman's trickle-down economics. In any event, our country has no problem when it comes to producing  killing devices.

Our citizens have more guns, and kill others with domestic terrorism on the rise.  To kill plays an important role in our culture.  Yet we have hospice.  Hospice is supposed to provide emotional and virtual care for patients and families. The dying patient requires anesthetizing that masks the pain . Why  witness a loved one in that intoxicated state?  The purpose is? 

 Years ago, Jack Kevorkian was incarcerated.  This physician helped another with incurable illness in  assisted suicide.  This was against the law in Michigan.  Seems to me that it is much more humane to assist someone in their death than to anesthetize them. Why go on in that state?   If the quality of life is important , if none exists, then suicide is most humane. We put down our animals. Yes, suicide is against the law and we have suicide prevention. Recently,  a ride and tie friend had Lou Gehrig's disease.  This  bright athlete progressively wasted away and was confined to an electric powered mobile device.  Thank goodness he decided on assisted suicide, which was a great relief to his spouse as well.

We know that older societies have more realistic practices and do not allow archaic thinking to get in the way of sex and death of a loved one.  It's time, In our country, to realistically address sex rationally and without the association of guilt.  When sex is spectacular  between loved one's, that's terrific for that union.  When sex is not good, that union is generally not working well.  Death and dying also requires rational thought as that too is part of the life cycle. It's clear that our society is challenged and requires change. For example, franchise grief, loss and dignity while removing shame and guilt. Only people who are capable of loving strongly can also suffer great sorrow, but this same necessity of loving serves to counteract their grief and heals them, said Leo Tolstoy.

Applying  the analogy of Freud's id, ego, and superego to our fragile experimental Republic, briefly , we find the following. The id is dominant with its irrational , unorganized, no values, no good, no morality   reservoir of  the psychic energy system of  the mental  provinces. It affects the climate change terror and  degree of incorporation, ingestion, consumption of toxic ingredients bringing disease,viruses deadly to the brain and body  along with  hateful, insidious,  aggressive, neurotic and murderous interpersonal interactions.  The ego's executive functions of rational reality testing in which thinking and beliefs are compromised and distorted in the areas of capitalism, religion , politics and humanistic values of love ,respect and integrity .  The  morality of  law, truth and fairness within the superego have been perverted by identification with rigid, sociopathic authoritarianism. The energy of the  id, its irrationality and difficulty with reality  proves to be prevailing all too often.

Reference

Freud, Sigmund.  Civilization and its Discontents.

Murray, Henry A.  Explorations in Personality.