Envy gives a bad name to green

envy (verb) : wishing one had been born with an unfair advantage, instead of having to try and acquire one
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I actually wasn't sure whether envy rated as a part of psychology. I mean, is it an actual disorder or merely a feeling?

No matter - psychiatrists and psychologists embrace it as one of their own! From penis envy to womb envy to ordinary, dyed-in-the-wool envy, it's there in books, magazine articles and, of course, Dr. Freud (for whom penis envy was the female counterpart to male castration anxiety).

There's tidbits on how to channel your envy into something healthy -

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/body_and_soul/article3128821.ece

- but in the end, maybe it's just healthy to feel envious and wish that you had whatever you envy that someone else has (their life, partner, money, brains, looks, home, job, book deal, movie deal, blog, children, etc.). What the hey - when you're down and feeling sorry for yourself, go for it full on.

Then get your head out of your ass and make some changes in your life. (Remember those new year's resolutions?)

Female empowerment or just another anxiety? A postscript on castration anxiety

castration anxiety (noun) : 1. a male’s conscious or subconscious fear of losing all or part of the sex organs, or the function of such; 2. one reason why females aren’t getting laid
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A little further research on this ailment brought out another Freudian term - vagina dentata, or teeth "down there". Apparently Freud used it only to depict his idea of castration anxiety (but it does raise the question of whether Freud hated all women or just his mother).

See: http://psychology.about.com/od/sigmundfreud/p/freud_women.htm

At least one filmmaker, saw vagina dentata as an expression of female empowerment, in probably one of the worst date movies ever, Teeth. The trailer alone had me cringing.

This means that if guys have castration anxiety, then women have (or should have) fear of being the castrators (either to our partners or - worse - to our sons).

Just when I thought I was clear on this one.

Finally, an anxiety that I don't have!

castration anxiety (noun) : 1. a male’s conscious or subconscious fear of losing all or part of the sex organs, or the function of such; 2. one reason why females aren’t getting laid
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According to Freud, when the infant male becomes aware of differences between male and female genitalia, he assumes that the female's penis has been removed and becomes anxious that his penis will be cut off by his rival, the father figure, as punishment for desiring the mother figure. (Remember that Freud also believed that the sexual development of a male child results in him wanting to have sex with with the mother and, as a result, kill the father - the Oedipus complex.)

Castration anxiety also can refer to being castrated symbolically - the fear of being degraded, dominated or made insignificant, fearing the loss of virility.

Jeez! Here I thought it was a male’s fear of teeth during a blow job.

More on New Year's Resolutions

New Year's resolution (noun) : 2. the subsistence of a pathological state (as inflammation)
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So how many have failed at their resolutions after a week? Uh huh. A writer at Psychology Today tells us that the reason people are unsuccessful at keeping resolutions is because we have an unconscious desire to keep things exactly as they are (and have the exact feelings that we do).

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/what-is-he-thinking/201101/why-new-years-resolutions-dont-work

Big pitch for psychoanalysis here, since the only solution presented is to examine the emotions we are avoiding by not changing.

But another solution is just to pick easier resolutions (ones that you already achieve or ones with words like, 'perhaps' and 'maybe'). This is the difference between a winner and a loser in this whole resolution thing-

Winner: I resolve to breathe regularly in the new year. Loser: I resolve to exercise regularly in the new year.
Winner: I resolve to perhaps help more people in the new year, maybe. Loser: I resolve to volunteer regularly in the new year.

Your choice.

Resolution Phobia

New Year's resolution (noun) : a commitment to a project or lifestyle change that one makes that generally is interpreted as advantageous; it is effective on New Year's Day and is forgotten by Valentine's Day
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Happy new year and good luck to all who are determined to make and adhere to those resolutions!

I know, I know. We all will be drinking less alcohol and more water, eating better, exercising more, organizing our photos, keeping in touch with friends, etc., etc. Amazing how similar everyone's resolutions are (and how they really don't change much each year). But even more amazing is how much advice writers at Psychology Today and other psychology related blogs and zines give out on resolutions. Some of my favourites:
-Get angry and get those resolutions accomplished!
-Love yourself and accept what you can get done!
-Make positive not negative resolutions!

All that and they still agree that many resolutions are forgotten in a few weeks.

What’s an analysand to do?

Why, examine why one makes a resolution one can’t keep, of course! Keep your therapist employed this new year and give him/her a shot at this.