last words on regression

Just because Jung and the extrovert post that had been planned became boring.

my own private idaho

introvert (noun) : one who is focused on, and is often preoccupied with, one's private mental experiences, feelings and thoughts
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Carl Jung's theory of personality classified people into two groups - introverts and extroverts. Sort of like belly buttons, you're either an "innie" or an "outie". An introvert possesses a hesitant, reflective, or retiring nature that keeps to itself. Of course, an introvert also can shrink from external objects, may be slightly on the defensive and sometimes prefers to hide behind mistrustful scrutiny.

So what's an innie to do?

The thing about Jung is that while he did a lot of study on the theory of personality, he didn't seem to apply it in a productive way. That's where the folks like Myers and Briggs (if you work in a big corporation, you know who they are) come in, to classify and then give tips for communication.

http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/

Jungian psychologists also make money on developing tools and tips on this. But do we really care? I mean, it's not like you can blame your parents. You just pay for the personality typing and tips or tools and move on.

At least if Freud had developed this theory, he would have worked in something about sex just to keep us interested.

where's my blankie?

regression (noun) : a defensive reaction that involves taking the position of a child in some problematic situation, rather than acting in a more adult way
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Since adulthood often isn't all that, regressing to some childhood state doesn't seem like such a bad idea when you're trying to handle a really stressful situation. You know, going back to a time when you felt safer and where you didn't know about paying bills or getting a job or trying to keep the red brick dust off of your furniture when your brickwork contractors open a window and the plastic that was to contain said dust blows down, releasing said dust all over your place. (You get the picture; hence, the reason the bluestraveler is now bluer, although with a slight dusting of red, and is curling up in a fetal position for the next week.)

You didn't know or care about any of that stuff as a kid. What's so wrong with regression if it can get you through the tough times of refinishing a brick wall in your home while actually living there?

Ask me that question after you wet the bed.

the end of resistance

gain from illness (noun) : the most convenient solution when one has a mental conflict
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For the neurotic (and hey, who among us has not been one at some point), getting or staying ill helps to avoid an unsatisfactory reality.

Translated, this means that you can't stay on a diet because being fat gives you reason for why you're not in a relationship. And if you lose the weight, you might discover another (far worse) reason for being unloved (like you're an asshole or something). (You can substitute "being fat" and "losing the weight" for a number of things, like "getting drunk" and "going on the wagon" or "taking drugs" and "getting clean". You get the idea.)

Freud would say that this type of resistance is a form of self-defense in the struggle to survive. Others call it a feeble excuse.

So put down the cookie and walk to your therapist's office for a session!

self sabotage + anger = [insert name here]

a picture speaks 1000 words for this form of resistance

self sabotage (verb) :

repetition compulsion

repetition compulsion (noun) : one's unconscious tendency to repeat traumatic events in order to deal with them; one's unconscious tendency to repeat traumatic events in order to deal with them; one's unconscious tendency to repeat traumatic events in order to deal with them; one's unconscious tenden
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This form of resistance apparently can take the form of dreams, storytelling, or hallucinations, and is closely tied up with the scarier concept of what's called, the "death drive" (which calls to mind that Long Island mother's drive going the wrong way on the New York Taconic Parkway in 2009). See http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,536742,00.html
and my earlier promise of a post on denial.

But I digress.

Simply put, this is a coping mechanism where one apparently repeats trauma in the unconscious, and allow the conscious mind to remain ignorant of it. Kind of neat, IMO, but unless you want to keep having those nightmares or keep dating those same losers, it gets in the way.