psychological In history it is what people do not what they say
Historians generally criticize psychohistory because they apply common sense whereas we apply psychology
Two people who get together for the purpose of love in heterosexual relationships are known to the psychological community as a dyad Two people who get together for the purpose of giving and receiving pain are called sado-masochists Traditionally the masochist is in the need for intimacy then the sadist makes his move on her. Every time the masochist is hurt she is damaged emotionally
This goes on until the masochist seeks psychotherapy (which does not work for everyone); the sadist partner will try to sabotage the therapy seeking in any way possible because he wishes to prolong the sadomasochistic relationship. By saying thing like, why are you seeing a shrink, threatening to end the relationship or violence. In many cases the masochist does succumb to the pressure.
Many relationships are based on a cycle of emotional A drunkard humiliates himself His wife next morning yells at him Keeps yelling [(is totally in charge legitimately) treats him like a little boy] Then forgives him
This happens again Then husband seeks help Wife promotes it initially Then realizes what is happening (she is losing control) Then sabotages recovery
Psycho historians try to uncover the "why" of history Apply the science of psychology to understand human motivation 1. Conscious motives 2. Unconscious motives
The Unconscious mind Is there such a thing? Can it cause you to do things?
Ernest Ropiequit "Jack" Hilgard (1904 - 2001) was an American psychologist who became famous in the 1950s for his research on hypnosis. He is specifically known for his work in finding a hidden observer in the brain while hypnosis is taking place. This attests for the Disassociation theory where a person undergoing hypnosis can still understand his/her own pain
Eric Fromm see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Fromm
Some ways the mind wards off unwanted thoughts and feelings (defense mechanisms of the ego)
There are 8 subcategories we will study to understand psychohistory
1. repression 2. denial 3. rationalization 4. regression 5. displacement 6. splitting 7. projection 8. fantasy
Repression is the facility (ability) of the mind to push from conscious the awareness
of unwanted feelings, in whole or in part. We are pushing these thoughts from conscious as a spontaneous, immediate reaction of the nervous system. Long term heavy stressors reduce the efficiency of repression. (Then the repressed memories slip in consciousness). Examples of a heavy stressor are: The highest stressor being death of a child, Divorce is also heavy stressor. Post-divorce, people would do bizarre things and do things to their children that they would not normally do. Entering or leaving a relationship Entering or leaving a job, facing a life threatening illness,
Moving from one home to another are all examples of stressors as well. During periods of heavy stress, massive amounts of vitamin C are consumed by the body. There is one scenario where repression would be very bad; in the case of a traumatic wound to the mind. (A blow to the soul). All emotionally traumatic events are repressed in whole of in part in the Amygdala, the trauma file drawer of the brain. Examples are sexual abuse in childhood, which is completely repressed and forgotten to the conscious mind. Rape, domestic violence, being held hostage, being in a battle zones, natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and the like are all examples of causes for PTSD. 70 percent of our Vietnam veterans have developed PTSD.
For the next exam; Think about how the defenses of the ego operate in "enemy creation" as developed in the film Faces of the enemy Shock and awe essay in psyche All propaganda has the same result. "Both fates, US & USSR are linked because of the threat of nuclear destruction for all". "The men in Vietnam asked why are we doing this? ,,Is this the right enemy?" "People who look different are much easier to dehumanize" "In Vietnam everyone was killing in the murder case of Rice, he had been triggered by many things in his life going wrong"
DeMouss approach is that a child-adult relationships are based on the fact that a child provides the stimuli for the adults reaction i.e. a dog salivating over a piece of meat (meat representing the child) there can be 3 different responses to this Projection Reversal Empathic If we look at each historical period 3000 BCE to 500 CE o Ancient times Infanticidal mode why was this so widely practiced in the ancient world + recent times in China pre-literate civilization? o The primary reason is population control. It is an economic and demographic control. If there is just not enough food avail to feed a person, they will kill them. o Anthropology and sociology: It is customary; the tribe has always done it! This is wrong from the perspective of psychohistory. Why are people alcoholics? They are a group of people who are using the alcohol defense tFlattens affect it makes the feelings less intense. o The Infanticidal adult is trying to kill off unwanted memories from childhood. o For some people, having a child is therapeutic, by having a child; they regress to their own childhood.
o Improvement in childhood comes about though time. Over generations, the mothering techniques will evolve through empathy in relation to their own childhood terror experiences o Psychological - deMouse 500 -1350 o Middle ages 1. Abandoning mode is demonstrated with 2 practices: most parents are farmers, when their child is 6 they are sent to strangers - 100s of miles away to be brought up by other farmers as laborers for about 12-20 years. A broker will come through the village and takes the child away. The second is the practice of oblation. This is the practice of bringing their 7 year old to a monastery or nunnery and gifting their child to the church as a nun or priest. This was not a benefit for the child, however was for the parents gain in Jesus points. 1350 1650 o Renaissance era
2. Ambivalent mode when you beat your child, dont hit them in the head because they may die when hit in the skull. There is an awareness that beating children may be bad, but it is unwittingly practiced on their own children. 1650 1830 o Early modern times
3. Intrusive mode mothers stop swaddling their children and stop wet-nursing. They stop and think to themselves that the three things they have been doing are cruel. 1830 1950 o Modern times
4. Socialization mode is the most common mode of development in America and Western Europe in the 21st century. The purpose of this mode is to produce people who fit into society and conformists. These people should be able to adapt to societies norms. 1950 Present o Contemporary history
5. The helping mode can be found all over the world really, the new psycho class. Both parents are equally involved in the care of the children because they want to be. This is happening for the first time in history. Fathers are changing diapers, playing ball, having fun with the kids. Helping mode parents never hit, beat or punishes the child. They attempt to reason with child whenever they need to get a point across. They do this because they want to spend time with the child. The parents apologize to the child. Now the parent is the servant or the child. This is an absolute reversal of the child being a servant role that had been in place for many centuries. The characteristics of the helping mode child are: they have a positive self image and have a very strong and ego like themselves. The have a good sense of reality. They are respectful of other and tolerant of other people ideas and behaviors. They are not intimidated by authority.
Dates 3000 BCE -500 CE 500 1350 1350 1650 1650 1830 1830 1950 1950 - Present
Period Ancient times Middle ages Renaissance Early Modern Modern Contemporary
Childhood mode
Infanticide Abandonment Ambivalent Intrusive Socialization Helping
Hill street blues a TV show with two officers, one hot-tempered, one not. They receive a call that a baby is in an alley. After arriving in the alley, they find a baby inside of a cardboard box and they proceed to conduct a search for the mother. After asking around a bit, they locate a single, unwed woman in the top floor of the building. They search her apt and find a crib and a bunch of baby stuff Melancholy is clinical depression. People with this have a depressive personality have suicidal thoughts all the time and constantly think about their own suicide. Contemplating the suicide, they fantasize about what it would be like after their own death, what would their friends think when they are dead.....will they feel guilty after I die???? When a newly intrusive mother is confronted by a plethora of ambivalent mothers who demand to know, "why isnt that child swaddled? You are spoiling it!, and the womans husband tells her to send the child to be wet-nursed because her breast belong to him and not the baby. She then holds her ground in the beginnings of feminism.
The intrusive interference the parent practices I the development in their own children produces the obsessive compulsive personality in children. Schools were made obligatory in the 19th century for all children due to the childhood mode of socialization. The main techniques of the socialization mode to disciple child are instilling guilt and withholding love. Example of instilling guilt: "sorry mom, I know I was going to come over and visit this weekend but my stupid psychohistory professor gave me this huge reading assignment and I cant make it". Mom says, "Ok dear, ill just sit here and stare at the four walls all weekend!" There are three methods of authority 1. dependency - are intimidated by authority 2. independent helping mode kids confident of their own self image 3. counter dependant - people who are filled with rage against authority A narcissistic personality think the entire world does or should revolve around them and every single one of their passion, impulse and desire should be met immediately and if not they reserve the right to unleash their rage upon the entire world then. This is the result of compensatory behavior, the result of not being nurtured as a child. Primary narcissism is the relationship a newborn has with its mothers love. This one-way stream of love and nurture builds the newborns self-image. Secondary narcissism is diagnosed as a disorder by the _____ is a compensatory behavior. People with this disorder expect their children to be their own servant and provide them with the love they never had. Lloyd Demouse call this the reversal reaction. The child then grows up to be a narcissist as well. Parents with guilt about their child give them whatever they want to make them up for that.
Actors and actresses are some of the prime example of those with narcissistic personalities. Such as jerry Seinfeld People who run for political office (president in particular) have a thankless job. Why do people enter politics? 1. power 2. money 3. sex The stress from this job makes nearly every president age considerably if you look at them throughout their presidency. The president is constantly judged polls come out every single day with regards to their popularity. They always pay close attention to these figures because they need to know what people think about them. It is a known fact that when we go to war, the presidents popularity shoots way up. Why do presidents go to war? to get re-elected and many others If presidents are all narsissists, then they need us to do what they want us to do(psychologically). 1. Leaders tell us what to do and we do it and they are responsible. 2. Leader is actually following the groups wish.[position taken by psychohistorians] 3. There is a dialogue between the leader and followers; telling each other to do stuff. 4. first, second or third depending on circumstances. The fantasy leader who is delegated to act out the groups repressed, denied, split-off and projected messages. We know that schizophrenia is a genetic disease that is inherited. One kind of
A second type is when little johny is driving the family crazy and is acting in very bizarre ways and they take him to a child psychiatrist. Who tells them "the family is the problem", the family says we are not the ones smearing feces on the walls. The psychotherapist knows the problem lies in the family they are making the child crazy; with for example, with contradictory commands because Johnny contains their own craziness. (He is their projective container). If Johnny is put in a clinical setting, the schizophrenia will magically disappear, and reappear when he goes back home. Why would a president want to take us to war? Because it feels good(to be heroes). When leaders take us to war, murder rates go down, mental and physical heath goes up, and suicide rates go down. We project badness, and vilify the enemy and then feel great going out to kill them. All of our daily fight between whites and black, straights and gays, jews and Christians all this suddenly stops when a new enemy is identified: see 9/11. Saddam hussain is evil, he must be removed. That was enough for many people to go to war. At times, adolf Hitler proclaimed: when you travel the streets of Nuremberg, with hundreds of thousands of people shouting seig hiel!. He wrote that that was the greatest feeling that one cannot imagine.
Reading for upcoming test in clios psyche forum. Pg 99 101, 109 112, 131 137, 137- 142 157 - 166, 203 206, 54 -55 , 47 50 , 5455, 47 50, 28 -29, 89 91, 1-3, 7-9 , 42 43, 44-46, 102 104 trauma, 112- 120 9/11, 157 166 (conspiracy) Due next Wednesday night 7 November at 6:30 pm
(No papers will be accepted after that time!!!) Take home exam Take two of the following four topics: Show in detail how understanding the history of childhood helps explain: Apocalyptic fantasies Individual and collective violence Conspiracy theories Enemy formation Bring into your answers all the relevant details from the appropriate required reading since the last exam from the "Applying psychology" text.
Subliminal messaging is beneath the conciousness. During the 1960s Wilson Byran Key studied subliminal messaging Frequently the images he found in advertising are moderate perversions. He and his class were looking at a plate of clams from Howard Johnson's frozen fried clams, whose advertisements which had tiny images of group sex and bestiality inside the plate of clams, which sells!!! It works some of the time. He found a popular advertisement in Canada, for jansend ,a man and a woman at the beach with surf around their legs (no faces shown), the man is to the left wearing a beach jacket and trunks, she is wearing a bikini. The mans beach jacket matched the girls bottom and vice versa. This subliminally suggests cross-dressing. Sex sells. Illicit sex sells subliminally.
The united colors of Benetton ad campaign of 1996 featured many images of violence and death. Why would they do this? Would you say they are tring to be a socially responsible corporation.....no, we say it is Schadenfreude, the love of watching the misfortune of others.