Psychoanalytic theory runs through the play, but the play satirizes some psychological theories through the mouths of high-ranking people, and also vividly shows some ambiguities of psychotherapy, spirituality and naturopathic and group therapy.
This is something I've been thinking about too.
I remember that in my freshman year, I was chatting with a classmate from the psychology department who I didn’t know too well about a classic psychological counseling “thought experiment”, and her analysis of me annoyed me - whether it was an introductory psychology course or chicken soup A self-analysis method mentioned in the article: write down the five things that you cherish most, and then discard them one by one. That night I questioned the logical rigor of her analysis, emphasizing that each value is not independent of each other. As a beginner in philosophy, I took philosophical analysis over all humanistic theories with a sense of superiority, and regarded psychology as a child of philosophy perfidious and abandoned by natural science.
However, fate dictates that my disposition is relieved. I, who are sensitive and persistent in understanding human nature, will never stay away from the problem domain of psychology. Even after being trapped in depression and anxiety, I have also contacted psychological counseling and treatment, as well as drugs for mental disorders. treat. Since I have been majoring in philosophy in the past five years, long and short course papers are always inseparable from discussing some issues that psychology and philosophy are jointly committed to. At the same time, I have not stopped trying to heal myself, so I have some Simple thinking.
Meaninglessness, responsibility anxiety, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, sexual fetishes... Is a truly sound personality and a peaceful, fulfilled mind possible? Who does not live with symptoms? However, choosing a cave to escape from, and continuing a normal, decent life outside the cave is the choice of most people. Whether it is an elite with a lot of money, or an ordinary person who is busy with life, as long as the door to this escape cave is always open and running smoothly, they usually do not feel the need to explore. Why do I need this cave? Why is my cave like this and others are different. People who are financially rich can build their own caves quite well, and their disgusting hobbies can be satisfied and maintained with the help of money. How shocking to fantasize and vent - instead they can laugh at ordinary people who can't keep their caves running due to lack of financial means - they think of "curing" their symptoms through counseling.
The first question is, is there a "healthy" mind? For the time being, regardless of the "free", "calm" and other "selfless" states that sages and sages have achieved throughout the ages, if it does not interfere with life, so that people can integrate into society without major obstacles and get along with others, it is better to take some responsibility or something. It is the meaning of "healthy mind". So, is integration into society definitely worth pursuing? You can even ask, is there an unquestionable value in living? Most organic diseases have the reference standard of "healthy tissue". Although this is also questioned by "thyroid nodules" and other lesions that are not considered diseases, in general, "health" and "disease" have a clearer boundary . However, mental illness is not the case. Defense mechanisms, stress responses... These names reveal the significance of mental illness in individual life. Of course, the most basic standard we follow here is still "the body survives" and "continues to live". As the highest value, everything that hinders our survival is regarded as a disease or an obstacle, because the discussion of death and life, and Other values for which life can be sacrificed, such as freedom and dignity, are beyond the scope of this article, so I won't mention them for now.
Assuming that we receive psychological counseling/therapy in order to keep us alive and remove the "obstacles" that prevent us from living smoothly, then as long as life can be maintained, it can obviously be said that the treatment has achieved its purpose, and any means are possible. It seems, then, that we can think that any means is possible as long as it can intervene in suicide, even if one continues to indulge in abuse, drugs and alcohol, which is clearly not the purpose of counseling/therapy. So what is the purpose of counseling/therapy? In order to integrate a person into society, to fulfill the responsibility of being a member of a community? So different communities have different understandings of responsibilities and obligations, and have different requirements for members. Is psychological counseling/therapy just ideological robbery and the biggest deception in the name of health?
There are many literary and artistic works that question the "health" standard behind counseling/therapy and incorporate this into dystopian thinking. The traditional anti-mental hospital theme is based on this idea. Anti-dictatorship movies such as "Dignity Colony" also reflect the compulsory use of psychotropic drugs as an effective means to control people's mental state. Even "The Lego Movie" is also ironic. The ideological standard of "healthy mind, excellent citizen" was adopted. Putting aside this extreme situation of subjugating people to a certain regime, is it worth pursuing to return people to the trajectory of "normal life"?
Following this line of thought, it is not difficult to understand why the upper class in the film is so resistant to psychotherapy, because they do not need the so-called "normal life". Working, earning money, fulfilling family responsibilities and obligations, educating and even relying on one's own abilities to attract others for sexual gratification... all fall under the purview of "normal life". It is in this process that ordinary people obtain their own experience, material wealth and spiritual wealth. If you give up "normal life", then others will think that he is no longer valuable, and he will lose his sense of value and meaning, so he will no longer cherish his own life and life, and it will be easier to choose death.
However, if we contrast our groggy, utterly "worthless life" with alcohol and drugs with the standard version of normal life ("hard work, good intimacy, hobbies with spare time, and passion for life"), we get It turns out that it's not a 0 or 1 state of healthy versus unhealthy, or even a continuous value that can be quantified into a scale. It is a "feeling" entangled with personal character, perception of the external world, different life periods, and different living conditions. I often wonder why, based on genetics, childhood experiences, etc., I am more sensitive and emotionally troubled than others, and more inclined to look inward and think about myself, while others, most of them, use their own protective mechanisms smoothly , and never felt that he had any character flaws or caused any troubles in life. "Discussing psychology? Isn't that something you can solve yourself?" They hardly felt the need to explore these issues. Although most of these people can be regarded as models of "normal life", some of them, because of their protective mechanisms and channels of venting are very different from ordinary people, or beyond the acceptable range of ordinary people, they will also be regarded as "normal life". There are psychological problems”, but they themselves are not aware of it, let alone enter the psychological counseling center and try to change.
This seems to loom over a key issue: hurting other people. But as long as emotional hurt is involved, that's another vague criterion. Extreme cases are still easy to identify, such as Patrick Melrose who was sexually assaulted by his father and suffered from PTSD and various emotional disorders for many years. But more common situations, such as historical reasons, most of our children before 2000 are faced with the trauma of school authoritarianism, the shadow of corporal punishment and so on. Various factors dynamically affect each individual's ability to digest these "traumas", so the few people who do not handle them well are more likely to be blamed for their "weak character." This habitual practice of turning an individual's negative emotions into negative personality traits is also influenced by social culture and ideology, and it is difficult to have a normative standard to measure its rationality and irrationality.
So, can psychological counseling/therapy only be a solution that individuals seek only when they subjectively feel that there is a hurdle that is difficult to overcome by themselves? A sentimental, self-sacrificing, compulsive thinking about others so much that if there is a hint of "selfishness", he will blame himself to the point of devaluing himself. He is more inclined to spend money on a psychologist's consulting room, rather than A successful person who has never had the ability and need to love others, but only uses power and money to make himself without a lack of sexual partners and lack of sympathy for others. They may have been traumatized children who hid in the corner and cried secretly, but they developed different ways of self-protection. The former had to improve their survival skills in the dangerous forests and mountains to survive, while the latter lived in sunny and fertile soil. Enjoy the spring sunshine.
Can it be said that it is necessary to face up to oneself, and that those who perceive the necessity of reconciliation with oneself are the forsaken children of fate?
From a religious point of view, there are different interpretation paths. Qin Luan once said: "A good person can still become a Buddha, but what about an evil person?". Recognizing the suffering of sentient beings is an opportunity for the divine to shine. Thinking about the weakness and strength of human nature may also be possible because of these abandoned sons. Human society and civilization, while moving forward, as the troublemaker of the bull gangster, is also indispensable.
I think, this is the meaning of psychological counseling/therapy:
Knowing yourself!
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