Evoking (the spirit of) Life Scripts

According to Wikipedia, script analysis is the “method of uncovering the early decisions, made unconsciously, as to how life shall be lived.”

Life scripts are communicated to us by our parents or caretakers and society.  In general, we act upon them automatically until we encounter a snafu. Then we may examine the course of our life and decide to follow or change the script to fit an inner sense of who we are, somewhat like altering an item of clothing from “one size fits all.”

(I became a pathologist because my parents didn’t want me to study psychiatry. After altering my life script against my parents’ wishes, I felt free to be true to myself and become a psychiatrist.)

Psychologist Eric Berne, father of transactional analysis, studied the scripts we play out in relationship with others, analyzing various problematic communications. For example, when a person speaks to a peer as if he is the parent, instead of an equal, he plays out a crossed transaction.

Someone may unconsciously “act” or “operate” as if she is a mother figure to everyone. Most likely this script was handed down, stemming from the role she was assigned in her family. Awareness gives her choice and flexibility, to apply the script or determine its inappropriateness in a given situation.

Although Berne’s goal was to render a person “script-free,” later studies have determined that we are really never script-free.

(For example, the goal to live and think in the moment, with no interference from the past is, in itself, a script.)

Scripts indicate that to a greater or lesser degree, we are programmed by our environment, a notion that contradicts the idea of free will.  The role of our genetic constitution -and its dynamic interaction with the environment- is complex and unfolds with time.

For example, Mr. James Morris, a well-known English journalist, married and raised a family. But he experienced himself as “wrongly equipped” and at age 46, had a sex-change operation. He became the famous British travel writer Jan Morris. He married first as a man, divorced, and re-married the same mate as a woman with whom he has lived for over fifty years. (See “Love story: Jan Morris-Divorce, the death of a child and a sex change...but still together,” written by Andy Smith  in The Independent, June 4, 2008.)

Needless to say, bringing scripts to our conscious awareness is a creative endeavor that offers understanding and insight, and frees us from unnecessary self “blame.”

Conclusion: The goal is to recognize the scripts handed to us in our developmental years and modify them to suit our individual natures.

Dear Reader, I welcome your thoughts. Jsimon145@gmail.com

When Right is Wrong (Holding on to Pride and Anger)

Sometimes we have an innate sense of injustice, the feeling that we’ve been wronged.  For example, when someone has disrespected or neglected us, or reneged on a promise.

A specific case is Mr. C. who had an informal agreement with a friend. He’d help publicize (i.e., write ads for) the friend’s tennis studio in exchange for lessons. However, he and the instructor could not find a mutually convenient hour to meet. Mr. C. thought that the teacher should work harder to accommodate him and his schedule, and his pride was wounded because he felt his services were not appreciated. I encouraged him to discuss the matter with his friend. Holding on to his (wounded) pride, in spite of “being right,” left him the looser without the benefit of tennis lessons.

When I arrived for my hair appointment to find that my hairdresser had cancelled it, I was very disturbed. The hairdresser did not apologize, only saying, “I’m behind schedule and can’t do your hair today. You live nearby and can reschedule.”  When I objected and explained I had a schedule too, she said, “You just have to learn to relax.” Her words implied that the problem was mine.

Of course an apology was in order, but I didn’t receive one because she seemed unable or unwilling to grasp my point of view (see the previous blog “Admitting Mistakes,” November 19, 2012).  But she is a competent hairstylist, and I realized that in this case, I had to let go of my feelings of injustice.

One of my pet peeves about New York City is the delivery people on bikes who drive either way on one-way streets and avenues; they don’t necessarily heed the traffic lights, either. If a person doesn’t want to risk being struck by one of these bikers, looking both ways before crossing a street is wise. Theoretically, this kind of caution shouldn’t be necessary, but in this case, failing to do so, can endanger one’s physical well-being.  Standard practice of obeying streetlights could therefore be considered “wrong” or certainly insufficient.

Letting go of a sense of injustice is easier to say than to do; I confess I’m still working on it. I learned the concept at a poetry conference many years ago.  At the conclusion of her presentation, the well-known poet, Ellen Bryant Voigt was asked by a person in the audience when is a poem finished. She answered, “It is all revision until you die.” Needless to say, the statement stuck a chord in many of us. I like to think of myself in this way: Like a poem, I am a “person-in-progress.”

 Serendipitously, a quote from the actress Andy MacDowell in The New York Times on July 14, exquisitely sums up the issue.  “If you carry around anger and ugly emotions, it will show on your face,” she says as she equates “positivity with beauty.”

Conclusion: Holding on to anger and pride, although these feelings may be understandable and justified in a given situation, is wrong because the negative feelings harm our bodies, minds, and spirits.

Dear Reader: Your comments are welcome. jsimon145@gmail.com

The Therapist's Use of Self

Vignettes from a therapist’s life can help people who suffer from feelings of aloneness and isolation in their struggles. The fact that the therapist has grappled with similar issues can be helpful. These must be timed skillfully and presented carefully to serve the client and have a positive impact.

(Professional books related to this subject include: The Therapist’s Use of Self by John Rowan and Michael Jacobs, published in 2002 and The Use of Self In Therapy by Michele Baldwin,  2012.)

Recently, Ms. F. asked me if I experience feelings of self-hate. I explained that I certainly had examined the root causes of this emotion in my own therapy years ago, and recognize when it occasionally sneaks into my awareness. Because I know it serves no constructive purpose and experience it as an obstacle, I discard it (in the metaphorical trash can) like an old newspaper.

Mr. G. complained that a paper he was writing took hours to complete. I shared the fact that I had just struggled with the same problem. I knew that many people would be able to prepare the report in less time, but to think along those lines didn’t help. Instead I had to reframe my thinking, to accept the task as mine, and resign myself to finishing it, regardless of the time required.

Conclusion: Vignettes from a therapist’s life can help diminish a client’s feelings of isolation and further the road to self-acceptance. 

Dear Reader, Your comments are welcome: jsimon145@gmail.com

Potential, Parenting, and Psychodynamics

A common observation during the many years I’ve practiced psychiatry is the enormous loss of human potential. In general, people possess more talent than they actualize; it is the  psychological factors that thwart them.

The psychotherapist is the rare and intimate observer of talent and creativity that remain inaccessible to the individual like a treasure locked in a chest to which the combination has been lost. Tragically the failure to take advantage of opportunities relates more to early development than to the moment.

In spite of the positive feedback from the world, including awards and scholarships, some people don’t believe they possess the talent or ability to develop their gifts.

Mr. C won an art scholarship in his youth. He wasn’t able to take advantage of it because of psychological difficulties, self-doubt and self-hate, stemming from his upbringing. He was raised by well-meaning, loving parents who simply did not know how to parent. As is the case with many people, they followed their parents’ patterns which had also curtailed their potential. 

Child-rearing practices foster or stymie burgeoning human potential. Understanding, instead of blame; setting firm and fair limits (please see the blog of July 1, “The Bounty of Boundaries”, giving encouragement and allowing  for exploration are key elements for both the parent (caretaker) and psychotherapist to guide a person on a constructive path to a sense of  healthy self-esteem.  (The opposite elements of excessive criticism and rejection engender self-hate. )

Teaching parenting skills (before a person becomes a parent) seems analogous to saving a treasure from being tossed overboard, or administering a polio inoculation to prevent the dreaded, crippling disease. In fact, a 2009 study by the Church of England’s Children’s Society concluded that all children should be taught good parenting in school.

Conclusion: The ability of an individual to actualize his talent rests on a foundation of healthy self-esteem (acceptance), a trait nurtured in childhood. Teaching the principles of parenting in our basic educational system is analogous to guarding a treasure from being tossed overboard or, in the physical realm, administering immunizations for polio to prevent the disease.

Dear Reader, Please comment: jsimon145@gmail.com.

The Bounty of Boundaries

What do we mean when we speak about setting boundaries or  limits?

 This psychological terrain is enormous for a psychotherapist, analogous to thousands of acres tended by a farmer.

The most basic boundaries for a client in a therapeutic relationship include:

1.     Keeping scheduled appointments

 2.  Leaving the session when the time is up and

 3.  Taking financial responsibility.

 

The psychotherapist also helps the client establish boundaries in his own life with friends, family and colleagues.

Maintaining good boundaries fosters good relationships. When responsibilities are clearly defined, people have clarity regarding their limits and responsibilities to each other. Anxieties are lessened, especially for children and puppy dogs, who experience feelings of insecurity when rules waver.

Children flounder and become anxious when their parents don’t know how and when to say “no” at appropriate times. They don’t learn limits and are in danger of becoming “monsters,” unable to respect others or learn common courtesies. The lack of understanding and acceptance of clear and fair boundaries underlies much psychopathology and sociopathy.

Boundaries or limits teach us to account for our actions and are essential for success in love (relationships) and work.  

Ms. Q. has made promises on several occasions to deliver payment but hasn’t followed through. She is relieved when I explain that the failure to keep her word is more disturbing than an honest need to postpone a payment.

Although at times I fear I may alienate a friend if I remind her to return a borrowed item, I realize I could become resentful if the friend never returns it. Therefore, a gentle reminder is the lesser evil.

Sometimes we confuse the boundaries inside our head with those outside ourselves, as illustrated by this lawnmower story: A man walks across his lawn to borrow his neighbor’s mower. By the time he arrives at the door, he’s already convinced himself that the neighbor won’t lend the prized possession.  When the neighbor answers, the would-be borrower doesn’t bother to ask and instead, growls,  “You can keep your darned lawnmower!”

 This (somewhat) humorous tale exemplifies the extremes to which our minds are capable of blurring the boundaries inside our heads with those in the world outside us.

On a rare occasion, relaxing a boundary may be in order. Many years ago I experienced the benefit (benificient gift) of flexible boundaries. My supervisor, the well-respected psychoanalyst Dr. Louis DeRossis, did not charge me after I cancelled our supervision an hour before the session. (I  explained to him that I feared I’d be blown away by the high winds sweeping through NYC.)  He understood my psychological makeup-including a self-punitive internal judge (harsh superego)- and I assume he thought making an exception to the rules would be acceptable in this instance.

Conclusion: Establishing boundaries (or limit-setting) is a vital tool to avoid chaos and confusion in life. On the other hand, boundaries like rules can be broken on occasion for a good reason.

Dear Reader, I welcome your comments: jsimon145@gmail.com