Beyond Beauty and Brilliance (more thoughts on life scripts)

To predict who will stay the course of change and who will bolt like a frightened animal is nearly impossible, even for a seasoned psychotherapist.

Some people shift from a lifetime of behavior at the end of their lives.

In the blog post of July 16, 2012, “Age and Change,” I write about a woman over 80 years old who examined her life with a courage that contradicted or defied Freud’s dictum about older people and change.  Another client told me that his father who had abused him, psychologically and physically, began psychotherapy late in life and apologized to his son for his hurtful behavior.

Other people dig in their heels and continue to live a script that no longer carries them over the waves of fame and fortune but instead threatens to drown them in the undertow.

As I mentioned in last week’s blog- “Evoking (the Spirit of) Life Scripts”- a person is more likely to examine a script after experiencing a snafu in life. But in Woody Allen’s new masterpiece, the film, Blue Jasmine, the main character, clings to her script after her marriage to the wealthy, corrupt businessman Hal crumbles. Jasmine continues to expect a life of privilege and indulgence.

Her sister Ginger explains how Jasmine’s script was originally written: The two were both adopted, but Jasmine was the favorite, the beautiful, brilliant one who came to expect (and in fact received) pampered treatment.  Instead of taking responsibility for her role in misfortune, Jasmine fails to see or hear anything that interferes with the view that she is privileged and entitled to exploit others.

Some people find the film depressing because Jasmine hits “rock bottom,” falling into a babbling state of psychosis.

A psychotherapist doesn’t find the film depressing; instead she says, “This is what happens when a person doesn’t do the work to face herself honestly in the mirror!”

Conclusion: We are our own living experiments. The tragic figure fails to take responsibility, to examine his script, and change when an old one outlives its usefulness like a sweater that shrinks in the washing machine of life and no longer fits.

Dear Reader: Your opinions are welcome. Jsimon145@gmail.com