Our human minds often complicate
simple matters and simplify complex ones. Take the example of the stock market.
It goes up until it goes down. But when it is rising, most of us (naïve)
investors assume the trend will continue; when it is sinking (especially at a
rapid pace) most of us don’t believe or trust that it will ever rise again. “The
investing masses expect the most when prospects are worst, and vice versa,”
William Baldwin said in the June issue of Forbes Magazine,
For socioeconomic, religious
and psychological reasons, we may complicate a clear matter like nutrition.
(Please refer to my blog post of May 12, Maintenance and the
Body Self). Simply stated, we consume
calories (to provide energy) in the form of a balanced diet of proteins,
carbohydrates and fats. We often overlook the simple equation that too many
calories equals a gain in weight.
Happiness and
sadness, gains and losses alternate like day and night, yet the human mind frequently
becomes stuck in one position, like a car locked in gear. Quite often, we need
to experience a few cycles before we perceive, and hopefully, accept them.
On the other hand,
our minds simplify complex matters. We tend to turn a conflict into a matter of
black and white (like the situation in the Middle East). Often the truth lies
somewhere in the middle, with a broad swatch of gray in which both sides bear
responsibility to resolve the conflict.
A developed mind is
required to perceive and sort out the complexity of our human condition. In her
work with children, the psychoanalyst Melanie Klein observed the psychological
defense mechanism she coined “splitting”
to explain the phenomenon of black-and-white thinking.
Raised in a
supportive and nurturing environment, the child’s mind develops the capacity to
juxtapose opposing points of view and to perceive the complexity or gray zone
of a person and/or situation. (Maurice Sendak’s classic 1963 children’s story, Where
the Wild Things Are, is
a delightful portrayal of how this process is played out. In the story, little
Max misbehaves. He’s sent to his room where he fantasizes about a kingdom with
wild beasts. Psychologically speaking, these creatures represent the
(unconscious) projection of his rage.
He tames the wild animals, and this feat enables him to integrate
opposing views of the world in which his parents nurture and reward him, as
well as reprimand him.
This discussion
relates to psychotherapy in significant ways. The “good-enough” therapist
attempts to dislodge the client from the world perceived as all black or all
white-to help the client integrate diverse points of view and the complexity of
relationships.
Because an individual
has spent years perceiving the world in binary terms, the process is neither
quick nor simple. Years may be
required to accomplish the paradigmatic shift in a world view.
Oddly enough, the
ability to integrate diverse points of view isn’t related to intelligence or
educational level. Mr. O, very intelligent man who graduated Phi Beta Kappa
from college, wasn’t able to grasp this concept and, as a result, his personal
relationships suffered.
Presumably, his traumatic early environment created the need to maintain
the rigid defense mechanism of splitting.
Nor does psychotherapy
guarantee the ability to integrate the polarities. More important is an
individual’s recognition that the process is possible and productive.
Meditation (time
alone with our thoughts) and a desire to understand and resolve conflict help
us live in our complex world.
Conclusion: A
conundrum of the human condition is our tendency to simplify complex issues and
complicate simple issues. Recognizing that tendency helps resolve the
polarities in ourselves and our world.
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