Here we stand, aggressively destroying our planet while passively letting it happen. We simply don’t have a lot of insight into two primitive aspects of our mental and emotional functioning—aggression and passivity. Certainly we need some amount of aggression—make that healthy … [Read more...] about Our Messy Mix of Aggression and Passivity
Search Results for: inner passivity
The Tyrant that Rules Our Inner Life
Much suffering is produced through our relationship with our inner critic. This part of our psyche is also called the superego or self-aggression. It’s an authoritarian aspect or agency in our psyche that holds us accountable for any real or imagined shortcomings or failures. The … [Read more...] about The Tyrant that Rules Our Inner Life
Are You Addicted to Self-Punishment?
Our intelligence triumphs when we bring into focus the self-harming dynamics going on in our psyche. These conflicting dynamics are very much indifferent to our wellbeing. When they remain hidden from us, we may have only a hit-or-miss capacity for healthy self-regulation. (An … [Read more...] about Are You Addicted to Self-Punishment?
The Impulse to Destroy Democracy
I remember, decades ago, hearing my sociology professor express anxiety about the fragility of American democracy. What is she talking about, I thought to myself, scoffing at her worries. American democracy was as solid as the granite faces on Mount Rushmore. I later … [Read more...] about The Impulse to Destroy Democracy
The Warmonger in Our Psyche
Humanity’s appetite for war arises from our psyche’s inner war. War is just one of the bitter fruits of our refusal to recognize and overcome the persistent disharmony that churns within us. War is a byproduct of the inner conflict that generates neurosis, and neurosis is … [Read more...] about The Warmonger in Our Psyche