Episode 11: “How one becomes what one is.” – On the False Self
Lives of the Unconscious. A Podcast on Psychoanalysis and PsychotherapyShow Notes
We all wear masks from time to time: at work, in front of our friends, sometimes even—or perhaps especially—within our family and in front of our partners. But there are people who find it difficult to ever take off this mask, who may not even know what their face would look like underneath. This episode deals with such questions of identity and the influential concept of the false self.
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Envy can arise wherever there exists inequality between people: in societies and families, between siblings, genders, and generations. “Envy is the tax which all distinction must pay” (R.W. Emerson). Envy has a bad reputation, at times even considered taboo, and yet still it proves to be ever-present. This episode explores the psychoanalytic understanding of envy and its implications for society and therapeutic processes, such as the phenomenon known as ‘negative therapeutic reaction.’ However, envy is not only destructive, but is also a driving force of human development.
The idea of split personality is fertile ground for stories of great imagination—while regrettably also inspiring and perpetuating numerous misunderstandings that continue to cling to the kind of personality organization that we will take up in this episode.
In contrast to “black depression,” white depression denotes an often inconspicuous, insidious affliction that can last a lifetime. Its distinguishing quality is a feeling of meaninglessness and emptiness that is nearly impossible to grasp, even if everything in life actually appears to be working out and there is reason to be joyful. As if, despite all efforts, it was simply impossible to truly believe in anything at all, as if all love and enthusiasm were simply a stage play, acted out for others. What this is all about and where such feelings towards life can come from is the subject of this episode.