TENDENCY TO PSYCHOLOGICAL DEATH OR LIVING WITHOUT FULL POWER

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

Forbidding ourselves to enjoy life, living as if behind glass, we think about the future free and beautiful. Psychologically deadening ourselves, since we do not want to accept a reality that is incompatible with our desires, we go into the world of illusions, replacing reality. We take passivity and depression for personality traits, without thinking that this is one of the forms of deviation from reality, the subject's need to be unhappy.

Sometimes people notice that they have not felt the joy of life for a long time, they are not able to love, dream, open up to others. Life is felt as such that has not yet begun, or is already ending, and indifference to oneself is the leitmotif of existence.

Let's try to define this condition in the psychological literature. The concept of "tendency to psychological death" in the scientific literature defines all states of a person that are negative in nature, directing a person to self-destruction. In particular, it is possible to single out the generalizing characteristics of this phenomenon, namely: social passivity, isolation, a sense of the hopelessness of life, psychological loneliness, uselessness to others (unwantedness), emotional "deadness", etc.

Analysis of scientific literature shows that there is no unambiguous definition of the phenomenon of psychological death, therefore, the article attempts to systematize existing research in order to find an adequate definition of the content of this concept. The element of destructiveness is inherent in every living being, it is aimed at bringing it to the previous "inorganic state" and is expressed in aggression, hatred and destructive behavior. The basis of such destructive actions is the energy of mortido, which determines the death instinct.

In the "Psychoanalytic Dictionary" the drive for death (aggression, destruction) is defined through the opposite category "drive for life" and is aimed at the complete elimination of tension, ie. on "bringing a living being into an inorganic state", transforming a dynamic structure into a static, "dead" one. Such a phenomenon in psychoanalysis is designated by the concept of "destrudo", as the destruction of the static structure of something (identical to the energy of Thanatos and similar libido, but opposite to it in direction and function).

Considering the above, Z. Freud's understanding of the death drive (destructiveness) as the basis of the subject's mental life becomes significant, which will contribute to a broader disclosure of the phenomenon of psychological death. Z. Freud singles out the drive for death (Thanatos), which pushes the body to destruction and destruction, and the drive for life (Eros), which serves to preserve life. The researcher defines the action of these destructive trains as follows: "Eros acts from the very beginning of life as a" life instinct "as opposed to the" death instinct "and arises as a result of the revitalization of the inorganic." There is a relationship between these groups of instinctive forces, and the presence of two opposite tendencies in the physiological processes of the body is associated with two types of cells in the human body, which are potentially eternal and at the same time doomed to death. Z. Freud writes: "The death instinct obeys the principle of entropy (the law of thermodynamics, according to which every dynamic system tends to equilibrium), therefore" the goal of every life is death."

The same position is adhered to by S. Fati, outlining the death drive as a tendency to return to emptiness: "The key elements (the relationship between Eros and Thanatos) is that the death drive is based on the principle of permanence of emptiness … this is the tendency to return to emptiness."

The death drive can take various forms, as described in the studies of J. Halman: "… the death instinct takes many different forms: this inertia directed at us, the pleasure of inaction becomes a means of escaping pain and suffering, insecurity and tension, it is a withdrawal from the growth process, the inability to integrate, the end of vanity, the desire for peace of mind, loss of autonomy and energy. It acts as a conservative life tendency - a platonic attraction to something unchanging, permanent, absolute, and the diametrically opposite desire is an infantile desire for self-absorption, this is incest, a Faustian desire for complete satisfaction. " The latter reveals the contradictory nature of the death drive, which acts on an unconscious level and finds expression in isolation from the outside world, anxiety, suicide, terrorism, etc.

As stated above, destructive tendencies are guided by the desire for death and are capable of destroying the body, examples of which are aggressive actions, suicide, and murder, since the tendency to "mortify" is basic in the subject's psyche and is associated with the tendency toward psychological death.

The inability to love, sensually unite with the desired object is a manifestation of psychological impotence, Z. Freud argued: “When these people love, they do not want to possess, and when they want, they cannot love. They are looking for an object that they do not need to love in order to to separate sensuality from the desired objects, which leads to psychological impotence. " Under such circumstances, the subject is not able to maintain close relationships, he destroys relationships due to the impossibility of showing love, accepting another person, striving for closeness, inner peace, "encapsulation", which makes sensory contact impossible. Psychological impotence is associated with sadistic aspirations for domination and a necrophilic personality type.

Psychological death is characterized by the "mortification" of libidinal feelings and the domination of "mortid" tendencies: hatred, jealousy, envy, anger, etc. K. Horney argues that such feelings are formed in the childhood period of development, when the child does not have the opportunity to receive unconditional love from the parents. attention, which gives rise to disappointment, anxiety, hatred, jealousy, envy. Such feelings are characterized by ambivalence, the child loves and hates at the same time, gets angry and expresses tenderness to his parents. An explanation of this phenomenon is provided by A. Freud, emphasizing that aggression and libido at the beginning of an individual's life do not differ, they are united by the object of libido (acceptance of the mother, emotional connection with her, etc.).

These processes combine in accordance with the functions of pleasure and frustration. After infancy, the differences between the lines of development of libido and aggression become more expressive. Relationships colored with love become discrete, and the further development of libido leads to the independence of needs, which are accompanied by a negative emotional background and tension. M. Klein emphasizes that such a dualism of instincts is born in early childhood, it causes the emergence of conflicting feelings, which are basic in the emergence of aggression and destruction. So, the phenomenon of psychological death in psychoanalysis is presented through the drive to death, which is basic in the psyche of the subject and is laid down at the biological level through the unity of drives for life and death.

The overwhelming majority of researchers define psychological death as a phenomenon that is reflected in social life: through social alienation, isolation, passivity, indifference to oneself and the world around it, which is associated with the dramatic experiences of the subject. Psychological death is characterized by the following characteristics: "the severance of social ties, loss of life orientations, values, significant relationships, self-isolation, change in lifestyle, thinking, attitude towards oneself and others." Psychological death manifests itself in the absence of new life guidelines, apathy, laziness, conservatism, skepticism towards the future, the desire to return to the past, the mortification of the personality. "This definition makes it possible to highlight the characteristic signs of the phenomenon of psychological death - passivity, isolation, lack of initiative, indifference, apathy, which does not contribute to the social realization of the individual.

The phenomenon of psychological death is associated with the rigidity, programming of the subject's behavior and determines the "mortification" of his individuality - this position is shown in transactional analysis. A life scenario is defined as an unconscious life plan, which is similar to theatrical scenarios with a beginning and an end, reminiscent of legends, myths, and fairy tales. So, the subject unconsciously follows life scenarios, which are characterized by static, stereotyped, automated behavior. Having identified favorable and unfavorable life scenarios (Winners, Defeated and Losers), E. Bern noted that prohibitions are involved in their formation, which are capable of programming the further fate of a person. Define twelve prohibitions that program the "destiny" of the subject, namely: "Don't be yourself", "Don't be a child", "Don't grow up", "Don't achieve this", "Don't do anything", "Don't stick your head out", "Don't connect "," Don't be close "," Don't be physically healthy "," Don't think."

Among the programs described above, the presenter has a scenario "Do not live", which provides for a feeling of uselessness, inferiority, indifference, worthlessness, which are formed in childhood under the influence of parental prohibitions and punishments. Psychological mortification is conditioned by scenarios that were formed under the influence of the described prohibitions and are based on aggressiveness, indifference, and rejection of the child's individuality. The prohibition "Don't feel" imposes a "taboo" on the manifestation of any sensitivity to the people around and to oneself, which causes a mortification of the personality, the generation of an inferiority complex, anxiety, fears, self-doubt, and the like. As noted above, prohibitions affecting the formation of a life scenario are associated with the psychological mortification of the subject and are able to condition such states as isolation, lack of initiative, a feeling of uselessness, indifference, worthlessness, loss of meaning in life, depression and suicide. All this leads to the conclusion that the phenomenon of psychological death is associated with life scenarios and is a derivative of negative life programs that block the processes of individually unique self-realization.

The importance of realizing the inevitability of death, which causes a change in the mental state, was emphasized by E. Kübler-Ross, defining the following stages of psychological death: “Denial - the subject does not believe in the inevitability of death. prolong your life at any cost. The phase of depression is the stage of sadness, the realization of the inevitability of death, its acceptance as the last stage of life - the submissive expectation of death. " That is, the subject psychologically "dies" due to the mortification of his own feelings, trying to come to terms with the end of life. Similar emotional changes occur before committing suicide: life seems gray, everyday, meaningless, there is a feeling of hopelessness, loneliness.

The above-described states characterize the psychological mortification of the subject, and death is liberation from mental suffering. The phenomenon of psychological death is manifested in certain regressive forms of behavior that cause not only moral and physical self-destruction, but also psychological. The release from mental pain through self-destructive behavior is described in the works of N. Farberow. In his concept, self-destructive behavior is characterized by certain actions of the subject, which direct the body to self-destruction. Among them are not only suicidal acts, but also alcoholism, substance abuse, drug addiction, unjustified risk and the like. The researcher noted that such behavior is not always perceived by the subject as threatening, since he often deliberately goes to death.

As noted above, feelings of guilt, hatred, despair, and at the same time, the desire to be on top (to be strong) are factors that can cause suicide. This article raises the problem of preventing the occurrence and neutralization of such conditions in people, understanding their deep psychological causes.

Analysis of the literature allows us to systematize the signs of psychological death: the impossibility of expressing love, disorder of close relationships with others, burden of feelings with jealousy, envy, hatred, discrediting the dignity of another person, feelings of inferiority, feelings of humiliation and inferiority, conservatism in actions and thoughts, rigidity, programmed behavior, skepticism about the future, a desire to return to the past, social alienation, a sense of the hopelessness of life, the lack of new life prospects, a sense of frustration, apathy, depression and suicide.