Anxiety And Suppressed Desire. How It Works?

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

The origins of neurosis. Internal conflict = neurosis?

Internal conflict is, in fact, an opportunity for personal growth, and not the basis of neurosis.

The basis for the development of neurosis is not an internal conflict, and in general not a conflict in itself, but

premature reconciliation of the conflict.

So there is an internal conflict, an internal struggle. A healthy response to this situation is that the most urgent need at the moment comes to the fore, and this is translated into the plane of external action, more precisely, an act. It is the act that ultimately leads either to an internal confirmation of the correctness of the choice, or to a reassessment and, then, the commission of another act.

Another possible answer to this situation is that instead of unfolding external confrontation, I remain in the space of internal struggle. Wanting to pre-calculate and guarantee myself success, I cannot make a choice and hang between two directions. It is difficult to exist for a long time, and then I arbitrarily choose one. One tendency of mine subjugates the other, or rather, I conquer myself. Let's say I choose obedience and comfort while giving up autonomy. Now I'm good. What does this mean? - That I am easy to handle. In order to remain good, I must suppress my needs for autonomy, for repulsion, my aggressiveness. One part of me seeks to overcome, conquer, subjugate another part of me.

Hooray! I am relieved of excruciating tension and doubts about the right or wrong of my current choices. I have an a priori solution and I look forward to comfort.

Here, however, a paradox awaits me. The point is that there can be no natural satisfaction in the inner struggle! In the external, it can, and with any final outcome! Either I achieve my goal and feel satisfaction from the fulfillment of desire, or, having laid out in perfect attempts, I come to an understanding of the impossibility of realizing my intentions in this situation, I come to terms with the limitations of my capabilities and calm down. In the inner struggle, this relief does not come, because the energy is always connected. She is always retroflexively directed at herself, and therefore cannot be fully discharged.

So do I get the desired comfort or not ?!

Let's do it again. The neurotic solution is an attempt to move away from tension to the comfort of safety. But security turns out to be imaginary!

Neurosis is a choice of imaginary security.

Anxiety is an exclusively human feeling, consisting in the painful experience of waiting for negative emotions. Quite difficult to even articulate, but it is also difficult and works. It is unbearable to expect things to (probably) become unbearable. Any activity replaces expectation, reducing the intensity of emotional stress. When intent turns into action.

In my video, I answer a question about the relationship between anxiety and repressed desire.