Attempts to fathom how one’s mind works in relation to self-understanding, and understanding others, is as old as human existence. Yet, what progress have we made? Are there any changes from days of the caveman in what we know about ourselves and how we interact with other people? We still have armed conflict, tribal warfare, genocide and worldwide criminal activity. An unparalleled use of legitimate and illicit drugs and substances are self-administered to reduce anxiety. Countless interpersonal conflicts result in miscommunications, emotional illnesses, soaring divorce rates, violence, job stress and a weakening of family structure and function.
We can look at the modern world and discover not one virtue that did not exist millennia ago. Nor can we identify one defect of human nature which has been eradicated. The average person in today’s modern world resorts to precisely the same coping strategies in seeking personal security as did his ancient ancestors. Yet in other fields of human endeavor we have made great progress. Scientific breakthroughs have occurred in the fields of health, education, travel, commerce, etc. Such achievements influence life in more quantitative ways than affecting life’s qualitative aspects. These materialistic gains have not enhanced personal emotional security for human beings. To the contrary life may be more stressful and problematical to manage than in former times.
Those of us who work in the arena of analyzing and resolving emotional problems are accustomed to hearing individuals blame their difficulties on concerns they are consciously aware of – job loss, financial problems, career disappointments, household moves, being young parents, empty-nesters, caring for elderly parents, problems with raising children. However, the causes of emotional difficulties are found in conflict in one’s interpersonal relationships. Each individual’s sense of well-being depends entirely on the status of such relationships and how well they are managed. Thus, self-understanding of one’s role and function in relationship with various other people in one’s life is crucial to circumventing and minimizing personal emotional distress and achieving more harmonious relationships.
When is your book coming out? This is a very important topic. I have been looking for a way to study this. I think you are just the person to lead the discussion. Thank you for putting this up.
U go girl!
Thanks for your comment. The overlap of emotional and mental illness is an important influence to consider for children especially.
It is important to know that our patterns of relating to others are often formed in our early years and based on unconscious processes of which we are not even aware. Encouraging to know that if we can learn to identify our dysfunctional patterns of behaviors, and determine how they originated, we can heal them, and begin to relate to others in our world in healthier ways. Also, the distinction between emotional and mental illness is an important one. They often co-occur. People who grow up in families where there is mental illness frequently have a genetic proclivity to develop mental illness, and are also prone to develop emotional illness from experiencing inconsistent parenting from parents who suffer from mental illness.
Thank you, Judy. I am only now beginning to understand how common emotional illness is. It’s not the end of the world, but something to be addressed with love.
Just read your blog on self understanding and the importance of understanding ourselves during our formative years. Wish I could have know this information 40 years ago and it would have changed my life had I understood the complexity of myself.
However, thank you for adding the importance of knowing your early developmental years to cyberspace.
As this world becomes more and more complex, the importance of the info you are enlightening us with is needed for each and every one of us. For the young, it is a MUST READ. For the rest of us, it is still not to late….it is a MUST READ.
Thank you for making some sense out of information that should have been taught to us years ago.
Thank you for your comment. I agree that it is especially important to give young people this information, preferably before they have children of their own.
I agree with Brenda. This is important information & I thank you for posting these blogs. If I read them each week & spend a little time in self-reflection it helps my understanding of myself & others.
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