From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Thu Oct 06 2005 - 20:02:44 BST
Arlo:
Awhile back I asked and you answered:
Platt
> >You seem to frame most human behavior as power struggles. Is that they way
> > you view the human condition?
> >
> >
> [Arlo]
> Mostly, yes.
Now this is interesting to me because a long time ago I came across an
article on mental health that seemed to suggest that you are right. The
author's thesis was that mental illness results from a compulsion to be
one up on others, and disturbed if put down, i.e. an unhealthy concern
about one's power position. The author then went on to suggest various
ways his patients could overcome their unhealthy power concerns by
teaching them inferior and superior behaviors: For example:
Inferior Position -- One Down
Agreeing with another's approach or lead
Unable to restrain curiosity
Staring intently
Reacting defensively or making excuses
Superior Position -- One UP
Deliberately acknowledge inferior position
Play helpless (power of being a victim)
Build up the other person
Admit you made a mistake
Repeat what someone says to you
Lose interest in what the other person says
Refuse to do battle
Silence - no response
Stay cool, unruffled
Apparently when one goes into therapy the psychiatrist will play the role
of One Up which drives the patient up a wall until the patient learns from
the psychiatrist's behavior how not to be One Down. In other words, the
patient learns how to play One Up and, eventually, not to care if he is
One Up or One Down. Then he is cured.
I pass this along purely as a matter of interest with no intention
whatsoever of accusing Arlo or anyone else of needing psychiatric
treatment, although a few here have suggested that I might be a likely
candidate. :-)
Platt
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