Grappling with the a generational Influence of "Queen and Country"

There is an aspect of my childhood that I have not revisited as an adult in a meaningful way until now. A recent examination of personal barriers, has triggered a new way of looking at my Father that I have not considered before. Enculturation, the process by which one encorporates the aspects and expectations of ones cultural environment into ones own psyche. As a white, anglo saxon male, the archetype of american success, I have lived in denial surrounding what this author is newly discovering to be enculturation.

My father's mother came from a solid Scottish family tracing it's linage back into the highlands past record time. That said, Grandmother was a devout follower of the Queen of England and viewed herself to be from the upper servant class. She was, for most of her life, a Governess by profession.

While she lived and worked in the Boston area most of her adult life, she identified as a Scottish Brit, not an Scottish-American. Her loyalty was always to the Queen and she taught this to her son, who, in turn, confused me with it.

While I do not celebrate a loyalty to the Queen of England, I understand the importance of "knowing ones place" and Deferring to authority in ways that those who are not blessed with a linage of service to ones betters can never understand.

If one has a predisposition to deferring to "ones betters", it is difficult to objectively and critically think about aspects of issues that are "above ones station". The struggle of casting off this yolk is a challenge to the clear application of logic and critical thinking.

Biology and Humanism

When one applies the scientific method to the nature vs. nurture debate the biological model is compelling. At first blush, it appears less subjective. The advent of the mapping of the human genome gives us the ability to assign behavioral characteristics to defects in specific genes. In theory, a catalog of these defects or augmentations could yield a chinese menu of personality. Certainly one does not need a laboratory to log the way an individual's behavior changes under the physical effects of alcohol or drugs.

On the other hand, the argument for a humanistic study of personality is equally compelling. The idea that a path of guided introspection can yield a stronger, happier, and more content self is common desire for humanity. The fact that this practice can be empirically planned and measured lends credibility to the science of the spirit. The ability of humans to self-actualize, that is to experience spiritual growth and to achieve one's goals allows us to overcome profound physical impediments in life.

When the biologists argue that genes and synaptic functions provide the ability to introspect and spiritually grow, they are not wrong.

When the existentialists argue that the self is greater than the sum of it's parts, they are not wrong. Perhaps the most profound weakness for both biological and humanistic paths is how little we really know in either regard.

Introducing An Almost Science...

Many critics of psychoanalysis say that;

"The comparison of psychoanalysis to religious miracle cures is an apt one in reflecting the criticism that Freud’s ideas are not subjected to the same critical, scientific scrutiny as are other psychological theories (Friedman & Schustack, 2009)."

This comment follows from an observation by the comedian Woody Allen, who, in the movie, "Annie Hall", states that after fifteen years of psychoanalysis, he is resolved to give it one more year before resorting to faith-healing. Of course, this idea is coming from someone who thinks that God considers him to be the loyal opposition.

Psychoanalytic theory has two content componants; manifest, and latent content. Manifest describes the notion of "what is", and Latent describes the implications of what is superficially observed.

The problem is that while one can gather anecdotal data and compare that with the mean of similar data, one cannot compare results with a control and therefore cannot reasonably apply the full scientific method to psychoanalytic practice.

Modern medicine and contemporary understanding of the structure of the brain have helped to fill the gaps in psychology that is based solely on observation in a closed system. We know now that the study of personality requires a study of multiple data points that are gathered from a broader spectrum of ideas than were originally thought to be the case.

Bazooka Therapy

We, as a nation give high praise to our men and women overseas, our doctors, nurses, police and fire fighters. Social workers and advocates are often overlooked when the parades are forming. A dear friend of mine was a Dept. of Social Services case worker in Chelsea Ma., a blue collar, low and medium income suburb of Boston for many years. She would walk into homes, often without police escort, and try to talk battered women and their children out of their home and into shelters. She told me she blew through the scary moments by using what she called "Bazooka therapy". You go in and offer what services you can, all the while, secretly imagining lining the parents up against a wall, shouting "fire in the hole!" and pulling the trigger. She said it was the only way she could be professional with a family after a daycare provider reported finding an adult's personal hair in a child's diaper.

Hats off to the social workers, these are unsung heroes of our society.