Happiness

[blowtorch_betty]

"Is there a formula-some mix of love, work, and psychological adaptation-for a good life? For 72 years, researchers at Harvard have been examining this question, following 268 men who entered college in the late 1930s through war, career, marriage and divorce, parenthood and grandparenthood, and old age. Here, for the first time, a journalist gains

Comments

[batboymaxx]

I'm bringing my old first year NWSH books on our trip. I think that, based upon your interest in this topic, you'll find them pretty fascinating.

There's this idea that defenses are inherently bad, and something to overcome. But from another perspective, they can serve a purpose -it's just that you'd want to incorporate some level of consciousness, whether conscious competence or conscious incompetence, in order to keep them at bay. Ultimately, people are ruled by their defenses, and holy cats, once you get used to looking for them, you can really see how the world is affected. People become extremely reactionary as a result of defense systems, and it molds their entire life path.

Anyway, this is really interesting stuff, and I look forward to reading that article!

[blowtorch_betty]

I get what you're saying. I've picked up on a lot of this stuff over the years, bits here and there, but this is a more coherent collection than I'd come up with on my own. I particularly like how the researcher/author of some of the material fully admits his own defenses, AND that he can't actually see them himself.

I've been harboring this idea that I should be better at seeing and dismantling my own than I am, but given that professionals are unable to see it in themselves, I feel a bit better about my own shortcomings in that area. It's not an excuse to get lazy about it, that's for sure, but it does put a more positive spin on my experiences and struggles.