New Essays

[RJDiogenes]

Uh oh. Now you're even further behind. I just posted "Dogs Chew Our Legs Off."

[scottydog]

Uh oh. Now you're even further behind. I just posted "Dogs Chew Our Legs Off."

Working on it....

[RJDiogenes]

I just posted seven more stories.

[scottydog]

I just posted seven more stories.

My goodness, I remain behind in my story-reading and video-watching

In the meantime, yesterday I published a short essay on Ernest Becker's psychoanalytic approach to heroism. Since I posted the essay, several Freudian psychoanalysts have emailed me -- with both praise and criticism.

[RJDiogenes]

I was only kidding about the seven stories. Sorry. I thought it was over the top enough to be obvious.

In the meantime, yesterday I published a short essay on Ernest Becker's psychoanalytic approach to heroism. Since I posted the essay, several Freudian psychoanalysts have emailed me -- with both praise and criticism.

We must organizer the Praisers to defeat the Critics! What kind of responses have they sent?

[scottydog]

Mostly they're happy to see psychoanalytic theory get some attention. That's rare in the US compared to Europe. And then they all have their favorite psychoanalyst -- Adler, Jung, and now especially Otto Rank. They want me to know how their favorite thinks compared to other psychoanalystis.

[RJDiogenes]

Otto Rank is a current favorite? I never heard of him till now.

[scottydog]

Yes, apparently Otto Rank has been a kind of brilliant, underrated guy who broke from Freud and made a big impact on current psychology -- including our understanding of heroism. He inspired Ernest Becker, the dude I wrote about in my last Psych Today essay.

My problem is with Rank's early views on human sexuality. Those psychoanalysts were obsessed with sexual urges, i.e., Oedipal and Elektra stuff. But beyond that, Rank and others theorized some really interesting ideas about culture's main role being the vehicle for people to build their self-esteem. Heroism, then, involves building esteem in the service of promoting one's cultural values and worldview.

[RJDiogenes]

I noticed in the Wiki article that he felt neuroses were not the result of a retreat from sexuality, and I wondered if that might be the reason for his current popularity.

By the way, I came across this:

[scottydog]

^^

Yes, that was me at the hardware store. Four times