Live Well With Me

I am currently reading a book for book club called Psych: The Story of the Human Mind by Paul Bloom. The book appears to group each section of chapters based on theme to create a solid yet elegant foundation on the field of psychology. Many themes within psychology go beyond what any psychologist knows, which is why we now have so many specialties within psychology. To understand thoughts, we must understand cognition. To understand cognition, we must understand consciousness. To understand consciousness, we must understand the foundations that Sigmund Freud laid out many years ago. I mentioned to a colleague earlier today that while Freud was an oddball, and many of his ideas are avoided in current conversations, he was always one of my main interests that got me so dedicated to psychology. Freud inspired several other scientists and psychologists to consider other explanations because his ideas were so odd, yet his work remains a foundational element to any psychology introduction.

While I am only currently on chapter 3 titled Freud and the Unconscious, I am constantly reminded of how Freud is perceived in modern times. After all, I believe it is because of Freud’s ideas that my great-grandparents often looked down on “shrinks” as they were “crazy”. My great-grandfather still tells me stories of an old patron who was a psychologist who was “crazy”. It never fails that he tells that story every time it is brought up that I am getting my doctorate in psychology. To be fair, he comes from a time when education was considered something only for the elites of society. Bloom highlighted the idea of Freudian slips linking our unconscious desires and dislikes to our immediate responses when stimulated by their presence or mention. This is the same idea that could potentially explain how my great-grandfather always tells a story of his “crazy” psychologist patron. Perhaps, in his mind, when I discuss my achievements as a scholar, he finds that I might have the same cues as the patron, triggering his unconscious response with his story.

These explanations that I encounter throughout my schooling has often helped me process past experiences, interactions, and even trauma without bringing it to a larger attention of others. It is not necessary to explain to my great-grandfather that his responses are based on his unconscious dislikes of my desired profession. Instead, I can compartmentalize that his responses are not personal to me – they are responses to things he did not like fifty-something years ago. I can separate the idea of his dislike as a personal attack and remind myself that he sees me as great-granddaughter, likely in the same light as when I used to help him on his projects when I was a child.

I have applied the same concept over time – as I’ve learned more about criminology – to process the traumatic experiences I’ve had over the years. Toxic relationships, assault, and drug use are all themes that can commonly be seen in traumatic experiences, and understanding the many factors and variables present has also helped me take accountability for my own past mistakes – not that my trauma was my fault – but that my trauma from childhood led me into relationships using the same emotional manipulation tactics that I learned without being consciously aware of it. That was until I went through cognitive-behavioral therapy and psychotherapy, and even more so after I dedicated my time to learning more about trauma during my graduate studies.

Notice that I highlighted consciousness. Social learning is a concept that used in psychology and criminology for several reasons. 1) Psychologically speaking, anyone can be influenced based on their surroundings. A child who is raised in an affluent neighborhood, has access to all the resources, and their parents are socially involved in their child’s life – that child is likely to have a solid foundation; however, there is also the likelihood that the child will also be socially influenced by peers (or in today’s times, influencers on TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, etc). 2) Criminologically, the same idea applies. A child growing up in a neighborhood with poor resources, poor social involvement or negative social involvement, is more likely to grow into criminal behaviors as that is the norm. These concepts are not 100% accurate, meaning it is not always this or that. In some cases though, it can be explained through social learning. What is learned as normal becomes the default, until otherwise taught.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my thoughts on consciousness as I continue to read this book. I may just post more as I continue my journey into the book. Let me know what you think!