After my psych class, this guy walked up and asked George if he thought people can go their whole lives just not addressing some bad event and keeping there, unaddressed without necessarily turning to the torture of animals. On the drive home I thought about that some more. That guy sounds like there's something deep seeded that he wants to just sweep under the rug. I know all about that behavior. My husband is a huge rug sweeper type. It doesn't seem to result in any serious behavioral problems or "issues" (i.e., torturing small animals). But it does have an affect on him and on me sometimes, whether he realizes it or not.
Anyway, that conversation got me to thinking about all the different ways people cope with things. I said there were two great divides, in my view. People turn behavior inward or outward. But, while driving, I realized that can be either negative or positive. I think there is a great impetus to react negatively to negative events. In my view, the greater categories this falls into are 1) Negative affect turned out and 2) Negative affect turned inward. But then I thought some more and I realized there are plenty of people who've taken a horrible event and channeled it so it became a good thing. For example, the kid whose dad dies of heart disease and vows to be a great cardiac surgeon - and does! He could have easily become a Seligman and cut hearts out of mice or something but chose a different route. That begs the question - why? Why do so many people take their negative life events and run off to be rapists or drug abusers or cutters or killers and why do other people with similar pain go on to be doctors, lawyers, priests and Bach!?
Just something to ponder for today.
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