Tuesday, 8 January 2013

The Myth of Healthy Normality


Humans as a species have probably never before been in such a privileged situation in regards to having our basic needs met. We have, at least in the Western world, an abundance of food, shelter and very few of us are attacked by natural predators. It is difficult then to explain why we seem to have continually and systematically more “living problems” than ever. 

Of course we consider normal living as a complete absence of psychological discomfort and this has been reinforced by modern psychology. Western psychology is founded on the assumption of healthy normality: that by their nature, humans are psychologically healthy, and given a healthy environment, lifestyle, and social context (with opportunities for ‘self-actualisation’), humans will naturally be happy and content. From this perspective, psychological suffering is seen as abnormal; a disease or syndrome driven by unusual pathological processes. 



1 comment:

  1. I liked this post. It goes with what I have learned in DBT. Radical Acceptance.

    We are going to feel emotions. We are going to feel sadness and anger and that is okay. It shouldn't be about getting rid of discomfort, but learning to live with it and be okay with it. As Buddha said to Mara, Come on in and join me. You are welcomed.


    www.findingonespath.blogspot.com

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