People are also marked by experiences that will be introjected and turned into a part of their “repertoire” (personality), which didn’t come from family or important identity references. Dias calls them “own experience”[1][2]. They are genuine experiences (not learned from role models) that will be better or worse incorporated to personality to the extent that people are in touch with their intimate feelings. These values, ideas, tastes, etc, that set self-perception is known as Ego. According to Dias[3], Ego offers a support that gives people a sense of being and belonging as individuals and as part of a culture/society. It works as a “psychological ground” and also as our “healthy mental part” once keeping emotional balance enables us to find motivation and engagement in projects (meaning and purpose to life). For this reason it is also known as a moral instance, whose function is detaching mind from conflicts that might result in a collapse (leading people to impasses that could threaten their emotional balance). From puberty on, bodies start producing sexual hormones and being provided by agent eroticism[4]. For P.A, Sexual identity is started. It is constituted by erotic fantasies, which are directed to other bodies, and it is also developed into an idealization process that ends up with sexual identities conclusion. By that time people should be emotionally ready for sexual and loving interaction. In addition, Ego enhances moral and intellectual development. From puberty on, an intellectual leap, that increases logical (analytical) repertoire brings, as a consequence, awareness of their ambivalences. Conflicting memories linked to yearly years inhibitory atmospheres (oppression, abandonment, rejection) will be added by ambivalences that are considered as a threat to our self-perception (moral coherence). These two groups, contradictory feelings and moral ambivalences, are parts of our “own experience” that are excluded from consciousness and remain in silence (unconscious) until the urge of symptoms.
To be continued on the next Post
[1]I’m calling “Own Experience” something that, in Portuguese, is called “vivência”. “Vivência” means the result of personal experiences struck by relevant information, sensations or emotions that become part of their intimate way of defining themselves. Vivência would be slightly different from ‘personal experience’ once it stresses aspects of personality undergone and developed by children, with no interference from role models. Once there is no such a word in English, I’ll refer to it as “Own experience”. [2] For more details see Dias in 5 Essay -Adolescence and Anguish. Post 3-Pathological (neurotic ) anguish and Ego in:
www.ceciliapsicologa.org. Talking about Psychology with Cecília Leite. V Chapter-Sexual Identity Development. Episode 1-Premisses and Episode 2-Puberty in YouTube [3]Ibid [4]For more details see Dias in 5 Essay-Adolescence and Anguish.Post4-Sexual energy and ambiguity in: www.ceciliapsicologa.org.Talking about Psychology with Cecília Leite. Chapter V-Sexual Identity development. Episode 2- Puberty and Episode 3- Adolescence in YouTube
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