According to Syed[1], personality is not the synonym of “traits”. It stands for a whole set of aspects that define a unique way of being in the world. Similarly, for P.A[2] they could be summarized in 4 pillars-1) events expected to happen at certain phases, 2) introject identity models and psychological atmospheres, which if it is the case of being inhibitory ones such as: abandonment, repression, oppression, etc, are blocked by consciousness, 3) cultural influences and 4) own experiences. Psychological development can also be divided into Infantile Identity and Sexual Identity (from puberty on), two perspectives of the same phenomena. Both of them will be used to refer and to understand how second developmental cenesthetic wave, that comes together with arousal of sexual hormones and sexual energy, have an impact on personalities/identities. Drives[3], previously constituted by action/aggressiveness and intuition/sensibility (masculine and feminine ones) start to be erotic[4]. Sexual Identity (SI) is developed in 4 phases-Self-sexual, Homosexual, Transition and Heterosexual one. They could be summarized in processes of erotization and Idealization. Eroticizing behaviors start with getting in contact with desire in their own bodies that is progressively directed to other bodies. Idealization is accountable for directing erotic fantasies to other bodies. If this process is well succeed, it results in healthy and integrated identities, which should stand for f sexual and loving authentic choices. Idealization happens through a mechanism called projection, which follows the 4 stages of S.I development 1) Self-sexual phase- projection in idols- experimenting eroticism in their own bodies; 2) In idealized friends (specular image). They start experimenting the need of intimacy and privacy. Besides experimenting desire on their bodies, they start sharing his with friends of the same sex (that “know” what is it like to feel that way); 3) In idealized interactions-with different bodies and sex/complementary energies. If the process occurred in a healthy way, they should be ready to be sexual and erotically in tune with different bodies and complementary energies (erotic intimacy).[5]
Idols have a crucial role ate this time, since they work as references of how to be and behave in erotic situations/relationships as well as of how to think and have their own ideas and opinions (different from origin family). Cultural influences, in turn, are present since pregnancy and permeate interactions all lifelong. If they are healthy ones, will enable a spontaneous development. We will call them facilitator psychological atmospheres in opposition to inhibitory ones. Some examples of inhibitory atmospheres are tension between the couple (parents), abandonment or rejection during early years (cenesthetic phase) or moral rigidity and/or oppression during psychological phase (from first childhood on). As a matter of fact, the four dimensions present in personality construal are intrinsically linked. The distinction is didactic and is useful to distinguish in which ways they have an impact or their effects on personality disorders. Bias and discrimination might be devastating according to how people react to them. One usual severe consequence of them is having a clandestine/secret sexual life. Despite the miserable conditions emotional life might have, individuals are aware of them. Veiled atmospheres- hostilities, indifference- in turn, are bad for obvious reasons, once people will not be prevented from them because they are not explicitly said. Besides that, veiled atmospheres have a strong impact on emotional balance, given the consequences ambivalences and double[6] messages might have in future insecure and hesitant personalities. Introjected atmospheres from identity models, nevertheless, become individuals’ parts or traits. We are talking about disqualifying, even terrifying internal sides they are not entitled to fight against, because they don’t recognize them as being part of themselves. This is where lies neurosis.
To be continued on the next Post
[1] Syed,M. Diversifying how we think about Diversity in Personality Research. In:http://osf.io/wby46. In: ARP- Association for Research in personality, Annual Convention. [2] Psychodramatic Analysis is our methodological reference [3] Drives and energies are being used as synonyms. [4] To more details see Essay2-Sexuality and Sexual identity and Essay 3-Sexual Identity development, in: http://www.ceciliapsicologa.org. Talking about Psychology with Cecilia Leite. Chapter IV-Sexual Identity, in: YouTube/www.ceciliapsicologa.org [5] For more details see: Essay 4-Sexual Identity blocks, in:http://www.ceciliapsicologa.org. Talking about psychology.Chapter V-Sexual Identity blocks. In: YouTube. In: www.ceciliapsicologa.org [6] This topic will be developed in the sequence
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