Wednesday, February 24, 2010
I was thinking about the comments made that we often wait too long and may lose the moment for change, for example the lack of drastic change during the Obama administration, thus far. Perhaps the reason there has been no revolutionary change and merely "incremental" change is because of Freud's idea on the compulsion to repeat. The idea of revolutionary change causes anxiety because it proposes something completely new and would force people to stop the repetition. Because as Freud notes, we feel the need to repeat (perhaps for control or comfort), even if the thing we are repeating causes us pain or harm. Perhaps the reason we don't see revolutionary change so often is because we as a people could not bear the upset it would cause. Perhaps revolutionary change is too dangerous and detrimental to our psyche. If the ways and customs that people follow are abolished and replaced by something altogether different, then the continuum is broken, and, although we verbally call for change, perhaps we subconsciously fear it because it leaves us with nothing familiar to grasp.
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I have to agree with your interpretation. I think that Freud’s concept of the compulsion to repeat can be easily recognized in daily life. It is hard to break free of something in light of an alternative, even if the situation at hand is far from positive. An example of this would be someone consistently returning to his/her significant other even if the relationship is an abusive one. When it comes down to it, I think it can be broken down into fear of the unknown. We stick to what we know because of, as you said, the comfort/ familiarity/ control factor.
ReplyDelete"History, despite its wretching pain, cannot be lived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again." -Maya Angelou
ReplyDeleteI felt that this statement was very fitting for the post above. As a result of mankind's inability to accept the past, history repeats itself. Regardless of what party is in power it seems that the same mistakes are made continously. What is needed to break this cycle of repetition is the determination and strength to stand up and make change. Yes, it may be difficult to accept change at first; however, if it is for the country's best interest, then we should all face change with open arms. If we can acknowledge the mistakes that have occurred in the past, then it will be that much easier to avoid such reocurrences. Despite the comfort one may experience in familiarity, sometimes certain comforts are not the best for a person. Without change, our country wouldn't be what it is today. Through change, we have and will continue to develop into a super power throughout the world and will continue striving to achieve excellence
I agree with you that change is what got not only our country but the entire world to where it is today. However, I think maybe part of the reason we don't see major revolutions every other year is because of Freud's idea of the compulsion to repeat. Even though we recognize that change is good, we are compelled to repeat bad things, as well as good.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree, perhaps another idea is the Freudian idea of the death drive, but on a culturally driven scale? For example, instead of a single person wanting to regress to an inorganic state, society in general wants to keep the status quo? This could be for a variety of reasons, but all of these reasons, I feel, could come back to the idea that thing's are comfortable as is, so why change? Why bother? Why stir the pot? After all, animals tend to follow the same life pattern forever? Not that we are the same as animals entirely, but perhaps we are more than people are willing to admit?
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ReplyDeleteI believe Change is inevitable and although drastic change will most likely result in fear, it is the foundation of the progression of our society. Change is what makes us who we are, and the courage to face those changes develops our character.
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