By Thomas Cangelosi, Photo: Mark Pazniokas/CTMirror.org, The CT Mirror, February 23, 2022
According to a recent NBC news poll, when Americans were asked about the country’s present direction, the top answers were “downhill,” “divisive,” “negative,” “struggling,” “lost,” and “bad.” The poll also indicated that the public’s interest in the upcoming midterm election is down. In other words, many Americans feel pessimistic, conflicted, and powerless to change our “downhill” slide.
As someone who’s suffered from depression, I recognize in the nation’s negative outlook several characteristic symptoms of my illness, in particular an amalgam of gloom, anger, and apathy.
In fact, Freud described depression as “anger turned inward.” In other words, the anger toward others, ironically, turns inward against ourselves, often making us feel like frustrated victims of injustice; or conversely, pathetic losers. Internalized critical voices, in effect, sabotage the individual’s emotional equilibrium, tearing the person apart with misplaced self-recrimination. And each loss we may experience only re-ignites this self-destructive attack.
Comments (0)