Welcome once again, my various readers. As mentioned in previous blogs, this blog will explore the potential utility of the Actual and Imagined. Thus, it would be helpful to understand what the Actual and Imagined are. You can read the blog about these constructs here. However, for the purposes of this blog, all you have to know is that the “Imagined” describes one’s beliefs about themselves, while the “Actual” describes one’s perceptions of themselves.
Within the clinical application of psychology, the first question we must ask ourselves is “what mental processes are contributing to this person’s neuroses/problems?”.
By understanding the way that people think about the world, we can understand where mental illness stems from and determine the best way to addresses these thought processes.
Thus, if we agree that the Imagined and the Actual are the constructs by which we understand and interact with the world, then these constructs can also be used to understand the specific thought processes that are associated with different forms of mental illness.
Furthermore, we must acknowledge that there are different ways that people interact with their Imagined self. Some people will embrace their internal construction of who they are, while others will reject and “hide” from their internal construction.
This dynamic between accepting or rejecting one’s internal construction of themselves can be seen in both everyday psychology and psychopathology.
For example, one of the lesser-known defense mechanisms described by Sigmund Freud was known as “reaction formation“. Reaction formation is the fixation of the conscious mind on an idea that is opposite to a feared unconscious belief. This concept is better illustrated through an example: A mother who gave birth to an unwanted child may be overly protective to convince herself that she is a good mother.
Individuals who experience reaction formation are doing so because they are afraid of, or do not want to confront their Imagined Self. They do not want to confront the psychological contradictions that arise from who they are expected to be and the actual construction of their Imagined Self.
Formally, we will call this dynamic the “Imagined Embrace”, and the “Imagined Rejection”. These two constructs exist on a spectrum. One’s placement on this spectrum is determined by the extent of their acceptance of their Imagined self.
There are a variety of other psychological processes that occur between the Imagined and Actual. This blog established the construct of the “Imagined Embrace” and the “Imagined Rejection”. By expanding our “library” of psychological processes, we will better be able to understand a variety of psychological phenomena and expand that understanding into clinical applications.
If there are any thoughts or questions you have regarding the Imagined Embrace/Rejection construct, I’d be happy to hear them. Please comment them below!
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