Education Psychology - I Was Blocked on Facebook: An Ideal Opportunity for Individuation


By Matthew Gober

In daily life we are often faced with situations that we consider to be "bad", or at the very least, less than optimal. It can be difficult to discern any positive value to be gained from these scenarios, especially when there is a significant emotional impact. You might ask yourself, "What is to be gained from discovering that I've been blocked by a friend on Facebook?" While this is a relatively minor problem in the grand scheme of things, it can cause great emotional distress. When someone tells us that there is a "silver-lining" to be found in every situation, doesn't this axiom seem trite when we hurt so much?

Carl Jung described a process that he called individuation. In a nutshell, it simply means the process in which each of us must differentiate as a separate entity from the rest of the collective psychology that exists around us. Instead of identifying exclusively with the persona, or mask that we display to the outside world, we learn to reconnect to the unconscious. This should not be viewed as an attempt to overcome one's personal psychology and archetypal images but is instead a process of reconnecting with the unconscious aspect our being. We become aware of our persona and the personal fantasies, emotions and feelings that play such a prominent role in our behavior.

If you are scratching your head at this point, consider this: Difficult situations in life present the opportunity for us to more fully understand our strengths and weaknesses. In the case of being blocked by a friend on Facebook there is an opportunity to examine why that affects us so deeply. What is it about being shunned by that friend that hurts so much? How much value has been placed on that relationship? Are our feelings reciprocated by that person? Has too much emphasis been placed on one friendship when there are opportunities for a multitude of meaningful connections with other people? These are just a few questions to ask while undergoing a self-analysis to really learn about who and what we are. This process is not painless; it is a process of learning about ourselves, including the aspects that we would rather not think about. Through this contemplation, we can begin to realize that we are more than our fragile egos. When we learn that we don't have to blindly conform to collective values or our own ego desires, we can then become more objective and form quality relationships with others. Individuation is a lifelong process in which we learn about ourselves so that we can more effectively integrate with society.

The process of individuation is continuous. There is no end as we constantly encounter a myriad of problems and situations in our lives. The goal is not to become perfect, but to have a functional relationship with the self. This is an ongoing learning process that we can engage in every day. While being blocked on Facebook can be painful, it can also lead to greater understanding of the self.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Informations From: Collections Article

Nasib

Nasib Nasib Oliver Cadwell. Usia 25 tahun. Mengambil jurusan keuangan. 3 tahun pengalaman kerja. "Sempurna. Dialah yang kita butuhka...