Should Be Known

Alice Miller was a Swiss thinker and psychoanalyst. Her book The Drama of the Gifted Child describes depression as the result of a person’s suppression/repression of their emotions due, according to her, to a parent in childhood making that necessary. I think there’s something to her theory, though her view of parents is pretty dark in general. To her they must be evil to do that, I guess. So they’re all evil.

Anyway, for all the sensation she seemed to cause back around 1981, I don’t see her thoughts represented in modern theories of depression. What happened?

Theories are postulations of what we can't see meant to explain what we can see. There are several theories of depression out there, some of which I think are given more credence than they deserve. Here's a theory of depression to consider. See what you think.

Theories are postulations of what we can’t see meant to explain what we can see. There are several theories of depression out there, some of which I think are given more credence than they deserve. Here’s a theory of depression to consider. See what you think.

The field of psychology today is, in some ways, frankly, groping in darkness. While there are many practical principles I believe that have been found and are being employed successfully in therapy and such, any real guidance as to the theory of things is just kind of absent. It that too harsh to say? In this episode we talk about where psychology is today and what it needs to really succeed.

The field of psychology today is, in some ways, frankly, groping in darkness. While there are many practical principles I believe that have been found and are being employed successfully in therapy and such, any real guidance as to the theory of things is just kind of absent. It that too harsh to say? In this episode we talk about where psychology is today and what it needs to really succeed.

It's high time we discussed some examples of self-deception (besides what we discussed in episodes 2 and 3). And why not just jump to a couple of the most important and universal - depression and anxiety?

It’s high time we discussed some examples of self-deception (besides what we discussed in episodes 2 and 3). And why not just jump to a couple of the most important and universal – depression and anxiety?

I would like to propose that one great source of light we violate when we self-deceive is the light of Christ. Also known in scripture as the spirit of Christ, this light proceeds from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space, gives us our knowledge of right from wrong, is the very light and life of men, and is the very law by which all things are governed. To me this means that we can't escape it. When we go against this light, whether consciously or not, we must self-deceive, in order to justify ourselves. That's the theory--that we absolutely can't violate it without deceiving ourselves. This lays the groundwork for everything we'll discuss later. See what you think.

Oh, and we just solved the whole philosophical problem of how we know what is moral or not.

I would like to propose that one great source of light we violate when we self-deceive is the Light of Christ. Also known in scripture as the Spirit of Christ, this light proceeds from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space, gives us our knowledge of right from wrong, is the very light and life of men, and is the very law by which all things are governed. To me this means that we can’t escape it. When we go against this light, whether consciously or not, we must self-deceive, in order to justify ourselves. That’s the theory–that we absolutely can’t violate it without deceiving ourselves. This lays the groundwork for everything we’ll discuss later. See what you think.

Oh, and we just solved the whole philosophical problem of how we know what is moral or not.

C. Terry Warner, a philosophy professor at Brigham Young University until his retirement, has made unprecedented strides in the area of self-deception, especially as it relates to social interactions. I have seen no one else treat his subject better. Studying self-deception without talking about Terry Warner would be a little like studying physics without talking about Einstein. I am greatly indebted to him for my knowledge in this area and will forever be grateful I was ever able to study under him.