Things I've Learned In Grad School

1) Psychosexual theory is wacky. A handful of really important, key concepts, and then a whole lot of crazy. Like, okay, a guy comes in and tells you he's having a hard time making friends, and you think to yourself that it probably stems from him wishing he could stil breastfeed with his mother, and maybe there's a certain logic to your thought process, but is it really useful to tell that 30-year-old man that he'd make friends more easily if he came to terms with his desire to breastfeed?

2) Schizophrenia is terrifying. Not because schizophrenic people are, but because of the core, healthy self that exists, buried under all the paranoia and fear and disorganized thought. We watched a video in class in which a therapist described taking his schizophrenic patient to a clinic, and when the nurse at the counter didn't respond quickly enough, the patient (who believed she was being chased by a man with a knife), began screaming. In the middle of her screaming, the patient turned back to her doctor, said, "Don't worry, I'm okay," and then began screaming again. In the middle of her terror, she was concerned for his well-being.

3) Narcissistic Personality Disorder is boring. Just...boring.

I'm on a reward system with myself, where if I complete my readings for the week within a certain timeframe, I get to do something for myself. Like, record some podfic, or watch the season premiere of Supernatural. (About which I have no comment. Still thinking.) This has amounted to roughly an hour of reward per week and a half of school. Sigh.

I finished a written assignment today, for which I had to record a conversation between myself and another person, and then analyse my body language and vocal tone. I'm cool with the sound of my own voice, but watching myself on tape? Unfun.

Maybe my dislike of my image on tape stems from an oedipal complex, or possibly a fixation in the anal stage. I can't control what I look like, or how I hold myself when I speak, and that's related to some critical moment in potty training. Sounds reasonable, right?

Things I've Learned In Grad School

1) Psychosexual theory is wacky. A handful of really important, key concepts, and then a whole lot of crazy. Like, okay, a guy comes in and tells you he's having a hard time making friends, and you think to yourself that it probably stems from him wishing he could stil breastfeed with his mother, and maybe there's a certain logic to your thought process, but is it really useful to tell that 30-year-old man that he'd make friends more easily if he came to terms with his desire to breastfeed?

2) Schizophrenia is terrifying. Not because schizophrenic people are, but because of the core, healthy self that exists, buried under all the paranoia and fear and disorganized thought. We watched a video in class in which a therapist described taking his schizophrenic patient to a clinic, and when the nurse at the counter didn't respond quickly enough, the patient (who believed she was being chased by a man with a knife), began screaming. In the middle of her screaming, the patient turned back to her doctor, said, "Don't worry, I'm okay," and then began screaming again. In the middle of her terror, she was concerned for his well-being.

3) Narcissistic Personality Disorder is boring. Just...boring.

I'm on a reward system with myself, where if I complete my readings for the week within a certain timeframe, I get to do something for myself. Like, record some podfic, or watch the season premiere of Supernatural. (About which I have no comment. Still thinking.) This has amounted to roughly an hour of reward per week and a half of school. Sigh.

I finished a written assignment today, for which I had to record a conversation between myself and another person, and then analyse my body language and vocal tone. I'm cool with the sound of my own voice, but watching myself on tape? Unfun.

Maybe my dislike of my image on tape stems from an oedipal complex, or possibly a fixation in the anal stage. I can't control what I look like, or how I hold myself when I speak, and that's related to some critical moment in potty training. Sounds reasonable, right?