https://www.thecarlatreport.com/blogs/2-the-carlat-psychiatry-podcast/post/5802-living-without-illusions-psychological-survival-in-a-world-of-persistent-hatred
This experience of joy that we’re expected to pursue depends on having a secure sense of safety. That was Erikson’s first psychosocial stage, trust versus mistrust. But when you grow up in a world where you are repeatedly attacked, that sense of safety is actually maladaptive. You need to function on a foundation not of trust exactly, but of vigilance. So this trouble feeling joy, or lack of joy, that people talk about this time of year, isn’t pathological. It’s kind of a prerequisite to survival.
In this podcast, Mara and I talk about how to survive psychologically in a world where hatred is persistent, not abstract, not metaphorical, but recurring, and sometimes lethal.
Author
Joshua Feder, M.D.
Dr. Feder's Blog
