The Catholic Peace Weekly will begin a column in the new year written by the director of the Adlerian Psychology Association to help understand pain and the process to overcome the difficulties in everyday life through psychology and spirituality.
With the prolonged COVID-19, more and more people complain of helplessness and deprivation. The word "corona blue" has been coined, chronic unhappiness is becoming a social phenomenon. In this environment, humans are bound to have feelings of inferiority. Timidity and anxiety add to the feeling of inferiority. However, after about two years of the COVID-19 situation, we gradually adapt to our daily lives and gain a feeling of safety.
Alfred Adler (1870-1937), the founder of personal psychology, said that humans constantly feel a lack and develop the ability to improve. In other words, to change the sense of inferiority into a plus situation, we need to continually motivate ourselves.
Alfred Adler spent his childhood with a sense of inferiority. When he was young, he didn't start walking until he was four years old because of rickets, and he almost died of pneumonia. At the age of 3, he also experienced his younger brother's death in his bed, and he was highly competitive due to his inferiority complex with his older brother. Adler often talked about his memory as a child. When he had pneumonia the doctor said that he would probably not make it. At that time, Adler decided to become a positive and hopeful doctor for patients fighting death.
The events Adler experienced as a child were traumatic. However, to overcome trauma, he became a doctor who treated trauma, giving hope to those who experienced pain and providing psychological education and group therapy to prevent it. His willingness to overcome his inferiority complex was a firm goal for the future and devoted his life to creating and expanding psychology that would be useful to others.
Even if we have already overcome pain and trials, the memories remain and we can psychologically re-experience the pain. It is the negative meaning given to the experience rather than the pain itself that makes it difficult. After all, it is 'I' who gives meaning to the experience, so the reaction and results of those with the same experience are different.
The sense of inferiority, which is a state of wanting to make up for what I lack, becomes the power to set goals and implement them. With pain, I try to become stronger, and overcome my sense of inferiority and strive for a better future. The research results of brain scientists say that the human brain is motivated when it has a clear purpose for action, and when the purpose for life is blocked, the emotional response is revealed as discomfort. 'Humans do not live for failure.' They are programmed to do better, 'motivated for success.
Having a clear purpose and hope to change the present for the better, is the biggest factor in changing human behavior. So even in this unpredictable Corona situation, we are overcoming the current difficulties expecting a more stable situation. How much effort do we expend trying to overcome the many difficulties? Aren't we running from morning to evening for ourselves, family, and work? What do we want, enjoy doing, and how much rest do we plan for ourselves? How much do I comfort myself and take care of myself?
The factors of human growth are positive things such as know-how, strength, persistence responsibility, sincerity, effort, and passion. Let's take a look at what strengths and know-how and the positive factors of our lives and how well we are using them. In 2022, let's acknowledge who we are today for ourselves, family, and neighbors, and prioritize taking care of ourselves. When we are at peace and a little more comfortable, others will be comfortable.
