Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 129027 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129027 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
“I read that almost thirty percent of us have some psychopathic traits,” Zachary says, finally deciding to engage the class.
Everyone perks up. This is the kind of thing they took this elective to talk about. Abnormal psych is the class unofficially dubbed The Serial Killer class—Dr. Ezra teaches that one. But this class is the prerequisite.
“That’s like saying that a lot of people have some narcissistic traits,” I counter, seeing the crowd ready to derail my entire lesson talking about Manson and Bundy. “Traits don’t equal a diagnosable condition.”
“What would Jung say about psychopathy?” Dae asks from the back of the class.
Internally, I sigh. On any other day, I’d be excited about having an engaged class like this, but right now, I can feel Isaak’s eyes taking all this in.
“I imagine that Jung would want more information about the psychopath in question before classifying him under one of his twelve archetypes. The closest to the psychopath would likely be the ruler or the outlaw. One is concerned with power, the other with freedom.”
“Damn, Teach, you saying our politicians are psychopaths?” This comes from Simona, a non-binary kid with colorful hair in a row near the back.
I roll my eyes as everyone laughs. “You said it, not me.”
I wait a minute for the class to stop laughing and get back under control before I try to reign them back in. “But seriously, the shadow has a lot less to do with psychopathy and more to do with the ways we’ve learned to repress ourselves to fit into society. Some of this is good. For example, as kids, your parents might have put you in time out if you bit other children.”
More laughter.
“It’d be bad if we had a society full of biters, right?”
“I don’t know, Teach,” Simona calls. “I like ’em when they bite!”
“Yeah, yeah.” I wave a hand, smiling. “We all learn to repress what society deems inappropriate. But society isn’t always that great, right? Different societies hold up certain ideals as the standards of beauty that make everybody else feel like shit, right?”
Snickers flitter through the class like they always do when I curse. It’s my little secret way of making them feel like I’m one of them so they stay keyed in and paying attention.
“But what does that do to everyone else outside the narrow beauty standard?”
“Makes ’em feel like shit!” says a girl near the front.
“That’s right.” I point in her direction. “They start to feel bad, and some might try to conform.”
“You lose your culture,” says a girl with braids.
“You get EDs,” says another.
“You give in and become an influencer who gets all the brand deals,” says another.
More laughter.
“She’s right. Conformity reaps rewards. It feels good to be in the in-crowd. It can make a person want to lean in even harder. Get all those likes. More brand deals.”
“What about someone who can’t conform no matter how hard they try?” Phillip asks, brows furrowed, eyes intense on me.
“They repress,” I say, locking gazes for only a moment before looking to the class at large. “Their shadow grows deeper. Trauma forms in the shadow. Someone mentioned EDs—eating disorders. I think that we’re all getting that we’re talking about racism here, too. Scapegoating someone who doesn’t put on a persona that’s like the one a society has decided to elevate. Or you can become a rebel and seek freedom from that societal persona and liberation for yourself and others.”
“How?” someone asks.
“Jungian therapy seeks balance to bring the conscious and unconscious selves together, persona and shadow—through art, storytelling, talk therapy, and other ways to help patients access their feelings and thoughts.
“Does it work?” Zachary asks.
“Does Jungian therapy work, or does therapy itself work?”
“Either. Both.”
When his eyes meet mine, I feel a desperation there that I occasionally sense in these kids. I know it’s silly that I think of them as kids when we’re not that far apart in age. And I know it’s cliché to say that I feel like an old soul. But sometimes I think the gap in the generation between those of us who didn’t always have a smartphone in our hands as little kids and those who did is bigger than the Grand Canyon. It’s not like my parents paid any more attention to me without an iPad or phone, but at least they were plopping me in front of a TV that had human operators driving the programming and not YouTube algorithms.
“Yes,” I nod, not dropping Zachary’s gaze. “Therapy works. Because the good news is that our neurons are endlessly elastic, and we can form new neural pathways and connections at almost any age. Change is very possible, no matter what emotional or mental dilemma a person might currently be facing.”
I finally pull my eyes from his, hoping I wasn’t just making a direct plea to my stalker as I address the class as a whole again. “That’s not Jungian, though, just therapeutic knowledge at large. But for any of you thinking about going into it, therapy is an exciting field where you can really help people. In fact, the department is holding a workshop later this month about career opportunities. I’ll be sending out an email, so watch for it, and as always, feel free to stop by my office during office hours to talk if you feel this is a career that might interest you.