I took the oral part of my qualifying exams today. Like I posted previously, I earned a conditional on the theories part of the exam. Therefore, most of today's exam dealt with theories. I had to defend and expand upon the answers that I had written about a month ago. Overall, it went pretty well. I was nervous at the beginning of the exam and I was trying really hard to use all the theoretical jargon that I could muster. Eventually, I calmed down and just started answering like I was having a theoretical discussion with the three professors on my committee. The first question that I had to expand upon dealt with personal identity. Here's what I said:
When I think about this construct, I wonder about how most people would answer the question "Who are you?" I believe most people would begin by defining themselves in terms of what their occupation is. After stating this, people would then go on to define themselves in terms of relationships: one is a father, mother, sister, etc. After this, most people in my opinion would most likely not know much more of themselves. A few might talk about feelings they have or what drives them in life, but more people would not be able to fully expand on this. That being said, in psychotherapeutic terms, people would not talk about ego, defense mechanisms, style of life, personality priorities, organismic valuing process, self-concept, or self-ideal. All of these terms which have to do with a person's personal identity are learned when one is in therapy or if one learns about psychology. A person may seek to find out more about one's self, but that is not the norm.
One of the professors on my dissertation committee said I had a pessimistic view of people. She discussed how people come to therapy having deeply thought about their personal identities. I'm not so sure about that. Most people that I come in contact with don't really know the full extent of their personalities. They behave in ways that at times seem foreign to them. They experience anxiety and come to counseling hoping for ways to decrease the uncomfort of that experience.
I refer to Thoreau's quote: "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."
So what do you think? Do most people know themselves? Do people delve into finding out who they really are, what makes them tick, etc. OR do most people just go about life not wondering about this?
Thanks for reading.
