Monday, December 12, 2011

Damage THE END

It is very unfortunate that Martyn passed away in the end. I hate the fact that the narrator was always concerned about Anna's whereabouts. It didn't help that Ingrid left him, and Sally now doesn't know what love is. His family is torn and his relationship with Anna gone forever. It wasn't a surprise that he was left alone and in misery. He has now acquired whatever drama his life was missing. This was the cherry on top, and he still didn't learn until Anna was on the hands of another. He mentioned dying twice. I feel yes his previous life with Ingrid had died as he became more involved into Anna, and now his current life full of dramatics is over due to the death of his son. I do not agree with Ingrid, the narrator dying would have been too easy for him, he needs to live with the pain of what he has done, and deal with the guilt and selfish acts of his nature.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Wanting the DAMAGED goods.......

So far Damaged is a very good reading. I admire the way our narrator articulates his words with detailed examples followed by vivid personification. His lifestyle of always trying to be the best or at least in his words "avoid being dominated by his own father" did not come as a surprise to me when he began to fall for Anna Barton. Perfectionists usually have some loose end somewhere. Our narrator said himself that "to be in the game, but not playing with intent to win, is to be the enemy". Here he is being the unrecognized villain in this game and cannot do anything to suppress it. Because the reading was so good, I had to try my very best not to read past chapter 14 before I wrote my blog but I believe he is going to try to thwart his son  either into not going to Paris, or not prolonging things with Anna. Speaking of Anna, I totally agree with her statement about all people that are damaged are dangerous. She said survival makes them this way. I believe with damaged people the worst was/has been done, so whatever the next person is going through isn't half as bad as what they've been through themselves. This definitely is something that experience instills in you, and the universe throws your way. I do not believe it is necessarily a bad trait either, it is a strengthening mechanism regardless if it is voluntary or involuntary.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Lolita......

I'll be quite honest it was quite uncomfortable reading this entry. Out of all the entries of this semester, this was the worst. I am open to the idea of reading about other peoples' experiences but it becomes unfortunate to get into the mind of a peeping tom/ pedophile. He even created a name for the young girls and referred to them as nymphets. Ugh!!!! His obsessions and infatuations were described in a extreme and vivid way, at the same time, it brought me to understand these men better but inevitably, NOT AGREE WITH THEIR ACTIONS. I understand they are weak, manipulative, and lonely. And take advantage of the innocence in younger women/girls. They use this innocence in a way that works to their advantage and prey on the vulnerability of females and their emotions, especially at a young age.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Love and Limerence (Individual Experience of Limerence)

This individual experience is something that many people have witnessed or gone through themselves. The excerpt begins well with the statement limerence enters your life pleasantly. It its definitely and unexpected, warm, pleasant feeling (obviously speaking from my own personal experience). When he says it is an interpretation of events rather than the events themselves, I said "Yes! Yes!". I believe its the effects and concept of the experience morso that holds meaning and worth. It is truly something I feel everyone should expensive at least once in their lives. After reading I believed that the whole idea of love and limerence  held truth in saying it was related to obsession in a good way. The yearning and intrusive thoughts were accurate with obsessions definition as well as the idea of inappropriate actions/thoughts. The reason why I say inappropriate because from what I get from the reading is limerence is experienced from a select few of people in our lifetimes. In order for it to be limerence it cannot occur with everyone you become involved with. One major factor why I say this is since sex is seldom the main focus of limerence that eliminates many people's love/infatuation circumstances. Also, this is in conjunction with the statement that lime rent fantasies do not necessarily cease when an actual relationship begins. they may diminish or increase in frequency, depending on circumstances. I do not feel that this is a trait that can be felt with any and everyone. Places, people, words all play into what drives limerence, which is completely different with every experience encountered. I believe I myself felt limerence limitedly within in my life, once with a crush, and the second time with a boyfriend that is now one of my closest friends. 

Monday, November 7, 2011

obsession sex and love........

Well I really believe that all this talk about love and it's obsessive traits are to derived from society and it's productions such as the Internet. I like the idea of him mentioning that their is a correlation between sex and the longevity of marriage. I know for sure that this has everything to do with times changing over the centuries. Despite the fact that men have always been more sexually driven, it is a plus that Davis recognized how the societal expectations of today as far as marriage is concerned is effected by this drive between spouses. One trait that I know has a lot to do with today's mind state is the mind of a sex addict. The addict's guilt has a lot to be affected by what society views as normal. Had this not been the case instead of getting helping today, had things been the way they used to be he would be institutionalized!!!!!! Sexuality plays a major part in our daily roles, appearances, and livelihood during our current era, and Davis does a superb job in recognizing and exemplifying these attributes.

Monday, October 31, 2011

The possession

This was the perfect title for the reading because it was as if the author-annie ernaux-, was possessed by a being with vengeful tactics she created. She played out all aspects of this womans lifestyle without ever meeting her.
She envisioned a would-be relationship that W would or may have with this other woman. She had no solid facts, other then the profession.
Simple conversations that annie had with W turned into a session of america's most wanted. If he mentioned to her, "tippy just crossed my mind" she thought to herself, hmmmm when was the last time you even thought about me, or so me just crossing your mind confirms I'm no longer your primary go to person for companionship. Annie began to analyze everything about W's life without realizing she was living her life through his possible actions, without actually living Annie's life without W. She even  admitted to falling prey to the attacks of an outside world reminding her of their common past.
The structure of having one paragraph per page kept me excited to know what else she would do, in order to relieve herself of the misery.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Specialists and Ocd

Specialization as a cause for OCD, for a statement I tried hard not to agree with initially when reading this book. Davis' account on why he feels specialists are prone to having obsessive habits, never made much sense until I read chapter three. Golton's behavior explained by himself as well as David presented a first hand account on not why, but how specialists' behavior exhibits obsessive traits. Chapter three page 92, Golton  describes his "necessity of obtaining a multitude of exact measurements relating to every measurable faculty of the body or mind, for two generations at least, on which to theorise". He goes on to admit, whenever he met people he would classify them based on how he perceived them. Usually on a scale of three classes ' good medium, and bad'. He would also classify women into three categories attractive, indifferent, and repellent. His obsessive behaviors became apart of him as well as his daily activities. He was monitoring the two rows of people and how many times they would figit in their seats. He even went as far to mathematically determine why the Africans posterior was uniquely larger than most women. His obsessive behavior in turn made him the scientist who he was, which society benefited from. This is and may be the case for many doctors, lawyers, psychologists, etc. Their crafts become them. In my major, you have to eat, breath, and sleep through information in order to retain it to memory, so much that the slightest problem I may encounter I assume its the cause of some factor I've learned  in school. I'm not saying that I am a specialist, but I deeply understand the uncontrolled obsessive thoughts and actions one may have engaging in their specialties.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Triangulating love *smiles*

Triangulating love explains the different dynamics of a love relationship we as humans may find ourselves in. The overview  that  Sternberg provided showed that live is comprised of three components: intimacy, decision/commitment, and passion. I agree with his statement that decisions precedes  commitments. Many times I've witnessed myself during experiences with friends and acquaintances that they've committed themselves to other people without even being aware of what is occurring. As Sternberg stated, they may not necessarily admit that they live our are in love with that person.

He goes on to classify love into different categories, with my favorite being the fatuous love! For the life of me, I cannot fathom how two individuals can meet, like, love, then marry without even considering the thoughts of potentially living with the "I shoulda, coulda, woulda disorder". This disorder involves individuals living with regrets because they didn't think about the future. It happens all the time from celebrities, to your neighbors up the street.


Sternberg's other categories were empty love, infatuation, consummate, companionate, romantic, and liking. Empty love is striking because you have couples who marriages have crumbled, but they still stay together either for the kids or religious beliefs. The author described it as losing the mutual emotional involvement and physical attraction that once characterized them. Its kind of sad, when you witness it first hand.
My two favorite are romantic and companionate. I find mushy times to be cute and intimate, and who wouldn't want to marry or be in love with someone who was and still is your friend first.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Emergence of Obsession (chapter 2)

Hmmmm, I guess now it all makes sense. Its interesting to see the originated definition and awareness of being obsessed and its development. In this chapter we have witnessed well within the nineteenth century, people have displayed characteristics of what we now view as obsessions. Referred to as monomania - these cases at times placed the individuals in asylums. But today we treat patients with more therapeutic remedies as opposed to classifying them as insane in addition to, institutionalizing them regardless of profession. Making comparisons to those before as well as those today, bridges the connection of OCD being a disorder of inevitable conclusions that followed a current theory.  Monomania's hospitalizations -as discussed in this chapter- increased drastically during the era of "the idea of insanity". I like the distinction Davis has made between mania, and the new monomania which he has desribed as, combining the awareness and the distraction into one entity. He also recognized the lack of rationality. Another factor that has remained consistent during this era in comparison to now is,  Monomania was a disorder evident in works of art at the time. Examples of such works are the author of "Insanity-My Own Case", and Frankenstein by May Shelly. Davis' mention of these  particular arts showed the movement of this fad, and evolution/spread of the awareness. Its the same concept of reality shows and such works displaying ocd, in a wider spectrum. I.e hoarders, true life, survivor, etc. This is not to say that a reality show is a work of art, this only exemplifies a changes coveyed through a medium appropriate during a certain time. Davis said on page 74, it is no surprise that the concept of monomania, therefore, took to literature and spread like wildfire. I believe it is the same concept we witness today. This chapter continues to add in my belief that OCD is an remains a disease entity.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Davis: Chapter 1 Origins of Obsession

This chapter is in my opinion an excellent example of disease entity. Davis first discusses religious explanations being the force behind obsessions. It was being characterized by demons taking over the body-it's treatment being exorcisms. A collection of conditions called a quartet made up the forces behind madness, which in the eighteenth century defined the new kind of mental distress of the era. The quartet included hysteria, hypochondria, vapors, and spleen. From the reading I believe the quartet explained the underground reasons behind mental illnesses and disorders of the time. I really liked the following two theories of the eighteenth century-organ theory and nervous disorders. From the examples presented in the book, I can definitely agree with the disease entity belief, that we were not wrong before, just have a different set of definitions. Davis mentioned "humors interacted in creating an out-of-balance system; vapors arose from specific organs and affected other organs, particularly the brain". After reading this statement, I actually said oh my, that makes sense (of course if I lived in that era). I also agree with the idea of philosophers being better suited to treat a disorder of the mind then a physician only because I believe philosophers studies were based on the mind and they are in a better position for a more efficient analysis, as was the case, described by J.J. Belloc on page 44.  Over these past centuries cases of mental illnesses were being categorized as more common and larger groups of people which wasnt the case in the earliest of times. Davis then says the condition does not yet have the name "obsession" but it emerges from between two models. This was the defining cause for me to believe that obsession is a disease entity and not disease hence the title, origins of obsession. This chapter was extremely informative as well as interesting to read!!!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

THIN

I feel as if these women and girls incoherently hoped for a way to stay in their disorder. Some cases have been going on for so long, you feel comfortable and this became all of what they knew. When Alisa met up with Shelly for dinner accompanied by her two children, I was so excited for her to chow down on that salad-even I wanted a bite!!! Then my excitement diminished from a 10 all the way down to .02 when she snuck off in the bathroom to purge. First thing I noticed when she went inside the bathroom was the HUGE weight on the floor as soon as you enter. It really showed me that she probably weighs herself everytime she enters. I have no idea the ability of control these women have or are able to maintain, but what kept crossing my mind was I would try my hardest to eliminate all mirrors, weights, television shows, everything that stimulates my disorder. I would feed into other outlets such as reading, and praying (and I am aware everyone's level of composure is different). I really feel it for these women. After completion of an A&P course, I was shown the magnitude of necessary routes your body undergoes just for stability. There was a understanding of the extent certain nutrients that are mandatory to have in your body in order to live; so as I'm watching these girls struggle it just broke my heart to see the pain they were enduring because the thoughts, and anxiety outweighed the need for being healthy. Becoming thin just became a matter of their existence...

Friday, September 23, 2011

Freud and the "Rat Man"

With the rat man consulting Sigmund Freud as his personal psychologist I believe was a mistake no offense to Freud, only because I believe his views on people in general were biased. He tends to relate current issues to sexual and candid sexual desires - as is the unwanted case with the "rat man". On the other hand, I have agreed with Freud's impressive capability to avoid possible transferent reactions to his patient. I can continue to add that in reference to what we have learned the rat man's case has presented evident traits of the OCD disorder.As we have described the characteristics of obsession the rat man is the perfect picture: his feelings have expressed all attributes. He has inappropriate (not in his character) thoughts of rats eating away at his anus which I believe originated from his days in the army. He also has recurrent thoughts of cutting himself with razors to the intrusive thoughts of something unfortunate happening to his fiancee, not to mention, all thoughts having a dominant feeling of unwanted-ness.
I also do not believe that the rat man's rat thoughts/dreams were repressed sexual desires, I believe when objects such as this overpowers a person's mind, there is a void that this tangible factor is filling.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Now and Forever ( Lennard J. Davis chp8)

Now and Forever is an accurate title for this chapter because Davis has gone into a detailed explanation of the ambiguity that the obsessive compulsive disorder offers. He has raised a lot of points, in this chapter-many of which I agree with. One profound thought in particular that I have agreed with, is "the broken brain" theory, which is the analysis of the brains model and it's effect on OCD sufferers. Lennard J. Davis mentioned, "we have to be careful  not to attribute to the brain single locations for activities that are socially determined, constructed, and complex. The human brain did not necessarily evolve to shop,...there isn't a place in the brain for shopping. There well may not be a place I'm the brain for OCD either". Many of the biological explanations that researches and doctors come up with for theses sufferers have obviously worked for some people and not others. Hormone supplements, or chemical  medications may be the answer for one person but not the next. I believe this concept has been proven  especially when Davis has mentioned the minor cases of OCD have been easier to suppress compulsions, faster than the severe cases, or even eliminate symptoms all together. If it's taken the 30 year time span for us to determine now, we have every 1 in 40 people experiencing some form of OCD then ultimately this process of  reaching the true understanding of what this disorder is controlled by and originates from, has to undergo further in depth research. Hence adding to the disease entity theory which he also refers to in this chapter.

Tormenting thoughts and secret rituals

When individuals are experiencing OCD this article definitely illustrates the picture of what these propre struggle with on a daily basis. I'm glad Osborn has given four different cases for us to take a look at. The media - in my mind - plays a major role in how society views people with this disorder. I can admit I was one who believed OCD was just recurring actions that were uncontrollable, with no apparent explanation as to why these people did what they did. After reading, my view has shifted!!!! I was amazed to see that OCD in some cases as described by Osborn is, "the battle in the mind that can come to rule peoples' lives".  The cases of filth, harm, lust, and blasphemy, were all different OCD cases but illustrated a common trait from different sides of the spectrum. Raymond shaking uncontrollably from the his spill fantasies seemed nothing compared to Sherry's thoughts of hurting/killing someone (including own child). Upon further reading, I became even more amazed at the internal struggle that Jeff faced when his thoughts pushed him to think was his gay, a pervert, and wanted to have sex with his dog, ALL UNWANTED THOUGHTS. It's  unfortunate to know that this disorder still has no cure, because the evident picture that Osborn has portrayed for me is these people was, are, or have been living in a prison within their own bodies for so long in mere hope of rising themselves of the mental suffering...

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Napoleon's justification

When Napoleon's wife addressed her husband with the word vous, this was a deliberate action on her part. Not only that, but she became inconsistent with the letters by disappearing on him for 4 days. Despite the fact that Napoleon's actions do coincide with the definition of obsession giving in class, I go on to say he is not obsessive he is merely expressing himself. When a wife is acting peculiar, is it wrong for the husband to stress? When a husband's communication becomes distant, is it obsession when his wife stresses? When a young daughter or son is following the wrong crowd, again I ask, is it wrong for his parents to worry with concern? In all three cases, the individuals involved, are in the same predicament as Napoleon. Their minds have been clouded with persistent disturbing feelings and thoughts. And like Napoleon, all actions are consistent with the definition of obsession. The only difference is, these constant, unsettling, thoughts and feelings are very reasonable in my eyes, therefore Napoleon is not conveying obsession...

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Is Napoleon obsessive?

I do not believe Napoleon is obsessive, he is just merely being expressive. He has all right to express himself in a respectful manner to his own wife...