#psychological balance

[kaleidoscopevisualart]

📺🎶 Kaleidoscope Visuals with Emotional Acoustic Piano

[unbfacts]

[idontmindifuforgetme]

Just a girl who wants to be her mother’s daughter in the ways that matter

[quotelr]

There will be times in your life when things simply have to be replaced because they are tired, broken, worn out, harmful, outdated, or irrelevant. Take an inventory of the things that no longer serve your best and highest good so you can replace them with things which do.

Susan C. Young

[vaguely-concerned]

one of the things mourn watch rook has the most comments about/seems pretty knowledgeable about when they're there is the way the necropolis will just shuffle rooms around every now and then on a whim, so I'm headcanoning that rye's previous area of expertise, outside of general watcher duties, was keeping track of and rediscovering these lost or displaced areas. that, and basically acting as a sort of tour guide when need be, such as on the day they met varric.

'have we really misplaced the ashen cathedral again? *sigh* that's the third time this year, we really must strengthen the wards. oh well. someone send for ingellvar, they'll track it down in no time I'm sure. and it might keep them out of trouble for a while'

[thoughtfulchaos773]

Fishes, Water, & Dreams: Dominant & Inferior

Part II of This Jungian Series

"Man becomes whole, integrated, calm, fertile, and happy when (and only when) the process of individuation is complete, when the conscious and the unconscious have learned to live at peace and to complement one another." -― C.G. Jung, Man and His Symbols

I wanted to look into the dominant and inferior Jung's theory Richie was reading in the network script of 2x01, which brought him to question his purpose. Using this I wanted to write what I believe is each character's inferior function.

I'm not a therapist but I love the subject of stories and mental health.

Carl Jung - a leading figure of psychology that theorized how people view and act in the world is based on four psychological functions that are either dominant or inferior. (Four functions are thinking,feeling,sensation, intution)

But TLDR: We behave based on these four functions, and one of these functions is an inferior part of our personality that needs to be explored. Eventually, it seeps into co-consciousness, asking for integration, and can make us act in compulsive ways to compensate for our weakening dominant function.

The inferior function can come into consciousness when a traumatic event occurs. I believe these psychological types reveal each character's inferior function.

The inferior function breaks through the ego's attempts to dominate and exposes us to the unknown and unexplored. According to Jung, despite being perceived as a weak spot in the personality, this "treasure hard to attain" is also the source of our vitality, liberation, and enjoyment.

Descriptions of the rational functions:

Thinking:

Internally or externally, using logical consistency, understanding, and concepts and systems in a personal way (introverted), we make decisions and organize and structure the world objectively, and we implement systems based on outside data (extraverted)

Extraverted: Principled, idealistic, objective, rational

Introverted: Influenced by ideas, independent, often fearful of intimacy.

Feeling:

 It is making decisions based on feelings and relationships. In an introverted way, it centers on internal values and personal emotions. It's about evaluating situations based on what feels right to the person.

Extraverted: Adaptive, relating well to the external.

Introverted: Sympathetic, pleases others, may be dependent, reserved.

Descriptions of Irrational Functions:

Sensation

We can recall and integrate our inner or external world to interpret our immediate environment and the present.

Extraverted: Realistic, concrete, pleasant, and friendly.

Introverted: Calm and passive, restrained, controlled and controlling.

Intuition

Focuses on internal insights that reveal patterns and future possibilities based on past experiences. It involves developing personal long-term visions and intuitively understanding complex ideas.

Extraverted: Enterprising, outgoing, can be irresponsible.

Introverted: Mystical, dreamer and artist. Can be obsessive.

I thought it would be interesting to apply these theories to Carmy, Sydney, Richie, and Natalie in the first part to get a quick profile of the characters. I also attached quotes from psychology types that go deep into Jung's theory on the four functions.

Carmen Bezatto- Inferior Function (Extraverted Feeling)

Dominant Introverted Thinker: Influenced by ideas, independent, often fearful of intimacy.

"In the case of a human object, the man has a distinct feeling that he matters only in a negative way, i.e., in milder instances he is merely conscious of being superfluous, but with a more extreme type he feels himself warded off as something definitely disturbing."

I was back and forth between extraverted sensing being his inferior or feeling. But Carmy's desire to no longer be alone overshadows. He longs to have Claire and Mikey's extroverted nature and way of being with people. Carmy, not knowing his inner feelings, reflects why he can have trouble focusing on the feelings of others at times. Since Mikey’s death, his inferior function - the longing to connect, to no longer compete - is playing in a way where carmy is resisting. Heavily relying on processing systems - what introverted thinking types are good at instead of working on their relationships and feelings of themselves and others.

This also stood out to me for the dominant introverted thinking types resisting- they will stay in environments no matter the external conditions as long as it lets them focus on their work and projects.

“"Invariably the object has to submit to a certain neglect; in worse cases, it is even surrounded with quite unnecessary measures of precaution. Thus, it happens that this type tends to disappear behind a cloud of misunderstanding."

Years ago, to help his trauma, Carmy heavily relied on this function that helped him understand systems and logic - to swallow his feelings and become the best chef. But now his longing for feeling for connection is weaning his introverted thinking effect. Now, it's affecting the relationships around him. His obsession with meeting high standards creates further misunderstandings. The more Carmy resists intergration it is only hurting himself and those he wishes to be close to, the season 3 finale the chefs dialogue reminds Carmy the reason he is running a restaurant has to be about the people. Not the systems of stars but putting importance on relationships will get him closer to wholeness.

Sydney- Inferior Function (Introverted Thinking)

Dominant: Extraverted Feeling

Extraverted: Adaptive, relating well to the external.

"One can feel 'correctly,' however, only when the feeling is disturbed by nothing else. But nothing disturbs feeling so much as thinking."

Some sites consider Sydney introverted, but I say extroverted. Watching Season 3 highlighted for me that Sydney is an extravert. She can talk to a group of world-star chefs and include herself in conversation seamlessly- adding her humor to the mix- extravert. Also, the party she threw at her apartment, along with the desire to go out and explore the external world. Sydney needs social harmony amongst the team. Sometimes, she shows some socially awkward moments, but that plays into her inferior function, where she can sometimes overthink.

Also important to note is that being alone at her dad’s house was not great for Sydney's headspace. She has to be out in the world exploring and engaging with people.

Sydney is open to new possibilities. Carmy, though he wants to improve the beef, automatically resorts to old, tried, and accurate methods. Sydney presents how different and positive things could be. 

Her inferior function is introverted thinking. Sydney is working on this for the 3rd season. Her dad points out how excited she is about opening The Bear but wants her to still be cautious, and it seems she did this same thought process with her catering business. There seemed to be a sense of urgency? She did move out fast, according to Emmanuel, like that is second nature to her, and for her dad to be pre cautious, she considers it negative.

At the beginning of season 1, by meeting Carmy and being part of the beef, Sydney approaches things differently than what's in her nature. She’s patient (incredibly patient with carmy) and creates and analyzes systems that will work for the business. This, along with her feelings of enthusiasm that I'm sure she hasn't felt since the start of her catering business, has her leaping in despite what happened in review which wasnt quite resolved between Sydney and Carmu. Her feelings are in it. She sees that carmy is open to a new chapter, and her feelings for her team make her jump into opening The Bear.

But 2x10 brings her back down to reality. Because of the Berzattos' dysfunction, she takes a step back to see if she should actually sign the agreement. In this case, her inferior function is asking for integration. This explains why she suddenly wants to think logically when faced with this decision. It’s as though she’s trying to step back and analyze the situation carefully, but this may not come naturally to her, and it leads to internal conflict.

Sidebar: This was not on purpose! But seriously, it's funny that Sydney's dominant function is Carmy's inferior and vice versa. Sydney wants to create a new menu, and carmy says, "Give me a minute." Classic interaction of an extroverted feeling (I feel this, and you should too! Let's do it, carmy!) and introverted type- (I'm not so sure; I need a minute to think).

Richie Jerimovich inferior Function (Introverted  Intution)

Dominant Extraverted Sensing

Extraverted: Realistic, concrete, pleasant, and friendly.

"Upon the lower levels this is the man of tangible reality, with little tendency either for reflection or commanding purpose."

We don’t see much of Richie’s inferior function play except for season one. Since he’s extraverted sensation-dominant, he relies on external senses to connect to the world. Due to Mikey’s death, we don’t see this side of Richie. We only hear stories of the boisterous nature of Mikey’s sidekick, such as all-night partying and random trips. 

With the introverted intuition being inferior, there is anxiety towards thinking long-term. We see him consider long-term goals when Tiffany’s pregnant, but it falls through. His attachment to his immediate environment The Beef,Mikey- attachment to the delicate ecosystem Richie overcompensates with his dominant function - he’s louder and even more stuck in keeping his immediate environment the same. 

Then, in season 2 , Richie becomes more introverted and considers aspects of his personality yet to develop. A lack of responsibility runs inferior intuition, but Richie is on the integration steps when he asks Carmy for his purpose. 

In Forks, his inferior function plays out, mainly when cleaning forks, where he can’t see the purpose or have a deeper reflection of the repetitive task. It isn’t until Tiffany tells him the news of her long-term future happening that Richie again reflects and has a deeper introspection - working on his unconscious, he starts to understand what he can do for self-actualization.

As the episode progresses, Richie’s inferior intuition starts to realize when he begins to appreciate the high standards and purpose at Ever. He connects with Chef Terry’s story about her father’s journals, which helps Richie connect the dots between his life and the importance of how to spend his time, dedication, and purpose. 

Season 3 Richie has a different level of self awareness. He understands the causes of fear and how his dominant sensation function overcompensates (e.g., Carmy changing his environment, which creates fear in his dojo), and he notices Carmy's own need for integration.

You notice at Sydneys partner Richie wasn't as loud as season 1 Richie? He didn't celebrate immediately at Ever Funeral dinner. He connected to the decorations and showed his extraverted personality, which is more pleasant than we've seen him. Even through being in a group, his introverted intution comes into light when he asks Jess how she continues to find inspiration. Richie wants to move forward by still creating that meaning in his life that only the intution function can give him his answer.

Natalie Berzatto Inferior Introverted Thinking

Dominant:Extraverted Feeling

This made me see Natalie and Sydney's relationship in an even more positive light - they have the same dominant and inferior functions- no wonder Sydney naturally asked Natalie if she was okay. Natalie also cares about the well-being of her family and prioritizes relationships and those happiness around her - although this can be positive for Sydney. We see this as a negative for Natalie. She makes herself sick as she tells her mother. But this imo tells me that Natalie's dominant function of feeling for those around her was and drained by Donna, or it's an overcompensation for her upbringing. Maybe both.

Internal introverted thinking is her inferior function, and this plays out in season 3 when Natalie, like Sydney, is having a battle between her heart and her head. She wants to connect to her mother but knows the implications of bringing a child into the world she was raised in. Logically, Natalie knows her mom is who she is, and she must accept it from a distance, but she still longs for a close relationship with everyone around her—she longs for social harmony.

In the Ice Chips episode, we see Natalie's inferior function come out and integrate when she observes her mother during her labor. Natalie can think logically and see why she is the way she is, hold her mother accountable, and see everything objectively. She sees how broken her mother is and can move forward when she balances her head and her heart.

Thank you for reading! Season 3 really did a deep dive into psychology. I would not be surprised if the writers explored personality types and integration. Do you notice the show also uses a lot of symbolism, and a character is always discussing a dream they had? Well, Jung was big on dreams and symbolism as a way to connect to our subconscious to get closer to integration. I'll connect the symbolism and dreams with Jung in the next post.

Tagging @moodyeucalyptus @mitocamdria @vacationship @whenmemorydies @brokenwinebox @fresaton

[fatalism-and-villainy]

I actually love Ezri in “It’s Only a Paper Moon” - I think she handles the situation with Nog retreating into Vic’s hotel as best as she can, and is clearly trying to split the difference between giving Nog the time and space he needs and avoiding enabling a potentially destructive form of escapism. She asserts her authority with Vic (she does own herself, despite what Garak said before) but also is able to be strategic in her approach to him and convince him to get Nog out of there. Especially in this exchange:

I see. You’re going to get Sammy to convince him that it’s time to leave the holosuite. Oh, forget it. I should know better by now than to ask you to give away your secrets. You probably have the whole thing mapped out. I mean, what am I thinking? That this new casino is anything more than just a ploy? That you’d actually let him live out the rest of his life in a holosuite?

It’s odd to me that people interpret this face value, and assume that she’s truly and naively starstruck by Vic’s therapy skills. Because to me it seems very obviously designed to persuade Vic to go along with her belief that it’s time for Nog to leave. She’s trying to smooth things over with Vic after their prior argument, and does so by acknowledging the ways he’s genuinely been helping Nog, but she’s also strategically using those compliments to nudge him away from getting swept up in his adventures with Nog, and hint in the direction of “hey, remember we have an actual objective here that you’re possibly forgetting.” And her delivery of “that you’d actually let him live out the rest of his life in a holosuite” does contribute to that impression for me - it’s very pointed, and there’s a moment where her face slips and you can see her frustration coming through.

She is genuinely earnest and conciliatory in her dealings with people (and I don’t think she holds a grudge against Vic) but I think the seeming naivety on display is something she’s deliberately leaning into to smooth their interactions and avoid being too confrontational. And she shifts tack from demanding to talk to Nog to hinting to Vic that he needs to use his established dynamic with Nog to convince him, because she knows that’ll be more likely to get through to Nog.

(This is interesting to contemplate in relation to what we see of her family dynamic in the next episode, because so much of her mother’s controlling tendencies are expressed through these very pointed compliments that are used to project her wishes and expectations onto others. Obviously Ezri doesn’t have the same abusive tendencies, but it does seem possible that she picked up some of those interpersonal habits from her home life and uses them for more collaborative forms of persuasion.)

And Ezri is completely right! Because that conversation with Vic is the catalyst for him confronting Nog and forcing a reality check on him, which in turn prompts Nog to finally voice his feelings and acknowledge that he’s not okay. (And Vic echoes Ezri saying the new casino is just a ruse when he tells Nog that the casino is “just a fantasy”.) She handled the situation and anticipated what Nog needed entirely correctly.

I would have liked to see more direct interactions between Ezri and Nog, and would have much preferred if he’d been able to eventually open up to her instead. But within the episode we have, I think she's pretty competent.

[bunniesandbeheadings]

It’s hard to be a hater against someone who’s been dead for so long. I can’t bully Marie Louise off of twitter. Because of woke. And also because she’s been dead for like, a whole bunch of slutty slutty years.

[lostworldss]

randomly thinking about it again but i absolutely hate the “we didn’t ask you how you were doing because we thought you would bring it up when you were ready” thing in Blades 2

like it just reminds me of when people do that in real life and it sucks. they don’t ask you about yourself or how your doing but just randomly expect you to start talking about it out of the blue?

even when you ask them how they’re doing and talk to them about their problems, for some reason they can’t turn it around and do the same for you?

why would i think you want me to start venting about my trauma unprompted?

you haven’t indicated any interest that you want me to share that with you?

talking about heavy topics like MC’s trauma with being taken for a year are not something you can just casually bring up. heavy topics can be emotionally taxing, and not everybody wants to discuss it. it can sometimes feel like a burden on other people.

it seems like MC didn’t want to bring up their trauma because they didn’t want to burden everyone with it, as they already have their own problems to deal with. MC didn’t have any inclination to think that the others wanted them to vent because they’ve only been worried about themselves and haven’t shown anything to indicate that they care about MC’s problems.

i love the all the LIs in Blades and i believe that all of them love and care about MC so much. that being said, they definitely all seemed to be pretty narcissistic with their problems in book 2. i’m not going to say selfish, because i don’t believe they deliberately meant to hurt MC. since again, MC didn’t bring their problems up, so they wouldn’t think it’s that bad.

but having the mindset that your friend will just bring up their trauma whenever they’re ready and just to not ask them about it, seems more harmful than good. it just comes off as not caring.

and it’s crazy because MC is always asking the others how they are doing and checking up on them with their traumas throughout the book. yet no one really does the same for them.

communication is a two-way street and MC definitely could have brought it up if they wanted to talk about it, but like i said before, it seems like they had the mindset that everyone else’s problems come before their own and they don’t want to burden anybody. and maybe they didn’t think it was that bad themselves. maybe it wasn’t until the two panic attacks that they really recognized it and thought about it. although if that’s what happened, that’s even worse. because if they had simply talked about with one of their friends first, they would’ve actually realized how much it affected them before then.

i’m not blaming the LIs or holding any ill will to any of them because of this, because this was definitely just bad and lazy writing on the writers’ part. they definitely did not put any thought in MC’s arc in the book, instead focusing on the LIs. MC felt like an afterthought, and they just slapped on this scene with the LIs at the end because they realized that had to come back/wrap up MC’s trauma arc in some way. (an arc which consisted of just the one other panic attack pointing out that the trauma existed in ch.8 and that’s it.) i still love the majority of the scene and the group hug, but the reasoning for the writers not wanting to put any other thought into MC’s trauma just being explained with the idea that everybody did actually care but they didn’t want to bring it up to save your feelings or something, is really bad. and i don’t think they realize how bad it makes the LIs come off.

[lisablack000]

The inner development process, which leads to the realization of this fourth stage, Jung called the individuation process.

It involves the development of what is known as a mature personality, “a well-rounded psychic whole that is capable of resistance and abounding in energy,” which is capable of choosing its own path and self-reliantly remains true to its own inner law.

Especially in times of collective neurosis, the existence of such mature people is of crucial importance.

Also in this stage, according to Jung, only dreams can point the way, for this development follows a purely inner bent or is determined by destiny.

Dreams that are an index of the individuation process have, as we shall see, a strange religious or mythological character, for after all it is really religions that have served humanity in the discovery of inner meaning from time immemorial.

Today, however, there are all too many people for whom the existing religions are no longer capable of providing any meaning and who are also not satisfied by the purely extraverted worldview of contemporary science or by the intellectual word games of modern philosophers.

It is at moments like these that many people are called by an inner voice and find themselves compelled to set forth on an inner quest. -Marie-Louise von Franz, Archetypal Dimensions of the Psyche, Page 200

[zariothebrand]

burning chrome by zario

burning chrome is a female empowerment piece

created to inspire by zario

[quotelr]

Reconnect with who you truly are and what you really want rather than letting the outside world determine it for you. Reconnect with your purpose and your passion to know if your actions are helping you to achieve it.

Susan C. Young

[lunarflare64]

Horror game where mouse sensitivity/camera sensitivity goes up during moments of panic or anxiety and the player has to be careful with how aggressively they look around because they could get so disoriented from the movement that it gets them killed

[vladimir777sk]

☝ Держи баланс 😉☕

Умный человек счастлив, лишь когда удостаивается собственной похвалы; дурак же довольствуется аплодисментами окружающих. Джозеф Аддисон

*An intelligent person is happy only when he receives his own praise; a fool is content with the applause of others. Joseph Addison

[journey-to-balance]

Psychology Says...

No matter how good you are. People will judge you according to their own insecurities...

Food For Thought...

[penrose-quinn]

I'm sort of afraid that my Shinomi fic might get misinterpreted t.t