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Friday, May 19, 2006

therapy/exploration/friendship?

I was rereading "The Drama of the Gifted Child", a sort of psychological analysis of smart kids with parents that don't have it all together, or are inadequate in some way or another. This sets up a certain dynamic where the kid can tend to put more effort into the needs of others than him/herself. So, yes, this is a specific, "malady", if you like. Why does such a person need therapy? How is it different from a dedicated friend who has been around similar people, or maybe has had similar experience? Is it just the one-sidedness of the therapist-client relationship that's special, or is there more? Is it just the continued emphasis on self-exploration- if you tend to do that with your friends anyway- be a self analytical type person, then what more does therapy offer? I guess that its the specificity of the role that the therapist is supposed to play. They listen, form a big picture, and try to find the origins of certain behavior- emphasising it again and again until the client does the same thing himself. Something like that.
Also, can I come up with a better adjective than "smart" or "gifted". What about "sensitive"? Is there a specific character trait associated with having an adaptable personality that makes one susceptible to non-normal "self" or "personailty" formation?
I know I could probably read more, and don't need to reinvent the wheel here...

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