Time
Understanding a human requires time.
Only time will unravel the real human being. I’ll explain the context. But before that, I’d like to mention this quote I've seen online, but no one seems to know where it came from. I believe someone interpreted it for their own sake and now it is like this.
“The first face, you show to the world. The second face, you show to your close friends and your family. The third face, you never show anyone.”
Now the context
I watched the Richard Linklater movie Hit Man (2023) the other day, and it gave me an interesting point to think about in detail.
I nitpicked this point and interpreted it a little differently. It’s about understanding human psychology to better care for others. This scene led me to explore Freud and Jung's insights, a new area for me. I now believe that understanding psychology can enhance empathy. But like the saying, choose your poison wisely.
Chaos brings clarity
Due to the uncertainty of human behavior, we may get hurt occasionally. And it will get chaotic over time. It isn’t easy to understand things we haven't experienced before. We might have seen or read about similar situations, but reality is always different. When nothing makes sense, over time, and as the dust settles, everything starts to make sense.
Like everyone else, I also believe that time heals everything. However, as Einstein stated, time is relative. If you apply this concept to understanding people, you'll see that while people can heal, we can't expect everyone to heal at the same pace.
Transformation
How we deal with a situation defines our character. It doesn't have to be perfect. But it transforms us brick by brick. All these patchworks make a solid foundation.
Over time, these situations either make us stronger or weaker. I think it depends on the person too. I've heard many Boomers, Gen Xers, and some Millennials say that the current world makes people weaker. They believe that everyone is just pampering each other, which prevents people from becoming tough.
I would say that is a broad statement. Different generations face different types of struggles. Some express their emotions, while others don’t. One thing is for sure: nothing in life comes easy. Every difficulty we face comes with a personal cost, a cost that only we can truly comprehend. It may be our peace, and at other times, it may be our privacy.
Sometimes people contradict themselves, we can see that as hypocrisy or a normal human trait, and that’s our choice. However, evolving perspectives, emotional responses, and situational context add gravity to these contradictions. Clear communication, meaningful interactions, and experiences with others can lead to a better understanding of human psychology over time.
Key concepts of psychology
I barely touched the tip of this iceberg called psychology. These are just the absolute basics I learned by interacting with Google Gemini. I’m planning to dive deep into this area soon. Anyway, take a look at these…
Consciousness: The awareness of ourselves and our surroundings.
Perception: The interpretation using our five senses.
Learning: The continuous acquisition of new information using our observation and social conditioning.
Memory: The process of storing and retaining information when needed.
Emotion: This is the most difficult thing to explain and understand. My suggestion is to use How We Feel regularly and understand one by one as it happens.
Motivation: That urge to do things that we consider as goals, bucket lists, etc.
Development: The change happens to us physically, mentally, and socially.
Personality: This is like a fingerprint - totally unique! It depends on our thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Mental health: This defines our state of mind. Like how we feel about ourselves, handling stress, and getting along with others.
I've also learned a little bit about attachment theory and how different attachment styles form based on early childhood experiences. These styles include secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized attachment. Understanding these patterns offers valuable insights into how people interact and behave in any kind of relationship, including our own behavior and the behavior of others.
Freud vs Jung’s insights
Here's the dialogue from the scene I was talking about in the movie.
“The Freudian concepts of the Id and the Superego are, in Jung's point of view, in constant struggle with each other. The Superego is our conscience. It rewards us for behaving properly, adhering to societal norms, and moralistic standards. So, the Id, as humans, we have desires, instincts that are primitive. Urges that are solely based in the pursuit of pleasure, ignoring the consequences. Now, the Ego is the middle-man. The bridge between instinct and logic, the law and the lawless. Forever attempting to maximize pleasure while minimizing the cost.”
- Gary Johnson, Hit Man (2023)
From the basic search, I did with Perplexity, what I understand is that Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung were two of the most influential figures in the field of psychology, but their theories have been subject to much criticism and evolution over time.
Concluding
Over time, our experiences shape our psychological development, influencing our thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. Understanding psychology often involves observing patterns and changes over time, whether in individual development or societal trends.
Time is a healer, it helps people process and recover from psychological traumas, offering new perspectives and insights.
Our perception of time can be influenced by our emotions and experiences. This area isn't something we can master in a day, by reading a big book, or even in a year. If you're interested, take your time to learn about it at your own pace and encourage others to do the same, ensuring that everyone is aware of these insights.
