What Would Freud Say? Part 1 - Reviews, Self-development

Publishing excerpts from Sarah Tomley's book

• Sarah Tomley
• What would Freud say? How Great Therapists Would Solve Your Problems
• Publisher: Alpina Publisher, Moscow, 2018

What would Carl Jung say about your midlife crisis and the purchase of a red Ferrari? How would Berres Skinner explain why you keep your phone sticking? Would you like to turn to Erich Fromm for help in finding true love?

This book is partly an introduction to psychology and partly a guide to life. Its author, psychotherapist Sarah Tomley, will arm you with knowledge, explain why you are the way you are, why you do it and not otherwise, and tell you how famous psychologists and psychoanalysts such as Melanie Klein, Donald Winnicott would solve your everyday problems., Fritz Perls and many others.

Why the book is worth reading

• The author of the book will help you better understand yourself, your behavior, understand your relationships with others, and tell you how to become better.
• A captivatingly written book with a clear structure and a summary of basic psychological theories.
• In the book you will find answers to many questions that we constantly ask ourselves: why do we watch TV shows, procrastinate, we cannot lose weight; how to deal with aerophobia and fear of public speaking, how to stop regretting your actions and how to enjoy your work.

Sarah Tomley is a psychotherapist, consultant, writer and editor. Co-author of books such as Children's Book of Philosophy and The Sociology Book.

I love being alone. I am weird?

Recent neuroscientific research has found curious differences in the brains of people who identify as introverts and extroverts. Extroverts are “programmed” to pay unusually high levels of attention to faces - while experiencing a surge in the rewarding neurotransmitter (biologically active chemicals in the brain) dopamine, which is also involved in addictive behavior.

In addition, it appears that extroverts use a shorter, faster neural pathway to process information than introverts, and it travels through areas of the brain responsible for processing sensory information (sight, sound, taste, touch). This pathway is also dopamine dependent. But there is one "but": extroverts are not overly sensitive to dopamine.

They need it more than introverts for it to work; and one quick way to boost your dopamine levels is to boost your adrenaline levels, which can be achieved by doing new, exciting, and dangerous behaviors, such as singing karaoke in a bar, dancing with a stranger, or bungee jumping. By getting into people and doing something fun, especially with their faces!), They get a burst of pleasure-producing dopamine and have a few brief but intense bursts of happiness, and everything seems wonderful.

The introvert acts very differently. It seems that the brain of introverts is supplied with more blood than that of extroverts, and this leads to a more complex way of processing information: it passes through the zones that are responsible for internal experiences such as memory, planning and problem solving. In addition, introverts are extremely sensitive to dopamine, and they need very little of it to feel the excess stimulation (in other words, they should avoid parties!).

They have another favorite neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, which has a completely different effect. This substance gives a feeling of focus and relaxation, improves memory, easy learning and cognitive flexibility. It seems that the introvert's brain is looking for new experiences that release the neurotransmitter "satisfaction" in order to function successfully, while the extrovert's brain craves fun interactions with other people that trigger an immediate burst of dopamine.

So is there a problem?

A tip from scientists, from Jung to modern neuroscientists, is that there is no problem unless you resist your own nature and your favorite activities. For example, if you are an introvert and suddenly decide to rock out at a party, it is very likely that you will feel exhausted in the end.

Likewise, an extrovert will feel drained if he stays at home alone all week. Therefore, you should be careful in choosing a profession, because it is highly likely that you will find yourself in an environment that expects a certain style of behavior from its employees, and a mistake will cost you health and happiness.

Jung advised the introvert: “His own world is a safe haven, a carefully cultivated secret garden … The best work is done by his personal efforts, on his own initiative and in his own special way.” “His own world is a safe haven, a carefully cultivated secret garden … by efforts, on their own initiative and in their own special way."