Denial and Projection -- Preferred by some, but destructive coping mechanisms!
When one takes a doctoral course about the MMPI, the text and classroom discussion often examines characteristics of people with a typical profile graphed from scores on the personality inventory. One profile is termed "the 4-5-6 V" or "the Scarlett O'Hara V." Scales 4-5-6, when plotted on the profile sheet, form a large V with plots on or very near the extremes of the range of normality. Scales 4 & 6 plot very high and Scale 5 plots very low; this indicates very high control needs/wants, very high suspiciousness, and (in women) a very definite, traditionally-classic, feminine way of interacting with others. This profile was specifically delineated in both text and in class by my professor, a licensed psychologist with many years' experience using the MMPI in clinical practice.
The description is quickest explained by referring to the personality of Scarlett O'Hara, the central feminine character in the book & movie, "Gone With The Wind." She is the superficial, self-centered, denying-reality-that-does-not-suit-her young woman who was very popular with all the young men ( the "Belle of the Ball"). It was she who became Rhett Butler's nemesis frustrating him to the point of his finally walking off remarking, "Frankly, my dear, I don't GIVE a damn!"
There are some other less complimentary nicknames given this "4-5-6 V" personality implying sexual promiscuity and compulsiveness because of clinical histories of many of these women. The life histories have often revealed childhood neglect or sexual abuse during childhood; suspiciousness and control issues (Scales 4 & 6) would be naturally elevated in the profile of ANYone subject to such mistreatment. A young female person (child or adolescent) who had to cope with sexual abuse often learns characteristic ways of using her sexuality and desirability in a very feminine, sex-appealing way to exert as much influence and control over her life as possible.
A common characteristic of sexually-abused kids is their acting-out through much earlier and more frequent and indiscriminate sexual behavior than their age-contemporaries. They are set up to perform the very abusive behavior that was foisted on them improperly and illegally by people older or more powerful than them. Those were people who were, themselves, likely victims of childhood sexual abuse. Most of the attractive female teachers who have been in the news recently after having had sex with their male students are likely in the group of girl-victims of childhood sexual abuse. One of the hallmark attitudes of the abuse syndrome is "Don't talk, don't trust, don't tell!" These people are very secretive about this aspect of their lives because this was all learned in shrouds of secrecy and with a sense of the unsavory nature of what was being done to them.
Sadly, the statistics are horrendous! Approx. 1/3 of American girls and 1/7 of American boys will have been sexually abused before they are 18 years old! In the light of these figures, it is no wonder that American men and women have difficulty establishing healthy, lifelong, marital relationships. If you add 1/3 to 1/7, you will get close to the 50% figure which is the modern reported & expected divorce rate in the good ol' US of A! I would suggest a likely direct linkage there. And, since a later marriage partner is often culled from the ranks of the previously divorced, it should be no wonder that subsequent marriages have significantly higher divorce rates than first marriages. And increasingly so for further marriages!
So, why is psychological counseling, premarital counseling, and couple counseling viewed as a "luxury" requiring extravagant expenditure of income? For anyone with health insurance, the excuse of cost "doesn't wash." Such people are likely foolish, or hiding facts/history they don't have courage to reveal, or afraid of problems that they do not realize can all be fixed or resolved satisfactorily. To quote a great man: "BE NOT AFRAID!"
When one takes a doctoral course about the MMPI, the text and classroom discussion often examines characteristics of people with a typical profile graphed from scores on the personality inventory. One profile is termed "the 4-5-6 V" or "the Scarlett O'Hara V." Scales 4-5-6, when plotted on the profile sheet, form a large V with plots on or very near the extremes of the range of normality. Scales 4 & 6 plot very high and Scale 5 plots very low; this indicates very high control needs/wants, very high suspiciousness, and (in women) a very definite, traditionally-classic, feminine way of interacting with others. This profile was specifically delineated in both text and in class by my professor, a licensed psychologist with many years' experience using the MMPI in clinical practice.
The description is quickest explained by referring to the personality of Scarlett O'Hara, the central feminine character in the book & movie, "Gone With The Wind." She is the superficial, self-centered, denying-reality-that-does-not-suit-her young woman who was very popular with all the young men ( the "Belle of the Ball"). It was she who became Rhett Butler's nemesis frustrating him to the point of his finally walking off remarking, "Frankly, my dear, I don't GIVE a damn!"
There are some other less complimentary nicknames given this "4-5-6 V" personality implying sexual promiscuity and compulsiveness because of clinical histories of many of these women. The life histories have often revealed childhood neglect or sexual abuse during childhood; suspiciousness and control issues (Scales 4 & 6) would be naturally elevated in the profile of ANYone subject to such mistreatment. A young female person (child or adolescent) who had to cope with sexual abuse often learns characteristic ways of using her sexuality and desirability in a very feminine, sex-appealing way to exert as much influence and control over her life as possible.
A common characteristic of sexually-abused kids is their acting-out through much earlier and more frequent and indiscriminate sexual behavior than their age-contemporaries. They are set up to perform the very abusive behavior that was foisted on them improperly and illegally by people older or more powerful than them. Those were people who were, themselves, likely victims of childhood sexual abuse. Most of the attractive female teachers who have been in the news recently after having had sex with their male students are likely in the group of girl-victims of childhood sexual abuse. One of the hallmark attitudes of the abuse syndrome is "Don't talk, don't trust, don't tell!" These people are very secretive about this aspect of their lives because this was all learned in shrouds of secrecy and with a sense of the unsavory nature of what was being done to them.
Sadly, the statistics are horrendous! Approx. 1/3 of American girls and 1/7 of American boys will have been sexually abused before they are 18 years old! In the light of these figures, it is no wonder that American men and women have difficulty establishing healthy, lifelong, marital relationships. If you add 1/3 to 1/7, you will get close to the 50% figure which is the modern reported & expected divorce rate in the good ol' US of A! I would suggest a likely direct linkage there. And, since a later marriage partner is often culled from the ranks of the previously divorced, it should be no wonder that subsequent marriages have significantly higher divorce rates than first marriages. And increasingly so for further marriages!
So, why is psychological counseling, premarital counseling, and couple counseling viewed as a "luxury" requiring extravagant expenditure of income? For anyone with health insurance, the excuse of cost "doesn't wash." Such people are likely foolish, or hiding facts/history they don't have courage to reveal, or afraid of problems that they do not realize can all be fixed or resolved satisfactorily. To quote a great man: "BE NOT AFRAID!"
posted by Richard A at 5:23 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home