View of personality

View of personality

Personality as Peeling an Onion

To achieve psychological maturity, individuals must strip off 5 layers of neurosis:

(1) the Phony

Consists of reacting to others in stereotypical & inauthentic ways. This is the level where we play games and get lost in roles. By behaving as if we were a person that we are not, we are trying to live up to a fantasy that we or others have created. Once we become aware of the phoniness of game playing an become more honest.

(2) the Phobic

We attempt to avoid emotional pain associated with seeing aspects of ourselves that we would prefer to deny. Our resistances to accepting ourselves the way we actually are pop up. We have catastrophic fears that if we recognize “real” face of ourselves and present to it others, we we would be rejected.

(3) the Impasse

The point where we are stuck in our own maturation. Typically, this is the time when we attempt to manipulate the environment to do our seeing, hearing, feeling, thinking, and deciding for us. At the impasse we often feel a sense of deadness and feel that we are nothing. If we hope to fell alive, it is essential that we get through the impasse.

(4) the Implosive

Attend this level when we allow ourselves to fully experience our deadness, rather than denying it or running away, necessary to go through this layer to get authentic self.

(5) Explosive layer

To release a tremendous amount of energy that we have been holding in by pretending to be who we are not, and to become alive and authentic.

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