Whilst Sigmund Freud's work has been heavily critiqued, his influence on psychology and the wider world is undeniable. With the continuing growth of the 'co-morbidity' area of the illicit drug field, figures like Freud and Carl Rogers may have an increased significance in the lives of harm reduction workers/ activists.
I am no expert on Freud or psychoanalysis, but of particular interest to me at the moment is the concept of 'displacement'. My notional understanding of the topic has been attained via a superficial exploration of the Vietnam War and the proliferation of films during the Reagan era that displayed a disavowal regarding America's culpability in the horrific war, the ramifications of which continue to be experienced by people to this day.
Films such as 'Rambo' repressed America's guilt from the war but as Freud notes, the mechanism of repression is inevitably flawed and the repressed material ultimately breaks through and manifests itself in unwelcome symptoms. Modern societies, unable to come to terms with the past, set about rewriting it through mediums such as cinema.
A common strategy for reinscribing history is the substitution of one question for another. In dream interpretation, psychoanalysis calls this strategy 'displacement'. Displacement accounts for the phenomenon of scapegoating, for instance, on both individual and cultural levels. Through cinema, the question of "Were we right to fight in Vietnam?" was replaced by "What is our obligation to the veterans of war?". Or so one interpretation goes. What then emerges from this substitution is a strategy of victimisation, whereby the transformation of America into 'victim' means that it never has to say sorry for the past. This is an outcome of displacement.
On a cultural level, has the 'War on Drugs' substituted the question of "Why are we engaging in this war?" or "Why do so many people experience problematic drug use?" with "What is our obligation to those who have been harmed by drugs, both users and the community?".
On an individual level, has the question of "Why do I experience problematic drug use" been substituted by "Why are drugs illegal?" or "Why am I treated in a discriminatory manner?"
Interestingly in both contexts, there is a creation of 'victimhood' and therefore a marked lessening or even elimination of self-responsibility.
The notion of 'taking responsibility for one's actions' is often talked about in the illicit drugs field, but it is rarely spoken of in a cultural context, only in relation to the individual. Of course it needs to happen on both levels, but I am wondering if it needs to work concurrently for there to be any real progress, and for there to be greater discussion on individual responsibility and the way it can be fostered.
I am no expert on Freud or psychoanalysis, but of particular interest to me at the moment is the concept of 'displacement'. My notional understanding of the topic has been attained via a superficial exploration of the Vietnam War and the proliferation of films during the Reagan era that displayed a disavowal regarding America's culpability in the horrific war, the ramifications of which continue to be experienced by people to this day.
Films such as 'Rambo' repressed America's guilt from the war but as Freud notes, the mechanism of repression is inevitably flawed and the repressed material ultimately breaks through and manifests itself in unwelcome symptoms. Modern societies, unable to come to terms with the past, set about rewriting it through mediums such as cinema.
A common strategy for reinscribing history is the substitution of one question for another. In dream interpretation, psychoanalysis calls this strategy 'displacement'. Displacement accounts for the phenomenon of scapegoating, for instance, on both individual and cultural levels. Through cinema, the question of "Were we right to fight in Vietnam?" was replaced by "What is our obligation to the veterans of war?". Or so one interpretation goes. What then emerges from this substitution is a strategy of victimisation, whereby the transformation of America into 'victim' means that it never has to say sorry for the past. This is an outcome of displacement.
On a cultural level, has the 'War on Drugs' substituted the question of "Why are we engaging in this war?" or "Why do so many people experience problematic drug use?" with "What is our obligation to those who have been harmed by drugs, both users and the community?".
On an individual level, has the question of "Why do I experience problematic drug use" been substituted by "Why are drugs illegal?" or "Why am I treated in a discriminatory manner?"
Interestingly in both contexts, there is a creation of 'victimhood' and therefore a marked lessening or even elimination of self-responsibility.
The notion of 'taking responsibility for one's actions' is often talked about in the illicit drugs field, but it is rarely spoken of in a cultural context, only in relation to the individual. Of course it needs to happen on both levels, but I am wondering if it needs to work concurrently for there to be any real progress, and for there to be greater discussion on individual responsibility and the way it can be fostered.
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