OT : A psychosocial question
 

Why do people seem to have a need to frequently revisit old emotional scars?

Re: OT : A psychosocial question
 

I have been asking myself THAT particular question quite a bit lately....

Re: OT : A psychosocial question
 

Profound emotional experiences, good or bad, serve as focal points in knowledge of the self. Who we are is, in part, the sum total of everything that has happened to us. It is natural for emphasis to fall on the most prominent experiences.

Re: OT : A psychosocial question
 

A very clinical answer, to say the least...

Re: OT : A psychosocial question
 

I'd say that people need to go thru the 5 stages of grief:

denial
anger
barganing
depression
acceptance

This can take a long time and sometimes people get stuck in a stage and can't move past it. People stuck in a stage will revisit the problem without moving through the problem. Once someone truly reaches acceptance, it isn't so bad to revisit the "scar" since you have passed thru the depression phase already. I'm no "sykologist" but I'd read up on managing change/transition to learn more. Hope this helps.

Re: OT : A psychosocial question
 

Black_Knyght said:
A very clinical answer, to say the least...

I thought it was more philosophical than clinical.

Re: OT : A psychosocial question
 

This brings up another question: Does experience shape an individual's personality more so than genetics?

Re: OT : A psychosocial question
 

yes, as evidenced by studies of twins separated at birth.

Re: OT : A psychosocial question
 

Of course. Genetics plays a roll in instinct, but part of the development of higher animal intelligence is learning to override instinct.

Re: OT : A psychosocial question
 

It is part of being human. Learning to cope with past psychological trauma is important to facing possible future similar trauma.

As a clinician, I can say that both are equally important. I see the same cycle repeated for generations (self-abuse through alchohol, etc.). And then there are those that "end the cycle" - go to college, etc. Life it what you put into it. A three year-old dying of cancer is often wiser than a sixty year-old with lung disease.