“Suzanne Gelb Image”
”Personalities – How Do Behaviors Develop?”
Dear Dr. Gelb:
I am a college student majoring in psychology. I am studying Carl Jung, the psychiatrist, and he explains why people behave like they do, noting two kinds of personality structures, introversion and extroversion, and that each person has a mixture of both components. Do you agree?
Learning
A: Dr. Gelb says . . .
Dear Learning:
From my studies, I have learned that in terms of our natural personality structure, we are born either predominantly (51 percent) extrovert (flamboyant, outgoing) or introvert (a little quieter, less apt to be the life of the party, a little more reluctant/reserved). Unless that is interfered with by trauma, I believe it can serve one well. Really the only difference is 49-51 percent, one way or the other. In other words in a natural sense there is a blend of both components, with one slightly more dominant than the other.
”Bodies – Why do we Take Them for Granted?”
Dear Dr. Gelb:
I recently sprained my wrist and my hand was pretty much out of commission for several days. I did not realize how much I had taken the use of my hand and my body in general, for granted. Why do we not appreciate our bodies and how much we rely on them, until there’s an accident or something like that?
Appreciative
A: Dr. Gelb says . . .
Dear Appreciative:
You are fortunate to have become accustomed to paying attention to your body parts, and yes, it is not uncommon for many of us to take our agility somewhat for granted and to not appreciate our bodies. However, my concern and empathy is for those people who have guilt and shame and have become inhibited as a result of rejecting most of their body parts, even their hands. The more I learn, the more I am becoming convinced that childhood conditioning can play a part in many physical and emotional problems. Some people even believe that arthritis of the hands can somehow be connected to touching ourselves “down there,” and the lifetime of self-imposed punishment that follows it. Guilt can be so destructive.
Answers to questions in today’s column can be supplemented with excerpts from “Yesterday’s Children” (p. 20) written by psychologists Marti Barham, R.N., Ph.D. and Tom Greene, Ph.D. For more information visit my Web site at https://www.DrGelbSays.com
”’Suzanne J. Gelb, Ph.D., J.D. authors this daily column, Dr. Gelb Says, which answers questions about daily living and behavior issues. Dr. Gelb is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Honolulu. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Human Services. Dr. Gelb is also a published author of a book on Overcoming Addictions and a book on Relationships.”’
”’This column is intended for entertainment use only and is not intended for the purpose of psychological diagnosis, treatment or personalized advice. For more about the column’s purpose, see”’ “An Online Intro to Dr. Gelb Says”
”’Email your questions to mailto:DrGelbSays@hawaiireporter.com More information on Dr. Gelb’s services and related resources available at”’ https://www.DrGelbSays.com