Posted by mattdds on March 6, 2003, at 11:12:19
In reply to Re: I'VE HAD IT-ANY HELP WOULD BE GREAT, posted by hawkeye on March 6, 2003, at 10:46:33
This is quite correct that this is a very human tendency. Like all things, I believe this tendency can be present to varying degrees, on a spectrum, in other words. All people do this to some degree, some people hardly at all, while others do it incessantly.
The question is: When does this stop being a normal human tendency and become pathology?
There is no simple answer to that, mainly because it is an extremely subjective experience. Some people see "keeping up with the Joneses" as a motivating, positive force, while others see it as crippling and counterproductive. Again, highly subjective.
A better question might be: "Does my tendency to critically compare myself to others hinder or help me?". Another question to answer is "Is it affecting my quality of life?"
In Krissy's case, she said "99%" of her depression is related to this tendency. So I think it's quite clear that it is negatively affecting her quality of life. The goal would be to shift her (you, Krissy :)) to the other, healthier end of the spectrum for this trait. I believe this can be done using CBT techniques. At least this was my experience.
Just my opinion, and I invite further discussion.
Thanks for the comments!
Matt
poster:mattdds
thread:206274
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030306/msgs/206443.html