In fact, everybody is a success. That startling declaration rests on the fact that unconsciously, we basically get what we want. The primary problem is that once obtained, we realize that what we got is not what we truly wanted, resulting in boredom, escapism, mysterious fatigue, migraines, and the much-dreaded ’midlife crisis.’ We’re pretty good at getting what we think we want in life; the real problem is ascertaining what it is that we really want.
The unconscious is a compelling force within the essence of our ego; it operates on a level that is invisible and all-powerful, such that growing up intellectually does not mean we necessarily grow up emotionally. Some people overcome their infantile fantasies and others do not, resulting in the normal and the neurotic – even though neither person any longer consciously demands the impossible. Excessively blaming parents is a hallmark of the latter.
– James Dines, Mass Psychology
