Preface: Let it be noted that now we are living
through the longest government shutdown in the U.S. history. Finally,
after weeks of not working, becoming a house wife, and caring for my son
every day due to his preschool's closure, I realize I actually have
time and the mental capacity and energy to once again reflect more on my
life, and to perhaps actually write! Anyways, I found this in my old
drafts. The topic in question is still in back of my mind and worthy of
reflections, thoughts, and learning more about.
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I
have been struggling with a philosophical question for years. I have a
difficult time deciding or finding what the right answer is. The topic
is related to dealing with difficult people. These days there are so
many sites, TV and radio programs, books, forums, etc. run by
psychologists discussing different topics and answering many questions.
Often times, when someone in a bad relationship calls, having to deal
with a difficult or troubled spouse, child, or sibling, the question
comes up whether that person knows s/he needs professional help. If the
answer is yes, then they ask if s/he is willing to seek that help, and
then often times if the answer is no, one is advised to cut off ties
with the troubled person.
There may be many reasons
for someone yelling, not being able to manage their anger, being easily
irritated, or being too sensitive: thyroid hormones not being in normal
range, pms, postpartum depression, or simply depression, stress,
anxiety, etc.
If hormones are not balanced, isn't the
difficult person a victim and patient him/herself? Is it fair or right
to hold them accountable for their actions and at the times they are
weak, and to want them not only to have the will and energy to seek help
but also to fix things? Is not expecting a depressed or in general
severely ill person to take responsibility for his/her own health like
expecting a car with flat tires or burned engine to drive itself to
mechanic shop, seek help, pay for help, and return well?
How
much those suffering from actions of these troubled and difficult
individuals are responsible for not helping them get the much needed
help and to go through with any treatments such as therapy sessions or
taking antidepressants, etc? Especially if that person does not welcome
the suggestions and refuses to act on them?
Who is to
blame? To what extent are we responsible for well being of our adult loved
ones, when they refuse help, be it medical, mental, or financial? If we
are passing the responsibility to the person who is supposed to seek
help, how much in reality can that person be held accountable for their
actions if they are deficient in some hormones, vitamins, wisdom or
simply lacking a healthy balance in their bodies or minds?
Thursday, January 17, 2019
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2 comments:
Hello Nargess, this all amounts to the problem of free will, i.e. how responsible one is for the decisions he/she makes. In academia, this is still very controverse discussed. In the most extreme version, D.M.Wegner (https://zodml.org/sites/default/files/%5bDaniel_M._Wegner%5d_The_Illusion_of_Conscious_Will.pdf) rejected the idea of a human free will altogether. He argued that our decisions are all governed by biochemical processes, leading to neuronal activities, which the physical body (muscles, vocal organs etc) have to follow. When we believe in our own free will, we might be misled by introspection illusion. But one can also find certain arguments against this reasoning. There are human conditions (mental disorder such as Tourette syndrome or addictions such as alcoholism or eating disorders) where people really feel driven by a sort of evil force to do something they don't want to do (unvoluntary). And they are fully aware of themself acting against their own will.
One can probably find arguments pro and against the general capability of people to make free decisions, in particular in a situation when one follows instincts rather than reasoning.
But if I understand properly your question, it has more to do with "Responsibility". And this means if one is allowed to sanction or punish a person for his/her evil activity. This is a moral question, and it definitely can vary in different times or social contexts. But one can also be indirectly be punished, for instance by refusing him/her certain jobs or career paths. For instance being an alcohol addict is not a crime, and in fact deserves psychatric assistance, it is very likely that he/she is refused to become a teacher. And if one easily looses self-control in an argument, you might blame the genes or hormones for this. But he/she might have bad chances to make a career in politics (I would not call D.Trumps max 4 years in office a career, I think it is rather a dead-end road). So there are most likely medical, psychological (childhood), or social reasons, which one can find for Trumps irresponsible activities. But these should not lead us to see him as a poor victim of his social background, his alcohol addicted grand-father, his poor grades in school, his physical ugliness, and give him a bonus as politician.
Best regards, Micha
I have been severely depressed and I know for a fact that if it wasn't for Mohammad, I couldn't have helped myself get well again!
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