Padraig O'Morain wrote:
> On the radio this morning I heard people being interviewed who lost
> weight successfully through a programme which teaches them that
> eating lots of food is incompatible with their respect for God
> because it leaves them with less time to spend praying or otherwise
> thinking about God.
> This struck me as an intriguing example of people shifting their
> constructs about food/dieting so that they are subordinate to their
> constructs about God, with the result that their attitude to food and
> dieting changed.
> I noticed there was a missionary zeal about how they talked as if
> they were channelling their thinking very rigidly and very carefully
> so as to keep their thoughts under that particular umbrella.
> Unfortunately, it wouldn't work for me - my image of God is of a
> very cross, fat man with a white beard.
Dedicated interpreters of scripture can turn to Saint Paul [I don't know
which epistle] to find him warning his followers that they should take
care of "the temple which is their body." Thus, he connects care of body
with obligation to their god.
People can use all kinds of superordinate constructs -- and it is
easy to see how "god" can become a superordinate.
I happen to resonate to Patrick's message, because I picked up a fine
book on illustrations of Dante's Inferno, and I was intrigued that
Dante's description of the plight of Francesco and Paolo, the in-laws who
did the deed and then were killed by his brother -- husband.
As the writer who put together the book notes, this scene is the most
celebrated {in music and in visual art] of the Inferno's scenes.
Further, it appears that of all the scenes that Dante "witnessed" this
scene was most troubling to Dante.
I pondered on the social constructions that are relevant to this
scene.... Why has sex been so much a center of efforts to construe self?
Why have social commentators spent so much time attempting to construe
this particular piece of human behavior?
Foucault said that he wanted to attempt to explain why the topic of
sex, which is said to be less discussed than needs be, is the most
discussed topic in human history!!!
One great Roman stateman said [Can anyone help me to locate who it
was? I wish that I had made a note of it when I read it!]: "Sex is
something to do during a thunder storm." [To which one of the ribald
senators responded, "And your wife no doubt prays for thunderstorms."]
I was amused when I read of this Roman stateman's remark, because
even before I read of the statesman's remark, I would have great fun
telling my classes [most of whom took a psychology course because they
wanted to find our more about sex] that "Sex is something to do on a
rainy Sunday afternoon when you can't get out to work in the garden."
But, seriously, why is sex so much a part of self definition?
I have made the claim that the purveyers of sexual competence as a
superordinate construction in self defintion have a mercantile interest
in having this become a superordinate. If they can convince people that
sexual competence is a superordinate, then they can make all kinds of
constuctions into subordinate -- hair color, bicep size, girth, pearly
teeth, body odor, etc., etc.
But why choose that as a superordinate that deserves so much
attention? Consider how much psychiatrists and psychologists have been
involved in helping sexual competence to become a superordinate!! Aren't
there other possible superordinates?
Perhaps that is the superordinate of choice for the merchants because
it is available to anyone. If self identity gains warrant through sexual
attractiveness, then anyone can strive for attractiveness [although,
considering western societies' standards, it is harder for some people].
To put it directly, any woman can get on her back, and any male can get
it up [and for those who can't they are now working on a nasal spray for
Viagra -- instant erection is possible!!!].
What are some thoughts on why sexual action [and associated
attractiveness/prowess] has been so much a center of social construction
efforts..
Why do so many people, like Dante, swoon at the thought of eternal
punishment because of a little twenty-minute encounter? Why do 60
percent of USA citizens swoon at the thought that WJC could be chased out
of the presidency because he lied (perhaps) about a couple of
twenty-minute encounters? Why would a person who has accomplished as
much as WJC figure that his self definition demanded that he even risk
his position in order to engage in such twenty-minute encounters?
And, I hope that -- on this net -- I don't find comments such as:
"He has a powerful sex drive."
"He is pathologically addicted to sex.'
"He's only human."
etc....
Jim Mancuso
--
James C. Mancuso Dept. of Psychology
15 Oakwood Place University at Albany
Delmar, NY 12054 1400 Washington Ave.
Tel: (518)439-4416 Albany, NY 12222
Mailto:mancusoj@capital.net
http://www.crisny.org/not-for-profit/soi
A website dedicated to information on Italian-
American history and heritage.
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Padraig O'Morain wrote:
On the radio this morning I heard people being interviewed
who lost
weight successfully through a programme which teaches them that
eating lots of food is incompatible with their respect for God
because it leaves them with less time to spend praying or otherwise
thinking about God.
This struck me as an intriguing example of people shifting their
constructs about food/dieting so that they are subordinate to their
constructs about God, with the result that their attitude to food and
dieting changed.
I noticed there was a missionary zeal about how they talked as
if
they were channelling their thinking very rigidly and very carefully
so as to keep their thoughts under that particular umbrella.
Unfortunately, it wouldn't work for me - my image of God is of
a
very cross, fat man with a white beard.
Dedicated interpreters of scripture can turn to Saint Paul [I don't
know which epistle] to find him warning his followers that they should
take care of "the temple which is their body." Thus, he connects care of
body with obligation to their god.
People can use all kinds of superordinate constructs
-- and it is easy to see how "god" can become a superordinate.
I happen to resonate to Patrick's message, because
I picked up a fine book on illustrations of Dante's Inferno, and
I was intrigued that Dante's description of the plight of Francesco and
Paolo, the in-laws who did the deed and then were killed by his brother
-- husband.
As the writer who put together the book notes, this
scene is the most celebrated {in music and in visual art] of the Inferno's
scenes. Further, it appears that of all the scenes that Dante "witnessed"
this scene was most troubling to Dante.
I pondered on the social constructions that are
relevant to this scene.... Why has sex been so much a center of efforts
to construe self? Why have social commentators spent so much time
attempting to construe this particular piece of human behavior?
Foucault said that he wanted to attempt to explain
why the topic of sex, which is said to be less discussed than needs be,
is the most discussed topic in human history!!!
One great Roman stateman said [Can anyone help me
to locate who it was? I wish that I had made a note of it when I read it!]:
"Sex is something to do during a thunder storm." [To which one of
the ribald senators responded, "And your wife no doubt prays for thunderstorms."]
I was amused when I read of this Roman stateman's
remark, because even before I read of the statesman's remark, I would have
great fun telling my classes [most of whom took a psychology course because
they wanted to find our more about sex] that "Sex is something to do on
a rainy Sunday afternoon when you can't get out to work in the garden."
But, seriously, why is sex so much a part of self
definition?
I have made the claim that the purveyers of sexual
competence as a superordinate construction in self defintion
have a mercantile interest in having this become a superordinate. If they
can convince people that sexual competence is a superordinate, then
they can make all kinds of constuctions into subordinate -- hair color,
bicep size, girth, pearly teeth, body odor, etc., etc.
But why choose that as a superordinate that deserves
so much attention? Consider how much psychiatrists and psychologists
have been involved in helping sexual competence to become a superordinate!!
Aren't there other possible superordinates?
Perhaps that is the superordinate of choice for
the merchants because it is available to anyone. If self identity
gains warrant through sexual attractiveness, then anyone can strive
for attractiveness [although, considering western societies' standards,
it is harder for some people]. To put it directly, any woman can
get on her back, and any male can get it up [and for those who can't they
are now working on a nasal spray for Viagra -- instant erection is possible!!!].
What are some thoughts on why sexual action [and
associated attractiveness/prowess] has been so much a center of social
construction efforts..
Why do so many people, like Dante, swoon at the thought
of eternal punishment because of a little twenty-minute encounter?
Why do 60 percent of USA citizens swoon at the thought that WJC could be
chased out of the presidency because he lied (perhaps) about a couple of
twenty-minute encounters? Why would a person who has accomplished
as much as WJC figure that his self definition demanded that he even risk
his position in order to engage in such twenty-minute encounters?
And, I hope that -- on this net -- I don't find comments
such as:
"He has a powerful sex drive."
"He is pathologically addicted to sex.'
"He's only human."
etc....
Jim Mancuso
--
James C. Mancuso Dept. of
Psychology
15 Oakwood Place University
at Albany
Delmar, NY 12054 1400 Washington
Ave.
Tel: (518)439-4416 Albany, NY 12222
Mailto:mancusoj@capital.net
http://www.crisny.org/not-for-profit/soi
A website dedicated to information on Italian-
American history and heritage.
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