| | Thank you, Allison. Though I agree with Thomas Szasz and Jung in their belief that some who claim mental illness are, in fact, "malingering," it does not negate those who actually do have either true mental disorders, lesser abilities, or brain differences, and there needs to be more objectivity involved in differentiation the two.
One of the most harmful ideas is the one-size fits all approach to psychology and ethics that admonishes one to "snap out of it" and pull oneself up by the bootstraps. It's ignorant and assumes the worst about another. (If they truly are having difficulty; they are probably trying their best but becoming a square peg in a round hole.) If the mind is connected to the brain, then the brain has physical identity, which means it has limits, which means the mind is limited. Libido (the broader term of mental energy, not Freud's sexual idea) is limited, and mental abilities are going to be uneven, stronger in some areas, weaker in others. Rationality and objectivity are probably the best weapons we have for mental health (as one book title proclaims," Plato, not Prozac!" Substitute your favorite philosophy here...). But even if one identifies a true problem, awareness alone is not enough. (I think of Rand's supposed attempts to cure Frank of his brain problems by encouraging him to "think harder." It's not about thinking harder, it's a matter of using the equipment in according to its form and function. The brain, even with its plasticity, is still limited by its nature and can only change so much. That's why reason is so important, not only to know what we can do, but what we can't.) Jung said something that stuck with me on this: ""As long as you assume that you are making the weather, what can you do? You will try in vain to make good weather and you will never succeed, and because you are all the time angry at yourself for making rain, you will never invent an umbrella."
One-size fits all claims don't work. Just because some people are able to follow a certain way doesn't mean that everyone else will. Teachers like this guy, while rightfully resentful of those who may use ADHD as an excuse to misbehave, unfortunately fall into solipsism by their blanket rejection of anything that doesn't match their projections.
(BTW, I do not fall into the touchy-feely category of coddling and making excuses,i.e. "understand"; rather, I think to effectively deal with ADHD, Aspergers, etc., we need to UNDERSTAND how the brain is working and how it affects behavior so the individual can survive and flourish as independently as possible. Awareness can find the best ways to harness the abilities so achievement is possible. Ignorance will only perpetuate the vicious cycle of failure.
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