This is the 6th lecture of [[Jordan Peterson]]'s [[PA Personality and its Transformations]] course on [[About]] ## Transformation ### The hole into the abyss The entire emotional system — regulation of positive and negative emotion — evolved and adapted to the process of goal pursuit and by extension obstacle avoidance. This highlights the reality of things we do not expect. Underneath every frame of reference is the possibility of the absolute unknown—a hole in the frame. The encounter with that which we do not expect is deeply mythological, symbolizing death, transformation of endless potential, denoted by expressions like "descent into the abyss" and "down the rabbit hole." This is what underlies our approach and avoidance system. ### The edge There is an optimal distance that we want to keep between us and monsters — terrifying, petrifying, and foreign objects. It is not a physical distance — though it could be symbolized as such — but a psychological one. We want to voluntarily expose ourselves to that which we are afraid of, to the point where we are right at the edge — not too far where we are safe, comfortable but willfully ignorant, and not too close where we get burned. That is the zone of optimal development. Continuously taking this path would also lead to adaptation, hence development of how close we can get without being burned. "You can keep doing that until you're looking at the heart of darkness itself… That's the transformation of psychotherapy." ### Integration of self across time Willingness to step forward in the face of ambivalence is the same process as participating in the process that organizes all our emotions. In other words, positive and negative emotional regulation is in the short term, perhaps present, view for the purpose of optimizing one's own wellbeing, but to what end? The end lies in the long term, which is transformation to the end of being capable of dealing with terror, or more generally foreign things. Why terror? Because the things that terrify us are likely the things that we need to face in order to grow. Emotional regulation aims at transforming us into a "better" person, meaning a person that is more able to confront the horizon of potential, or a person that is more likely to undergo the stress of transformation and future growth. Stress and growth comes hand in hand.[^1] Another condition that Peterson adds that this would lead to is the betterment of others around us in the same direction — pleased and willing to confront chaos. That is the pattern of a leader. ### Emotions signaling meaning In the quest of the leader or the hero, the emotions involved are paradoxical. They could be confusion, alertness, but largely they would be anxiety. The successful regulation of such emotions is a phenomenon that reveals itself as being meaningful. The pursuit of of meaning revealed in this sense can be a weapon that helps us deal with even the worst in life. Meaning in life comes from the stance one takes in the face of the complexities, impermanence, and even the worst life has to offer. In contrast, happiness, satiation or power as the ultimate aim in life leaves no solution for dealing with the worst in life. ### The hole as throwness The hole presents itself as a problem of throwness, which is that there is an arbitrary element to life. Pascal writes about how there is no reason for him to be here rather than there, and his fear towards the infinite space (and time) that he is situated in but have no means of relating to necessarily or reasonably. Peterson summarizes this as a problem of reconciling one's finitude with one's surrounding infinity — the essential existential conundrum. ### Jacob's ladder as the solution Peterson's proposed solution to the problem of throwness is Jacob's Ladder, which is the "participation in the continual upward spiral towards the ineffable infinite" as that which "fortifies you in relationship to the recognition of the abyss that lies below you." Jung presents this as the instinct that drives us towards adventure and development, and it is our imperative to make an alliance with said instinct. ### Ignoring the quest The problem with ignoring the quest is that the question will chase you. ### The guide Meaning also acts the guide — think Virgin in Dante's Inferno — which acts as markers or milestones on the way to the ascent. "How can I be a better person" is the goal. ### Defining the goal "If I could have what I want, what would that look like" is the guiding question in figuring out what I specifically want to achieve ideally. A clearly defined end state is important because only with a clearly defined goal can progress be tracked and made. This defined goal is also non-trivial. The larger the goal, the greater the sacrifice required to get there. ### Full transformation process Aim → Rabbit hole → Descent into the underworld → Reconfiguration of aim → Reemergence with new aim (→ Repeat) This is done with the rule that one should never substitute success within proximal frame for upward-seeking transformation. That looks like choosing long term growth, over short term gratification. That is also to not be convinced by the numbers but by the higher purpose. That is to see the importance of the spirit over the letter. ## Rogerian Psychotherapy ### Enhancement as the goal Orgasmic enhancement is the goal of Rogerian psychotherapy. The organism is understood as a positive, creative striver. What it does not fundamentally aim at: - Escape from pain - Movement towards please - Adaptation to reality (in the Freudian sense) What it does fundamentally aim at: Upward-striving integration → Self-actualization ### Self-actualization This is what Peterson calls the greatest contribution the humanists made to the human enterprise. However, this should not be understood in the intra-personal sense only concerning with the self. What it means to be self-actualized has to involved a harmony across all the roles and domains that make up part of your social self. For example, there is no such thing as a perfectly successful mother with a miserable child. The miserable child takes away the success of the mother in so far as she judged as a mother. [^1]: Referring to how PTSD also comes with growth. Taken from [[Roy Baumeister]]'s [[The Weight of Negativity]] lecture.