From outside the box

Here's something to remember about psychotherapy - those who benefit from it the most are those who need it the least. You don't mention whether your friends are licensed counselors or whether they simply have Masters degrees in psychology. I also have a Masters in Psychology. That and a cup of coffee makes for good conversation and not much else.

I've been dealing with fire issues for the last month and haven't been reading as faithfully as usual. I remember skimming the blog post but I don't recall exactly what it said. I seem to remember that it sounded more like a critique of psychoanalysis, which a Masters degree hardly qualifies one to understand. You didn't state why you removed the blog post. Why did you?

I can tell you that the more educated a person is, the less they seem to know about real life. That ol' Ivory Tower has a powerful lure - it gives it's inhabitants a powerful sense of self-worth and a self-assured knowledge that they alone have answers to which others may not be privy. That's harsh, I know, and I don't mean it as harshly as it sounds. It also doesn't apply across all disciplines, of course, but it certainly applies in the discipline of psychology. Students are taught to rely on research instead of life experience to make decisions. It isn't quite as bad in clinical psychology as it is in other, research-oriented subcategories of psychology. I realize that this is a generalization and that research has value, indeed, but there is no substitute for the school of hard knocks in terms of learning to live a successful life.

Joe's reply....I love the fact that you do not take having a Masters degree too serious. I have just enough college to appreciate the hard work and long hours it takes to get a Masters. I tip my hat to anybody who has accomplished such a feat.

My friends are not licensed counselors but both work in the field. I removed that blog because they both made me feel a little inadequate or that I was stepping into territory I should not have been stepping into. However, neither one could tell me anything in that blog that was incorrect. I decided to retract it, take a closer look at it, and maybe put it back out later on with a little editing and a long disclaimer.

Thank you Kathy for your informative reply to my blog. With so many educated people reading me, I'm going to have to be more careful what I write about and how I write it. BTW, this would be a great subject for you to do a guest blog on if you ever get the hankerin. If you do, you could send it to me by my direct e-mail which is Joe4Good@aol.com

Oh my goodness Joe, I agree with you 10000000%....all of it~~~

Cindy

You are right on – about wisdom and education - My mother and father both went through 6th and 10th grades respectively, this was in the early 1900s and was not that uncommon – but the error was not in pushing education on their children. They felt if we received a high school diploma, that was good enough, and far superior to what they had – but they did have a lot of hard work ethics and lots of common sense – how else could they have managed to raise 10 decent, responsible human beings? While growing up I always felt almost inferior to those with college degrees. I could not even imagine trying to get into higher education. Went to work very early on, and got most of my training through, you got it, hard work and lots of common sense. A degree probably would have gotten me to where I am a whole lot quicker. Eventually in my 30s I went to a junior college and it seemed ridiculously easy – but even then due to my phobia for public speaking, never achieved an AA degree. I did learn early on, to associate with the right people, and watch and listen to them closely. These people had education and lives that I envied so I watched, took the critical criticisms regarding good grammar, social skills, etc. and eventually these same educated people gave me lots of support and great chances at honing the skills that I did have. I saw many times where I had a lot more common sense and work ethic than those with education and I think together, we both learned a lot. I have worked with many, many, highly professional people most of my life and you are so right about the psychiatrist who needs a psychiatrist, the allergist whose kids have constant colds, etc. I think wisdom without education and education without wisdom could do well by association and giving their talents to each other. Everyone is not capable of a degree, but can certainly do well in this world with hard work and watching those around you – working together, we can all attain wisdom and education.

JM