Section Headings [ Change in Terminology] [ Abreaction of Guilt] [ Abreaction of Pride]

[ End Stages] [ Universality of Abreaction] [ Examples of Abreaction]

The abreaction of pride is a particular sequence of emotions, with each emotion switching into the next one in the sequence. The emotions involved in the sequence are jealousy, narcissism, pride and bitterness.

These four emotions are compound emotions, each consisting of two simpler emotions. The switching involves two pairs of binary, or complementary, emotions : vanity - self-pity, and love - hate. The whole process is similar to the abreaction of guilt, described in the previous article.

Consider the Abreaction of Pride

(or what I also call "non-moral abreaction").

This sequence begins with sorrow or sadness, and ends in bitterness. There are five stages involved in a full sequence, which is :

Jealousy leads to narcissism ; then narcissism leads to pride ; then pride leads to bitterness.

Stage 1.
This abreaction usually follows the abreaction of guilt. The sorrow arises when I reflect on the problem highlighted by the preceding guilt. The sorrow requires the self-pity mode of jealousy.

When the jealousy ends, the self-pity switches to vanity, and narcissism is generated.

Jealousy (= love + self-pity) leads to narcissism (= love + vanity).

Stage 2.
In the stage of narcissism the person now feels good after the previous sorrow ; when we have a cry we feel better afterwards . 

When narcissism fades the love mode changes to hate, and pride arises. 

Narcissism (= love + vanity) leads to pride (= hatred of others + vanity).

Stage 3.
After we have a good cry, few people notice the sting that follows the good feelings. In the stage of pride, hostility to others (especially to people in positions of authority over oneself) is dominant ; hostility is felt even towards the therapist.

Stage 4.
Finally, as pride fades, bitterness is felt over the way that the sorrow and self-pity have limited my sense of individuality.

Stage 5.
The end result is detachment. As in the previous abreaction of guilt, this stage of detachment is not always achieved.

Abreaction mixes together the subconscious mind and the unconscious mind. The sequence derives from the unconscious mind, but the content originates in the subconscious mind of the person. The function of abreaction is to release anxiety that is attached to unpleasant memories in the subconscious mind.

In the abreactions of guilt and pride, the first one, focusing on guilt, usually concerns issues of morality and social conditioning. So I also call it "moral abreaction". The abreactional process starts from an insight into the cause of a psychological problem.
The second abreaction, focusing on pride, concerns non-moral issues such as those of dependency and freedom ; hence I also call it "non-moral abreaction". This process does not require any insight in order to initiate it. Simple reflection on the preceding abreaction of guilt is enough to trigger it.

Anxiety is attached to two modes of character, which are the person’s sense of having a social identity and their sense of being an individual. In the abreaction of guilt, the stage of narcissism represents the release of anxiety from the sense of individuality, whilst the stage of guilt represents the release of anxiety attached to the social identity. In the abreaction of pride, the initial stage of sorrow allows the person to release the anxiety attached to their social identity. Finally the stage of pride releases the anxiety attached to the sense of individuality. [¹]

Footnote

[¹]. The idea of having two identities, a social identity and an individual identity, is introduced in the article Confusion, on my websites The Strange World of Emotion and Discover Your Mind.
For a more detailed analysis of how they are formed, see the article Two Identities, on my website The Subconscious Mind. For the web addresses of these sites, see the Links page.

Copyright @2002  Ian Heath
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