I am currently seeing several patients who are depressed, stressed and anxious due to losing their jobs. I am also seeing several bankers and real estate developers who are living in fear as they anticipate possibly losing their jobs and/or lifestyle in the near future as the economy has weakened and the bank stocks have tanked.
Many of these folks are so attached to their material possessions and how they will be perceived by their friends and families if they lose their status that that can't envision what life will be like if they need to take a step backwards. They don't remember who they really are as human being without their stuff. In fact they go into crisis because they don't know how to define themselves anymore.
We live in a society that defines us by what we do, how much we make, how many toys we have and the size of our house among other superficial standards. We spend the first half of our lives building our ego identity through the lens of what we think meets socially acceptable standards so we can be perceived as successful. We forget about the importance of family friends and all the loving relations we have . Too often people perceive that love is earned. If these same people see themselves as no longer being a good provider they will then believe themselves to be judged as unlovable, not good enough, a failure, a loser, and will then be abandoned by friends, family, loved ones, peers and colleagues.
Once they are in fear of losing their economic status they become so overwhelmed with fear that they can't see the light at the end of the tunnel: the eventual future, when the economy improves and they can rebuild what they have lost.
Doc Marion
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