Pursuit of a Remedy and Excessive Consumption: Quest for an Effective Treatment amidst Rampant Consumption Habits
In modern society, the lines between consumerism, love, and illness are increasingly blurred. A growing trend sees people turning to cures, much like a fever, as a means to alleviate various diagnoses caused by excesses. This article delves into the relationship between these concepts, drawing on psychoanalytic theory and contemporary critiques.
Consumerism, with its commodification of desire and identity, is often critiqued by psychoanalysis as an externalization and displacement of internal lacks or needs. This can lead to a superficial mode of relating to oneself and others, potentially fostering a sense of alienation or dissatisfaction.
Love, from a psychoanalytic standpoint, is a complex interplay of desire, attachment, and the interplay between the self and the Other. It is not merely an exchange of affection but a site where unconscious conflicts, fantasies, and identifications surface.
The relationship between love and consumerism can be characterized by the way consumerist culture shapes expectations and experiences of love, such as the desire for immediate gratification, idealized images, and the commodification of relationships. This can potentially lead to a distortion of love and the emergence or exacerbation of emotional or psychosomatic illness.
Illness, particularly psychosomatic or mental illness, is often interpreted as an expression of unresolved psychic tensions, often linked to failures in love and attachment or the internalization of societal pressures, including those imposed by consumerist values.
Bruna Rafaele, a psychoanalyst and a PhD candidate in psychology at the Federal Fluminense University (UFF), might explore these dynamics from a psychoanalytic and contemporary cultural critique perspective. She could argue that consumerism's promise of fulfillment through external objects contrasts with the psychoanalytic recognition that desire is never fully satisfied but structured around lack. This contradiction can produce psychic distress or illness.
Moreover, Rafaele might analyze how love, when mediated by consumerist logic, risks becoming a form of "consumption" itself—where relationships are treated as objects for use and abandonment rather than sites of deep psychic work—potentially fostering symptoms of emotional or psychosomatic illness.
People are increasingly turning to palliative treatments, including medications, purchased online and through apps, to alleviate the pain of hard work, which often leads to burnout. This trend, however, raises questions about the role of love and social bonds in the pursuit of a cure.
Freud, in his seminal work "Civilization and Its Discontents," discusses the relationship between unease and the search for relief from pains, including through consumerism of medication and other means. The sense of freedom sought through these means is often utopian, leaving individuals in a state of perpetual discontent.
The article further explores the relationship between love, illness, and social bonds, suggesting that love is important in the pursuit of a cure. Love, in this context, is not just about romantic relationships but also about the connections we forge with ourselves and others, and the healing power they hold.
In conclusion, understanding the complex interplay between consumerism, love, and illness is crucial in navigating modern society. By recognising the role of love in the pursuit of a cure and the dangers of consumerism, we can strive for a healthier, more fulfilling existence.
For a more precise articulation of Bruna Rafaele’s views on these topics, readers are encouraged to consult her published papers, theses, or dissertations in psychoanalysis or social theory, particularly those available at academic repositories.
- Bruna Rafaele might argue that the increasing use of therapies-and-treatments, purchased online and through apps, could be a response to psychic distress or illness, caused by the contradiction between the consumerist promise of fulfillment and the psychoanalytic recognition that desire is never fully satisfied.
- As people turn more to health-and-wellness practices, mental-health issues such as burnout might be addressed through these methods, but the article suggests a crucial role for love and social bonds in a comprehensive approach to wellness, as love provides a healing power that goes beyond physical treatments.
