Freud was perhaps the first and most important theorist who sought to understand coping. Dividing the mind horizontally, Freud believed that what the human psyche could not tolerate (in thought or in reality) is suppressed/repressed and subsequently sequestered away, i.e., stored below conscious awareness in the unconscious. This “basement” of indigestible material allows a person to live without having to undergo the process of coming to terms with threatening material, an arrangement that has both its advantages and disadvantages. Since Freud, another type of coping mechanism has been studied in which the mind divides vertically. In this process, the mind organizes cells or compartments (think of the honeycomb structure of bees) to manage diverse and discordant ways of being. For example, a person may be a devoted father in one cell, a philanthropist in another cell, and the active participant in an affair in yet another cell. This cellular division allows for the moral inconsistencies in one’s character to literally exist side by side one another, segmenting and disunifying what may be considered one’s central identity or “the self.” Vertical splitting delays necessary confrontations with one’s value system and avoids substantial decisions that may alter and progress a person’s life. In the next virtual meeting of the Men’s Group Seminar on Saturday, January 21, 2023 (10:15 to 11:30 AM), we will discuss vertical splitting, its relevance for men in modern culture, and its pernicious consequences.  The ongoing revolution of ideas concerning masculinity and masculine identity (termed the “masculinity paradox” by one panel of experts) perforates and disorganizes how boys and men are socialized and conceive their identities, supporting a trend in my view toward vertical orientations of coping.

*Registration Directions: If you would like to attend the next virtual meeting of the Men’s Group Seminar on Saturday, January 21, 2023, 10:15 AM to 11:30 AM, please RSVP to me at 949-338-4388 or jt@jamestobinphd.com no later than Thursday, January 19, 2023. The fee is $25.00 (payable before entering the virtual meeting) and informed consent for participation in this telehealth event must be completed prior to the seminar. Please note that the Men’s Group Seminar is psychoeducational in nature, not therapeutic, and does not constitute psychotherapy or counseling.