Argentines & psychologists

[cbphoto]

What came 1st? All the people "needing" therapy or all the therapists?

 

[deeve007]

What came 1st? All the people "needing" therapy or all the therapists?

Ha ha, good question!

Some great responses here. And this comment I very much agree with, which in part explains my curiosity about this phenomenon.

If you cannot have good friends that you can talk to frankly about your problems well the friendship has little value and you may as well have a pet.

I'm certainly not the best example of someone who does this (maybe I personally would benefit from a psychologist), but this is certainly something that I agree with. Sure, we have issues in Australia with men especially keeping things bottled up ...etc, so we're far from perfect (who is?), however we do seem to in the main be able to share our personal issues with our friends in much the same way as it seems folk here share with their psychologist. And while the US may not be quite so common here for various reasons that some have mentioned, it's still far more common there than in most other countries. The US & Argentina seem to be kings of the psychology world.

The narcissistic angle is interesting. I know that a common complaint from others (and too common to just be whinging) is that many (most?) Argentinians think they are "the best" at everything. This actually is a trait they do share somewhat with Americans I must say (and I wait for that to elicit some responses!), so maybe this is some sort of factor?

Hey, and I'm completely open to being completely wrong about any/all of this, just throwing some ideas out there on this interesting (to me) subject!

 

[deeve007]

Oh, and had to laugh at this response to my curiosity from a local friend of mine:

Yeah is quite common for people with no friends and with no alcohol issues like me.

Ha ha. Not so much advocating the use of alcohol as a lubricant (personal choice), but he is also making the point about friends being a factor in the situation.

 

[Santiago F]

After arguing with several Argentinean friends about the reasons that they go and never seem to get better, I came to the conclusion that they prefer to talk with their therapists about their personal lives rather than with their friends. In other words, they like to chat with their therapists and consider that their friends are meant for family gatherings, sports events, going out to the theater or clubs, and are not meant for revealing deeply intimate secrets. Now I understand why Argentineans shy away from people that like to open up about their problem. They prefer that you just go to a therapist than to them.

I don't agree. We locals usually talk about intimate secrets with our best friends (and, in some cases, with our psychologists).

 

[deeve007]

"...in some cases, with our psychologists"

But it seems it's not "some", it's "many" people who see a psychologist. It would seem that Argentina - maybe in particular Buenos Aires - has the highest rates of people who see psychologists in the world. Do you have an explanation for why this is so?

It's also been suggested in this thread that many see the same psychologist for years and years, which may suggest they're not actually getting much benefit out of it, since surely a psychologist's aim should be to solve a mental health issue, no?

 

[glasgowjohn]

Maybe its us Europeans and north Americans who are doing it wrong.

Maybe we should be going for therapy more .....

 

[Matt84]

"...in some cases, with our psychologists"

But it seems it's not "some", it's "many" people who see a psychologist. It would seem that Argentina - maybe in particular Buenos Aires - has the highest rates of people who see psychologists in the world. Do you have an explanation for why this is so?

It's also been suggested in this thread that many see the same psychologist for years and years, which may suggest they're not actually getting much benefit out of it, since surely a psychologist's aim should be to solve a mental health issue, no?

Do any of you have an explanation for why so many people in the United States and not any other developed country on earth, are actively religious and assist to the same church for years without "actually getting much benefit out of it" ?

Since surely a church's aim should be to solve a spiritual issue, no?

 

[deeve007]

I guess you could start a thread on a US forum and ask that question if you really wanted an answer?????

Though I would hazard a guess that going to church for most isn't about "solving a problem" but about "showing their faith". But since that has zero to do with the discussion probably best to leave it at that. Unless you're saying that going to a psychologist here is the same as going to church? Are they "showing their faith" to - what? - the medical health industry in Argentina??

 

[deeve007]

Maybe its us Europeans and north Americans who are doing it wrong.

Maybe we should be going for therapy more .....

Maybe. But does that mean that Argentinians generally have less mental health issues than Europeans & North Americans?

 

[Matt84]

I guess you could start a thread on a US forum and ask that question if you really wanted an answer?????

Though I would hazard a guess that going to church for most isn't about "solving a problem" but about "showing their faith". But since that has zero to do with the discussion probably best to leave it at that. Unless you're saying that going to a psychologist here is the same as going to church? Are they "showing their faith" to - what? - the medical health industry in Argentina??

Sorry, I meant that as an answer. I believe "going to therapy" (freudian style for years) for portenos might be a little like "going to church" for the bible belt.

I have zero idea why people go to church, be it to show faith, or acquire salvation, or confess, or whatever, but I see a similar pattern. The going to therapy ritual is obviously more individualistic, but not necessarily in a good way (someone said something abhout narcissism)