Alexander Lowen in ‘Pleasure: A Creative Approach to Life’ suggests that the common denominator in all neurotic behaviour patterns is a diminution of the sense of self. This includes a loss of the feeling of identity, a reduced awareness of one’s individuality, a decrease in self-expression, and a diminished capacity for pleasure.
Those who live in a mass society exhibit a certain degree of self-destructive behaviour. Instead of striving for pleasure, which is the normal pattern, they are driven to achieve success, and they are obsessed with the idea of power. Neither the drive nor the obsession promotes a creative approach to life. They are destructive forces in the personality.
We are not accustomed to thinking of pleasure as the foundation of individuality.
Pleasure is the feeling of harmony between an organism and its environment. This is not a static concept, for the environment is constantly changing or being changed, thereby providing op- portunities for new and greater pleasures.
In escaping from the mass society, we tend to escapes from life itself.
These are excerpts from Lowen’s books. The photos are mine taken in Shanghai.
