The Ninth Street Center The Monographs

Psychic Exhaustion and the Growth Process [1976]
An Appendix to Homosexuality: The Psychology of the Creative Process

by Paul Rosenfels

Paul discusses the role of independent warmth and pride in handling simple depression or "greyness." The author is concerned with the potential for psychic exhaustion which is raised by the stress and strain of psychological growth. A personal exploration of what it means to have a good time is recommended for those desiring greater access to tranquility and rest. Society's prohibitions against self-induced fantasy and self-induced play are discussed as well.

Opening passage:

      Psychic exhaustion is a uniquely human phenomenon, related to those creative capacities which arise from the nature of civilization itself. Exhaustion differs from fatigue in that it tends to undermine the ability to rest. Healthy fatigue invites rest and preserves its refreshing and restorative function. Exhaustion undermines mental health. In this state the individual loses awareness and control of his own mental processes. His actions become pressured and driven in an automatic way, as if his sense of self has been given up in favor of becoming the agent of monolithic forces which he cannot influence or alter. . . .

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