Not long ago, a young titan of New York real estate sat in his psychotherapist’s office. An art collector, he was thinking of bidding about $8 million for a painting, and something about the deal made him uneasy.
The therapist thought the patient was merely trying to impress him. This happened whenever the man felt unsure of himself, which was most of the time.
But instead of trying to explore the patient’s anxiety, the therapist encouraged him to buy the artwork: “This is what you want; you should go get it.”
The therapy fees can range from $400 to $600 an hour and the therapists are often too impressed by their patients. The whole article is interesting.
It’s easy to dismiss the “plight” of this “young titan”. But imagine yourself chattering about your own personal problems to one of the billion or so people who live on less than a dollar a day.
Maybe you’d complain about your inability to lose weight. Maybe you’d hesitate over career choices (or choosing a university and subject to major in). Maybe you’d agonize endlessly over a wide range of dating choices and sexual relationships. Maybe you’d obsess over interior decorating and remodeling decisions, or organic produce and free-range chicken, or a pair of shoes to die for that you’re not sure you can afford. A rather large proportion of your daily existential preoccupations are things that your interlocutor couldn’t relate to or sympathize with.
The more opportunities you have, the more choices you have to make. And making those choices is not always easy. That’s just human nature. Even if our basic daily physical needs are met, we will always invent psychic needs that need to be fulfilled. Angst is universal.
Before sneering at the trivial problems of the wealthy, consider that if you’re reading this then you by definition are among the wealthiest 10% or so of the globe, and consider how relevant your own little problems are.
The guy just needs reassurance about spending money on a painting. If a therapist can’t offer any sensible advice, then get out of the way and let someone else try. For $600 an hour, there would be no shortage of takers.
600 bucks for a shopping advise. I have the wrong job.
Wouldn’t these folks be better served spending $20 on one of the recent crop of positive psychology books? “How To Be Happy” is probably a lot more scientific than the training of these therapists, more effective, and a heck of a lot cheaper.
Comments on this entry are closed.