Good morning, question asker.
I want to offer you my support and encouragement. You have demonstrated remarkable courage in declaring your gay identity and respecting your own inner feelings. Despite being an adult, you still want to complete the rebellion that you never finished, which is a very real and honest desire. You have also made it clear that because of your conscience, you don't want to create such a tragedy as a wife of a gay man.
I would like to express my gratitude to Wu Zhihong for his insightful observation that guilt is an unacceptable emotion. In his book, "Thanking Yourself for Your Imperfections," he makes a compelling argument that anger is a powerful tool for defending one's independence.
The questioner is facing a number of challenges, including pressure from family members to get married, harsh accusations from their father, societal attitudes towards homosexuality, and job insecurity. These pressures, along with the fear of rejection, denial, and abandonment, are causing the questioner to feel depressed, powerless, and irritable. It seems that they need some extra strength to be able to face these things. Indeed, it is as if one were to be at odds with the whole world. No matter who is in your position, they will feel physically and mentally exhausted.
[Source of strength]
I believe there are two aspects to strength. One is the strength that comes from within, that is, the extraordinary ability to remain calm in the face of adversity. This is a term from psychoanalysis.
The id represents the part of the individual that is competitive, demanding, primitive, pre-rational, and pre-logical. Freud called the moral watchdog within most of us the superego, which could be thought of as the conscience or the self-judge.
When we say that someone has a strong sense of self, it means that they are able to consider the difficulties and seek solutions without denying or distorting the harsh reality. Some people's sense of self in the past may become fragmented when faced with stress.
In matters of marriage and sexual orientation, it would be interesting to see whether the questioner's superego aligns with their parents' views, or whether they feel the need to defend their own ego. You mentioned that the questioner has a postgraduate degree, which is certainly an admirable achievement. However, it might be helpful to consider whether their sense of self is beginning to waver in the face of their parents' accusations.
This is a normal part of the growth process, which can sometimes result in a temporary regression and an unstable state. Psychotherapy can be a helpful tool for gaining self-empowerment and enhanced self-coordination.
[Therapeutic relationship]
In the book "Helping Skills," the author refers to the psychologist Carl Rogers' view. According to Rogers, as an infant, one evaluates every experience based on one's own feelings. This is known as the organism evaluation process. The organism evaluation process is an internal guide that everyone is born with. It guides people towards self-realization. When people trust this internal guide, they can freely explore experiences that are beneficial to the organism.
In addition to having an organismic evaluation process, children also have a need for unconditional positive attention. This can be defined as a need for acceptance, respect, warmth, and loving value. When children feel valued, accepted, and understood by important others (usually parents or caregivers), they begin to experience self-love and self-acceptance, and develop a good sense of self. This is accompanied by little internal conflict (superego and id don't fight). A child who feels valued can focus on his or her own organismic evaluation process and make appropriate choices based on his or her own internal experience.
It is unfortunate that parents, like all of us, are not perfect. This can result in them imposing value conditions on their children, requiring that children meet certain requirements in order to be loved. This is something that the questioner's parents did, for example, by saying that they would only recognize and accept their child if they obeyed and got married.
When the self-concept is altered by value conditions, it can sometimes result in a diversion of the tendency towards self-actualization. In such instances, the judgment of external value conditions may potentially replace the individual's basic, positive self-esteem. According to Rogers, inconsistencies between real experiences and self-concepts can sometimes lead to expressions of feelings that may not align with reality, as well as low self-esteem, defensiveness, anxiety, and depression.
I believe the questioner may be struggling with the courage to share the truth about being urged to get married with their mother. It's often in moments of defense that we find ourselves in arguments with our loved ones.
Rogers suggests that in order for the individual to overcome this separation, rigidity and discrepancy between the real self and the ideal self, they must be aware of the experience of distortion and denial. This requires the individual to allow the experience to happen and be able to perceive it accurately. In order to reintegrate, the individual needs to:
Perhaps it would be helpful to consider ways of reducing value conditions, such as not doing things to please parents, which is already done well.
It may be helpful to consider ways of increasing positive self-evaluation through the receipt of unconditional positive attention from others.
Rogers suggests that rebuilding a client's self-concept and aligning it with authentic experience may be achieved by experiencing empathy, unconditional positive attention, genuineness, and acceptance in the therapeutic relationship with a helper or therapist. The return of self-concept to the assessment of authentic experience based on the process of collective evaluation may promote the self-realization of the individual, making them a "fully functional person" – someone who is aware of their own greatest potential in terms of independence, creativity, and the authentic expression of feelings and love.
I'm not sure if there is a similar group in the questioner's real-life circle where he can receive this kind of support. If not, I suggest that the questioner consider visiting a psychological counseling room as soon as possible. If there are financial constraints, he can start with psychological listening services or continue asking questions in the same way. In short, it would be beneficial for him to actively seek and establish such a relationship. You are not alone in the world. On the Yixin platform, you can meet many kind and sincere people.
My name is Zhang Huili, and I hope my answer will be of some help to you. I hope that by now you have had time to calm down from the quarrel and are preparing to welcome the New Year with your family. If not, you are very welcome to continue asking questions and interacting on the platform. Perhaps you will find someone with whom you can have a good chat, and this will help to restore your energy.
Comments
I can relate to feeling overwhelmed with family pressure, especially during holidays. It's tough when expectations clash with personal desires. Maybe it's time to have an open and honest conversation with your parents about your feelings and aspirations. Setting boundaries can be hard but necessary for your wellbeing.
The housing situation sounds stressful too. While moving into a new place is always a challenge, perhaps you could view it as a fresh start and an opportunity to create a space that truly reflects who you are. Small steps like buying one or two pieces of furniture at a time might make the process less daunting.
It's clear you're going through a lot, and it's important to take care of yourself amidst all these pressures. Being true to yourself, including your sexual orientation, is crucial. You don't have to rush into anything that doesn't feel right. Consider seeking support from friends, a community, or a professional counselor; they can provide guidance and help you navigate these complex feelings.