Weird People?

Question

So, why are people so weird sometimes? What is your weirdest thought or action?

Answer 1

Back around 1970, Arthur Janov, PhD, psychologist, wrote a book that became extremely famous (for a psychotherapy book, that is) called The Primal Scream. It dealt with the deepest "psychic" (emotional/mental) injuries that people can experience, and how to heal them. One idea in Janov's thinking is that the most destructive injuries (typically in childhood) may later manifest in the most extreme, "bizarre" symptoms. A later book, The Primal Revolution, contains the following section, under the subheading, "The Secret Craziness of Neurotics":

"A football hero leaves the game and goes to exhibit himself in an alley before a little girl. A lawyer wears his wife's panties to work, while a sociologist is hooked on sniffing his girlfriend's panties. A judge is a chocolate freak and consumes an average of ten candy bars a day while on the bench. A knighted actor is a child-molester; a well-known business manager changes his name, adopts the Christian Science religion, and refuses to allow his daughter to have needed surgery. A teacher goes home and masturbates his dog; an orthodontist insists that a woman watch while he and his wife have sex. The list of secret craziness is endless. All of the above are facts, not fantasy.

"I believe that in every neurotic, by definition, there is some kind of secret craziness -- some hidden sickness that erupts. The psychotic is 'up front' with his insanity. He can't hide and put on a good social face. But the neurotic has learned to do just that; he acts. The act is perfected and unconscious. But the early thwarted needs and impulses find devious routes for egress. And each route has an idiosyncratic meaning. The panty-sniffer remembered [in therapy] that his mother worked all day, and her clothing and their smells were the only important reminder of her he had to hang onto. He had no father, and desperate as he was, he developed a so-called 'perversion.' For the judge, it was simple. Reared in a righteous religious home where the family were 'Renunciates,' no pleasures were allowed. So later, he kept giving himself some kind of allowable pleasure that would not evoke overwhelming guilt. The exhibitionist felt like a little boy. He tried to be 'macho' on the football field, but even that defense wasn't enough. He had to prove himself to little girls.

"There are always convoluted reasons for any perversion; and not all perversion is sexual. One can pervert the eating response -- and eat candy from morning to night. One's system can be perverted so that it doesn't function properly; a smooth facade may hide agitated colitis inside. We might say, in general, that when a value system (the parental brainwash) does not even allow for a SECRET craziness to erupt, then the 'craziness' will remain deep inside, and psychosomatic disease may ensue.

"The neurotic IS a pervert. His natural feelings have been suppressed and perverted. The form they eventually take is of little consequence from a Primal point of view."

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Note that "neurotic," from this psychological perspective, is not a pejorative term essentially, but signifies someone whose "real self" (the "inner child" whose feelings, needs, spontaneity were not respected, acknowledged or allowed to exist) is split off from his/her present-day consciousness, who therefore is not in touch with his now-buried feelings and needs, and who therefore can only struggle indirectly or symbolically to have his past needs met. (Unmet needs don't go away simply because we "grow up.") An example would be the movie star who, never having received unconditional parental love in childhood, now is driven to achieve endless admiration, applause, riches, fame -- as a futile, symbolic substitute for the never-given love. (Janov notes that movie stars he's seen in his practice, despite their glamor and material success, often feel worthless.) Basically, a "neurotic" is someone who is stuck in the past because past needs were never met. MOST people would qualify for this definition; most people would be considered neurotic to lesser or greater degrees.

-- F.L., counselor

Answer 2

Just being alive everyday is my weirdest thought or action! Check out the questions I answer and ask! I'm really weird, and that freaks me out sometimes!

Answer 3

This people are not positive, look and think everything negative, do not agree or talk meaningless and not related to the subject or twist everything to a different angle, may be this opinion of weird people is my weirdest thought..

Answer 4

people are weird to liven things up a bit. If we were all normal, we would all have bad days.
my weirdest thought of the day: can you like Tinkerbell and not believe in fairies??????

Answer 5

Okay it wasn't me exactly. There was this guy I worked with, everybody ignored him and made fun of him. I felt sorry for him so I befriended him. Since I got along with everyone else, this brought him into the main group of full time workers. One night we left at the same time and he walked me to my car, it was near his, and we were talking. I felt pretty pleased with myself, here I had brought this kid out of his shell and now he was enjoying work more. Anyway he blurts out in the middle of the conversation,"I have a really high tolerance to pain."
"That could come in handy sometimes." I replied.
"You don't believe me do you?" he asked.
"Sure, I do. I just don't see what it has to do with what we were talking about." I said. While I was talking he untucked the front of his work shirt, pulled one of those flippy knives out of his pocket and, without hesitating, sliced across his stomach.
Okay, here is where I started acting weird. I got a roll of paper towels out of my car and handed him some. He was standing there grinning at me. I asked him if he wanted me to take him to the hospital and he said that it didn't hurt. I said hurt or no hurt, you are bleeding a lot. It didn't matter, according to him. I handed him the roll of paper towells and told him I had to go home. This guy followed me! I managed to lose him before I went home but for the next month he kept following me around like a puppy dog at work and to clubs afterwards.

I finally asked my manager not to schedule us together anymore. A week later the guy 'accidently' stabbed himself in the femural artery while sharpening his knife. Everyone else at work sent him a card and looked at me really weird for not signing it. I just didn't want to encourage his self mutilating behavior.

Answer 6

weird is objective to the situation. Some people's weird is another's normal. Be yourself.

Answer 7

I had a few (what psychiatrists call) psychosises.

That was the weirdest period in my life.

Answer 8

We're all weird to somebody. Be comfortable in your own skin.

Answer 9

Does smelling new money count as weird? If yes, then I guess I'm weird.

Answer 10

Everyone has something wierd that they do..as for me, I...sit on yahoo answers all day because of boredom at work!