Is suffering addictive?

[cl154576]

Is there something in suffering that is appealing to humans? Can we be addicted to the feeling of being hurt?


The law of self-destruction and the law of self-preservation are equally strong in mankind.
- Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Idiot


Habitual thinking patterns that cause intense feelings of fear, anger, shame or guilt are not only toxic, but also addictive in nature. They stimulate pleasure and learning centers of the brain similar to addictive substances.
http://blogs.psychcentral.com/relationships/2011/07/toxic-feel-good-thinking-patterns-why-theyre-addictive/

[stlukesguild]

I believe there are those who imagine that suffering is a prerequisite for artistic genius... that suffering makes the individual unique.

[Scheherazade]

I think some people like "drama" in whatever form it comes...

[Ecurb]

Suffering is a good excuse to take heroin......
.

[Alexander III]

I would say, don't take Dostoyevsky too seriously.

I think it's like this, when we are young we are not wise enough to suffer, then a certain amount of us gain more wisdom and can only suffer because of our wisdom - this is the worst thing to be, wise enough to not be happy but not yet enough wise to be happy like when a child; to reach that top level of wisdom where one cannot suffer and can be happy like a child is a rare and difficult thing. Patience is key though.

[LitNetIsGreat]

I can't see it, suffering doesn't seem like much fun to me. Now pleasure, yes, that I could go along with.

[Lokasenna]

To be honest, there's something quite uplifting about having something to grumble about... I'd say that enjoying a good grumble is quintessentially british...

Also, having a long, angry rant about something is wonderfully cathartic...

[Emil Miller]

I can't see it, suffering doesn't seem like much fun to me. Now pleasure, yes, that I could go along with.

Why not mix both?

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/4421/2825629116small1.jpg

[Alexander III]

Why not mix both?

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/4421/2825629116small1.jpg

Could you please delete that picture. I don't want images of my private parties all over the internet.

[breathtest]

I think that suffering can be addictive to some people. As Lokasenna says, it can be cathartic at times, and yes certain people think they are more creative when they are suffering. I think a lot of people get into chemical addictions like alcoholism because they are addicted to suffering in some form or another. You know, the kind of people who are bent on self-destruction. However, alcoholism can also form by somebody trying to suffer less, using the alcohol to forget their problems.

It just depends on the type of person. Some people want drama and some people don't.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Why not mix both?

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/4421/2825629116small1.jpg

Ha, I thought I was treading on thin ground with the pleasure/pain thing. It seems that Alex's parties are more fun than mine where someone always seems to bring up the subject of work - work, work, work, as if there is nothing else. Anyway, after four weeks off I have almost forgotten the pain of that stuff.


To be honest, there's something quite uplifting about having something to grumble about... I'd say that enjoying a good grumble is quintessentially british...

Also, having a long, angry rant about something is wonderfully cathartic...

But is that the same thing as being addicted to suffering? Being addicted to suffering (with or without the whips) seems to be a bit stronger than having a whinge to me, but I know what you were getting at. I don't really think that people can be addicted to suffering unless they are punishing themselves in someway or are just a bit twisted. On the whole humans surely avoid pain and seek pleasure.

[Emil Miller]

Ha, I thought I was treading on thin ground with the pleasure/pain thing. It seems that Alex's parties are more fun than mine where someone always seems to bring up the subject of work - work, work, work, as if there is nothing else. Anyway, after four weeks off I have almost forgotten the pain of that stuff.

Yes, work is definitely a form of suffering which anyone who wants the freedom to do his own thing is routinely subjected to. It can only be suffered when it concerns effort put into something on an artistic level.
An elderly farmer once told me a very wise thing. He said: "You don't mind doing things as long as you don't have to do them."



Could you please delete that picture. I don't want images of my private parties all over the internet.

So long as images of your private parts aren't spread all over the Internet.

[Vonny]

I think that suffering can be addictive to some people. As Lokasenna says, it can be cathartic at times, and yes certain people think they are more creative when they are suffering. I think a lot of people get into chemical addictions like alcoholism because they are addicted to suffering in some form or another. You know, the kind of people who are bent on self-destruction. However, alcoholism can also form by somebody trying to suffer less, using the alcohol to forget their problems.

It just depends on the type of person. Some people want drama and some people don't.


You're right. My mother has mental illness and I've been told that her brain actually releases endorphins when she's conflicting with someone. She provokes in subtle ways to create conflict. In her case, it has nothing to do with catharsis or trying to reach a point of feeling better. It's a distraction from reality. But she gets an actual "high" from creating misery, and you can see it.

[cl154576]

I would say, don't take Dostoyevsky too seriously.

It's not something he seriously said; he gave the quote to Lebedev, a quite comical character, but I wanted to put the idea there. I suppose I should have been more explicit ...


It just depends on the type of person. Some people want drama and some people don't.

For me it is not drama. I used to idealize self-deprivation to make my situation then more tolerable, and it stayed with me.


I don't really think that people can be addicted to suffering unless they are punishing themselves in someway or are just a bit twisted. On the whole humans surely avoid pain and seek pleasure.

I seek pleasure, but it seems to me an over-indulgence and I punish myself for it. Health even is a luxury.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Yes, work is definitely a form of suffering which anyone who wants the freedom to do his own thing is routinely subjected to. It can only be suffered when it concerns effort put into something on an artistic level.
An elderly farmer once told me a very wise thing. He said: "You don't mind doing things as long as you don't have to do them."

Yes it is a wise point, he is quite true.



I seek pleasure, but it seems to me an over-indulgence and I punish myself for it. Health even is a luxury.

A happy balance is always the sensible option if it can be achieved, which is what it seems you are talking about, there is still a difference between over-indulgence and being "addicted to suffering" though. Health is a luxury, just as time is a luxury, which is why we have to spend it as wisely as possible and try not to punish ourselves too much for enjoying it.

[Vonny]

cl - I haven't read everything you've written about yourself, but do your family members seem to punish you for wanting to be happy? Do they not care if you are healthy?

Do you feel that it's somehow "unsafe" to be happy and healthy? That's a twisted thought, but I used to have it. The thought operates below the level of consciousness.

[cl154576]

I don't know, no, no.

[SleepyWitch]

hum, I think some people with anxieties can get stuck in their behaviour patterns, not because they necessarily enjoy being anxious, but it's the only thing they are used to. If they manage not to be anxious for a while, they are at a loss and find something to be anxious about.