Philosophy

‘My therapist said’

Psychotherapy language has been assimilated into everyday conversation, People increasingly hear about ‘toxic’ people and ‘abusive’ and ‘codependent’ relationships, but also about ‘coping mechanisms’, ‘traumas’, ‘anxieties’ and ‘emotional triggers’. Tiktoks and Reels gaining millions in likes, with everyday life and personal challenges now being described in the same way as psychological deficits. Natural human suffering, sadness, or grief is frequently relabeled as a clinical disorder, framed as something only curable through professional services.

Philosopher Michel Foucault famously described how control over how people talk about something, i.e the language used and the meaning given to langage, equates with control over how a person perceives and comes to experience both themselves and the world. How mental health is talked about significantly affects how we understand ourselves and and others.

The wellness industry thrives on individual responsibility. Can’t keep up at work? Fix your mindset. Feeling depressed? Journal your way out of it. Have you ever been told to “stay positive” or “practice gratitude” in the face of something truly awful, like a job that grinds you into the ground or a government that doesn’t seem to care? The message is clear: if you’re struggling, it’s because you’re not trying hard enough

The aim of modern psychology is to help individuals and families adapt to the status quo. ‘tolerating discomfort’. People are often told to practice mindfulness, gratitude, or resilience to cope with systemic burnout or financial instability. Work place wellbeing workshops, in which overworked underpaid employees are given mindfulness exercises to help manage stress. Burnt out? Try mindfulness. Can’t pay your bills? Work on your abundance mindset. Struggling with anxiety? Meditate harder.

Powerful emotions such as grief, uncertainty, identity struggles, or loneliness are often treated as individual problems that require expert intervention. The focus from fixing flawed social or economic systems to fixing the individual.Marginalized individuals and groups experience prejudice and bias, internalize negative stereotypes, and are then pathologized by Western psychology for identifying or responding.