Ferenczi's "Sunday Neuroses" explores the psychological distress experienced by some individuals on Sundays, extending the concept to encompass holidays and vacations. He links this distress to the abrupt shift from the work week's structured routine to the unstructured relaxation of rest days. The enforced relaxation reveals underlying anxieties and conflicts, highlighting the individual's struggle to reconcile work and leisure. The essay emphasizes the importance of understanding the psychological mechanisms involved in maintaining daily routines and the challenges of adapting to periods of rest. Ferenczi's work provides a framework for understanding the psychological impact of societal expectations and the complexities of work-life balance.
This book uses Freudian theory to analyze the "Holiday Syndrome," focusing on the psychological aspects of the holiday season. It explores how holidays trigger unconscious conflicts and anxieties, examining the interplay between individual experiences and cultural expectations. The book delves into the symbolic meaning of holiday rituals and traditions, providing insights into the psychological mechanisms underlying holiday-related distress. It offers a unique perspective on the psychological challenges of the holiday season and the ways in which these challenges can be understood and addressed through a psychoanalytic lens. The book's insights offer valuable perspectives on the psychological complexities of the holiday season and the therapeutic approaches to managing them.
This book explores the "Holiday Syndrome," a term describing a specific reaction in psychoanalytic patients during the holiday season. It delves into the psychological aspects of this reaction, including anxiety, regression, and emotional distress. The book examines the impact of cultural expectations and family dynamics on the syndrome's manifestation. It also explores the therapeutic implications of understanding and addressing the holiday syndrome. The book's insights offer valuable perspectives on the psychological challenges of the holiday season and the therapeutic approaches to managing them. It provides a framework for understanding the emotional complexities of this period and offers guidance for both therapists and individuals experiencing the syndrome.
This book delves into the psychological dynamics of the "Holiday Syndrome" within a group therapy setting for schizophrenic patients. It explores how the holiday season triggers and exacerbates existing psychological issues, examining the interplay between individual experiences and cultural expectations. The book analyzes the therapeutic use of holidays as a means of understanding and addressing these issues, providing insights into the therapeutic process and the patients' responses. It offers a unique perspective on the impact of holidays on mental health and the therapeutic approaches to managing related challenges. The book's findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the psychological complexities of the holiday season and the therapeutic interventions that can be employed.
This book offers an empirical study of Thanksgiving Day consumption rituals, exploring the social and cultural aspects of the holiday. It examines the symbolic meaning of food, family gatherings, and gift-giving, analyzing the interplay between individual experiences and cultural expectations. The book delves into the economic and social forces shaping Thanksgiving traditions, providing insights into the consumer behavior and cultural practices surrounding the holiday. It offers a unique perspective on the commercialization of Thanksgiving and the ways in which consumerism shapes the holiday's meaning and significance. The book's findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the cultural and economic forces shaping Thanksgiving traditions and their impact on individual experiences.
Sigmund Freud's "Totem and Taboo" explores the origins of religion, morality, and social structures through a psychoanalytic lens. Freud posits a primal horde scenario where a father figure is overthrown, leading to the establishment of totemism and the development of societal norms. The book delves into the psychological dynamics of the family, exploring themes of incest, authority, and the repression of primal desires. "Totem and Taboo" remains a controversial but influential work, sparking debate about the relationship between psychology, anthropology, and the origins of culture. Its exploration of primal anxieties and the formation of social bonds continues to resonate with readers.
Unlocked Patreon episode. Support Ordinary Unhappiness on Patreon to get access to all the exclusive episodes. patreon.com/OrdinaryUnhappiness
In the first installment of our two-part Thanksgiving Special, we discuss the so-called “Holiday Syndrome” in general and with an eye towards the upcoming US holiday season in particular. We explore how holidays catalyze some of our most elemental anxieties and fantasies as embodied in the institution known as the family. We walk through Sandor Ferenczi’s “Sunday Neurosis,” the social injunction to indulge in “recreation,” and how that demand psychically re-creates the scene of the family in all its traumas, disappointments, and contingencies. Big helpings of regression, bottomless oral need, and displaced Oedipal antagonism are served – plus a reading of the traditional Thanksgiving meal itself, which not coincidentally features a lot of food that resembles what we feed babies.
Subscribe now for immediate access to Part II - on Freudian anthropology, the history behind Thanksgiving, and the libidinal structures of settler colonialism. Subscription also will give you access to our ever-growing backlog of Patreon-only content, including series like The Standard Edition (we're reading Freud's complete works thing together!) Wild Analysis (psychoanalysis goes to the movies), Gerontophallocracy 2024 (on the recent election and beyond), and much, much more!
Articles referenced include:
Cattell, J P. The Holiday Syndrome. The Psychoanalytic Review (1913-1957); New York Vol. 42, (Jan 1, 1955): 39, available here.
Ferenczi, Sandor. Sunday Neuroses (1919) in Further Contributions to the Theory and Technique of Psycho-Analysis. London, Karnac Books 1927.
Sarah Mullooly Sattin. The Psychodynamics of the “Holiday Syndrome”: The Meaning and Therapeutic Use of Holidays in Group Therapy with Schizophrenic Patients. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care. Volume 13, Issue 4 (October 1975), Pages 156-162, available here.
Rosenbaum, J. B. (1962) Holiday, Symptom and Dream. Psychoanalytic Review 49, 87-98, available here.
Melanie Wallendorf, Eric J. Arnould, “We Gather Together”: Consumption Rituals of Thanksgiving Day, Journal of Consumer Research, Volume 18, Issue 1, June 1991, Pages 13–31, available here.
Have you noticed that Freud is back? Got questions about psychoanalysis? Or maybe you’ve traversed the fantasy and lived to tell the tale? Leave us a voicemail! (646) 450-0847
A podcast about psychoanalysis, politics, pop culture, and the ways we suffer now. New episodes on Saturdays. Follow us on social media:
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/OrdinaryUnhappiness
Twitter: @UnhappinessPod
Instagram: @OrdinaryUnhappiness
Patreon: patreon.com/OrdinaryUnhappiness
Theme song:
Formal Chicken - Gnossienne No. 1
https://open.spotify.com/album/2MIIYnbyLqriV3vrpUTxxO
Provided by Fruits Music
Ordinary Unhappiness 
