Satisfied Slave Syndrome: When We Appreciate The Whipping
(…) The main problem of the slave is not in itself the different calamities that he has to endure day after day due to his condition as a slave (…) but rather it is the matrix of thought that does not allow him to question his slavery. (…)
Satisfied slave syndrome is not a term included in the DSM nor by any other psychiatric diagnostic manual.
With this new concept I refer to the set of symptoms presented by some people who, despite living an objectively miserable life, seem to be not only resigned but grateful for their existence. In this article I will try to explain some assumptions in which this defense mechanism occurs, its causes and its social and cultural context.
In the yes of a given society, we could consider the following: What is the worst thing that can happen to a slave?
One could respond that, without a doubt, the worst thing about life as a slave is, of course, the constant humiliation and degrading treatment that comes with being a slave. However, there would be another possible answer: The worst thing that can happen to a slave is to feel satisfied and even grateful for the life he has had to live and the treatment he receives.
A society of adapted neurotics
This paradoxical satisfaction, typical of the adapted neurotic, does not reflect on the future and reduces the complexity of life to the immediate satisfaction of the daily routine. Although many contemplate this philosophy of life of Carpe Diem as a laudable example of adaptation and optimism, the truth is that it is one more way of self-deception The cognitive trap lies in the fact that the satisfied slave progressively increases his resigned acceptance of his slave status ; a condition that, based on hic et neverends up going unnoticed by the individual himself.
What defines a slave is not his physical restraints and his lack of freedom of movement without the express authorization of his master. He is not even defined by the lashes he receives.
Assuming the ideology of power
The problem of the slave satisfied with beatings and whippings is not the physical pain they cause, but the psychological predisposition to receive them and to naturalize the cruelty of the powerful towards him.
Consequently, the slave’s misfortune is not so much the situational forms that he suffers in his daily life in terms of physical abuse, but rather the assumption of the thought of the powerful, which prevents him from considering and therefore questioning his state of submission. This means that he uncritically accepts the living conditions with a resigned passivity and without a hint of determination to be able to turn his life around. If we also add a perception of satisfaction for the treatment offered to him as a slave, the individual is condemned to live a miserable life. In this case, chains do not hold the body, but the mind
The satisfied slave in today’s society
It is true that, in today’s societies, struggles for social and civil rights have cemented some laws that protect us from flagrant abuses such as chain and whip slavery. However, we still carry some vestiges of the slave system.
The current socioeconomic and cultural system imposes certain values and exerts continuous manipulation on the way we think leading to the acceptance of some practices that completely clash with the basic right to think critically and autonomously.
He modern slavery It is that we attend to a series of family, work and social routines without prior reflection. In this frenetic day-to-day life, our ability to take the initiative on extremely important issues such as consumption (what we buy and why), the fashion (closely related to the image of ourselves that we want to project to the world) and morality (those reflections that should guide our actions aimed at specific goals).
Between uncriticalism, passivity and Carpe Diem misunderstood, our mind stops considering certain things, which in the end means a passive resignation in the face of the vicissitudes of life. In this way, just as a slave would act and due to the learned helplessness that comes with no confidence in our possibilities, we end up being mere spectators of a status quo which we believe to be ubiquitous and, therefore, by itself legitimate
Depressed and anesthetized young people
Just as he wrote Alvaro Saval In his article “Depressed youth or anesthetized youth?”, the manipulation of our thoughts creates a fertile culture for power: It binds us to prejudices, slogans and stereotypes that paralyze young people in a present devoid of hope
Although the 15-M movement awakened a large part of these young people anesthetized under the yoke of the uniform thought of technocracy and presentism, the other half continues to inhabit a scenario in which uniformity of thought, precarious jobs and moments of leisure continue a identical pattern.
Without critical thinking there is no freedom
In these circles, Any hint of independent thought or criticism of certain practices and customs is systematically vilified and excluded Thus, the fear of thinking for oneself and self-censorship are the obstacles to escaping the chains and whips in modern slavery. Of course, the system benefits from this type of thinking, supporting highly obedient individuals: precarious but productive workers, consumerists without criteria and, of course, not at all critical of society or the injustices they suffer even without realizing it.
Adolescence is not only the stage in which our personality is consolidated, but also It is the time when our thoughts are structured and draw certain master lines of our perception of the world around us The influence of the group on the adolescent is always a relevant factor when it comes to assuming the influence on uniform thinking or, on the contrary, critical thinking.
Without critical culture, individuals are incapable of thinking about reality for themselves. In this sense, existence ceases to be a journey in search of good, truth and happiness to become an absurdity of mirages and stereotypes whose appearance is clothed with the well-being that an imposed and assimilated thought gives us: all for not having the courage to overcome the slave’s chains in time.
