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Bruce Shafer's avatar

Do you think that, as children, we have no choice but to blame ourselves is related to magical thinking? I mean the idea that we have to see ourselves as having some illusory sense of control because the alternative is too terrifying: that our parent is incapable of loving us?

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Janyne McConnaughey's avatar

I think it is simply assumed by an egocentric child that they are a cause of everything--thus yes, magical thinking. It is also true that being loved gets convoluted with being harmed. That traps many adults who were harmed as children!

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