Last week’s essay described what many believe is an inflection point in human history. Increasingly autonomous AI systems, potentially capable of accessing critical infrastructure, have transformed previously distant concerns into more immediate ones. Rather than elaborate further on these threats, I want to consider how denial, disavowal, and dissociation can prevent us from facing them.
Modern psychoanalytic models, essentially iterations of the early works of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, consider the mind as structured in layers. The topmost layer is our common, everyday consciousness. The next layer comprises the personal unconscious (experiences too painful to bear) and the collective unconscious (where archetypal themes reside). Releasing memories, thoughts, or feelings from the deeper layers of the unconscious can be overwhelming.
Psychological defenses serve an adaptive function by protecting us from thoughts and feelings that would otherwise overwhelm us. Experiences such as childhood sexual abuse or exposure to life-threatening situations are obvious examples of events whose associated feelings may become extremely difficult to tolerate.
Keeping painful feelings outside awareness can help us function. Who could work, love, or play while constantly overwhelmed by memories of childhood abuse?