Receptivity and Resistance: The Duality of Human Engagement

Working with people can be more challenging than helping or saving them. The key difference lies in the willingness of those seeking help; they are often open and receptive to intervention. When individuals have hit rock bottom, they become ready to receive support, as their self-esteem and self-worth have often been driven deep into the ground, sometimes almost even six feet under.

In contrast, those we work with may assert power and control, allowing their egos to dominate the interaction. The ego constructs a sense of self that declares, “I think, therefore I am.” In this state, egoic defense mechanisms emerge, shielding individuals from the projections of their own inadequacies and insecurities.

People tend to despise in others what they secretly loathe in themselves—a notion famously echoed by Aristotle. The irony lies in the fact that those we collaborate with can often be the hardest to engage, especially when compared to the humility and receptivity displayed by a patient in despair.

(c)2024 John Piedrahita