Albert H. Taub, M.D. -- D.C. Dept. Mental Health -- Clinical Notes 1998

Keep in mind that the following notes are the reflections of a patient who, according to Dr. Taub, suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.

October 1, 1998

Patient is subdued at beginning of session. Doctor says: "You seem angry." Patient attempts to explain that he feels anxious, and relates the anxiety to having to reembark on an anxiety-inducing situation from which he had had a one-week's reprieve  [i.e., seeing Dr. Taub.]  Doctor does not pursue these feelings of patient.

Patient states distinction between person who reacts to object loss with anger and shame and person who reacts to object loss with self-punishment or need for punishment. Patient embarks on a technical discussion relating to issues of ego functioning.

Patient points out discrepancy (or hypocrisy) in doctor's emphatic concern about patient's act of writing letters to various authorities. Patient asks whether doctor reacts the same way to other patients who engage in risk taking behavior. "What about a patient who is a heavy cigarette smoker? Do you tell him week after week that he should stop smoking?" What about a person who is sexually promiscuous? That's risk-taking behavior. Do you tell him week after week to stop?" In response, doctor becomes angry (shamed?). "I don't think my technique with other patients is at all relevant to the way I treat you."  Patient repeats relevance of his assertions. Doctor remains silent.

Later in session: Doctor says. "I want to raise an issue again that I raised last time. (two weeks earlier). You like to read and research things. You like to talk and argue and discuss intellectual issues. Isn't there someplace you could go on the outside to engage in these activities. Psychotherapy is not the forum for that. You need to talk about your feelings in psychotherapy. You don't do that. You intellectualize. You need to talk about your feelings here. Isn't there someplace where you could meet people on the outside to talk, argue and discuss intellectual topics?  [Notice how Dr. Taub did not respond to the patient's discussion of his feelings about the doctor, at the outset of the consult.  More inconsistency by Dr. Taub.]

[The following may be a quote from Linda Maye's article on curiosity:]

Whichever way we approach the psychology of curiosity, we encounter other broad, well-considered areas -- drives, motivation, affect, arousal states, and novelty preference to name only a few. In what ways is curiosity an identifiable function in its own right that we need to understand more clearly; or when is it merely the romantic, literary depiction of the more basic psychological functions arousal and motivation?