True strength

In a culture that idolizes a distorted version of strength, where being strong means denying the need for others and maintaining a facade of perpetual invulnerability, psychoanalysis proposes a radically different perspective. It invites us to recognize that true strength lies not in the denial of our vulnerabilities, but in the courage to accept and explore them. This view challenges the dominant narrative that equates emotional hardness with strength of character.

Constant competition and lack of compassion, far from being signs of power, reveal a deeply defensive fragility. The subject who cannot recognize their dependence on others, who cannot admit moments of weakness or need, finds themselves trapped in a prison of false self-sufficiency. This denial not only consumes an enormous amount of psychic energy but also prevents the possibility of authentic connections and meaningful relationships.

The psychoanalytic process offers a space where we can discover that our vulnerability, far from being a weakness to be eliminated, is the very foundation of our humanity and the basis of our capacity to connect with others. True strength emerges when we can hold the tension between our need for independence and our inevitable requirement of others, when we can be both strong and vulnerable, autonomous and dependent.