Alice Miller-The Drama of the Gifted

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 Table of Contents
Idea of Alice Miller,...................................................................................................................................3
Concept of a Book:....................................................................................................................................4
References..................................................................................................................................................6
Idea of Alice Miller,
This is a book by Alice Miller about a kid who had to grow up quickly that they never got
to enjoy being a kid. What Alice depicts is a condition of real vitality, in which each person has
the freedom to express their own unique thoughts and emotions and be themselves completely. A
persons background strongly influences their character traits. Here we have what she calls
“healthy narcissism”, during which the child’s true identity is hidden behind a facade that serves
as the favourite of her parents. The author highlights the children suffering and also the tragedy
of adults that are not emotionally accessible to their child, even though that such parents been
emotionally available with their parents as they were children (Bacciagaluppi, 2020). The
protagonist of the novel is an exceptional youngster who is more mature and self-aware than
other children his age. The child may have a heightened awareness of her parent’s standards and
will likely go to any extent to satisfy them, even at the expense of her own needs and desires.
The book helps its readers understand who they are and where they come from. It helps in
pinpointing emotional issues' roots and finding effective ways to address them.

In an effort to shed light on the topic, Alice Miller discusses the impact that parenting
styles have on their offspring. She discussed such topics as recovered memories, the animal
behavior of sadness, the inner prison, and the adult manifestations of trauma experienced as a
children (Passalacqua & Puricelli, 2020). Millers main point there in book is also that the bright
student, i.e., the child who is greater intelligent, sensitive, and psychologically alert than other
young kids, can be so accustomed to her parent’s preconceptions that she will visit any size to
fulfill these requirements while ignoring her it using feelings and needs. Depression, which may
be a cause of pain as they may react to that habit which may lead to an early damage and it was
also proposed by Alice Miller.

The only chance to be fully free and sense the present is to be affected by the emotions
one experiences from a young age. conveys the dangers of blindly accepting and honouring ones
parent’s desires through vivid memories from her own youth (Griffin, 2021). Alice breaks down
the mental roadblocks that include self-awareness, spanking, and humiliation, as well as the root
reasons of denial & emotional blindness. Millers thoughts on what factors may help shape a
child’s sense of who they are and who they are not throughout the book. Gifted children in this
context are those who have outstanding cognitive abilities like as a consequence, their parents
have unrealistically high expectations for them. Such a child loses touch with her emotional
growth as she tries to conform to her parent’s ideals, and she ends up creating a fake identity as a
result. The author uses self-psychology to explain how an individual’s true character evolves
over time. This book by Alice Miller examines the long-term effects of childhood abuse, neglect,
and other forms of caregiving that fail to honour the individuality of each child. Feelings that
parents find unacceptable are passed on to their children and reinforced throughout their
offspring’s lives by the cellular memory of their acts and words.

Since a parents behaviour has a significant impact on their child’s development, I agree
all Alice Millers arguments. Until they develop their own sense of morality, children need to
blindly accept and obey their parent’s decisions. Parent’s love shapes their children’s
personalities and development; youngsters who are not desired grow up sad and probably can't
love since they don't get any love themselves (Hikma et al., 2022). As Alice Miller points out, a
children parents are the people with whom the youngster forms his or her first relationships, and
the way in which those parents treat that child has a profound effect on that child’s mental and
physical growth.

Concept of a Book:
Swiss psychologist Alice Miller writes in her book The Drama of the Gifted Child that
many individuals who are successful in adulthood, or who are deemed “gifted”, have frequently
undergone emotional abuse or neglect in infancy. Millers key point is that people who have been
socialised to hide their genuine emotions and needs in order to satisfy their parents and other
authority figures may have psychiatric issues as adults (Griffin, 2021). Millers theories have
merit in that they provide an alternative framework for thinking about the mental health issues
that might stem from neglect or abuse in infancy. Millers theories have been utilised to assist
many individuals understand and overcome the impacts of trauma they experienced as children,
and her work has been crucial in doing so. Millers views have been criticised for a number of
reasons, including the fact that they are oversimplified and ignore important contributors to
psychological issues like genetics and biology (Passalacqua & Puricelli, 2020). Furthermore,
some opponents claim that Millers beliefs may be damaging since they may encourage
individuals to blame themselves on their difficulties, rather than seek treatment or comprehend
that these issues are not their responsibility.
 Miller argues that high achievers are common among bright children because they are
motivated to please their parents. Yet as a consequence, many children never learn to open up
about their feelings or to assert themselves in constructive ways, and they spend their whole lives
repressing their needs and desires (Hikma et al., 2022). Miller claims this may cause long-lasting
mental health issues including sadness, anxiety, and relationship difficulties.

Millers theories have been utilised to assist many individuals understand and overcome
the impacts of trauma they experienced as children, and her work has been crucial in doing so.
Her book is a call to action for people to reflect on their own childhoods and check for signs of
emotional abuse or neglect. This is not easy, but its ultimately freeing since it helps people solve
their adult difficulties by discovering and accepting their roots. The significance of parental
accountability is another theme running through Millers writings (Hikma et al., 2022). Parents
who sexually assault or neglect their children, she claims, may have experienced similar abuse or
neglect as children themselves and so be unaware of the damage they are creating. Millers work
may aid in ending the transmission of neglect and neglect of one generation into the next by
increasing public understanding of the lasting consequences of such trauma.

Millers views have been criticised for a number of reasons, including the fact that they
are oversimplified and ignore important contributors to psychological issues like genetics and
biology. Furthermore, some opponents claim that Millers beliefs may be damaging since they
may encourage individuals to blame them for their difficulties, rather than seek treatment or
comprehend that these issues are not their responsibility. It is also worth noting that Millers
opinions are not shared by all experts like some could question her claim that traumatic
experiences in infancy are the exclusive source of psychiatric problems in adulthood
(Passalacqua & Puricelli, 2020). Despite these critiques, Millers work continues to be widely
read and influential, it has been crucial in assisting many in recovering from neglect and
emotional abuse. Her work provides a fresh perspective on the ways in which traumatic
experiences throughout infancy may lead to psychiatric difficulties, and it stresses the
significance of individual accountability in ending cycles of neglect and exploitation.
References:

Bacciagaluppi, M. (2020). Psychoanalysis Listening to Love: Passion and Bonds, by Simonetta

Griffin, G. (2021). Morphing Together: Motherhood, Old Grievances, and Corporeal Materiality
in Deborah Levy’s Hot milk. In Close Relations (pp. 209-220). Springer, Singapore.

Hikma, N., Arafah, B., & Abbas, H. (2022). CHILD ABUSE AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF
CHARACTER IN MISTRESS MASHAM’S REPOSE. JURNAL ILMU BUDAYA, 10(1),
122-126.

Passalacqua, L., & Puricelli, M. (2020). Alice Miller on family, power, and truth. A Deeper Cut:
Further Explorations of the Unconscious in Social and Political Life, 111.