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The Reason for Almost All Mental Illnesses – Prof. Jordan Peterson



The Reason for Almost All Mental Illnesses – Prof. Jordan Peterson

Psychology professor Jordan B. Peterson identifies the root of almost all mental illnesses.

This excerpt is part of his comprehensive lecture “2017 Maps of Meaning 5: Story and Metastory (Part 1)” at the University of Toronto. You can watch it entirely here:

Dr. Peterson is kind enough to share his full lectures and more insightful videos at his own YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/JordanPetersonVideos

You may also be interested to know that Jordan B. Peterson’s book “12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos” is finally available. You can find it here:
http://amzn.to/2ipaBnQ (US)
http://amzn.to/2kpdXv9 (UK)
http://amzn.to/2jTRq67 (CA)

Don’t miss out on his best selling first book “Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief” which much of his lecture material is based on:
https://amzn.to/2rhChiA (US)
https://amzn.to/2riBZYR (UK)
https://amzn.to/2HRMyZI (CA)

The above are Amazon affiliate links.

Please visit http://www.psyche-matters.net for categorized clips and more Jordan B. Peterson related content!

View 49 Comments

49 Comments

  2. @saikatghosh90 on

    i was hit by unimaginable 30-40 toughest problems at the same time.. more tough than he's describing in the video.. which includes i was in life threatening brain injury, bed ridden, stuck in a foreign place, unable to pay rent, unable to travel and move out due to accident, false cases, loss of relationship, loss access to kid, loss of job, delay in one of the most important project of my life,….. and countless more.. all at the same time.. i have left everything to god and who i am to decide how things should be…

  5. @DonMacdonald7 on

    Jordan, you do realize mental illness is due to the demonic negativity in the unseen world, right? I think your content is interesting, but it's only half the truth without the bible. Read about Christ removing the spirits from Mary Magdalene

  7. @andrewcliffe4753 on

    The 2nd law of thermodynamics may well limit the development of any society past our present level. Increasing complexity requires exponentially increasing energy to sustain it. It seems to be a universal law, some humans are better adapted to complexity but everyone has a limit

  9. @devarmont87 on

    You're not mentally ill.

    You just think you are.
    That's it.

    And all the evidence of your surrounding environment, friends, coworkers, home will prove to you that you are unwell. However when you wake up and realise that all those circumstances are not you at the fundamental level, they are just situations that you choose to surround yourself in, will you realise that depression and mental illness is infact a choice. It's just a bad thought, a thought that is proven by your outward behaviour and situation.

    I've met people suffering with life ending disease who are emotionally balanced, and happy.. why? Because they have removed the bad thoughts.
    I've met people that are boundlessly wealthy and attractive that are suicidal… Why? Because they surround themselves with bad thoughts.

    Remove the source of the illness, remove yourself.

  10. @Ceria3ella on

    Cognitive decline, mental and physical shutdown, on top of diagnosed mental illness. Eg one physical example ‘tunnel vision’ after my husband died and was also going through death threats before and after he died. Eg mental example after my son died 3 years later after my husband (added 7 other people died during that time), and the bombardment of life stresses, more trauma, working on unhealed trauma which arising in grief, and then add a bully of a landlord with an unwarranted eviction —too many things at once, no support, still going through a lot, still looking for a place to live, but I am finally coming out of the cognitive decline/mental shutdown —-this was one of the scariest years of my life. My youngest son 28 years old high functioning on the A spectrum with multiple disabilities and I had no help. How is it that in Canada with all these paid government agencies and there isn’t one that does what their website says they do. If I couldn’t find help during the hardest part so far of my life, what’s going to happen to me and my son as I age??? Im already 50 years old. If I go into cognitive decline again what’s going to happen?? I have been through ALOT of life changing and life threatening trauma and this predicament I was in was the scariest because what do we do when we already have diagnosis of mental health and then the added cognitive decline—-does anyone know who helps in scenarios as this?? What agency or program can be put in place to aid my son if and when he needs it, if I decline cognitively or if I die?? It is so scary to feel so vulnerable and there is no one to help.

  11. @ryanp123456 on

    Highly doubt you'll ever read this but, you can actually simplify it by thinking of it as the "overwhelmed" or "over-matched" rule. This way it also subsumes the dynamics of trauma and repression, making it the even more fundamental rubric. Sometimes, trauma leads to repression because it is too complex to understand, but often times it's just "too much" in terms of emotional/visceral weight. Interestingly, the term "Overwhelm" comes up almost 200 times in The Denial of Death.

  14. @leagueroyjenkins on

    Wow I chose the wrong job, I could just go walk into a classroom every day and talk utter bullshit and people would give me money like this chode, instead I chose a job which required me to actually figure out how shit works to make money… silly me

  15. @spicewilliam9786 on

    Untrue. JP clearly slept through his psychology lessons and doesn't understand that mental illness can develope in very uncomplicated circumstances. A person can be raised in a very loving, caring environment and still develope mental issues via chemical imbalances. That often the scariest thing about mental illness: it can happen anytime, for any reason, and sometimes people don't even know they have it.

  23. @Atzenfaktor111 on

    Hey Jordan, I know that this is an old video. Would it be possible if secret agencies compile all their data about me and you write maybe 3 pages about me and send it to me? I am currently grieving and suffer from loneliness. I think it is because of vampires.

  25. @vidyamadamanchi7091 on

    Keeping things simple, living frugally and hard working, understanding that nobody is perfect goes a long way in making life easy. Only once you take life too seriously and run after money, things start getting complicated.

  27. @CatherineLoux-mw9zf on

    I don't agree with you. I'm bipolar and have experienced ups and downs since my 20s… Without reason, I fall into a major depressive episode which lasts for over a year. I believe it's hereditary because my brother and son have it as well. It's a disease of the brain.

  31. @VelvetValium on

    Unfortunately there are psychologists who are mentally ill & that’s actually the worst! The majority of them… they choose these studies, for they hope to find out more about it, so they could heal their mental illness & hide it from the rest. They can become very dangerous, for they refuse to accept any medical help or even advice.

  32. @Sanctin on

    It is not "illness". It's an excuse to feed your neural toxins and potentially destroy your brain, don't ever think you'll get away just because you saw some rats that got away from rat trap telling you that it's safe. The ones that are trapped or unable to tell you because they're either trapped or dead.

  34. @Snowb-u5i on

    Dr. Peterson, you made referance to those who seek death. Why would we even sin a mortal sin to do so?
    If so, I wonder if AI nano bots able to keep our bodies alive even against our will? May God help us.

  35. @williamwray9454 on

    Just in 2023 I feel I was doing ok it wasn't until mental health picked me up and drug me through the street and then to another town took a part of my wages and just said your on your own that I broke yes was to much but I was telling them all the way what would fix things 2025 mental health does everything I said but got my wages back I'm great now, what was the point of almost breaking me then caring again felt like abuse to me

  37. @davidmcconnell21 on

    I agree. 2 1/2 years ago I had just gotten engaged everything seemed fine, and then 2 major life shifts happened and I was devastated to the point of extreme anxiety and depression. I went from 205 lbs to 180 lbs almost overnight because I lost my appetite and couldn’t sleep. It was absolutely horrible. No nightmare could even compare remotely to what I went through and put my family through. It took 5 months, but I emerged from it a 10x better man. But my faith was quickly tested when my fiance left me for another man, and I lost my job simultaneously. But I never reverted to anxiety again. I gained my weight back and I weigh a comparable 235 strong pounds. There’s not a minute that goes by that I don’t miss her terribly, but I’m so hardened to point the point of nothing can hurt me. I’m bulletproof now.

  40. @annaburns2865 on

    I’m so tired of hearing old people not care and say crap like “life is short.” And “be thankful that you woke up today.” Those kinds of phrases don’t help those of us who are struggling not to kill ourselves. I used to think old people were wise and could help me. Now I just see them as childish fools. It’s realy sad because they have more life experience, so they really could have helped me. But again, they chose to be selfish and not care about anyone but themselves.

  45. @Sadie-y2z on

    THANK YOU. I am so sick and tired of people being labeled as "mentally ill" when they are just OVERWHELMED with one painful thing after another until they can't stand it anymore.

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