The Rock & Roll Shrink Radio Show Ep. 35 - The Grand Illusion (Perfect Holidays)

Tonight is about minor children, and their consent and personal space issues that seem to be worsened by Christmas and other public winter holiday behavior and traditions. The title is because a lot of this behavior comes from pursuing a notion of the perfect family, which does not or at least rarely does exist.

To be clear with our listeners, tonight is not about child abuse, rape, or similar topics. However, we are mindful that a cultural norm of permission to force affection could contribute to these things being taken far less seriously than they should, and it muddies the waters between rudeness and assault. That is part of why we want to address this tonight, in hopes of diffusing this custom and making it a lot clearer where appropriate boundaries lie.

Tonight, we will talk about the psychology of forcing social interaction on children during the holidays. What forced affection is and is not. We will talk about some of the psychological consequences of this behavior.  Next, why people feel this kind of permission and what they tell themselves they are trying to accomplish. Third and last, we will discuss how to stop and change this behavior, how to deal with it as an adult, and how to handle it when you see others engaging in it.

We will also have some Classic Rock trivia and live music by Dr. Mathis.