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An airplane to an individual suffering from separation anxiety is like the Netherlands in December to someone suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder. Such individuals have remained close to families and friends, struggled with school phobias, been afraid to stay away from home overnight, resisted promotions and generally formed a character structure that depends heavily upon regular and predictable contact with familiar people. High emotional premiums are placed upon regularity and predictability of person, activity and place. Aircraft wreak havoc upon the defenses of the individual suffering from high levels of separation anxiety, since they engage in not only symbolic (from "mother" earth) but also very real separations (from the "real" earth and the real place). Individuals with separation anxiety have "learned" that bad things happen when love objects are out of sight. Airplanes perform such actions with almost magical precision. From the roar of the engines at takeoff to the dizzying altitudes of travel, an airplane can easily be viewed subjectively as the sin qua non of separation machines. |
