Ejercicio SECTION I - a) · Inglés PAU País Vasco Extraordinaria 2025

Do you struggle to be in control of your life? It might be holding you back...

My family was recently hit by a brutal stomach bug. It affected us one by one, which is common when you have a child in nursery. The intensity of the symptoms was shocking. Although I have recovered physically, I still feel powerless, having no control over my body. So, I have been thinking about control; how frightening it is to feel out of it. People often speak of feeling out of control – of their thoughts, their emotions, their relationships. This is a common topic in therapy, whether I am the patient or the therapist. The idea seems to be that, to build a better life, you have to be in control of it; the truth is, this desperation to be in control can destroy our lives and the lives of those we love.

In therapy, the need for control is not always openly discussed; it can be communicated unconsciously, for example, through a patient's late arrival, so that I, as the therapist, am the one having to wait, and they do not have to endure the feeling of being out of control of when the session begins. Or a patient might only talk about their diagnosis, like anxiety or an eating disorder, as if that is the end of it, instead of exploring their feelings. As we may imagine, there is a high cost to all of this. These costs are even higher in other parts of our lives. The constant search for control can make it hard to let others in, leading to loneliness. And we can trap others – our partners, friends, children – in our desperate need for control.

Why are we like this? I think we should go back to the beginning and the trauma of being born so incredibly out of control. Babies have no control over their bodies or their needs, which can be scary. No wonder they cry so much and so loudly. Loving parents try to help by responding to their baby's cries, but they can also feel stressed. Both babies and parents need to learn to be out of control. As a therapist, I have found that many symptoms are linked to this need for control and the belief that we should have it. It can show up in people who are controlling partners or those who end up with controlling partners.

The ability to tolerate not being in total control is essential to building a better life; actually, not just for children and parents, but for all of us. It can feel like being in or out of control are the only options, but that is not the case. In therapy, I have felt a sense of freedom where emotions can be understood, not controlled. The psychoanalyst Wilfred Bion described this state as “contained”. He believed that loving parents help their babies by holding them and trying to understand their feelings. This instinctive gift helps babies eventually manage their own feelings. It is not about being in control or out of control, but about feeling contained.

Abridged and adapted from: Moya Sarner (2024, September 23). Do you strive to be in control of your life? It might be holding you back.... The Guardian.

SECTION I

I.- a) Answer 4 out of the following 6 questions according to the information given in the text. Write complete sentences using your own words. Do not copy from the text. (Choose 4 out of the 6 questions) (4 x 0.5 = 2 points)

1.

How does the author feel after suffering from a stomach bug?

2.

Which are the consequences of the desperation to be in control?

3.

How is the need for control talked about in therapy?

4.

Why can birth be considered traumatic?

5.

How does the author obtain a sense of freedom?

6.

What does the author mean when she says that we should feel contained?