The Four Humors and the Tripartite Soul

The proper balance of man.

Emotional disturbances cannot be rectified with “advice.” Emotional problems are not reducible to problems of knowledge.

Take a depressed or mentally ill person. Their problem is systemic. Their body is weak and diseased. Their sleep is poor; their diet is poor; they have no exercise regime — and no will power or motivation to change any of this.

Such a sad and pathetic person may look for “advice.” In reality, what they are looking for is sympathy, a mentor, a father figure, and care. They want someone to care enough about them to provide them with time, focus, and energy.

But it is embarrassing to need a friend, and to admit one’s own loneliness and dependence. So instead, the need for an emotional connection is disguised by a professed need for “advice.”