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toda una vida"

Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

carencia

English translation:

If what I *don\'t* have is what motivates me...

Added to glossary by Alicia Orfalian
Jan 18, 2010 17:30
14 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Spanish term

carencia

Spanish to English Social Sciences Social Science, Sociology, Ethics, etc. Psychology
A psychologist has written as follows:

"La falta entonces motiva mi existencia o me ancla en la queja, la vergüenza o la frustación, esperando o exigiendo que el otro o el mundo me reparen o me compensen por mis faltas. Si la carencia me es motivante y me permite construir un proyecto, aparece aquí un tema clave ligado a éste, que es el de la seducción."

I have rendered "faltas" as flaws and was thinking of shortcomings/imperfections for carencias. But, probably you have better ideas!

Thanks to you all.
Alicia
Proposed translations (English)
4 +5 If what I *don't* have is what motivates me...
3 +3 The lack
5 weak points / shortcomings
5 (unfulfilled) need (for affection)/neediness
4 deprived
4 the void
3 inadequacy
3 if what I lack, is what motivates me

Proposed translations

+5
11 mins
Spanish term (edited): Si la carencia me es motivante...
Selected

If what I *don't* have is what motivates me...

I think this rendering works better in the present context than trying to translate "carencia" with a single English word.

Suerte.
Peer comment(s):
agree Evans (X) : I take your point. In the context it is more likely to be "what I don't have" rather than "my own inadequacy or shortcomings" that are motivational.
2 mins
I think so. Especially if the speaker is talking about external desiderata such as money, possessions, relationships, etc. rather than personal qualities. Thank you, Gilla.
agree David Ronder : Persuaded by the little exchange above
20 mins
Thank you, David!
agree Remy Arce : Agree with Gilla's comment.
53 mins
Thank you, Remy.
agree Deborah Workman
7 hrs
Thank you, Deborah.
agree franglish : The point is, it's a psychologist writing which to me doesn't automatically mean it's reported speech. Also, it depends on the audience it's intended for.
14 hrs
Thank you, Fran. I really do not see "la carencia" in the mouth of this patient as being shorthand for a psychiatric label, but rather as referring to the things he or she does not have in life. It is a synonym for "falta", which patient uses earlier.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Once again, thank you!"
5 mins

weak points / shortcomings

Your suggestions seem 100 % fine to me.
Something went wrong...
5 mins

inadequacy

Might be a suitable word here.
Something went wrong...
+3
10 mins

The lack

I think in the context of psychology "the lack" might be the idea/concept you're looking for. The idea is related to Freud and Lacan. It depends on the greater context of the document, of course.
Reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lack_(manque)

Peer comment(s):
agree alpha&omega (X)
4 hrs
agree Deborah Workman
7 hrs
agree franglish
14 hrs
Something went wrong...
2 hrs

deprived

If being deprived gives me the incentive to...
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

the void

Suerte
Something went wrong...
4 hrs

if what I lack, is what motivates me

An idea
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6 hrs

(unfulfilled) need (for affection)/neediness

It's shorthand for "carencia de afecto," a technical term in psychology that we most often translate in English as 'need for affection'. In your context, which appears to be informal, 'need for affection' should suffice.

When speaking specifically of a deprived childhood, the expression is 'lack of affection', but the condition in adults it is more often cast in terms of '(unfulfilled/neurotic) need'. I learned this from being married to a bilingual psychiatrist!

275,000 hits for ["carencia de afecto"] - examples:

25 Nov 2005 ... La carencia de afecto deja secuelas en los chicos. Un estudio norteamericano asegura que los niños que no reciben cariño en sus primeros ...
weblog.mendoza.edu.ar/padres/archives/008724.html

25 Jun 2008 ... La carencia de afecto crea deficiencias y merma en las defensas que nos protegen contra virus, bacterias y otros agentes patógenos. ...
meditandosobrelavida.blogspot.com/.../los-psicologos-cada-vez-estn-mas-de.html

carencia de afecto. Fecha de creación: 22-Feb-2007; Término aceptado: 31-Dic-1969. INICIO · 19 desarrollo de la personalidad · desarrollo mental ...
redined.r020.com.ar/es/index.php?tema=466

848,000 hits for ["need for affection"]. Of course this is also everyday language in English. Examples from psychology texts:

Karen Horney
The neurotic need for affection and approval, the indiscriminate need to please others and be liked by them. 2. The neurotic need for a partner, ...
webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/horney.html

The need for inclusion highly correlated with the need for affection. In addition, when assessing gender differences in the areas of interpersonal needs and ...
www.allacademic.com/meta/p113327_index.html - 9 hours ago

Need for affection among pedophiles
(need for affection) and Pa3 (naivete) were compared among pedophiles ..... or “need for affection” items, the scores of the psychiatric patients differed ...
doi.wiley.com/.../1097-4679(199209)48:5%3C620::AID-JCLP2270480507%3E3.0.CO

Jun 2, 2007 ... The first task is to rate the need for affection on a scale of 0 (I don't ... The last part says to tell how the emotional need for affection ...
diggerjones.wordpress.com/2007/.../emotional-needs-affection/
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