Ebenezer Scrooge’s Amazing Transformation: How He Discovered His True Self and Purpose
Ebenezer Scrooge’s Amazing Transformation:
How He Discovered His True Self and Purpose
This past weekend - I had the great privilege of seeing the play - A Christmas Carol - by Charles Dickens - with my parents, siblings, and my 6 y/o daughter.
This play has special meaning for me - as my grandparents would treat three generations of our family to go see this play every Christmas season throughout my childhood (btw - this was a major commitment - as my grandparents had 12 children - and those 12 children had something like 50 kids - so, God Bless you Grandma and Grandpa - and whoever worked at the SCR on those days!!).
Yet, despite my familiarity with seeing this iconic play - I had a very different and completely new perspective, or experience of this play, this time around (I did become a Psychologist since I last attended this play - so, this may explain the perspective shift!).
Nonetheless, I found myself really focusing on the transformation process that Ebenezer Scrooge goes through - and recognizing how Scrooge became the miserly version of himself - who is lonely, greedy, selfish, and angry - to then becoming the jovial, kind, enthusiastic, empathetic, and joyful version of himself at the end of the play.
What I found particularly interesting about Scrooge’s transformation process - is how closely it correlated with the transformation process that I have personally experienced - and the process that I help guide my clients through on a regular basis.
In taking a closer look at it - they all seem to follow these 3 phases:
Side Note - at a superficial level - it may seem difficult to relate to Scrooge’s character - as his negative characteristics are so extreme - but, I hope in going through this - that you might be able to see how Scrooge became the miserable version of himself - and how even with the best of intentions - we can find ourselves pursuing self-worth, success, freedom, contentment, and/or fulfillment - through means that will only leave us feeling empty, discontent, wanting, shameful, lonely, and unfulfilled (and it can be easy to get stuck here - as the pattern/feelings/behaviors become painfully familiar - and the path to change feels scary, unclear, and sometimes impossible)
Phase 1
Not knowing how to find self-worth, fulfillment, and significance - Scrooge pursues “success” by looking outside of himself - leading to miserly/miserable Scrooge.
As I sat there enjoying this great play unfold with my family - I realized that Ebenezer Scrooge was not an inherently selfish, mean-spirited, lonely, and greedy person - but rather - these qualities were the byproduct of him choosing to prioritize and value the accumulation of wealth above everything else.
When Scrooge revisits his youth with the Ghost of Christmas past - you see a version of him that is insecure and somewhat meek - but he also has a tenderness to him - and he is drawn to the kindness and love of his sister and later - his girlfriend. However, he appears to have been missing a strong father figure presence - which leaves him vulnerable to Jacob Marley’s influence.
Since Scrooge didn’t have clearly defined core values and virtues to establish his identity around (i.e., his Authentic identity) - he looks to his environment to help define who he is. Enter Jacob Marley - who is clearly motivated by money - and he proceeds to tease Scrooge about his waste of time and energy on relationships that distract him from creating more wealth. Scrooge becomes obsessed with collecting money - his worth gets measured and defined by his wealth - and money becomes his true north guiding principle.
Unfortunately, there appears to be no amount of money that will ever fulfill him - and this sets him on a destructive course of constantly pursuing money to try and fill a hole within him - and he becomes increasingly miserable and greedy in this never ending pursuit (this creates a vicious cycle and leads to shame and often the need to self-medicate to “take the edge off”).
Scrooge’s character/life becomes a cautionary tale against trying to find fulfillment, happiness, and self-worth through extrinsic sources (money for Scrooge - but, for others it can be power, social status, wanting to impress others, not wanting to disappoint, etc.).
If you take a look at this research finding from Edward Deci - on the effects of being extrinsically motivated - I think it captures the essence of Scrooge’s character:
“When individuals had goals that were extrinsically motivated (like wealth, fame, good looks, etc.) - and they were confident that they could attain these goals - these individuals still were evaluated as having more anxiety, anger, poorer social connections, depression, and were experienced as being more selfish/narcissistic. The outcomes were even worse for individuals who had strong extrinsic motivators and who had little hope of achieving these goals/outcomes.”
Phase 2
An intervention occurs - which leads to a moment of clarity.
On Christmas Eve - Scrooge is first visited by the remains of Jacob Marley - and Marley tries to warn him that if he doesn’t change - he will be doomed to carry the weight of heavy and burdensome chains in the afterlife (you could argue that Scrooge is already carrying the weight - or consequences - of his life choices - as he is miserable, lonely, and never content).
There is an interesting exchange at this point between Scrooge and Marley - where Scrooge tries to reassure Marley that he wasn’t a bad person (which could be interpreted as Scrooge trying to reassure himself that he was not bad - and this is often what we do when we are making suboptimal choices - as we try to justify our behavior to ourselves and others). Scrooge tells Marley that he was a good businessman (notice - not a good man - but rather - Scrooge suggests that his good business skills are what defined him).
Marley responds to this with: “BUSINESS!! Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, benevolence, were all my business.”
In that response - Marley declares what should really be valued - and foreshadows some of the virtuous characteristics that Scrooge needs to align his behavior, choices, and ultimately his identity with - in order to free himself from his chains - and experience a transformation of heart and spirit.
The ghosts of Christmas past and present intervene by showing Scrooge where his life got off track - and what he was missing out on (as well as helping him to see the perception that others had of him - as we have something called a psychological immune system that can sometimes block us from seeing ourselves accurately when we are making bad decisions - and can make it difficult for us to take ownership for our choices - or see the need to change course - as we often feel like we are just misunderstood!).
When Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Christmas yet to come - he has an existential breakthrough - as he is confronted with the reality that life has an expiration date - and that he was misled by his belief that acquiring money would be his pathway to the good life.
At this point - Scrooge recognizes that he has compromised opportunities to build meaningful relationships with his sister, his nephew, Bob Cratchett, and most painfully - when he missed the funeral of his girlfriends father - and lost the love of his life because he placed more value on accumulating money - than he did on building relationships or caring for others.
In phase 2 - you are confronted with the realization of how your life has gotten off track - and that despite what might have been good intentions - there is a gap between the person you want (and were designed) to be - and the person you are (this might be in one area of life - like your career, marriage, family, spiritually, etc., or - it might be in all areas - but - at this point you see clearly that there is a need for change/transformation).
In most cases - this moment of clarity generally comes in the form of an intervention by some force, person, or experience (a spiritually profound moment; a loved one confronting you; getting in some type of trouble that has consequences). This moment of clarity leads to introspection - and *temporarily* bypasses the psychological immune system - making you more receptive or open to change.
In Scrooge’s case - his old partner, Jacob Marley initiates the intervention that finally gets Scrooge to pay attention - and the ghosts help out by holding a metaphysical mirror for Scrooge to see himself and his life clearly through.
Phase 3
A guide helps you to discover yourself, your path, and your purpose - leading to a powerful transformation.
For Scrooge - the 3 ghosts act as guides - helping Scrooge through his transformation process. Scrooge can also now clearly understand the warning and wisdom that Marley tried to impart upon him - and he becomes receptive to taking action on - and prioritizing - the virtuous characteristics and values that Marley foreshadowed as being what Scrooge should establish his identity and character upon.
This brings us to the glorious and redemptive climax of the play - where Scrooge wakes up and is infused with excitement, enthusiasm, joy, wonder, curiosity, and a desire to do good and bring forth kindness, charity, generosity, love, and benevolence as a reflection of who he is, the impact he wants to have, the unique contribution he can offer, what is engaging and energizing to him, and the types of interactions and relationships he wants to create.
At this point - Scrooge has experienced a radical transformation - where his values, priorities, behavior, choices, expression of character strengths/virtues, and purpose all aligned (his true north is now driven by his desire to be a better version of himself, to invest in and serve others, to use his skills and life experiences to help others, and to engage life in a way that is meaningful, purposeful, energizing, and truly fulfilling).
I know this is a play - but - it’s really powerful to witness the shift in Scrooge’s disposition, his emotional energy, and how engaged he is with others. While it’s easy to chalk this up to good acting (and it was) - I have observed very similar transformations with clients and friends - and in getting to know some Authentic exemplars - it’s clear to me now - that the incredible energy, passion, joy, contentment, and self-worth they possess is the byproduct of how they live life - and it was not just how they were born (or even necessarily how they were raised).
And this was a big aha moment for me - that Scrooge’s miserable persona was the byproduct of him living life outside/in (trying to find his identity, worth, fulfillment outside of himself - and living inauthentically).
Whereas the invigorated and joyful version of him was the byproduct of him realizing that true happiness, joy, fulfillment, and self-worth comes from becoming a better version of himself, expressing virtuous character strengths in service of others, and being driven by an internal standard or principles - of what was most important, valuable, meaningful, and purposeful to him (living with noble purpose - accessing the best version of himself and his best life - or - his Authentic identity).
Now, all of this might have been really obvious to some/many of you - and you might be thinking that it would be a bad idea to take a Psychologist to a play at this point - but, this was an insight for me that I felt was profound and relevant (also - Psychologists are a blast to take to movies, plays, parties!).
I hope this was at least an intriguing take on a Christmas classic - and at most - that it helped you to understand one potentially powerful pathway to transformation - and how becoming the best version of you will empower you to actualize your inner good Scrooge - and keep the inner bad Scrooge (and Marley and his 3 ghosts) away!
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and I truly wish you an epic year ahead - with a glorious quest to actualize the best version of you, your life, your unique purpose, and your best relationships!