You could become extremely guilty as you realize how many “low motives” you yourself possess
-
Show this thread
-
You could become less willing to oppose bad behavior because you find it easier to empathize with
1 reply 0 retweets 4 likesShow this thread -
You could become trapped in “low motives” or dysfunctional mindsets yourself, as a result of spending too much attention on modeling them in others
2 replies 0 retweets 4 likesShow this thread -
I think these potential downsides are actually real and people who fear them have a point. I’d love to hear the case for these fears being unrealistic or surmountable.
4 replies 0 retweets 4 likesShow this thread -
Alternatively: what are the advantages of understanding people’s motivations to do bad things, which are big enough to outweigh the risk of cynicism, guilt, social contagion, etc?
4 replies 0 retweets 3 likesShow this thread -
Replying to @s_r_constantin
It's hard to improve something which you don't understand. So to actually improve many things we need to understand why now they are what they are.
1 reply 0 retweets 3 likes -
Replying to @BonbonFork
Logically that’s always true, but do you find in practice you’ve derived a lot of value from understanding psychology or society? *Are* there improvements available to those who understand?
1 reply 0 retweets 1 like -
Replying to @s_r_constantin
I will think about this more, but now my answer is: yes. I believe you need to "integrate your shadow" to be effective. Sometimes you need to use "low motives" to keep you going towards a noble goal.
1 reply 0 retweets 1 like -
Replying to @BonbonFork @s_r_constantin
Some people start with a better intuitive understanding of such matters, do for them maybe the risks outweight the gains? I don't know. I used to sabotage myself a lot. Now it's a bit better and I think what helped is understanding of various, often low, motives that I have.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @BonbonFork @s_r_constantin
I think reasonable understanding of "human condition" is important if you want to be a good parent. You need to understand your child, and to help your child gain self-understanding.
1 reply 0 retweets 2 likes
well, I want him to attain self-understanding iff that’s good for him, but yeah, understanding him better seems straightforwardly helpful for parenting
-
-
Replying to @s_r_constantin
I used "you" here in a general way, I meant "people need to..." or "one needs to...", sorry if it came out too direct! English is my second language so I might be tone-deaf.
1 reply 0 retweets 1 like -
Replying to @BonbonFork @s_r_constantin
I have a kid and I think self-understanding will be good for him. Of course there are diminishing returns and alternative costs to everything, so ... Everything in moderation I guess :)
0 replies 0 retweets 1 like
End of conversation
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.