Beyond order Rule 1 Flashcards
Rule 1: Balance Social Convention and Creative Change
Our sanity and mental health depend on both (i) our internal psychological health and (ii) our external social institutions.
Our sanity and mental health depend on both (i) our internal psychological health and (ii) our external social institutions.
Psychologists like Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung theorized that every individual has various sub-personalities. Freud suggested that every person has an ID, ego and superego. Jung suggested that every individual has an ego, a shadow (a dark side), an anima/animus (a repressed contrasexual side) and an ideal self. We’re well-adjusted when these inner personalities are balanced and integrated.
As a clinical psychologist, Peterson found that people’s social lives are also crucial for their mental health. This includes factors like: being educated to their intellectual capacity, using free time meaningfully, being free from major health/economic problems, having friends, a stable intimate relationship, close familial relationships, concrete plans for the future, and a financially-stable job or career.
One of Peterson’s socially-inept client became more socially integrated after he joined a photography club. Photography provided an outlet for his creative growth/expression, while the club offered a structured way for him to engage others.
Why social institutions matter
Beyond Order - Book summary
In 12 Rules for Life, Jordan Peterson presented 12 rules to help you create a sense of order in a chaotic world. In this book, he presents an additional 12 rules to help you embrace chaos and avoid rigidity in times of turbulence and confusion. In this free Beyond Order summary, you’ll get an overview these 12 extra rules. Do also check out our complete summary bundle in pdf/mp3 infographic, text and audio formats!
BEYOND ORDER summary - book summary bundle
Beyond Order: Overview
Order and chaos are 2 sides of the same coin. Neither is better than the other; they simply exist. In 12 Rules for Life, Peterson focused on how to cope with excessive chaos. In Beyond Order, he focuses on how to avoid excessive control and rigidity in times of upheavals.
- Order is “explored territory”, where things happen in accordance with what we know and the world makes sense. Our lives seem to be in order when we’re moving closer to our desired goals or outcomes. We treat this as a confirmation that our theory of the world is correct. However, the truth is we don’t know how much we don’t know, and the world can quickly change beyond our comprehension and control.
- Chaos is “unexplored territory”, where unexpected events or sudden changes can overwhelm and confuse us. Chaos represents uncertainty and disruption, but also novelty and renewal. Too much chaos is overwhelming, but too much order (e.g. totalitarianism) is also undesirable.
- To find renewal, you need to move beyond order and step into the domain of chaos. When confronted by chaos, we may try to restore order by rigidly clinging to what we “know”, which only backfires. The best way to move forward is to embrace chaos along with order. Peterson wrote and edited the bulk of this book during a time when various members of his family—including himself—were plagued by serious health problems. Peterson was even warded into intensive care. The situation was compounded further by the Covid-19 pandemic. Peterson had to accept the chaos in his life before he could recreate some semblance of order with the help of meaningful work and the love for/from his family and friends.
12 More Rules for Life
Here’s a visual overview of the additional 12 rules in Beyond Order:
We’ll zoom into the first rule in detail, with a short outline of the remaining rules. We have reworded the 12 rules to better capture the essence of the chapters and for the ease of digesting the key ideas. However, we’ve also included Peterson’s original wording in quotation marks below, for ease of reference. Do get a copy of our full 15-page summary for more details on all 12 rules.
Rule 1: Balance Social Convention and Creative Change
“Do not carelessly denigrate social institutions or creative achievement”
Our sanity and mental health depend on both (i) our internal psychological health and (ii) our external social institutions.
Psychologists like Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung theorized that every individual has various sub-personalities. Freud suggested that every person has an ID, ego and superego. Jung suggested that every individual has an ego, a shadow (a dark side), an anima/animus (a repressed contrasexual side) and an ideal self. We’re well-adjusted when these inner personalities are balanced and integrated.
As a clinical psychologist, Peterson found that people’s social lives are also crucial for their mental health. This includes factors like: being educated to their intellectual capacity, using free time meaningfully, being free from major health/economic problems, having friends, a stable intimate relationship, close familial relationships, concrete plans for the future, and a financially-stable job or career.
One of Peterson’s socially-inept client became more socially integrated after he joined a photography club. Photography provided an outlet for his creative growth/expression, while the club offered a structured way for him to engage others.
Why social institutions matter
Human interactions help us to organize our thoughts, and give structure and meaning to our world.
- To communicate effectively, we must present our thoughts coherently, and prioritize important points over trivial ones. As we discuss our past experiences, current concerns or future plans, we figure out where we stand, where we’re headed and why.
- Through our communications, we also form implicit social contracts on what’s important, valuable and acceptable. When we step out of line, others will advise, criticize, cajole or laugh at us to bring us back on track. Such boundaries reduce the infinite possibilities into a comprehensible range of choices/behaviors.
To stay sane, we need social institutions. We need to balance conservatism with creative transformation.
* We need rules and constraints for order and stability. Yet, we also need creativity and change for growth and regeneration. The key is to know when to follow convention and when to reject social pressure. Strike a balance:
(i) Understand/respect the rules in social institutions; and
(ii) Dare to break the rules if it serves the greater good.
If you don’t recognize the value and necessity of rules, then you’re likely to violate them carelessly. However, if you’ve mastered the rules and can follow them with discipline, then you’re in a position to bend/break the rules morally to abide by the spirit (if not the letter) of the law.
- No matter how accomplished you are, stay humble. Assume there’s always more to learn, and interact regularly with different types of people to stretch your mind. Get the “conservative type” to implement tried-and-tested methods, and engage the “liberal type” to identify and replace outdated practices.
- Don’t confuse power with authority. People who exert power over others use threats or punishments to compel others. People with authority gain real influence due to their ability to solve problems. Build strong peer relationships based on reciprocity, e.g. respect others and demand respect, show up for others and trust them to show up for you.
what are social institutions
Jordan Peterson heeft in zijn nieuwe boek “Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life” veel geschreven over het belang van sociale instituties. Hij definieert sociale instituties als gevestigde praktijken, normen en waarden die de sociale orde en stabiliteit bevorderen.
Volgens Peterson spelen sociale instituties een cruciale rol bij het vormen van de persoonlijkheid en identiteit van individuen, evenals bij het bevorderen van sociale cohesie en het verminderen van conflict. Sommige voorbeelden van sociale instituties zijn het huwelijk, religie, onderwijs en de rechtbanken.
In zijn boek betoogt Peterson dat moderne westerse samenlevingen vaak hebben geprobeerd om sociale instituties te ondermijnen en te vervangen door nieuwe ideologieën en structuren die minder goed functioneren. Peterson pleit daarom voor het belang van het in stand houden en ondersteunen van traditionele sociale instituties, omdat deze ons helpen betekenis te vinden in ons leven en onze samenlevingen op een gezonde manier te functioneren.
