Step Two of Rational Thinking: Beware of Inflaming Factors Flashcards
Trigger Points from Early Childhood
In early childhood, we were at our most sensitive and vulnerable. These vulnerabilities and wounds remain buried deep within our minds. Later in life, a person or event will trigger a memory of this positive or negative experience, and with it a release of powerful chemicals or hormones associated with the memory.
The way to recognize this in yourself and in others is by noticing behavior that is suddenly childish in its intensity and seemingly out of character. The great danger here is that in misreading the present and reacting to something in the past, we create conflict, disappointments, and mistrust that only strengthens the wound.
Our only defense is awareness as it is happening. We can recognize a trigger point by the experience of emotions that are usually primal, more uncontrollable than normal. People under the spell of these emotions will often have a very different tone of voice and body language, as if they were physically reliving a moment from their life.
Sudden Gains or Losses
Sudden success or winnings can be very dangerous. Chemicals are released in the brain that give a powerful jolt of arousal and energy, leading to the desire to repeat this experience. When gains come quickly, we tend to lose sight of the basic wisdom that true success, to really last, must come through hard work. We do not take into account the role that luck plays in such sudden gains. We acquire feelings of grandiosity. We become especially resistant to anyone who tries to warn us—they don’t understand, we tell ourselves.
Unexpected losses or a string of losses equally create irrational reactions. We imagine we are cursed with bad luck and that this will go on indefinitely. We become fearful and hesitant, which will often lead to more mistakes or failures.
The solution here is simple: whenever you experience, unusual gains or losses, that is precisely the time to step back and counterbalance them with some necessary pessimism or optimism. Be extra weary of sudden success and attention—they are not built on anything that lasts and they have an addictive poll. And the fall is always painful.
Rising Pressure
The people around you generally appear sane and in control of their lives. But put any of them in stressful circumstances, with the pressure rising, and you will see a different reality. They suddenly lash out in anger, reveal a paranoid streak, and become hypersensitive and often petty. Stress or attention can reveal flaws in people that they have carefully concealed from view. It is often wise to observe people in such moments, precisely as a way to judge their true character.
Whenever you notice rising pressure and stress levels in your life, you must watch yourself carefully. Monitor any signs of unusual brittleness or sensitivity, sudden suspicions, fears disproportionate to the circumstances. Observe with as much detachment as possible, finding time and space to be alone. You need perspective. Never imagine that you are someone who can withstand rising stress without emotional leakage. Through self-awareness and reflection, you can prevent yourself from making decisions you will come to regret.
Inflaming Individuals
There are people in the world who by their nature tend to trigger powerful emotions in almost everyone they encounter. These emotions range among the extremes of love, hatred, confidence, and mistrust. These types have a degree of charisma—they have the ability to express eloquently emotions they are feeling, which inevitably stir parallel emotions and others. But some of them can be quite narcissistic; they project their internal drama and troubles outward, catching other people up in the turmoil they create. This leads to profound feelings of attraction in some and repulsion others.
It is best to recognize these inflamers by how they affect others, not just yourself. No one can remain indifferent to them. On either end of the spectrum—attraction or repulsion—you will tend to be irrational, and you will desperately need to distance yourself. A good strategy to utilize is to see through the front they project. They inevitably try to cast a larger-than-life image, a mythic, intimidating quality; but in fact, they are all too human, full of the same insecurities and weaknesses we all possess. Try to recognize these very human traits and demythologize them.
Inflaming Individuals
There are people in the world who by their nature tend to trigger powerful emotions in almost everyone they encounter. These emotions range among the extremes of love, hatred, confidence, and mistrust. These types have a degree of charisma—they have the ability to express eloquently emotions they are feeling, which inevitably stir parallel emotions and others. But some of them can be quite narcissistic; they project their internal drama and troubles outward, catching other people up in the turmoil they create. This leads to profound feelings of attraction in some and repulsion others.
It is best to recognize these inflamers by how they affect others, not just yourself. No one can remain indifferent to them. On either end of the spectrum—attraction or repulsion—you will tend to be irrational, and you will desperately need to distance yourself. A good strategy to utilize is to see through the front they project. They inevitably try to cast a larger-than-life image, a mythic, intimidating quality; but in fact, they are all too human, full of the same insecurities and weaknesses we all possess. Try to recognize these very human traits and demythologize them.
The Group Effect
This is the high-grade variety of the group bias. Notice yourself and others at a sporting event, a concert, a religious or political gathering. It is impossible to not feel yourself caught up in the collective emotions. Being in a group does not stimulate independent reasoning, but rather the intense desire to belong. This can happen equally in a work environment, particularly if the leader plays on peoples emotions to spur competitive, aggressive desires, or create an us-vs-them dynamic. The group effect does not necessarily require the presence of others. It can occur virally, as some opinions spread over social media and infect us with the desire to share the opinion—generally of a strong variety, such as outrage.
There is an exhilarating, positive aspect to the stimulation of group emotions. It is how we can be rallied to do something for the collective good. But if you notice the appeal is to more diabolical emotions, such as hatred of the other, rabid, patriotism, aggression, or sweeping world views, you need to inoculate yourself and see through the powerful pull as it works on you. It is often best to avoid the group setting if possible in order to maintain your reasoning powers, or to enter such moments with maximum skepticism..
Be aware of demagogues who exploit the group effect and stimulate outbreaks of irrationality. In a group setting, they begin by warming up the crowd, talking about ideas and values that everyone shares, creating a pleasant feeling of agreement. They rely on vague but loaded words full of emotive quality such as justice or truth or patriotism. They talk of abstract, noble goals, rather than the solving of specific problems with concrete action.
Your defense is simple: consider your reasoning power, your ability to think for yourself, your most precious possession. Resent any kind of intrusion upon your independent mind by others. When you feel you are in the presence of a demagogue, become doubly weary and analytical.
Key Points on the Irrational in Human Nature
Do not imagine that the more extreme types of irrationality have somehow been overcome through progress and enlightenment. The irrational simply change its look and its fashion. People have a desperate need to believe in something and they will find it anywhere.
As long as there are humans, the irrational will find its voice and means of spreading. Rationality is something to be acquired by individuals, not by mass movements or technological progress.
Feeling superior and beyond it is a sure sign that the irrational is at work.
Name the Inflammatory Factors
Trigger Points from Early Childhood
Sudden Gains or Losses
Rising Pressure
Inflaming Individuals
The Group Effect
