We are reading all sorts of interesting articles in class, but some seem to assume certain human behaviors. In particular, "The Rationalizing Animal" by Elliot Aronson lays out the "human" tendency to rationalize "dissonance" - times when a person simultaneously holds 2 inconsistent beliefs. For instance, the article cites an example of a group of people forecasting the end of the world on a certain date, and when such date passes without incident, the people need to rationalize their expectation of the world ending with it in fact not ending. This particular group did so by believing that their own efforts prevented the world's end. Another example the article cited was a group of people being paid to shock (electrically) other people. These shockers, unable to harmonize their views of themselves as "nice" people with their actions of causing others physical pain, came to the rationalization that the victims must have deserved the pain, and the victims were awful people.
Rationalization is not a novel theory. It seems like every TV show nowadays seems to refer to people rationalizing or justifying their actions, good or bad, to themselves. I think that it can sometimes accurately predict our behavior - at least at the intermediate stages when we are unsure of why we emotionally react a particular way to an event. For instance, I tend to react emotionally when a person interrupts me while I am publicly speaking, even if the interruption is completely justified or the interrupter is actually trying to help me out. I used to wonder why I was reacting so strongly, and finally figured out that the interruption reminded me of my middle school (and maybe later) days when I was less assertive, and allowed people to mistreat me without speaking up.
However, rationalization, even if it explains certain human reactions, only explains them for the (usually) short period of time that a person is trying to understand her reactions. This time can obviously vary, and more complex emotional reactions can take longer to unpack. But still, mature people generally try not to mistreat others or "rationalize" their misguided views of their victims being horrible people. If they are uncertain of their emotional reactions, mature people generally try to reduce their interactions or try to be objective during such interactions, at least until they can figure out their feelings. And once they do understand why they are reacting the way the are, if they are wrong about such reactions, they try to better control themselves for the next time they are in the same situation.
Further, in the long run people may "rationalize" not necessarily in a misguided, ignorant manner but rather as a conscious choice. For instance, one of my relatives has diabetes, and instead of focusing on the fact that his condition forces him to intake less sugar - a taste he really likes - he chooses to focus on how his condition forces him to try out other flavors. The glass is half empty and half full - a person is not ignorantly and misguidedly rationalizing that it is half full because she has to reduce the dissonance in her life. She may be doing so simply because she realizes that she cannot change the facts, but viewing the glass as half full will enable her to have a positive outlook and enjoy her life more.
Ultimately, I feel that some of our articles' writers simply give the ordinary human being too little credit. People can be more self-aware than these authors realize, and can choose to explore their feelings or reflect on events without treating themselves or others with any less dignity.
Rationalization is not a novel theory. It seems like every TV show nowadays seems to refer to people rationalizing or justifying their actions, good or bad, to themselves. I think that it can sometimes accurately predict our behavior - at least at the intermediate stages when we are unsure of why we emotionally react a particular way to an event. For instance, I tend to react emotionally when a person interrupts me while I am publicly speaking, even if the interruption is completely justified or the interrupter is actually trying to help me out. I used to wonder why I was reacting so strongly, and finally figured out that the interruption reminded me of my middle school (and maybe later) days when I was less assertive, and allowed people to mistreat me without speaking up.
However, rationalization, even if it explains certain human reactions, only explains them for the (usually) short period of time that a person is trying to understand her reactions. This time can obviously vary, and more complex emotional reactions can take longer to unpack. But still, mature people generally try not to mistreat others or "rationalize" their misguided views of their victims being horrible people. If they are uncertain of their emotional reactions, mature people generally try to reduce their interactions or try to be objective during such interactions, at least until they can figure out their feelings. And once they do understand why they are reacting the way the are, if they are wrong about such reactions, they try to better control themselves for the next time they are in the same situation.
Further, in the long run people may "rationalize" not necessarily in a misguided, ignorant manner but rather as a conscious choice. For instance, one of my relatives has diabetes, and instead of focusing on the fact that his condition forces him to intake less sugar - a taste he really likes - he chooses to focus on how his condition forces him to try out other flavors. The glass is half empty and half full - a person is not ignorantly and misguidedly rationalizing that it is half full because she has to reduce the dissonance in her life. She may be doing so simply because she realizes that she cannot change the facts, but viewing the glass as half full will enable her to have a positive outlook and enjoy her life more.
Ultimately, I feel that some of our articles' writers simply give the ordinary human being too little credit. People can be more self-aware than these authors realize, and can choose to explore their feelings or reflect on events without treating themselves or others with any less dignity.
No comments:
Post a Comment