tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post3322179155779382376..comments2024-03-29T01:07:30.224-07:00Comments on Had Enough Therapy?: I Am Whatever I Think I AmStuart Schneidermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12784043736879991769noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-29797182305921802492015-12-23T08:34:34.404-08:002015-12-23T08:34:34.404-08:00I don't think we're looking at "I am ...I don't think we're looking at "I am whatever I think I am" rather "I am whatever I feel I am." At least that's more interesting to consider than the will power for self-transformation into what society needs you to be.<br /><br />And whateer this is, it is isn't just a human problem. Like in the biology of "imprinting" a duck might think its a dog.<br />https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imprinting_(psychology)<br /><br />Oh here's one, although I might call "animal tricks" more on the grounds of Skinner behaviorism, positive feedback rewards, which is different than intrinsic motivations of an individual.<br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCU3W8RGQ_M Duck Thinks It's A Dog And Plays Fetch <br /><br />We might think its silly because it doesn't follow the rules we expect, but it does seem to show behavior is more than instinct. You might also judge it as "bad" because behavior that doesn't follow the flock is unlikely to lead to effective reproductive behavior and thus is less likely to contribute to future gene pools.<br /><br />And perhaps that shows the primary point of confusion. Richard Dawkins wrote a book called "The selfish gene" which at some level said that we are merely carriers of our genetic material, and our behavior is driven to reproduce. And such a drive certainly leads to the most amazing display of wasteful behavior or physical traits, usually for one gender or the other, to attract the attention of the opposite sex. And we all accept this as "normal" because we understand the need for this drive, even if we personally don't like to think it defines who we are.<br /><br />So if everything is reduced to reproductive fitness and social status, then anyone who acts outside of those obvious competitive drives looks silly to us. And worse it can look dangerous to us, like how do you control an individual who isn't motivated to play along with the same rat race as everyone else?<br /><br />So at some level you might also consider the "blacksheep" are those who say "I am whatever I feel I am" and it is those who want and need reproductive sex, who are willing to pretend they are whatever other people need them to be, then they're the ones who try to convince themselves "I am whatever I think I am" and follow Norman Vincent Peale's "Positive thinking" to its fullest potential.<br />Ares Olympushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09726811306826601686noreply@blogger.com