RE: Psychology Addict # 46 |The Thinking, Emotional & Behaviour Patterns that Characterise Us.
Great post! One thing that I have discovered in myself, is just how much my personality and experience is influenced by conditioning.
I was raised by very poor parents who had a lot of very wrong perceptions about reality. They passed these wrong ideas on to me and my siblings. I don't imagine that they intentionally set us up for failure; I suppose you do the best with what you know.
It has taken me years to retrain my brain which is an ongoing process. In the last few years I have gotten heavily into meditation retreats which have really taught me to see just how much of my behavior is conditioned, and just how much is inhereted.
I was very surprised to discover that the vast majority of my actions are actually reactions to emotions generated by either a negatively or positively perceived bodily sensation.
You mention intellect as being one's interest in abstract concepts. I think that this is what has gotten me through the roughest patches of life. Without this desire to understand how my own mind works, I likely would never had broken out of the cycle of ignorance. Well, that is a bold claim, as I realize that I still have far to go.
I do wonder if intellect can be increased. Can one be taught to wonder? If not, then it would seem quite difficult to change the way that such a person thinks, which is a scary thought if that person's thoughts are destructive to themselves or others!
My results:
Hello there @nuthman :)
This is an amazing comment! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such insightful feedback.
Despite the fact that new research is revealing the weight genetic variations (associated with these personality traits) have in determining our personality, there is a huge body of studies revealing the extent to which parenting style, culture, socioeconomic status, access to education and life experiences shape our traits. Even in identical twins! ref. Your case just lends further support to those findings :)
I am pleased to hear that you have managed to rationalize it all, identify thoughts and emotions and act upon them. Well, you are a high-scorer on Factor V, this suggests you are rather reflective, thoughtful, insightful ... You did explain this here, you reflected on your reflection! You are metacognitive ! :D
As for your last query, I believe most things can be taught. Especially how to deal with scary, detrimental thoughts. This is one of the core principals of Behaviourism, for instance. But, it is, without a doubt, a long process that requires hard-work and determination, in which not everyone is willing to engage. However, that is another topic ;)
All the best to you :)
Well, I suppose I am a recursive reflector, if that is a thing!
You know, now that I think about it, I think that certain circumstances can motivate a person to increase their intellect. I have known people who for lack of a better word aggressively avoid looking deeply into any subject.
Then someone in their family or they themselves get some disease or injury. Afterward they suddenly become very interested in understanding the thing. But sometimes this leads them to exploring a lot of other things. Sometimes it's religion, other times it's trying to get their head around what life is all about.
So ultimately there is a trigger in the brain that leads a person down a path of exploration. The question would be, how does one unlock this way of thinking with a tragedy?
On reflection, I just realized that I tend to end a post with a question. :)
Hello @nuthman :)
Perhaps, through quitting the chase for happiness. Which, I believe, is what distracts or stops people from looking further into themselves and/or the world around them.
Oops, I meant to say without a tragedy, but I think you got it.