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Basics of Identity
Goals required for identity formation
- Finding and developing your personal potentials (those things that the person can do better than other things).
- Choosing your purpose in life.
- Finding opportunities to implement that potential and purpose.
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SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
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Key Ideas
The role of identity in denial
Some psychologists state that the denial of facts is frequently based on identity and belonging, not on ignorance and. If this is the case, changing minds would require more than proper rea...
Denial: Rejecting the evidence
Denial refers to the rejection or diminution of a phenomenon that has a large and even overwhelming body of supporting evidence.
Our aversion to cognitive dissonance
Cognitive dissonance is a negative, tensed emotional state that is caused by holding beliefs or behaviors that are inconsistent with one another.
Because cognitive dissonance brings discomfort, we try to escape it. There are 2 options to get rid of it: to change a behavior or to change a belief. Most people choose the second option.
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Key Ideas
Read widely, with maximum curiosity
The clearest thinkers tend to be those that draw from multiple disciplines.
Develop the habit of reading and eliminate/reduce the things that might stop you from doing that (e.g. mindl...
Put reality first and theory last
Confusing models with reality is a cardinal sin of clear thinking.
If you believe too strongly in your models of the world, you can start to ignore evidence that your model is wrong.
Campbell’s law
The basic idea is that when you reward people for a particular measure — clicks, dollars, likes, etc. — people will find a way to “game” the system.
For example: If journalism is fueled by clicks, journalists are going to write sensationalist clickbait.
Two central motivations in life: happiness and meaning
Happiness and meaning are two main motivations in life. Research suggests that happiness and meaning are strongly correlated and often feed off each other.
Describing happiness and meaning
- Happiness has more to do with getting what you want and feeling good.
- Meaning has two major components: The cognitive processing component involves making sense of your experiences. The purpose component is motivational and consists of pursuing long-term goals that reflect one's identity. Meaning is related to activities such as developing and expressing the self, and consciously integrating one's past, present, and future experiences.
How to create meaning
While happiness satisfies the moment, avoiding negative thoughts and feelings may interfere with your personal development. Personal development relies on experiencing both positive and negative emotions. In contrast, two measures of meaning were positively associated with adaptation:
- Cognitive processing. It is strongly related to grit (passion and perseverance).
- Self-distancing. It is strongly related to gratitude and well-being. It seems that creating meaning is adaptive if one can maintain a third-person perspective of detachment.
Ultimately, well-being consists of both happiness and meaning. People are happiest when they pursue meaningful activities.