The United States has reached an unprecedented level of political polarization, and the phenomenon seems to be getting worse. Most of the bipartisan friendships that existed in the 20th century seem to have disappeared. In fact, polls show that Americans are even moving away from places where their political views feel unwelcome.
Polarization is certainly a social problem, but on an individual level it may also reflect the phenomenon of American stubbornness. Personality is as American as apple pie. And stubbornness may be an attempt to preserve a sense of one’s individuality. Sure, few people are willing to admit defeat or fault, but some go to unimaginable extremes to protect their pride. For example, Donald Trump, after losing the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden, culminated in his longstanding stance that he would only lose if the winning side cheated, and attempted a coup. are at risk.
Trump is one of the most prominent examples of stubbornness, but he’s not the only one. have you ever
Those who struggle with stubborn people in their lives may wonder what is going on psychologically where admitting they are wrong equates to spiritual death.
Most people have a certain amount of pride that makes them resistant to admitting mistakes, at least initially, but the same people are usually rational and also have the ability to be humble out of logic, self-interest, or both. Yes, but a sizeable minority lack even these rudimentary instincts. What ticks in the brains of the “never wrong” crowd?
Salon has spoken with psychologists and psychiatrists about what goes on in the heads of chronically stubborn people. Distinguishes stubborn people. The nature of this behavior is evidence that something unhealthy is happening.
“You correctly distinguish between ‘normal human stubbornness’ and ‘too much’ resilience. At least a psychiatrist like me is concerned with distinguishing between health and disease.” is important,” explained psychiatrist Dr. Bundy X. Lee in an email interview with Salon. “This is because, regardless of its orientation, healthy personality traits are life-affirming in the wonderful tapestry of human diversity and resilience.”
In contrast, those who refuse to go beyond reason and admit that they are wrong will engage in maladaptive behavior that harms themselves and others. At that point, Lee says, “It can be defined as a medical condition.”
“Healthy people have the mental stability and foundation to admit when they are wrong, and the importance of learning and responding to the truth is based on the primal sense of being ‘right’ all the time.” general impulses. “
Dr. Jessica January BearA licensed psychologist practicing in New York City, he has further elucidated various diagnoses that could explain that kind of pathological behavior. In particular, personality disorders tend to be associated with stubbornness.
“When it comes to immutable traits, this may fall into a diagnosable category,” Baer wrote to Salon. Those who meet the criteria are more likely to exhibit characteristic stubbornness, denial of fault/responsibility, and manipulation of facts to support fixed beliefs.
Of course, a person who is not a certified mental health professional cannot self-diagnose that they are “never wrong” and ask the stubborn to sit in the psychiatrist’s or therapist’s chair for a formal diagnosis. However, this does not mean that the average person cannot use effective techniques to determine if someone else is pathologically stubborn.
“Healthy people have the mental stability and foundation to admit when they are wrong. “It will generally take precedence over irresponsible impulses,” Lee explained. Those who cling to their professed beliefs for emotional reasons demonstrate this through erratic behavior. They eventually respond “with stubborn insistence, doubling and, in extreme cases, violence as their beliefs are increasingly threatened.”
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“Recognizing perceived shortcomings and becoming more aware of their origins can help protect against using antisocial behavior.”
From a neurochemical perspective, “the psychological mechanisms behind ‘never make a mistake’ involve a complex network of defense processes, most commonly either primary or low-level defense mechanisms.” overuse,” Behr added. “Primary defense mechanisms tend to develop early in life and involve the denial of reality. It is the decline, fragmentation and incorporation of
If all this scientific terminology is intimidating, there is an easy way to analyze its meaning.
“The reality of events and situations is so dangerous to a person’s mental experience that it must be defended in order to protect the integrity of an individual’s perception of reality. “If you believe you can do anything (Almighty Rule)” “This object (the person/idea I hold dear) could possibly be wrong.
Psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasullah “Impulsivity may also play a role, which is related to executive functioning and the inability to stop stubborn deadlocks.”
“Stubbornness can be viewed as a form of perseverance, an executive function of the brain,” Durvasula added.
If you are aware of the fact that you are dealing with someone who is irrationally stubborn, your situation is not hopeless. The first step is to manage your expectations. If it could, it would have already happened. Instead, you should first anticipate how they will react to your inconvenient truths and prepare accordingly.
“In particular, expect the person to become increasingly angry, punitive, and hostile when confronted with objective evidence that cannot be denied logically but must still be denied on an emotional level. Please,” Reiss told Salon. If interaction is unavoidable, it can be extreme, but it is difficult, so try to avoid emotional involvement as completely as possible.”
“Protect yourself. Cut and end the relationship when you can. If you can’t cut it, set limits and boundaries wherever possible and avoid interacting with that person.”
As Durvasula puts it, it’s not your responsibility to be an “opinion missionary.” Instead, to quote Reiss, the priority is to “take stock of the situation, check yourself, check with someone you trust, and see if there is a logical or ‘magic’ positive solution.” It’s about making sure you’re not overtly or covertly maintaining false hopes. Most likely unlikely and most likely impossible. Best to expect damage control. “
Finally, if you want to stand above people who “never do anything wrong” in your life, the best way to do so is to practice humility in your own affairs. Not wanting to be wrong, all people have the ability to act like they are never wrong.
“This is where mental health is key,” Lee writes, referring to tips in her 2020 book. “National Profiles”. “My regular advice to medical and law students when battling illness or defending clients is, ‘In an emergency, check your pulse first.’ Physician, heal yourself” and follow the dictation “know yourself”.”
Behr also said that old-fashioned self-awareness and humility are places that can help prevent you from joining the “never wrong” crowd.
“What can help prevent this is recognizing our limitations, vulnerabilities, and sensitivities,” Bear wrote to Salon. It can run the risk of being overly defensive, and being aware of perceived shortcomings and becoming more aware of their causes can help protect against using antisocial behavior. “
Finally, as Durvasula added, we can work to create a society that recognizes the medical conditions behind “never wrong” behavior and works tirelessly for it. no Reward them.
“It would be great if decision makers could understand personality styles like narcissism a little better,” Durvasula wrote to Salon. “The problem with these styles is that their transformation, lack of empathy, and arrogance can lead to short-term success, but in the long run, people like this can sink companies, countries, and organizations. Just knowing it is what it is and starting to stop rewarding people like this.”
But there are nasty pitfalls. It’s that stubborn people seem to rise too often in life.
“The problem is that people like this run the world, so I don’t see them lining up to deny power because their heads can roll too,” he said. Durvasula adds.
As Durvasura pointed out, the answer may lie in education and the teaching of critical thinking.
“At this point, timetables look outdated because the world is changing,” she said. “We need to teach children to think critically about media, leadership, etc. to the point of using rote memorization and repeated, standardized tests as assessments. , creating a group of people who are unable to build mental flexibility.”
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