Comments on: The Conflicting Intentions of Eliot Spitzer http://www.drewrozell.com/215/conflicting-intentions/ Insights For Consciously Creating a Very Cool Life Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:35:39 -0400 hourly 1 By: drew http://www.drewrozell.com/215/conflicting-intentions/#comment-20525 drew Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:46:28 +0000 http://www.drewrozell.com/215/conflicting-intentions/#comment-20525 hi Joe -- understand that I am a social psychologist. i am always interested in why people do things. it's just what i find fascinating. if we do not understand the dynamics of why people do what they do, how do we evolve and learn? hard to improve anything if we just label things (or people) as bad eggs in the mix without examining the underlying causes of how the eggs got to be bad. to me, that's a simplistic way of looking at things. if any business just discarded their faulty products without looking deeper to the underlying cause of the problem and correcting it, that company would be out of business in a hurry. i'm not sure i follow your point about Hitler... why wouldn't we want to know what created such a destructive force? likewise, i certainly believe it rather pointless to try to simply exterminate terrorists (or whomever) without understanding what made them terrorists in the first place. that's like me killing the carpenter ants that invade my house with looking for the place where they are accessing my home... i can kill 'em, but they still keep coming until i address the real issue. anyway... my real point of the post is that people are driven by motives to which they are clueless/unconscious all the time. mr. spitzer was just a salient example... i would contend that if you asked him why he did what he did, he really wouldn't know... you might not believe that, and think he behaved so recklessly because he is arrogant/a jerk/spoiled/whatever. but my experience working with lots of bright, successful people leads me to believe otherwise... we all do things that make no "sense" and that lead us down the wrong path... i find it hugely interesting and valuable to explore WHY that is the case... clearly, mr. spitzer has (or had) this huge blind spot -- and that's what made him behave in an arrogant manner, piss people off, and be a pretty ineffective governor. that's not to be an apologist for him (i voted for the guy, but really have no strong opinion of him). he just made a good example because he had such a HUGE blind spot that will cost him much. while my blind spot might not be the same as his, or as big, i know i have them. i have yet to meet the person who did not (the rub is because they are unconscious to you, you are often the last to know). anyhow, if you are actively looking for your blind spots and pay attention to feedback you are getting from the universe (i am also quite sure mr. spitzer did not heed several warnings that this would explode in his face), we can live a better life, without having to learn everything the hard way. okay, that's enough rambling... i appreciate your thoughts, Joe... if everyone agreed with what i wrote, i wouldn't be writing anything worth a damn. best, d hi Joe –

understand that I am a social psychologist. i am always interested in why people do things. it's just what i find fascinating.

if we do not understand the dynamics of why people do what they do, how do we evolve and learn? hard to improve anything if we just label things (or people) as bad eggs in the mix without examining the underlying causes of how the eggs got to be bad. to me, that's a simplistic way of looking at things. if any business just discarded their faulty products without looking deeper to the underlying cause of the problem and correcting it, that company would be out of business in a hurry.

i'm not sure i follow your point about Hitler… why wouldn't we want to know what created such a destructive force? likewise, i certainly believe it rather pointless to try to simply exterminate terrorists (or whomever) without understanding what made them terrorists in the first place. that's like me killing the carpenter ants that invade my house with looking for the place where they are accessing my home… i can kill 'em, but they still keep coming until i address the real issue.

anyway… my real point of the post is that people are driven by motives to which they are clueless/unconscious all the time. mr. spitzer was just a salient example… i would contend that if you asked him why he did what he did, he really wouldn't know… you might not believe that, and think he behaved so recklessly because he is arrogant/a jerk/spoiled/whatever. but my experience working with lots of bright, successful people leads me to believe otherwise… we all do things that make no "sense" and that lead us down the wrong path… i find it hugely interesting and valuable to explore WHY that is the case…

clearly, mr. spitzer has (or had) this huge blind spot — and that's what made him behave in an arrogant manner, piss people off, and be a pretty ineffective governor. that's not to be an apologist for him (i voted for the guy, but really have no strong opinion of him). he just made a good example because he had such a HUGE blind spot that will cost him much.

while my blind spot might not be the same as his, or as big, i know i have them. i have yet to meet the person who did not (the rub is because they are unconscious to you, you are often the last to know).

anyhow, if you are actively looking for your blind spots and pay attention to feedback you are getting from the universe (i am also quite sure mr. spitzer did not heed several warnings that this would explode in his face), we can live a better life, without having to learn everything the hard way.

okay, that's enough rambling…

i appreciate your thoughts, Joe… if everyone agreed with what i wrote, i wouldn't be writing anything worth a damn.

best,

d

]]> By: Joe http://www.drewrozell.com/215/conflicting-intentions/#comment-20514 Joe Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:36:21 +0000 http://www.drewrozell.com/215/conflicting-intentions/#comment-20514 Fair enough, but I believe trying to "understand" the behaviour rather than accepting we do have people in our society who are "bad eggs" (to put it lightly) is to minimize their behavior. And in fact, I don't find his actions hard to understand at all--it's very consistent with personality all along. The hypocrisy and conflict with his public life are actually all pretty clearly explained by his "arrogant, entitlement, god-complex" traits. The fact that he has no friends to rally around him now is a result of those lifelong traits. And to allude that these are human traits we all have to a degree is very oversimplified. I don't believe people who give in to sugar fixes is the same as someone who breaks the very laws he put into place. Yes we all have indiscretions, but not to this degree. Even if we were assured never being caught, some of us still understand right vs. wrong. It's called character, ethics and morals and it is not necessarily a trait we are all born with or can mold (or wish into place). I dare say you wouldn't try to understand the energies that led to Hitler's psychosis. An extreme example, yes, but you get my point. Sorry, but your summary of this scandal sounded alot like a downplaying of Mr. Spitzer's actions by clouding it with "oh, let's see if we can understand his motives; we've all been there." Uh, no we haven't all been there. Fair enough, but I believe trying to "understand" the behaviour rather than accepting we do have people in our society who are "bad eggs" (to put it lightly) is to minimize their behavior. And in fact, I don't find his actions hard to understand at all–it's very consistent with personality all along. The hypocrisy and conflict with his public life are actually all pretty clearly explained by his "arrogant, entitlement, god-complex" traits. The fact that he has no friends to rally around him now is a result of those lifelong traits. And to allude that these are human traits we all have to a degree is very oversimplified. I don't believe people who give in to sugar fixes is the same as someone who breaks the very laws he put into place.
Yes we all have indiscretions, but not to this degree. Even if we were assured never being caught, some of us still understand right vs. wrong. It's called character, ethics and morals and it is not necessarily a trait we are all born with or can mold (or wish into place). I dare say you wouldn't try to understand the energies that led to Hitler's psychosis. An extreme example, yes, but you get my point. Sorry, but your summary of this scandal sounded alot like a downplaying of Mr. Spitzer's actions by clouding it with "oh, let's see if we can understand his motives; we've all been there." Uh, no we haven't all been there.

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