Connected Psychology

The internet has de-centralized knowledge. Ideas that were once hidden, controlled, and exploited are now free for everyone to make use. Platforms like Steemit can help humanity sift through the overwhelming amount of information available to us. Ultimately, out of all the data, the people will decide what is important. Good ideas have power and when people can comprehend them, they get invigorated and with that energy, can create amazing things in the world.

Time to de-centralize our minds. Destroy the status quo. And grow.

Interestingly, human beings develop in relationship. In fact, no one has ever developed independently. Though we are all completely individualized, like a fingerprint, humans develop psychologically along the same lines and in the same stages, regardless of SES, race, geography, etc. We develop in relation to our environment. If we are deprived of psychological food, ie healthy relationships, we won't develop our potentials.

Psychologically speaking, we need influences to grow. Taking in new relationships, be it to information, or humans, helps us grow psychologically. Simply put, surrounding yourself with "smart" people will help you get "smarter" in that it can help you develop abstract thinking skills. The highest levels of intelligence as measured on an IQ test discerns between concrete thought, abstract thought, synthetic thought, and reflective thinking.

More or less, intelligence, as measured by those tests, is a measure of one's ability to "think." For some folks, only seeing is believing (concrete). Others can think in ideas that they can't see with their physical eyes (abstract). Others, can see the seeing the interrelationship between ideas (synthetic).

Obviously, the capacities like concrete thought, abstract thought, and synthetic thought can be developed in most humans. However, a relationship to those who can think at higher levels is necessary, even if that is through the internet, or Steemit. Therefore, "smart" people know "how to think." And believe it or not, everyone can get smarter.

More obvious is the fact that "emotional intelligence" is the ability to make emotional ideas, or think about emotions. If we do not learn, through the course of our development (in relationships) to observe emotions "inside" (both concrete and abstract) and re-cognize them, label them and therefore, order the inner space, we will throw tantrums (like a baby) or worse, throw punches, also like psychological babies.

The beauty of this day and age is that information, particularly about psychological development, is available to all of us. It is simply our responsibility to use it, work with it, and develop. At some point, humans become "self-developing" in that they can either remain a closed system, not allowing new information in because it is psychologically destabilizing (generally because of an emotion, fear, as it threatens their security in the known) or humans can open their minds, their mental apparatus to the new, and allow input into their psychological system, nourish themselves, and grow psychologically.

Frankly, mentally speaking, you are what you eat. We have to be able to discern between food that helps us grow and food that just tastes good, or even degenerates us. My hope is that with platforms like Steemit, important ideas can gain traction and separate themselves from the other, perhaps less nutritious ideas.

Humanity has an amazing opportunity to continue to develop because of the decentralization and desemination of good ideas. The most powerful ideas are viral and potent and can engender powerful fruits.

My hope is that this becomes a discussion about what we know about psychology and human development now that we have access to the collective wisdom of the world. We are all connected. This is Connected Psychology. Looking forward to engaging and developing together.