Psychological Pyromaniac: Re:problem solving

in #education6 years ago (edited)

Someone has probably said something to you that has made you look or feel foolish. At the time, you may have stood there befuddled unable to think of a witty retort quickly enough and remained silent or maybe attempted something that didn't really work as well as you had hoped.

Have you ever found a better comeback for their statement - only, it was hours too late? Why is this? Why didn't it come at the time and even if you managed a half decent response in the moment, how come the better one didn't surface when needed?

What do you do when you face a problem? Solve it probably. And then what?

Generally, after we put out a problem fire, we pat ourselves on the back for a job well done and get on with the day feeling a sense of achievement. The problem I see here is the same one with the witty comeback above except, missing the follow up.

The reason we do the follow up thinking when teased is that we are trying to soothe an emotional hurt. We work to prove to ourselves that if conditions had been more favourable, we could have bested our antagonist. We look to go about closing mental loops and protecting our feelings, mitigate our inadequacies.

The problem when it comes to problem solving, is that we solve the problem. We succeeded in besting it which means there is no reason to follow up on the solution we implemented. We just move on without ever knowing if we could have found a more suitable resolution if those conditions had been better, if we had been given more time.

My approach is to this is to be a psychological pyromaniac. This means that even if I find a suitable solution, I take it off the table and work to find another, and then remove that one and find another again. I continue lighting mental fires and keep increasing the complexity to further challenge myself and find more possible outcomes.

Of course, if there are several problems at hand that are time sensitive and require an immediate, satisfactory solution, I solve and move on to the next in line. I then try and return and light my mental fires again later when time allows. I have started doing this exercise with some clients too to see if will help their solution depth. So far it is looking promising.

There are many benefits to investing energy into this. It gives feedback of course and perhaps a better solution if the problem arrives again, it stretches mental processes and allows more lateral thinking across issues and it builds a potential playbook of solutions to deal with a wide range of situations.

One more benefit is that it combats the development of problem solving by habit. This is applying the same solution to similar problems. It is rare that two things are identical and therefore applying the same solution from one to the other will get inconsistent results but if there is a broader and deeper view of problems and a range of audible solutions to choose from, speed of recognition and definition is faster and solutions better suited.

This can be applied to many areas and can be practised anywhere and with practise, the processing to run through simulations of variants gets faster. From the outside looking in, the people that are able to quickly solve problems effectively are often those sought after as they are seen as adaptable and useful in volatile conditions and seem to see challenges before they arise.

I am not sure if this process will work for everyone but it has been beneficial to me over the years so thought it worth sharing. This may be useful for many people as they face the day to day challenges of life, whether be it at work or home. Steemit is also a quickly growing platform and problems will come thick and fast as pressure gets applied from various sources. The better we think and solve, the more successful we become.

There are many variations to try in this and with a little practice I think that most will be able to adjust and adapt it for their own purposes. If willing, try it on for a while and let me know how you go with it.

Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]

Yesterday, I wrote a piece about pain and suffering and this in one of the pieces that came to mind that I wrote what feels like an eternity ago. When I found it, I decided to clean it up for flow and feel. It is a bit more instructive than I normally write but I think it has value.

We live in a world where people are increasingly avoiding thinking about the things that make them feel uncomfortable, a world where people feel more and more under the stresses of change and life itself. From my perspective, a lot of our suffering is because of our unwillingness to prepare for negatives. What I call 'Psychological Pyromania' is just one tool I use to try to prepare for and lessen the blows. I have a few more, some I have written about before I will share, others still to come. Hopefully there is some use in this for someone other than myself.

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One more benefit of finding multiple solutions of some problem is the sense of control over life and the circumstances. If I think I can solve a problem only in one way, it means that I have no choice. However, if I CHOOSE one of the few solutions, it makes me feel more in control and gives lots of self-confidence.

Interesting post!

Have a nice day!

Absolutely.
What I find is that it becomes almost automatic to run through multiple scenarios even when time is short but, the time it takes to run several is faster than I used to be to develop one.

I say, light those mental fires!

This is an interesting concept for sure. The best answer is not always the first answer, so taking the time to explore further possibilities is definitely ideal. As you mentioned, not every situation allows for a lot of time or reflection when reaching a solution/conclusion, do you must adapt accordingly.

Thanks for sharing your insights!

Me like your posting ... educative topik . ..nice and important wruting ... i to wait for your next smurt artikle

Just kidding! :D

As a background to your introduction, I would like to quote Goleman, who states that our instinctive acting can be seen as "the low path" while our critical thinking can be regarded as "the high path". Both paths are useful, since sometimes there is simply not enough time to process "the high path" and we must act according to our "low path", which is still way better than making random mindless decisions.

The reason we do the follow up thinking when teased is that we are trying to soothe an emotional hurt.

Excellent conclusion!

Thanks for sharing your interestingly named approach, it seems to me like a good method to improve our everyday critical thinking skills. Of course, when there is enough time for appropriate critical thinking.

Cheers!

instinctive acting can be seen as "the low path"

With training, the instincts can change and the low path looks much more like a high path, doesn't it?

of course, when there is enough time for appropriate critical thinking

Anytime is a good time and even when rushed, a little is significantly better than none.

Thank you for comment dear. loved. always read all. keep it up!

I think that the low path can change, if we understand it as automatic responses. So, with effort and practice our automatic responses can be much smarter. However, instincts are something natural, innate, they cannot change, they stay inside us, but we have a choice to follow them or not as we build mental strength.

That is my opinion. :)

If you look at it for example from the perspective of a hockey goalie, the instinct is to get out of the way of the puck, the training is to get behind it. A soldier entering into a war zone too. The instincts aren't necessarily repressed, they may be replaced completely. Hard to say but, at least the action can change. This also means that 'this is the way I am' in many respects is an excuse.

yes, I totally agree, different tendencies may stay in us, but actions are changeable :)!

But I think these thinking principles are subjective to the situation itself...

"Burn all the bridges! Either win or perish..."

This one is from the 'Think and Grow Rich' book and it presents several convincing stories which justifies the statement. Instead of keeping some follow-up plans running from Plan B to Plan Z, the author suggests to give 110% of effort into one path and move forward ...
Maybe hit & trial doesn't always work? Maybe sometimes all you need is strong desire & perseverence to figure out an optimal solution instead of trying out multiple simulations...

It is not about the solution itself, it is about the thought process for me. A good thought process makes the quick decisions better.

Now a days I started ignoring what I hear. I feel it is better that I ignore it and show that it didnt mean anything than to react immediately. I think about it in the next hours and be angry sometimes, but let it go. I taught myself in the last years to think about things that makes me happy and comfortable and ignore anything that can hurt me. Anyhow it worked !

What happens when you come up against something you can't ignore?

I try to see whats wrong and fix it without any problems :)

I can buy this idea of yours, but I think It is too tasking. Over the years, I've learnt to move on immediately a problem doesn't bother me anymore. That way, I can clear my mind and not dwell on the past. It's like "crossing the bridge, only when you've gotten there." It is a good approach, all the same.

For many in this world, these practices are too tasking. When it comes to the brain, thinking clearly is a skill everyone seems to believe they possess, even though they have not thought much about it at all. It doesn't matter though at the end of the day, there will always be people to do the thinking work for us if we let them. Where we end up is exactly where we directed ourselves but that will be another bridge to cross when we get there.

your post is important post.... because you write about education topic.... i waiting for your next mindbloing post like it....

These comments are useless. Please stop writing them. Try thinking it through and finding another solution.

I saw the same comments somewhere else :P

its very learnable and important post.i really like your post..i also waiting for your next article..good job

Did you read the comment above?

this state of mind is called emotional slap

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