Comments on Citizen Warrior: Morale For The Citizen Warrior

That is so very true. And those of us with that ma...

2009-02-18T16:37:00.000-08:00

That is so very true. And those of us with that make-up lead a somewhat tortured existence, interspersed with flashes of pure bliss.

Your likely to have conflicts with individuals per...

2009-01-17T10:49:00.000-08:00

Your likely to have conflicts with individuals pertaining high detailed personalities. Accuracy, its in their genetics, annoying to most but couldn't imagine a world without them.

Kafir911 and I had some correspondence behind the ...

2008-09-26T23:14:00.000-07:00

Kafir911 and I had some correspondence behind the scenes and he found a better optical illusion that I just put on this post, replacing the one that wasn't accurate.

This new one isn't accurate either, according to Kafir911. He says the line that appears SHORTER is actually two pixels LONGER, so it is an even better demonstration of the principle.

Thank you, Kafir911.

I see, Kafir911. The optical illusion, when it is ...

2008-09-26T13:28:00.000-07:00

I see, Kafir911. The optical illusion, when it is done perfectly, still gives you the impression one line is longer than the other.

David Burns is one of the many researchers into cognitive therapy. I recommend reading Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman to get the full picture of the field. It is fascinating and their work is a significant contribution to maintaining morale.

And Burns or Seligman and the others in the field don't tell you you're wrong. They ask you to look at your own explanations of setbacks and see if you've made any mistakes, according to your own judgment. The main point is that some of the thoughts you have after a setback are mistaken, and those mistaken thoughts contribute to your feeling of demoralization. When you realize your mistake, often the feeling of demoralization evaporates. It's a powerful and helpful principle.

Using your dog bone analogy, I wish MORE people were obsessively committed to this fight. Learning to relax and get your mind off something -- even something really important -- is a relatively easy task. If you'd like some coaching on how to do that, write to me at citizenwarriorgeneral@gmail.com

My comment is about the optical illusion part, not...

2008-09-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

My comment is about the optical illusion part, not about maintaining morale. I've never even heard of David Burns before, altho of course I've seen this optical illusions hundreds of times.

Maybe I over-reacted a bit, but its offensive that he says "ahh, you look and you trust your animal instinct but actually you're wrong!" - however in this case the perception is actually correct. It should be drawn so they are literally the same length then its fair.

Time for a story. The founder of Japanese tea ceremony, Sen no Rikyu attended a ceremonial meal where the food is chopped in front of the guests on a special table. Afterwards when asked if he enjoyed it, Rikyu said yes, although he did think that the board wasn't at the right height. He'd been sat a few metres away watching. The host apologised and checked. It turned out that the table was at the correct height, but as the surface of the board had become worn thru use, they had shaved a few millimetres off its top. This kind of discernment is highly prized in Tea Ceremony. I think David Burns would just tell Rikyu that he was wrong, and that there was no difference from the correct setup.

Anyway, back to the question, some people don't have a morale problem, they have a dog-bone problem. Their struggle is to learn to switch off and leave the fight (bone) for a while. The harder it gets, the more they want to chew it.

The two-line optical illusion is a classic. If thi...

2008-09-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

The two-line optical illusion is a classic. If this one is drawn slightly wrong, it does not invalidate the principle. If you don't like that particular optical illusion, choose any other. There are hundreds of illusions to choose from, and they all illustrate the principle that our brains do not perceive the world perfectly.

Now about scrapping David Burns and the rest of the cognitive scientists. Why would you suggest such a thing? David Burns, and the researchers he represents, have discovered and developed the most effective treatment for depression ever discovered. Over 700 experiments have demonstrated its effectiveness and its superiority over any other form of therapy (other than Interpersonal Therapy, which does just as well), and when this undemoralizing writing method is taught to children, it immunizes them against demoralization and depression.

When they study salespeople, the ones with the better explanatory style make more sales. The athletes with the better explanatory style win more races. The students with the better explanatory style get better grades. Why? Because they don't give up. They are resilient in the face of setbacks.

Being more resilient and persistent in the face of setbacks is exactly what we need more of. No better way has yet been found to nurture such strength (at least none that have proven themselves in experiments).

What do YOU do to maintain your determination in the face of setbacks?

That line of teaching, from David Burns et al, sho...

2008-09-26T03:47:00.000-07:00

That line of teaching, from David Burns et al, should be scrapped, together with any other sloppy, junk science.

If you take that 2-line image, blow it up to full screen then compare the lines, you will find that the longer looking line is actually longer at both ends, by quite a few pixels. If you scroll the zoomed image up to the top of the window and use the window edge as a measuring bar, you will find 'clear space' above the one line when the other one is still solid.
(1) they appear to have been drawn by hand. they are so irregular its a joke.
(2) When he drew those diagrams, he did not think thru the question of where the arrowhead joins the vertical bar. the only 'fair' way of drawing it is to attach the arrowhead lines to the sides of the vertical bar in both cases. If you join the 2 arrowhead lines together and stick them on to the ends of the vertical bar, you are adding the depth of the arrowhead join onto the length of bar at both ends. If the line width is x, you are adding 2*sqrt(2)*x to the length of the vertical bar. That is why the 'apparently' longer line is literally several pixels longer, at both ends.