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The idea that trauma causes emotional bariers that discourage learning is intriguing. It could explain why older people tend to be more stuck in their ways. Th

by scribu 6y ago

The idea that trauma causes emotional bariers that discourage learning is intriguing. It could explain why older people tend to be more stuck in their ways. They're more likely to have experienced traumatic events, just by virtue of having lived longer.

shoes_for_thee 6y ago
By the same logic, it seems pretty reasonable that any useful belief would become similarly protected. As a belief proves its usefulness over time, why would it not become more deeply embedded and protected? Even if it does not require more defenses to be maintained (like the wrong-but-useful belief in the post), a long-held belief should have proven itself useful enough to form defenses around itself. I think it's worth noting that old people tend to be both stuck in their ways, and frequent victims of scams. Maybe critical thinking declines when you have 80 years of experience to back up your belief system.
slfnflctd 6y ago
This might be a related area of research: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3944195/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3944195/ As a personal anecdote, I am solidly middle-aged, and feel strongly that past & current negative experiences increasingly hedge me in if I don't actively fight against it. In many ways I've never fully recovered from some semi-disastrous events in my late teen years. Just getting through the essential drudgery of the day leaves me drained of all ambition to advance my position. The gas runs out and I stop caring before I can push through the frustration & uncertainty of a side project to get anywhere. And there's always more drudgery howling at the door. I seriously doubt I'm alone in this.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
koheripbal 6y ago
I wonder if social media, which bombards us with scenes of violence pretty regularly has a mass effect on the general population?

by scribu 6y ago

shoes_for_thee 6y ago

By the same logic, it seems pretty reasonable that any useful belief would become similarly protected. As a belief proves its usefulness over time, why would it not become more deeply embedded and protected? Even if it does not require more defenses to be maintained (like the wrong-but-useful belief in the post), a long-held belief should have proven itself useful enough to form defenses around itself. I think it's worth noting that old people tend to be both stuck in their ways, and frequent victims of scams. Maybe critical thinking declines when you have 80 years of experience to back up your belief system.

slfnflctd 6y ago

This might be a related area of research: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3944195/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3944195/ As a personal anecdote, I am solidly middle-aged, and feel strongly that past & current negative experiences increasingly hedge me in if I don't actively fight against it. In many ways I've never fully recovered from some semi-disastrous events in my late teen years. Just getting through the essential drudgery of the day leaves me drained of all ambition to advance my position. The gas runs out and I stop caring before I can push through the frustration & uncertainty of a side project to get anywhere. And there's always more drudgery howling at the door. I seriously doubt I'm alone in this.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

koheripbal 6y ago

I wonder if social media, which bombards us with scenes of violence pretty regularly has a mass effect on the general population?