3 ms·

This strategy doesn't make sense. What was the end goal? To have the other person keep buying new computers.

by charcircuit 11mo ago

readthenotes1 11mo ago
You can't logic your way out of a crazy box. Trying to understand the root cause motivation of people with mental illness is usually futile and almost always fruitless
OkayPhysicist 11mo ago
The goal was definitely to impede the other researcher's work, and I can imagine a few possible reasons for that. In descending order of probability, interpersonal conflict (in my experience, graduate students in the same lab tend to either become best friends or hate each other, with little in-between), trying to beat the other student to the punch w.r.t publication, or good ol' schizophrenic delusions that the person's work needs to be stopped (mid 20's is a pretty standard age for onset in men).
- amypetrik8 11mo ago
  > interpersonal conflict low probability in this case because this guy seems a repeat offender but absolutely things can get that toxic and ugly > trying to beat the other student to the punch w.r.t publication, this is my highest suspicion. Why is anxiety. Deep anxiety. Anxiety about failing. Anxiety about the other guy beating you. Sabotaging other guys's computer alleviates the anxiety so thusly becomes a repeat pattern. Anxiety can be quite insidious and nasty and is more pervasive in more ways than many are aware. > good ol' schizophrenic delusions that the person's work needs to be stopped possible but more rare
palmotea 11mo ago
> This strategy doesn't make sense. What was the end goal? To have the other person keep buying new computers. I would assume it was to interfere with the other student's research. That other person almost certainly had data on the destroyed computers that he either lost completely, or had to do extra work to recover when they failed.

3 ms·

This strategy doesn't make sense. What was the end goal? To have the other person keep buying new computers.

by charcircuit 11mo ago

This strategy doesn't make sense. What was the end goal? To have the other person keep buying new computers.

readthenotes1 11mo ago
You can't logic your way out of a crazy box. Trying to understand the root cause motivation of people with mental illness is usually futile and almost always fruitless
OkayPhysicist 11mo ago
The goal was definitely to impede the other researcher's work, and I can imagine a few possible reasons for that. In descending order of probability, interpersonal conflict (in my experience, graduate students in the same lab tend to either become best friends or hate each other, with little in-between), trying to beat the other student to the punch w.r.t publication, or good ol' schizophrenic delusions that the person's work needs to be stopped (mid 20's is a pretty standard age for onset in men).
- amypetrik8 11mo ago
  > interpersonal conflict low probability in this case because this guy seems a repeat offender but absolutely things can get that toxic and ugly > trying to beat the other student to the punch w.r.t publication, this is my highest suspicion. Why is anxiety. Deep anxiety. Anxiety about failing. Anxiety about the other guy beating you. Sabotaging other guys's computer alleviates the anxiety so thusly becomes a repeat pattern. Anxiety can be quite insidious and nasty and is more pervasive in more ways than many are aware. > good ol' schizophrenic delusions that the person's work needs to be stopped possible but more rare
palmotea 11mo ago
> This strategy doesn't make sense. What was the end goal? To have the other person keep buying new computers. I would assume it was to interfere with the other student's research. That other person almost certainly had data on the destroyed computers that he either lost completely, or had to do extra work to recover when they failed.