Social psychologist and author Ronnie Janoff-Bulman discusses hidden beliefs, reactions to fear and hopelessness, self-blame after trauma, motivation misconceptions, and moral divides. They explore cognitive conservatism, coping strategies post-trauma, and the impact of shattered assumptions on beliefs and values.
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Quick takeaways
Shattered assumptions post-trauma lead to fragility and terror, impacting implicit beliefs.
People cope better with trauma by holding positive foundational beliefs and rebuilding assumptions.
Meaningful challenges motivate growth and skill development, preparing individuals for life's unpredictabilities.
Deep dives
Understanding Shattered Assumptions and Trauma
Shattered assumptions, as discussed by Dr. Ronnie Janoff-Bohlman, refer to fundamental beliefs about the world being questioned after traumatic events, leading to feelings of fragility and terror. Research highlighted commonalities across victimization experiences, emphasizing the impact on implicit beliefs. These shattered assumptions serve as working models of the world that can be shattered by negative events, affecting individuals' sense of self-worth and worldview.
Importance of Fundamental Beliefs for Coping
People who hold positive foundational beliefs cope better with trauma, as these beliefs provide a framework for navigating life's challenges. Individuals may engage in self-blame as a way to regain control or make sense of traumatic events. Over time, most individuals rebuild their assumptions in a more positive light, becoming 'sadder but wiser' and incorporating negative experiences into a broader, more positive belief system.
Optimized Challenges and Meaning in Development
Meaning acts as a motivator for facing optimized challenges that push individuals towards growth and skill development. These challenges, akin to hero stories, prepare individuals for future adversities by expanding knowledge and capabilities. Optimized challenges are not viewed as illusional beliefs to deny death anxiety, but as essential for adaptation and preparedness for life's unpredictabilities and chaos.
Confronting Shattered Assumptions
The podcast delves into the story of the Israelites in the desert, highlighting their shattered assumptions and the subsequent healing symbol of the bronze serpent. Instead of just removing the poisonous snakes, God fortifies the Israelites through voluntary exposure, epitomizing the therapeutic approach embraced by various psychotherapeutic schools. This narrative correlates with the importance of getting one's story straight and facing challenges head-on as a path to redemption.
Contrasting Moral Ideologies
The episode examines the fundamental moral distinctions between liberals and conservatives, focusing on approach versus avoidance motivations in morality. Liberals emphasize pro-scriptive morality centered on doing the right thing and helping, promoting equality and communal sharing. In contrast, conservatives lean towards prescriptive morality, emphasizing norm adherence, social order, and autonomy in economic matters. The discussion explores how differing moral foundations translate into distinct policy priorities regarding social justice, economic regulation, and communal responsibility.
Dr. Jordan B. Peterson sits down with social psychologist and author, Ronnie Janoff-Bulman. They discuss how most implicit beliefs are consciously unknown to those who hold them; the human reactions to fear, disgust, pain, and the destruction of hope; why people blame themselves for truly random events; what the experts get wrong about motivation; and the difference between proscriptive and prescriptive morality.
Ronnie Janoff-Bulman is Professor Emerita of Psychology and Brain Sciences at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. She is a social psychologist and the author of two books and over 90 published papers. Her first book, “Shattered Assumptions: Towards a New Psychology of Trauma,” has been cited over 9,500 times. She was awarded a National Science Foundation grant for her research on morality, which serves as the backbone of her recent book, “The Two Moralities: Conservatives, Liberals, and the Roots of Our Political Divide.” She is the recipient of teaching and mentoring awards and is the former editor of Psychological Inquiry, an international journal devoted to advancing theory in psychology. A mother and grandmother, Dr. Janoff-Bulman lives in Amherst, Massachusetts with her husband of over 50 years.
- Links -
2024 tour details can be found here https://jordanbpeterson.com/events
The Two Moralities (Book) https://www.amazon.com/Two-Moralities-Conservatives-Liberals-Political-ebook/dp/B0BX1JDL8C/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=qQoj5&content-id=amzn1.sym.cf86ec3a-68a6-43e9-8115-04171136930a&pf_rd_p=cf86ec3a-68a6-43e9-8115-04171136930a&pf_rd_r=138-3764402-1287437&pd_rd_wg=H5RDI&pd_rd_r=fccdebc5-a090-4e01-b536-33c552e5005f&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk
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