Page 30 - NAMAH-Oct-2018

Namah Vol. 26, Issue 3, 15th October 2018

commit crimes. Consider the troops pattern can be shown as an alternative.
under any dictator. Their fear of power 18. Emotional reactions: enmeshed, over-
is greater than their compassion for whelmed, detached.
fellow-creatures. We will discuss Stanley 19. Overactive amygdala: when people
Milgram’s experiments. look for angry faces all the time. Such
13. Conformity: succumbing to peer pressure people also imagine aggression where
even at the cost of wrong-doing. This none exists and they lash out on these
can be something harmless, like reading hunches. This behaviour is common in
trashy novels, or harmful, like taking up ACE victims.
smoking. We confirm depending on the
consequences of not conforming, how Topic 6: our fundamental differences
prestigious the group is, how secure
we feel alone, how many others think We will discuss personality types and three
alike, if we did not commit to anything commonly used schemes. The aim is to develop
before. Individualistic Western cultures tolerance for people by understanding their
are less prone to conformity that Eastern constraints. Cultural diversity will also be
collective cultures. studied with the same aim in mind. Different
14. Comparing: each soul is unique and has belief-systems drive attitudes and behaviours.
come with a unique mission on earth. Participants will reflect on the personality
Comparing any two persons is hurtful, type of historical figures and fictional
retrogressive. Comparing up makes us characters, for example, Che Guevara, Mother
unhappy. Comparing down should make Theresa and Scrooge from A Christmas Carol.
us grateful, but we seldom do it. Participants will evaluate themselves against
15. Not encouraging: keeping silent or being these schemes and may take personality tests.
actually discouraging makes a person What types do we befriend easily? What types
perform badly. Negative words and motivate us? Are there some other schemes
emotions have a dampening effect on that would work better for our society? What
the spirit. personality types describe rescue workers,
16. Acting out emotions: destructive emotions spies, CEOs, musicians?
like hatred should not be acted out. Instead
verbalising them allows the other party to The first scheme in which people are categorised
understand what you are feeling. Plus is called the ‘Big Five’. It says people have
it gives time for the impulse to die out. five axes in which their personality can vary.
17. Punishment vs positive reinforcement: The mnemonic CANOE can be used for them.
punishment is when an entitlement is
withheld. Positive reinforcement is when Conscientiousness: disciplined or disorganised.
a bonus is withheld. When a child is not Agreeableness: helpful or uncooperative.
given food, or is beaten for a bad behaviour, Neuroticism: secure or anxious.
it is punishment. When he is told he will be Openness: imaginative or conforming.
given extra playtime if he behaves well, it is Extraversion: extrovert or introvert.
positive reinforcement. Rather than saying
“No” to bad behaviour, a good behavioural The second scheme varies among four pairs

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