"Interesting. I think that just being aware that our behavior is not always justified and taking on some personal responsibility can go a long way."
I Power
Scientific Research & Self-Development Activism
The Need for Recognition & Reward
I got to thinking about this subject because of some recent discussions that I've had with some other members here regarding the drop in activity on the site, why it occurred, and what we could potentially do to increase it again -- because a couple of the suggestions that were thrown out involved the idea of rewarding people for their involvement here, or of granting them some kind of spotlight recognition. And although that all sounded OK on the surface, I quickly began to question it, and then later suggested that perhaps those ideas weren't so great after all.
My initial thoughts were about how so many of our members originally signed up here hoping for a chance to get close to, or to at least get noticed by their favorite YouTube celebrity, Athene; and how that was a poor reason for becoming a member. And then I started thinking about how many 100's of people that we have had here along the way who have only wanted to use I-Power as a platform to potentially increase their own YouTube subscriber count. And then I also had some discussions this week with members about celebrities, and what it must be like to be one; trolls & class-clowns, and what motivates them to act the way that they do; and also about how companies will sometimes use job titles as a reward instead of money; and some other subjects, but all of which seemed to consistently keep coming back around to the same idea of people wanting to be recognized as being special or important, and how the very chance of them receiving such recognition would often motivate them, even when other, more practical reasons would not.
Perhaps my age and maturity have caused me to lose some appreciation for all of this. I don't know. Perhaps I've become overly idealistic. I do remember, for example, that it used to be very important for me to feel important when I was younger. As I recall, that was one of the main reasons that I joined the military. And I remember how I used to love wearing my dress uniform around civilians, because it made me feel special, and important. I suppose, in the end, that this is all related to ego, insecurity, and the need for social validation. And, I guess, I've matured enough by now that I don't feel the need to be patted on the back all the time like many young people do. I like and respect myself now, whether anybody else does or not. -- but I have to admit that I wasn't always this way. :-)
How about you? Do you need somebody else to tell you that you are important? or are you able to feel important all by yourself without having the notion validated by others? Do you seek fame & fortune? want your picture in the newspaper? or a merit badge on your chest? And if so, Why?
I think that this is a very important question that relates to social activism, {and therefore to the members of this community,} because activists are people who almost always have to go against the majority opinion, or an entrenched system or ideology, and so they cannot afford to rely upon what other people think about them. They need to be able to feel that what they are doing is important in the face of opposition! And don't delude yourself about any of this, either. Getting arrested and going to jail for a cause that you believe in will not usually earn you any kind of martyr's recognition or reward. Most activists suffer their persecutions very quietly and are never noticed. Martin Luther King, Jr., for example, received some attention and status during the Civil Rights movement here in the United States back in the 1960's... but there were multiplied thousands of other people who were arrested, beaten, and killed during that resistance movement who were never noticed and whom nobody remembers. Even King was eventually assassinated, by the way. But he did get his picture in the paper. :-D
A related video and Discussion post:
Psychology 101 - The Asch Experiments
Additional Reference Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normative_Social_Influence
Tags: Activism, Asch, Award, Celebrity, Character, Ego, Experiment, Fame, Fortune, Insecurity, More…
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Nathan Davies on -
>We simply aren't sympathizing with the right things as of yet.
Not quite sure what you meanSimply that by sympathizing with the ideals of world peace and tolerance (etc) that it is easier to retrain your mind and thus society as a whole. It takes time, but if you have those ideals as the things you sympathize with, you don't have to sympathize with each individual person to still arrive at the right decision.
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Permalink Reply by Sorlaize on -
You can't mean to tell me that there's a 'right decision' for everything :P
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Permalink Reply by Nathan Davies on
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Well my personality tends to make me very dogmatic, so it's in my nature to answer "yes." :P
In all seriousness, there doesn't have to be a right answer so much as a right direction. Getting things perfectly right doesn't matter to me nearly as much as moving in the right direction.
So, in answer to your question: Do I believe there is a right answer to everything? Probably not, but there is a right direction to head towards.
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Permalink Reply by Evan J. Morrison on -
I am certain that I do not need someone to tell me that I am important, but I am certain that I require validation in one form of another, and that form at times may be required from another individual. I think it really all comes down to how confident you are with your own abilities, thoughts and actions. For example if you perform a simple task that you have repetitively done then you don't require the validation of others. Such as picking up a gallon of milk, or going to the bathroom. When it comes to a new task that you're learning how to do I find that people naturally need validation more, because without it, they do not actually know how good they are doing, they only can make a judgement based off their feelings toward the action, not if it's actually being performed adequately. Naturally, I think this derives from a very basic fear of being incorrect, or wrong.
In one sense or another none of us want to be wrong, and it comes down to admitting your own ignorance or looking at things from an objective point of view. How many people do you think go against their own subjective ethical code? They typically don't find anything they're doing wrong from a subjective stand point, they can find any way or means to rationalize the action that they are taking, they don't want to be wrong and we don't want to be wrong when it comes to certain actions, and I believe that is what is at the core of people not being as active. People fear that their ideas might be wrong and like you mentioned, that's when they turn to a leader. Someone who is confident in their ideas and thoughts and feelings, someone who contribute their ideas without fear. That is why I Power kind of came to fruition if you ask me. The Athene Crew was confident with what their values were and they wanted to stick with them, and people who felt the same way followed.
Back to the main point though; I find that everyone needs some form of recognition or validation from others, or their ideas and thoughts lose their value. Not necessarily that they have to be told, but they have to see something coming out of it. Like the activists mentioned in the Martin Luther King Jr. Marches, they saw progress, and that what's validated them. Of course they did not come become famous themselves, but in a sense part of them did, or their ideas. When they chose to follow a leader, and that leader became famous part of what they valued and loved became famous as well, and that's where that validation is found as well.
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Permalink Reply by Nathan Davies on
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Do you think anyone has the ability to be a leader? Or that only certain people can be leaders? Or that certain people will be leaders only in certain areas?
The concept of leadership has been on my mind a lot lately and it has been the topic of a lot of conversation. I'm curious about what exactly makes someone a great leader? What separates the leaders from the followers? Why do some people need recognition and reward and others plunge forward without thought for their own ego?
One of the ironic things that I believe about leadership is that leaders typically don't give a damn if they are recognized or rewarded, and yet they are the ones most often recognized and rewarded. If you really think about it, if you need recognition to feel good you are already a follower. People who need recognition seek it by doing what will gain such, and by nature are led by society. Leaders take the group in a new direction and redefine what is admirable. By setting a new, higher standard by which to do things they cause the followers (those that need recognition) to want to emulate them, and that by definition is a form of recognition.
Really this loops back to my first post in this thread, and I agree with Evan on this point, I don't think having a leader is bad. I don't think that being recognized is a bad thing. That said, I don't think a leader really cares. It just happens.
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Permalink Reply by The Shiznit on -
One of the ironic things I believe about leadership is that leaders typically don't give a damn if they are recognized or rewarded, and yet they are the ones most often recognized. If you really think about it, if you need recognition to feel good you are already a follower.
That is one of the most profound things I have heard anybody say in a long time. :-D
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Permalink Reply by Sorlaize on
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>Do you need somebody else to tell you that you are important?
>I think that this is a very important question that relates to social activism
It's important for the ego, for individual psychology, so by extension yeah also for things that require an individual to well develop their sense of self & then go on to criticize others, or society.
This would be a general thing that I think our society needs to improve on. To start being more open & honest about how we behave, how we need to each take control of ourselves first in order to be a strong and able member of society. So, this begins in teaching children some facts about the world, giving them some clarity.. instead of having everyone pretty much stumble about in the world and find things out for themselves.
similar view:
[http://www.highexistence.com/turning-the-problem-around-mental-heal...]
" Ideally, what should be said to every child, repeatedly, throughout his or her school life is something like this: ‘You are in the process of being indoctrinated. We have not yet evolved a system of education that is not a system of indoctrination. We are sorry, but it is the best we can do. What you are being taught here is an amalgam of current prejudice and the choices of this particular culture. The slightest look at history will show how impermanent these must be. You are being taught by people who have been able to accommodate themselves to a regime of thought laid down by their predecessors. It is a self-perpetuating system. Those of you who are more robust and individual than others will be encouraged to leave and find ways of educating yourself — educating your own judgements. Those that stay must remember, always, and all the time, that they are being moulded and patterned to fit into the narrow and particular needs of this particular society. "
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Permalink Reply by DAN on -
Those of you who are more robust and individual than others will be encouraged to leave and find ways of educating yourself — educating your own judgements. Those that stay must remember, always, and all the time, that they are being moulded and patterned to fit into the narrow and particular needs of this particular society.
I think I do disagree on that part.
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