self-consciousness as a social control mechanism

What I mean is, the more arbitrary mental processes you have in your brain, the less good you can do at something that would be seen as 'not normal.' This means you as a representative of this new or subversive thing will be more likely to fail, or not inspire others to join/absorb you. In this way, society naturally pressures people not to step significantly outside itself (thus creating cohesion: defining society).

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• flow
• mihaly
• social
• control
• chomsky
• self-consciousness
• gaze
• laçan
• psychology
• introspection

[WishesandWitchcraft]

You're absolutely right. And may I add, a 'norm' can only exist by a statistic quotient based on an average assumption. For some reason this seems to be invented by singular people themselves to somehow overlook every one's individuality and according individual processes. Why do all desire to create such an unreal measuring pattern? A desire to 'fit in'? Obviously this was taken up by society,but it must come from somewhere. - Thoughts?:)

[thecaster]

@WishesandWitchcraft thoughts :) thecastsite. com/blog/2010/12/normal-people­/

[westin1985]

I am real good at picking my nose. I can do it with one finger. I have been trained to not do it in public. There is social pressure not to do it around other people because they will make fun of you / correct your behavior.

What type of behaviors were you thinking about?

[thecaster]

@westin1985 speaking to many people about something that matters to you, musical sharing, those are the types of skill-like things that are inhibited when you feel an arbitrary mental process in your head, drawing away your focus and flow.

[kostolac12]

how old are you??

[TheLonelyImmortal]

Peer pressure can actually get really weird, where everyone actually wants something, and let's arbitrarily call that "to be nude", for instance, but because they all perceive a restrictive force in every other person, including even themselves because that's what they've been taught is "right", they are all restricted even though if suddenly no one could restrict anyone for a while, no one would wear clothes, (for instance). In other words, what's expected, can be pervasively unwanted.

[Crims0nBladez]

I don't know if you saw the recent X-Men movie, "first class", I think it was called.

There is a scene at Charles Xavier's mansion where the young magneto walks in on the young mystique while she is laying on a bench press, eventually levatating the barbell from the bench over her, letting it drop. She quickly shapeshifts back to her true mutant form and catches the barbell.

Magneto then explains how hiding in a form she believes is socially acceptable actually limits her focus and potential.

[QualiaAquarium]

"... To this day, my whole philosophy totters after an hour's conversation with total strangers: it seems so foolish to me to wish to be right at the price of love, and not be able to communicate what one considers most valuable lest one destroy the sympathy. Hinc meae lacrimae [hence my tears]."

[QualiaAquarium]

There are these opposing motivations to both speak your mind, but also succumb to these social influences that dictate the norm. Nietzsche referenced something like this, examining the pros and cons. I think he was pretty torn on the issue, but ultimately made a compromise, as most people tend to do. I think its so great that he expresses the true pain we can experience by making these sacrifices that inhibit our true selves

[ThatGreenGentlemen23]

That is a huge control factor that the military will use against people working for them. And its strange because its not like normal "civilian" life where someone will just make you aware that something is abnormal, supervisors and officers and the whole shabang will stand there and mindfuck you into thinking that your abnormal behavior is unethical to the structure of the military.

I really enjoyed this video.

[IAOdesigns]

OMG ITS YOU, lol i havent seen any vids from you in a long time, got to admit I missed it haha. Easy listening when I'm making graphics.

[westin1985]

You talk about that focus and flow and how thinking about how what your doing is going to impact you with others. If you ain't thinking about how what your doing is going to impact others you are a psycho path or servely mentally impaired. The true art is being able to manage all this stuff in your head. People have mental break downs over this stuff. They put themselves in a mental mind game they can't win. They mind tries to solve it but its the unsolvable problem or skill.