What Our Basic Clinical Psychology Taught Us

 What Our Basic Clinical Psychology Taught Us

I'm currently reading "Great Conversations Most People Never Heard." This book is a compilation of incredible speeches delivered by great thought leaders such as Steve Jobs and Peter Kaufman. It was written by the well-known James Clear, who regularly sent his email subscribers weekly newsletters, dubbed 3-2-1, on self-improvement. He is also the author of Atomic Habit, a book that has been translated into several languages and sold over five million copies.

Although I haven't finished reading the book yet, one particular talk, "Multidisciplinary Approach to Thinking," given by Peter Kaufman, has piqued my interest thus far. Admittedly, I learned invaluable lessons that I regret not having known earlier in life.

In this speech that lasted almost an hour, the speaker presented paths we can take to understand ourselves, the dots that connect us, and how we can think and behave in a variety of ways. 

Here is the bone of contention, our world has been in constant conflict of interest for as long as I can remember. We are too busy and too cynical to see things from different angles. As a result, our community has devolved into perpetual chaos.

The basic clinical psychology principle that states, "If you could see the world the way I see it, you would understand why I behave the way I do," is one that we frequently overlook to put into practice.

For instance, you commonly see people start attacking one another viciously on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter when they disagree about a certain term.

The truth is that it is the same not only on our social media platforms but also in our homes, for example, between brothers and sisters, and perhaps couples, etc.

Friends will consequently unfriend one another on social media, or families harbor animosity at home.

It all happens because we have failed to be a little vulnerable, to see things from the perspective of the other person. This is why we will always be startled when people behave in a certain way.

We should, in my opinion, always allow ourselves to consume things constructively. See things that go beyond the scope of individual words. And avoid drawing hasty assumptions and conclusions.

Who wins? We win!

Finally, I want to encourage people to lower the temperature, see through the conversations, adjust and adopt before responding, and then respond in a way that respects and tolerates the other person's viewpoint.