Monday, April 22, 2013

Unique Persons In Unique Circumstances

The Best Answers Are Created For Unique Persons In Unique Circumstances. 

People like to categorize the world because it helps them economize time and effort. If we can put people into classes or groups then we can treat them according tot he classification, and life is easier. This approach to understanding people may be attractive, but it has real disadvantages because the action is based on error. To avoid this error, build your marriage, on the belief that each partner is unique and this is good. In the following example, a mother learned to treat each child differently. 

   A very religious mother had a problem she could not solve so she turned to prayer to find a way to help her child get over having to have a bottle. An elaborate plan was unfolded and the next day, she took her child to a dumpster and told him to throw out all the bottles into the dumperst. It was fun! Together, they said "Good- bye, bottles!" They then went to the store, and as previously discussed, they selected a sack of favorite treats. The next time the child wanted a bottle, she just brought out the sack of treats and it worked like a charm. 

 Naturally, when the problem came up with her next little boy, she did the same routine. Note that she was using hte same ruyle or concept that worked so well before, but, this little boy was different. He went along as the first child the first day, and had fun throwing the bottles into the dumpster. 
  
But, later that day when he asked for a bottle and she brought out the sack of treats, he took one look, tossed the whole sack as far as he could, and shouted, "I want my bottle!" For this child, a different answerw was needed. 

Again. the mother turned to prayer and ask why the inspriation that had worked befre failed here. 

The answer: "You didn't ask me what to do for this child."

When we are analytical, factual, and rational in analyzing a problem, we usually seek to find a principle or a law that regualtes whatever we are observing. When the same problem emerges, again we remember the principle and apply it. This makes sense if all people are the same. But each person is unique. Notice that after one century of psychological research, there are not many laws of behavior that have unanimous agreement, or even some close tot he consensual agreement similar to these found in the natural and physical sciences. 
this tells us something about human individuality. 
      But another observation is that theoretical laws often do not work because of the unique circumstances that surround each person. Thus it is more productive to seek ways to understand others in the given situtation at the moment. The best answers or solutions are often created in the moment for a special person that is like no other and ina situation that is like no other. This is what happens in marriages.

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