The Divided Self by Jonathan Haidt

Jonathan Haidt
Dr. Meyer
PHII 200

Divisions of Self: Explore the concept of the divided self and reflect on the different parts of ourselves that may conflict.
Plato's Metaphor: Plato uses the metaphor of a charioteer controlling two wild steeds.
- Interpretation: The charioteer represents reason, while the steeds represent chaotic desires and impulses.
- Lesson: Plato suggests that reason should be in charge to achieve harmony within the self.

Conceptual Framework: Freud presents a model of the psyche that includes three parts:
- Ego: The conscious self that deals with reality and mediates between the desires of the id and the superego.
- Id: Represents the dark and childish desires arising from the unconscious mind, driven by instant gratification and primal instincts.
- Superego: The regulatory part of the psyche that internalizes societal rules, moral standards, and ideals, functioning as a conscience.

Exploration of Selfhood: Buddhist philosophy also offers views on the nature of the self, emphasizing that it can be an illusion.
- Concept of Anatta: The idea of ‘non-self’ suggests that what we perceive as the self is a collection of changing phenomena rather than a fixed entity.

Haidt’s Metaphor: The metaphor illustrates the struggle between rational thought (the rider) and emotions or impulses (the elephant).
- Understanding the Metaphor:
- The Rider: Represents rational thinking, deliberation, and controlled processes.
- The Elephant: Symbolizes the emotional side of human nature, driven purely by instinct and feeling.
- Implication: To make effective changes in behavior, one must understand and motivate the elephant, not just direct the rider.

Automatic Reactions: Reflect on instances where automatic thinking has led to negative outcomes in personal situations.
- Task: Spend two minutes listing situations where gut reactions hindered happiness or well-being.
- Reflection: In hindsight, consider how these situations could have been approached differently, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and control in decision-making.

Direct the Rider:
- Provide clear, actionable directions to mitigate confusion or mental paralysis.
Motivate the Elephant:
- Establish emotional connections that encourage motivation and engagement with behavioral change.
Shape the Path:
- Alter the environment to reduce obstacles and make the desired behavior easier, effectively "tweaking the scenery" to encourage success.

Impact of Brain Damage: Discussion on individuals whose personalities change after frontal brain damage.
- Key Observation: Individuals who lose their ability to feel emotions due to brain damage do not become purely rational decision-makers.
- Conclusion: Emotions play an essential role in decision-making processes, ensuring that rationality alone is insufficient.

Automatic Processes:
- Conducted by John Bargh, observations show that exposure to words related to the elderly can result in people walking slowly, demonstrating subconscious influences.
- Affective Priming: Automatic processes often operate unconsciously and can influence perceptions and actions without awareness.
Controlled Processes:
- These require conscious thought and are often hindered by the reliance on language, limiting effective decision-making.
- David Hume's Quote: "Reason is, and ought to only be the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them."

Marshmallow Study: Conducted by Walter Mischel at Stanford University in 1970.
- Experiment: Children were given the option to eat one marshmallow immediately after ringing a bell or wait for the researcher to return to receive two marshmallows.
- Long-term Findings: In 1985, it was found that children who delayed gratification tended to be better behaved teenagers and were accepted into top universities.

Dan Wegner's Finding: Humans often experience an ironic process where attempts to suppress thoughts about something make those thoughts more prominent.
- Mechanism: Automatic processes generate numerous thoughts daily, and those that are shocking or shameful tend to “stick.”
- Implication: It highlights how attempts to ignore certain desires may inadvertently lead to an increase in thoughts about them.

Control of Thought: Acknowledge that humans are often less in control of their thinking than they assume.
Learning Control: Some thoughts may be controlled with dedicated practice and understanding.
Role of Emotion: Emotions are significant drivers of behavior, regardless of rational decision-making processes.
Understanding the Elephant: Correctly motivating and managing the ‘elephant’ entails understanding its functioning and driving forces.