Control Freak?
by Kevin Hogan
Page 2
The Illusion of Control...Good Enough?
And YOU say to me, "Yeah, but Kevin, the same laws that hold up the
ceiling aren't really the one's holding up the airplane."
Ah...and here is where the hinge is...
It doesn't matter whether what I believe is CORRECT as long as I
believe I'm in control. Actually the logic above is pretty good, but
it doesn't have to be. It only has to be GOOD ENOUGH to get me to say
YES to the much better decision of flying the plane to Las Vegas vs.
driving to Las Vegas (or worse driving ON The Strip IN Las Vegas).
So here I am in control. I'm flying Delta/Northwest to Las Vegas
Friday and not driving. I am all but 100% safe BECAUSE everything is
under my control...
Mom used to say..."If you want something done right, do it yourself...."
Yep... she did. And I do.
And this "sense of control" or "illusion of control" you just gave
me is more important than just getting me to choose to get on the
plane.
- Your sense of control causes outside stressors to be less stressful.
- Your sense of control causes you to FEEL BETTER.
- Your sense of control causes you to PERFORM BETTER.
- Your sense of control causes you to feel LESS PAIN.
- Your sense of control causes you to be more likely to make difficult
behavioral CHANGES.
Cool, or cool?
KEYPOINT: The illusion of control is an adaptive trait that increases the odds
of survival.
Control of the Future?
You are pretty likely to be nervous about your future when you think
of it. You don't know where money will come from. You don't know
whether you will be married, single, divorced or what in 3 years. You
don't know ...well...you don't KNOW much of anything about the
future. That causes anxiety. Anxiety causes stress and distress.
ANYTHING I CAN DO to help you alleviate those feelings will be seen
in an appreciative, positive and salvation-like light in your mind.
There's an idea in science called "MINIMAX." Minimax is the notion
that you will feel better if you believe that you can act to avoid
the worst case scenarios of life.
And if you believe you can control things not turning out to be as
bad as they COULD BE in some situation, then you'll feel
better...reduced anxiety...reduced stress...happier person...more
likely to make a CHANGE.
When someone has a perceived sense of control about the future they
feel much more comfortable going "into the future" because they "know
what is going to happen." If people think they know what is going to
happen, then DOING IT is much, much, much easier...and far more likely
to transpire!
Do we all have a Drive to Control?.... 
Continue: Page | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Kevin Hogan
Network 3000 Publishing
3432 Denmark #108
Eagan, MN 55123
(612) 616-0732
Photos appear under license with Stockexpert.
