Personal Development for Smart People^TM Forums

The Backward OX · 11-21-2009, 07:11 AM

Is it possible to understand what makes a person tick?

For example, assume there’s these two guys. One is a lively dynamic go-getter, the other lies around all day doing nothing. Outwardly there’s nothing to account for this. On the surface they look the same. So it must be something in their heads that brings about this difference. My question is, is it possible to figure out what it is that’s going on in their heads? And if so, how is it done?

Kindred · 11-21-2009, 12:54 PM

I say no because I don't even know what's going on inside my own head! Moreover, what makes me tick today usually mutates tomorrow. How confusing for my onlookers!

Admittedly, perhaps one could make inferences to get a vague idea of what's going on in someone's head from the decisions they express outwardly, but it's still very open ended and subjective.

For instance, the guy lying around all day might actually be more of a go-getter than the first guy, but he just broke up with his girlfriend of four years and has poor emotion coping strategies. On the other hand, he could be sick with something, have a drug addiction, or have an apathetic outlook on life. The possibilities are endless no matter how much information one acquires.

If you want to better understand how all people tick, not specifically one person, psychology is a good field to get into for more information.

Eduard E · 11-21-2009, 01:52 PM

Why in the world would you wanna do that? Don't you like at least a bit, the mystery of peoples' minds?

I'm a big passionate of psychology and analyzing people. I've been doing both things since high school, and from my perspective, understanding what makes a person tick is a skill that can be learned. But you can never reach perfection with it. What you will really have is theories about why a person behaves a certain way, with a certain probability of them being right. And that's fine, as long as you don't start to think your theories are always an exact reflection of reality. Needing to understand people 100% can be dangerous business.

supertom · 11-21-2009, 05:05 PM

Check out inter-personal intelligence and emotional intelligence . IMO the only 2 skills you'll need for your answer

11-21-2009, 07:11 AM	#1 (permalink)
The Backward OX Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Out in The Bush, Queensland, Australia, far from the madding crowd Posts: 179	Is it possible to understand what makes a person tick? Is it possible to understand what makes a person tick? For example, assume there’s these two guys. One is a lively dynamic go-getter, the other lies around all day doing nothing. Outwardly there’s nothing to account for this. On the surface they look the same. So it must be something in their heads that brings about this difference. My question is, is it possible to figure out what it is that’s going on in their heads? And if so, how is it done?

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11-21-2009, 12:54 PM	#2 (permalink)
Kindred Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: British Columbia, Canada Posts: 149	I say no because I don't even know what's going on inside my own head! Moreover, what makes me tick today usually mutates tomorrow. How confusing for my onlookers! Admittedly, perhaps one could make inferences to get a vague idea of what's going on in someone's head from the decisions they express outwardly, but it's still very open ended and subjective. For instance, the guy lying around all day might actually be more of a go-getter than the first guy, but he just broke up with his girlfriend of four years and has poor emotion coping strategies. On the other hand, he could be sick with something, have a drug addiction, or have an apathetic outlook on life. The possibilities are endless no matter how much information one acquires. If you want to better understand how all people tick, not specifically one person, psychology is a good field to get into for more information.

11-21-2009, 01:52 PM	#3 (permalink)
Eduard E Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 349	Why in the world would you wanna do that? Don't you like at least a bit, the mystery of peoples' minds? I'm a big passionate of psychology and analyzing people. I've been doing both things since high school, and from my perspective, understanding what makes a person tick is a skill that can be learned. But you can never reach perfection with it. What you will really have is theories about why a person behaves a certain way, with a certain probability of them being right. And that's fine, as long as you don't start to think your theories are always an exact reflection of reality. Needing to understand people 100% can be dangerous business.

11-21-2009, 05:05 PM	#4 (permalink)
supertom Banned Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Homeless Posts: 3,548	Check out inter-personal intelligence and emotional intelligence . IMO the only 2 skills you'll need for your answer

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