Conceptual blockbusting - chap3 Emotional blocks

Barnyard game -- People will often avoid conceptualization, or at least avoid publicizing the output because expression of new ideas sometimes makes you feel like an ass.

Emotions lead, not follow.

 

Freudian theory is based upon conflicts between the id and the ego and superego.

id: the instinctive animal part of ourselves

ego: the socially aware and conscious aspect

superego: the moralistic portion of ourselves that forbids and prohibits

The motive force in the model is the id, which resides in the unconscious and is concerned with satisfying our needs. Ideas originating in the unconscious must be subjected to the scrutiny of the ego (which may reject them because we cannot realistically carry them out) and the superego (which may reject them because we should not have let ourselves have such ideas in the first place). If the ego and superego are overly selective, relatively few creative ideas will reach the conscious mind. If they are not selective enough, a torrent of highly innovative but extremely impractical ideas will emerge.

Below are some emotional blocks which may interfere with our ability to explore and manipulate ideas, with our ability to conceptualize fluently and flexibly, and prevent us from communicating ideas to others in a manner that will gain them acceptance.

1) Fear to make a mistake, to fail, to risk

This is the most general and common emotional blcok. We are taught to live safely and avoid risk whenever possible. When we produce and try to sell a creative idea we are taking a risk of making a mistake, failing. makeing an ass of ourself, losing money, or whatever. However, the fears that inhibit conceptualization are often not based upon a realistic assumption of the consquences. The fear involved is a more generalized fear of taking a risk.

A way of overcoming such a block is to realistically assess the possible negative consequences of an idea by asking "What are your catastrophic expectations?"

2) Inability to tolerate ambiguity; overriding desires for security, order; "No appetite for chaos"

Some element of this block is rational. However, an excessive fondness for order in all things in inappropriate. The solution of a complex problem is a messy process. Rigorous and logical techniques are often necessary, but not sufficient. You must usually wallow in misleading and ill-fitting data, hazy and difficult-to-test concepts, opinions, values, and other such untidy quantities. Problem-solving is bringing order to chaos. A desire for order is therefore necessary. However, the ability to tolerate chaos is a must.

If your thoughts are precisely folded and dressed right, you are probably a fairly limited problem-solver. The process of bringing widely disparate thoughts together cannot work too well because your mind is not going to allow widely disparate thoughts to coexist long engough to combine.

3) Preference for judging ideas, rather than generating them

Three distinct types of thinking in problem-solving: analysis, judgement, and synthesis.

In analysis, there is usually a right answer.

Judgement is generally used in a problem where they are several answers and one must be chosen.

Synthesis is even more of a multianswer situation.

If you analyze or judge too early in the problem-solving process, you will reject many ideas. This is detrimental for two reasons: a) newly formed ideas are fragile and imperfect--they need time to mature and acquire the details needed to make them believable; b) ideas often lead to other ideas. Many tecniques of conceptualization, such as brainstorming, depend for their effectiveness on maintaining "way-out" ideas long enough to let them mature and spawn other more realistic ideas.

4) Inability to relax, incubate, and "sleep on it"

 Incubation is important in problem-solving. It's poor planning not to allow adequate time for incubation in the solution of an important problem. It is also important to be able to relax in the midst of problem-solving. A better answer will generally result from an incubation process that is occurring in the mind.

5) Lack of challenge (problem fails to engage interest) versus excessive zeal (overmotivation to succeed quickly)

You cannot do your best on a problem unless you are motivated.

On the other hand, an excessive motivation to succeed, especially to succeed quickly, can inhibit the creative process.

6) Inability to distinguish reality from fantasy