text. id: jonathan crane

[restingstitchface]

When I studied behavioural psychology, certain disordered individuals displayed a clear and pervasive need to gain compliance and control over others. Antisocial patients with a grandiose sense of self manipulated others into following their wishes. Hysterical inmates who needed the spotlight enthralled timid personalities to use and abuse.

Back home I had excellent resources to correct their deviancy. Well, now I'm away from home, and all I want is to get my hands on some new medicine. Because right now, they're tied when it comes to correcting the behaviour of individuals who currently suffer nothing more than a slight to their reputation.

But enough. What is my question, you ask?

It's simple.

How might we as a community ethically encourage our worst people to do good things?

Comments

[ text | id: bow ]

[squadgoal]

Is giving them a chance a bad answer? Because that's what I would do.

[vanto]

I agree with this. Is giving someone a chance a bad solution?

Besides, if we don't let them try then how can you force anyone to change?

[squadgoal]

Exactly.

I think if you don't give chances, nothing changes. Isn't that encouragement enough?

[restingstitchface]

Well, have you ever been on the receiving end of their machinations? Those who have frequently claim offering a chance was a dreadful idea. You see, what individuals exhibit is a pattern of behavior - and patterns never change without outside influence. Regardless, a chance alone? I would say it's foolhardy at best.

[squadgoal]

Sure. Once or twice, at least.

[ like,,, he knows catra,,, ]

But you made my point. Outside influences giving people a chance allows them to change. It's foolish but it also works.

[flightforfreedom]

think that really depends on your idea of worst people, doc

because you didn't list genocidal maniac in your disorders.

[restingstitchface]

You know that acts of violence and genocide are covered in the idea of pathological narcissism, don't you?

[Maybe he doesn't? That's his guess.]

Still, you're talking about Hux, I assume?

text

[girlybruiser]

[ Oh, it's the mysterious Dr. Crane again. ]

I agree with giving second chances, but also encouraging them to do better if not for themselves, but for the sake of others.

[restingstitchface]

What lovely optimism. But have you noticed how some people are unconcerned about others? What makes you believe encouraging them to do better by society works? Why do you believe in giving the worst of the worst a second chance?

[vanto]

What are these 'excellent resources' you're talking about?

[restingstitchface]

Therapies and medications tailored to the patient, also practical advice on daily living and treatment management.

Does that answer your question?

text;

[plentystrong]

maybe it's just me but that sounds a whole lot like you want to manipulate people

[restingstitchface]

Oh, it's just you. All I want to encourage people. It's a lot less hassle for us all if I do so this way.

[And not in the old ways.]

Text

[by_candlelight]

I think that depends on who fits in the category of worst, and why they feel the need to do the things they do.

I don't mean this in a, uh, watered-down way. I mean this in the sense that finding the cause of the activities and either giving an incentive to not do those things, or making those things just too much of a pain to do is going to be more effective than just going at it with a one-size-fits-all approach.

Also, while I get people saying 'give them another chance' - this place is a place of new chances for a lot of us after all - I get the feeling you're not talking about someone who once murdered someone, and more about active threats to the community and those outside of it... Repeat offenders.

[restingstitchface]

Quite so. Most who have offended here have progressed on to reoffend, enforcing the pattern. Have you noticed how posts by offenders, who have a captive audience on which to scorn and moan, chastise the people around them without rarely showing remorse? And how they indulge in their... nastiness, let's call it?

[There's sure been one of those recently, Woden.]

How exactly are we going to encourage them to "play ball", as they say?

text

[am_i_a_monster]

Your question raises questions.

Who's the worst and what are good things?

Could encouraging people to change their nature be a form of gaining compliance and control? Or manipulation? Would changing them make you a 'disordered individual?'

[restingstitchface]

Good questions. To the first, I would ask you to consider David Blake, Kylo Ren, Armitage Hux and how society judges them the worst of the worst. Their crimes are numerous, and memorable. The good things they have done are perhaps, unsurprisingly, not so numerous. I would believe David would find volunteering involving children quite nauseating. Or he would attempt to change their behavior for the... kicks, as it were.

To the second, I would say, simply, there is no such thing as ethical encouragement. All encouragement attempts to induce change acceptable to the one feeding input. It's quite disturbing you're the only other one to notice this, honestly.

text;

[therewillbeorder]

I found encouragement isn't often effective with some people. Sometimes you have to be more firm in changing unacceptable behavior.

[Looking at you, Poe.]

[restingstitchface]

Ah, yes. Spare the rod, spoil the child. A philosophy I happen to agree with.

[ID: Selina Kyle] TEXT▸

[sexual]

I'm not so sure that I believe it's possible for one to simply change one's spots, and it is, it's certainly not by ethical means.

[restingstitchface]

[Well, that ID's fascinating. But there's so many versions of so many people he can't really say.]

Interesting point! What means do you happen to believe in, exactly?

( text | un: wardwell )

[sathan]

Is it so simple?

Re: ( text | un: wardwell )

[restingstitchface]

My guess is for you perhaps not!

Now, if you were to ask if it's simple for others; well, behavior can be easily viewed as a single input-output system. So I suppose it depends to whom you're asking the question, really.

[deadlycurves]

Do you genuinely believe every twisted psycho can be fixed with a little TLC?

[Because if you do, Diego might think you're an idiot. #SorryNotSorryBro]

[restingstitchface]

No. What I'm after are methods that don't cause a stir.

That's something entirely different.