We often don’t think about the choices that we make, or the depth of those choices. The mental processes involved in our decision-making practices is more involved than we may think. Even the crude practice of spending money has a higher thought process, yet these actions are made without considering the deeper meaning. Our lives are categorized through our perceptual gains and losses, and we frame our decisions around these methods consciously and unconsciously. The simplest of tasks are ruminated over in a split-second. We also crave satisfaction and appraisal for our actions. These tasks can be made with confidence, or lack thereof, but most people want validation for relevant activities. From a young age, we have certain values that we hold in regard, and these thought processes help shape our lives.
If you truly think about it, our lives revolve around self-gratification, and therefore making decisions to attain that fulfillment. The majority of our time is spent bettering our thoughts and positions to gain a more enjoyable existence. Whether it be our time, money, or effort that is being expended, people want it to be worth something in the end. Although, if we have exhausted our means out of pure investment and not enjoyment, we are often creating a sunk cost effect. The book refers to attending a movie; and even if we don’t particularly like it, we will usually stay throughout said movie because we have already paid for the ticket and have already spent some time deciding that we don’t like the movie. I think that this example is pretty fantastic. I have probably seen hundreds of movies at a theater, and I can honestly say that I have only walked out of one movie thus far. We don’t want to face the fact that we’ve picked out a terrible movie and actually paid to see it. Although, most people will continue on because these recourses have already been spent. Another personal example is that I have continued dating someone, because I’ve invested so much time and emotion with them already, but I was not happy whatsoever. The situation was quite uncomfortable, but I realized that my happiness comes first. We all have experienced this error in judgement, whether it be a movie or some other activity, yet most of us continue. No one ultimately wants to do something that they won’t enjoy.
People go to extreme lengths to procure fundamental happiness. While everyone is going to experience regrets at some point. Individuals tend to over-think situations, but typically this is to develop a positive end result. People combine and isolate numerous conclusions to accomplish a paramount outcome, and this is considered hedonistic editing hypothesis. We want to disparage any misgivings in our decisions, so we can amplify our psychological indulgences when it concerns our own rewards and failures. This type of assessment is called hedonistic framing. I like to create all kinds of craft projects and I have restored antique furniture as well. I’m always using some sort of paint or stain for these projects. For example, I found an antique steamer trunk discarded on the side of the road and spent over six months restoring it. I had to use paint stripper, stains, paints, and other chemicals to restore it to its former glory. Now, I like to consider myself as environmentally conscious; and when I was done, I made sure to dispose of these chemicals properly. I used my knowledge to evaluate what would be best to do in this situation. In the end, I felt better about doing the right thing and disposing of these chemicals properly.
Our decisions ultimately define who we are. People also want validation for their efforts when pertaining to certain accomplishments. We are constantly asking for feedback from our family and peers. Each person has their own organizational behavior when referring to our dynamic decision processes. Behavior can become dysfunctional though if feedback is misperceived. On the other hand, if this feedback is taken positively into account, we can generate better outcomes for ourselves in the future. Feedback delays are inevitable. Everything takes time, and there is less likelihood that a person will be able to discern all, or even the utmost important, significances of their activities instantaneously. If a person is adept to improve suitable tactics to handle certain delays, this can reveal the magnitude in which someone can be able to influence a complex dynamic system. If these feedback delays increase during a dynamic task, it can show poor performance. Learning from these mistakes can help with creating a more accurate end product, especially when time management is more efficient.
We can all be quite headstrong in our views, options, and decisions. The classification if we are foxes are hedgehogs can show much about our decision-making processes. I chose a clip on a news entertainment show about supposed “fake news.” There are people side by side with conflicting views and trying to prove that they are right and prove that the other is wrong. I do not watch these types of shows, but this is usually the general setup. Sebastian Gorka comes off as a hedgehog because he has a focused and unbiased opinion. Herman Cain is a fox because he has many views, not quite unfocused, but he definitely overly defends his position. I feel that these news shows set up these interviews this way for optimal debating and argumentative entertainment. It honestly gives me a headache, but the analogy is helpful for distinguishing between the two.
As I mentioned earlier, I try to be environmentally conscious. I stand by my values because I don’t want to see our world diminish from incompetence. I wouldn’t trade these ideals no matter what the benefit. These protected values determine my moral character. These extend into my decision to be a vegetarian, to which I have been for the past sixteen years. I have been asked, “Would you eat a steak for a hundred dollars?” When I know that I clearly wouldn’t, some people see that as odd. Yet, this is a protected value of mine. In the textbook, the example of children’s vaccinations is used. People don’t want to risk children dying even if the benefit outweighs the dangerous consequences. Those with a higher value set are more outspoken about these instances, and unfortunately this is where we see parents deciding to not vaccinate their children.
Each individual engages in risky behavior and can make regretful decisions, especially in adolescence. Our brains develop just as our bodies do, and when we are young our brains are not fully developed yet. Their limbic system isn’t entirely regulated and controlled by the prefrontal cortex, and this can direct adolescent’s risky behavior. They tend to give into peer pressure, which leads to risky decision-making as well. Also, teens aren’t adequately knowledgeable about the vulnerabilities in different risky undertakings. They don’t seem to think through the consequences or fully consider the repercussions of their actions. The biological differences are proven with research and studies on adolescents’ brains. I know that I did some questionable things in my teenage years.
Our brains help us make decisions. We are constantly thinking and over-thinking of ways to better our choices and achieve overall happiness. I believe that we are all hardwired to constantly want more from our lives through our decisions to gain full enjoyment from life. Our decisions define who we are, and we cannot change those decisions once they are acted upon. Therefore, people will continue to want positive and healthy lives, and our mental processes help us with this endeavor. We all will try to improve upon our decisions throughout our time to accomplish essential pleasure.