What the 5 Monkey story can teach you about INSIGHT!

What is Insight?  Insight is "the capacity to gain an accurate and deep intuitive understanding of a person or a thing."   This can mean having Insight into yourself or others.  

Today as the first day, I want you to gain insight into thinking about behaviors. 

Here's a psychology experiment that you must know about: 

The 5 Monkeys ~~

What this story teaches us is how we are sometimes a product of our environment and have no idea why we do what we do.  With insight we can make conscious changes not only in ourselves but also in the world.

Some of you may question if this was a true experiment and it wasn't but it is based on a true experiment (see below).  If we have insight we can see this happening in our daily lives.  I often hear in school meetings that something was done or going to be done because "it has always been done this way."  Geez that's really scary now if you think about it, right?  

**Reference:

"Stephenson (1967) trained adult male and female rhesus monkeys to avoid manipulating an object and then placed individual naïve animals in a cage with a trained individual of the same age and sex and the object in question. In one case, a trained male actually pulled his naïve partner away from the previously punished manipulandum during their period of interaction, whereas the other two trained males exhibited what were described as "threat facial expressions while in a fear posture" when a naïve animal approached the manipulandum. When placed alone in the cage with the novel object, naïve males that had been paired with trained males showed greatly reduced manipulation of the training object in comparison with controls. Unfortunately, training and testing were not carried out using a discrimination procedure so the nature of the transmitted information cannot be determined, but the data are of considerable interest."

Sources: Stephenson, G. R. (1967). Cultural acquisition of a specific learned response among rhesus monkeys. In: Starek, D., Schneider, R., and Kuhn, H. J. (eds.), Progress in Primatology, Stuttgart: Fischer, pp. 279-288.

Mentioned in: Galef, B. G., Jr. (1976). Social Transmission of Acquired Behavior: A Discussion of Tradition and Social Learning in Vertebrates. In: Rosenblatt, J.S., Hinde, R.A., Shaw, E. and Beer, C. (eds.), Advances in the study of behavior, Vol. 6, New York: Academic Press, pp. 87-88.

Who to trust....

Information you need to understand and remember!  
Have you ever met a person or professional who thinks they know everything and has all the answers?  These kind of people don't admit that they could be wrong and never would admit a mistake.  Well, these are the people you should not trust because what they are presenting on the outside is just a cover.  

Because....
~No one is perfect!  

~~Everyone has problems and obstacles in their lives. 

~~~Learning is challenging and the lessons we learn from the most challenging experiences and events are the ones that are the most beneficial.  

~~~~ If someone tells you they have everything figured out than do not trust them because they are either fooling themselves or they are fooling you.  

There are people out there that want you to believe they have all the right answers but that isn't possible.  They may have some answers that are correct but they cannot know everything. They may be experts about some things but they cannot be experts on everything.  An authentic person will be honest that they don't know everything but they are willing to peruse the answers.  An authentic person will admit mistakes, make apologies, and make amends.  

So don't blindly just believe and trust others-- do your own research, walk your own path, and trust your own instincts. 

You are the expert on your life, your problems, your children, your family, your experiences.... 

Never let someone tell you that you don't know what you know or know what you are feeling, talking about, or experiencing.  

So stay strong no matter what you are battling - doctors & health care practitioners for a medical/health problem;  a school district regarding your child's education; or a co-worker/family/friend who acts better than you or attacks your integrity.  

Finally, this is YOUR Hero's journey and you must be the one in the lead!

How to be happy- Motivational Monday!

 

There are billions of people in the world so you can't expect that everyone will like you.  What we often don't understand is when a person doesn't like you it is actually a mirror reflection of their own issues. You behave and the other person interprets the behaviors and then reacts based on their own perceptions.  

People with integrity will still treat you with respect even if they do not like you.  If a person treats you with disrespect than they are the one showing their true colors - which are not pretty.  

Do not be tempted to be disrespectful in return.  I often hear people say "but they started it," or "I'm just giving them what they gave me."   This is childish and immature.  You are the one who is compromising your integrity.  You are allowing the other person to "get to you."  

Be the better person even if you are the only one who knows YOU are better.  This is being true to yourself.  By not lowering your standards and you are being a good quality person with integrity. The other person is the one that is the bad person.  Now, think about it... Do you really care if a bad person likes you or not?  I hope not because YOU are better than that!  

Let the bad person be a bad person but don't be negative or bad in return.  Continue to be your good positive self and the world will be a happier place.  Remember negative begets negative.  Also remember that Karma will happen~ it always does although you may not be around to see it ~ just know they will not have a good happy life.  Your success and happiness will be the best revenge. So if they start disliking you more - you are being the better person and that is irritating them that they can't make you like them (bad) or control you.  Ahh the sweet success of living with integrity!