Psychology of Mental Relativity
An article I wrote in 1991 to document an aspect of our early work on Mental Relativity theory:
Psychology of Mental Relativity
Can, Want, Need, and Should
How do Thought, Knowledge, Ability, and Desire relate to the motivation to act? In our previous article, we discussed how Thought and Knowledge are used to determine Ability and Desire. Ability and Desire are passive words, they describe a condition with no reference to action. Action itself requires the passage of time.
Words that describe the same qualities but infer action are Can and Want. Can infers Ability that has not yet been employed, or in other words: Knowledge that is not yet translated into action. Want infers Desire that is not fulfilled, or in other words: an unknown that is not yet understood.
To fully appreciate these distinctions it is necessary to divorce ourselves from the internal sense that Want is "something I'd like to use or do" and that Can is "something I could have or accomplish". These sensations are several levels above their roots, which we describe here.
Can and Want are related as closely as Ability and Desire, and affect each other with the passage of time. Assume a Desireability has been established. The same degree of Desireability could be composed of much Ability and little Desire, much Desire and little Ability, equal Ability and Desire, or any combination in that range.
The ratio of Ability to Desire withing a given degree of Desireability creates Need and Should. Need describes a Desirability with little Ability and much Desire. It indicates that Ability (or knowledge) must be increased in order to motivate action on the Desireability. To increase Knowledge, more observations must be made, therefore action must be taken. When the actions taken have generated enough new observations to increase Ability to the point that Desireability now has a direct match in Knowledge, then the Left Mind processing will leave no remainder and the Right Mind will no longer be given data to vary. Ability has been increased and Desire is neutralized.
The above system applies to a person who uses the Left Mind to make observations, then sends the remainder to the Right Mind. But Right Minded individuals are driven by Should rather than Need. Should describes a Desirability with little Desire and much Ability. It indicates that Desire (or variety) must be increased in order to motivate action on the Desirability. To increase variety, more observations must be made, therefore action must be taken. When the actions taken have generated enough new observations to increase Desire to the point that Desirability has maximum variations, then the Right Mind will cease processing and the Left Mind will no longer be given data to compare to Knowledge. Desire has been fulfilled and Ability neutralized.
Several key points are suggested by these two processes, Need and Should. Both require action to obtain new observations, and therefore motivate. But Left Minded people will be motivated based on their Abilities and the Need to increase them. Right Minded people will be motivated based on their Desires and that they Should develop them. The difference between Can and Need, drives the Left Mind, the difference between Want and Should, drives the Left Mind.
Psychology of Mental Relativity
Can, Want, Need, and Should
How do Thought, Knowledge, Ability, and Desire relate to the motivation to act? In our previous article, we discussed how Thought and Knowledge are used to determine Ability and Desire. Ability and Desire are passive words, they describe a condition with no reference to action. Action itself requires the passage of time.
Words that describe the same qualities but infer action are Can and Want. Can infers Ability that has not yet been employed, or in other words: Knowledge that is not yet translated into action. Want infers Desire that is not fulfilled, or in other words: an unknown that is not yet understood.
To fully appreciate these distinctions it is necessary to divorce ourselves from the internal sense that Want is "something I'd like to use or do" and that Can is "something I could have or accomplish". These sensations are several levels above their roots, which we describe here.
Can and Want are related as closely as Ability and Desire, and affect each other with the passage of time. Assume a Desireability has been established. The same degree of Desireability could be composed of much Ability and little Desire, much Desire and little Ability, equal Ability and Desire, or any combination in that range.
The ratio of Ability to Desire withing a given degree of Desireability creates Need and Should. Need describes a Desirability with little Ability and much Desire. It indicates that Ability (or knowledge) must be increased in order to motivate action on the Desireability. To increase Knowledge, more observations must be made, therefore action must be taken. When the actions taken have generated enough new observations to increase Ability to the point that Desireability now has a direct match in Knowledge, then the Left Mind processing will leave no remainder and the Right Mind will no longer be given data to vary. Ability has been increased and Desire is neutralized.
The above system applies to a person who uses the Left Mind to make observations, then sends the remainder to the Right Mind. But Right Minded individuals are driven by Should rather than Need. Should describes a Desirability with little Desire and much Ability. It indicates that Desire (or variety) must be increased in order to motivate action on the Desirability. To increase variety, more observations must be made, therefore action must be taken. When the actions taken have generated enough new observations to increase Desire to the point that Desirability has maximum variations, then the Right Mind will cease processing and the Left Mind will no longer be given data to compare to Knowledge. Desire has been fulfilled and Ability neutralized.
Several key points are suggested by these two processes, Need and Should. Both require action to obtain new observations, and therefore motivate. But Left Minded people will be motivated based on their Abilities and the Need to increase them. Right Minded people will be motivated based on their Desires and that they Should develop them. The difference between Can and Need, drives the Left Mind, the difference between Want and Should, drives the Left Mind.
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