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(Spring/Summer, 2000) (The Unconscious) |
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What
Makes Smart People Do Dumb Things (p. 1)
Interviewed Researchers:
John Bancroft, Erick Jassen, David Strong
"I
was astonished to find that virtually all the relevant studies assumed
that the risky behavior is under voluntary control, that people appraise
the risk and then use that appraisal to decide whether or not to act. Not
one was considering that the sexual process itself might play a role."
"According
to a theoretical model developed by Bancroft and Jassen at the institute,
each individual has personality traits that can affect behavior at a relative
unconscious level. "To fully understand why, in a given situation, one
person takes a risk and another does not, we need to appreciate how these
traits interact with conscious perceptions of risk."
"People
have different levels of sexual inhibitions and excitation, different relationships
between mood and sexuality, and different degrees of assertiveness... We
believe all these affect decisions to take or avoid risks. We are postulating
that they operate in a kind a matrix: high excitation alone might not lead
to risky behavior, but high excitation combined with low inhibition might.
Someone who is depressed, or has low self esteem, and at the same time
is not assertive in a relationship, might give in to risky behavior even
when one knows better. The wrong combination of factors can be a recipe
for disaster."
Strong
has conducted some 50 interviews also [from 1000 who completed questionnaires],
and so far the theory is being borne out. "We asked people to relate a
recent sexual episode that they now regret, and asked why the did it. They
almost always talk about knowing better, but 'the heat of the moment' carried
them away. Often they say they literally forgot the risks, only to have
the realization of what they had done crashing back on them, even in the
split second after orgasm."
"We
don't think our model will explain all risky behavior..., but it could
go a long way. If we can help people understand why they do what they do,
what their tendencies are, it might help them increase their control."
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