Id vs Super Ego: The Conscious Tonic

 

Asking questions like, 'What about it really upsets you?  Why are you so angry?

 

In asking these types of questions, you are being your teen's mindful brain.  You are helping him to figure out that it is helpful to take a step back and ask these types of questions when he is feeling really angry or upset.

 

Populism is like the teenage brain; emotion runs high and drowns out logic.  It's Id vs. Super Ego.

 

There are all kinds of examples of populism out there right now, from the crass to the dangerous.  The former, unchecked, invariably leads to the latter, which is why we have a conscience in the first place - it's how we plan ahead.

 

Therein lies the big secret that's being missed.  When you focus on messaging and attacks both verbal and non-verbal, you're trying to control an opponent or audience.  You want to limit their frame and stoke emotional responses - which is likely what they're trying to do, too.  It's political escalation.

 

How we redress this isn't through force or functional fixedness, but through the application of behavioural economics.  You can't teach the old maestro a new tune, but you can twig them with a familiar refrain. 

 

Our is not to do or die - ours is to question why.

 

Why matters.