i love how girls think all that's needed for a good halloween costume is knee/thigh-high stockings

learning about psychology can be a dangerous thing.
but also quite useful.

i used to think that people were just assholes, lazy, stupid, bad or even plain crazy, and there was no needed explanation for it. they just were.

now i understand that there is a reason behind everything. every "flaw" that a person has is from the not resolving an issue properly. (yes, this sounds like erickson's psychological model, but i don't think it delineates out into stages and that most of the development comes about after puberty hits).

take me for example. i've yet to resolve my fear of failure. there are a few skill sets that i have that i excel at. so good in fact, that it covered up my inabilities in other areas. i've able to avoid those situations where i could have failed and was praised for what i could do well. this compounded into the fact that i find it very hard to try to do anything outside of my skill sets. if i don't do well at something, i give it up immeadiately.

this has happened with women, school, sports and my ballet dreams.

so when i see how people behave--or mis-behave--towards others, i start looking for the cause, the motivation, that is making the person act that way. by doing this, i don't get angry as often as used to (i still explode at episodes of pure stupidity, but that's the human race--we're all doomed). instead, i feel more compassion and sympathy towards the person. trying to understand why they act the way they do and what i can do to help them resolve their problems--if i can at all.

i don't think i'm claiming i'm more mature than anyone else (ask my girlfriend for her opinion. whoa, boy. i love you, dear). i just think i'm starting to become more reflective about people and relationships. if this is just me being more educated, that's cool. if it's from the maturation process, i wish i would have started sooner.