Theory of Normalization
This idea is something that I have been thinking about for a while and it has to do with the overall perception of well being that any person feels in any situation. Pretty broad, I know, but the thought process behind it is so simplistic yet is completely opposite from how people perceive the current situation in life versus their past and their future. Confused yet? I am. This is the first time I have really put these thoughts down in writing so bear with me.
I call it the Theory of Normalization (if someone has already thought of this idea – fuck off) and it specifically deals with how people perceive their current state of being. What I am proposing is that a person always feels exactly the same about their current state after a short period of “normalization” no matter how “positive” or “negative” that state is in relation to their previous state. So I guess in short the theory could be put simply by saying:
“A person’s perception of their current state of being after a period of “normalization” is the same irrespective of the external variables. A person will always have the same outlook on their current state based on their internal cues that create a baseline for the positivity or negativity of any situation.”
Are you with me so far? I think I kind of lost myself but an example will probably help explain my thought process. First, I would first like to explain what I mean by a period of “normalization”. This is the period of time immediately after a change event in someone’s life before they have internalized the event and integrated it into their perception of their current state. For example, if someone is single and they get someone pregnant, there is a period of shock and ambivalence after they are aware of an eminent change in their current state. Once they have integrated the change, then that event is normalized and part of their current state. At that point they are able to imagine future states and take take into account the event that had occurred and it is part of their normalized current state of being. This is not just for major event but also for even minor changes to the current state. The more minor the event for that person the more quickly it is normalized. For instance if someone dented your car in the parking lot you would normalize that event more quickly than if you found out that you won the lottery.
Another more fully fleshed out example will help clarify the process and the conclusions one can come to from the theory. Say a person, call him Bill, is married, working at a company making decent money with no kids. Bill has a perception of future states that may or may not come to fruition. He may get divorced, he could lose his job, have a child or get a job promotion. Internally Bill would attach a positive or negative significance to each of these scenarios while he played them out in his mind. In reality though all of those future states are the exact same and would leave Bill with the same perception of his current situation once he has normalized them. So in actuality one does not need to focus on the events that are happening in their lives to determine their level of satisfaction and happiness. One would need to focus on improving the perception of their current state disregarding their external environment.
This leads to some dramatic changes in how one views life and the circumstances one finds themselves entrenched in. Instead of dreading being let go from your job or fantasizing about winning the lottery one would focus on how one perceives their current state. That is the only way to achieve a more lasting positivity in a dynamic existence. Once a person is able to understand and come to grips with how they approach any situation they can be free of most of the anxiety that is attached to normal every day life. This is the thing that people look for when they find their “center” or meditate – it is a world where the external circumstances are stripped away and all that remains is one’s perception of those external events. When all that remains is one’s perception then they are fully in control of their existence.
As a side note I think this theory helps explain why people find drugs so appealing. This is the lazy-man’s way to alter the perception of their current state temporarily, or in some cases permanently. The introduction of drug into the body dulls, or heightens the different mechanisms we have to process our current state effectively changing our perspective from the way we perceive our “normalized” condition.
Again, this is the first time that I have actually put these ideas in print and I know there are bound to be some logical errors that I have made. It is something I hope to expand upon over time but at its core it is a simple way to simplify and understand the perception of one’s existence.
Interesting thoughts… I am intrigued.
How does one “improve” perception of their current state? Positive thinking? How do you turn a negative outlook into a positive one if you’ve always been a naturally negative person?
I think the first step in improving one’s perception of their current state is to fully realize that a more “positive” future state will not result in any true improvement to a person’s current state even when that more “positive” state becomes a reality (the exact opposite is true as well). For example, when someone is considered pessimistic or optimistic they are coloring their current mood with their outlook for the future rather than examining the current moment for what it is – a fleeting moment in time (in a long string of fleeting moments strung together to create your perceived existence). I think many people with negative outlooks on life are really pessimistic people who choose to believe negative things will come to pass. To answer your question – I don’t really know how to improve one’s perception of their current state however divorcing the positive and negative feelings about the future from your current state is critical.
Thanks for the input – it was very thought provoking!
So perception is reality. If one has a negative outlook and people say, “hey, you’re a pessimist, you suck” or if you’re a happy, shiny person, “hey, you’re a positive person, good for you, you delusional fuck”..(this is a pessimist speaking here. I’m sure a positive person would be…well… nicer), the label is created, the mind set formed. People will form their assumptions of you and will then approach you in the matter they perceive you, thus setting into motion further reality for one’s perception of their current state. I’m not putting the blame for one’s current state on others, but it’s hard to completely focus on one’s current state minus external people and situations unless you are either totally selfish, totally ignorant, totally vein or Nell in the woods. If you come up with some ideas as how to divorce future negative outlooks from one’s current state, please let me know!!! They say positive people live longer and I wouldn’t mind a few extra years… I suppose the drinking and smoking doesn’t help my plight though. But you are right, drinking, etc does alter one’s perception of their current state; it improves mine and makes it nice and warm and fuzzy.
[...] I am pissed off at something else even though I am healthy (almost like my mental state has been normalized or something). Being sick is such a quick rearrangement to your “normalized state” [...]