In short, the real reason people don’t do the things they consciously want to do might be related to a sort of immune system that tries to keep things as they are because there are competing commitments that steam from unconscious assumptions. e.g. a person might not take their heart medication because taking medication is associated with end of life and they have a competing commitment to not perceive themselves as being at the end of their life.
Could you provide a summary of the idea?
Robert Kegan’s wikipedia entry has a pretty good summary of the idea.
This 15 min. youtube video is also a nice introduction.
In short, the real reason people don’t do the things they consciously want to do might be related to a sort of immune system that tries to keep things as they are because there are competing commitments that steam from unconscious assumptions. e.g. a person might not take their heart medication because taking medication is associated with end of life and they have a competing commitment to not perceive themselves as being at the end of their life.
it is not just an idea—in his book “Right Weight Right Mind” he takes you through a whole powerful process.