Aversion Factoring: Technique for overcoming aversions
Idea: An activity doesn’t “just suck”: specific elements of it are aversive.
While in goal factoring, the emphasis was on finding the positive factors, here, the emphasis seems on finding the negative factors
Then, instead of imagining doing a different activity with all of the benefits, imagine doing the same activity with none of the aversions
Story of Critch climbing trees:
Dirty clothes: buy dark jeans
Danger: practice falling, hard¬ high
Hands feel icky: exposure therapy and big-picture reframe
Overall idea: try to find all aversions and circumvent them while still doing the activity
Aversion Factoring Algorithm
Choose an activity: worth doing, or already doing but unpleasant
Check your motivation: Why is it appealing? Consider goal-factoring to explore replacement activities. Consider internal double crux
Factor aversion into parts: include also weird impulses, and trivial inconveniences, and be specific
Draw a causal graph: capture all the positives and negatives in it. Do mindful walkthroughs and button tests (“what if the negatives disappeared”) to check if it’s complete
Implement solutions: both external factors and internal factors (e.g., reframings and exposure therapy)
This may require iteration if some aversions remain
Remember to view the implementations as an experiment
Remember that not all aversions should be overcome
Summary:
Aversions lead to avoidance or displeasure
Aversion Factoring: Technique for overcoming aversions
Idea: An activity doesn’t “just suck”: specific elements of it are aversive.
While in goal factoring, the emphasis was on finding the positive factors, here, the emphasis seems on finding the negative factors
Then, instead of imagining doing a different activity with all of the benefits, imagine doing the same activity with none of the aversions
Story of Critch climbing trees:
Dirty clothes: buy dark jeans
Danger: practice falling, hard¬ high
Hands feel icky: exposure therapy and big-picture reframe
Overall idea: try to find all aversions and circumvent them while still doing the activity
Aversion Factoring Algorithm
Choose an activity: worth doing, or already doing but unpleasant
Check your motivation: Why is it appealing? Consider goal-factoring to explore replacement activities. Consider internal double crux
Factor aversion into parts: include also weird impulses, and trivial inconveniences, and be specific
Draw a causal graph: capture all the positives and negatives in it. Do mindful walkthroughs and button tests (“what if the negatives disappeared”) to check if it’s complete
Implement solutions: both external factors and internal factors (e.g., reframings and exposure therapy)
This may require iteration if some aversions remain
Remember to view the implementations as an experiment
Remember that not all aversions should be overcome