This is a beautifully articulated taxonomy. My first application is to addictions. At the top level, addiction “makes things okay” in a way that makes things very not okay.
Uppers can make someone feel like things are okay. This reduces stress until they wear off and the “not okay” can be seen more clearly, assuming the time spent “up” wasn’t used to actually make things okay.
Downers can make someone feel like being “not okay” is okay. This reduces stress by taking away the onus of responsibility for a time.
Psychedelics can induce states of A or B.
Codependency is an addiction to trying to make things okay, in any sense of the word. Individually, it’s a pathology. En masse, it’s a driving force behind politics.
This is a beautifully articulated taxonomy. My first application is to addictions. At the top level, addiction “makes things okay” in a way that makes things very not okay.
Uppers can make someone feel like things are okay. This reduces stress until they wear off and the “not okay” can be seen more clearly, assuming the time spent “up” wasn’t used to actually make things okay.
Downers can make someone feel like being “not okay” is okay. This reduces stress by taking away the onus of responsibility for a time.
Psychedelics can induce states of A or B.
Codependency is an addiction to trying to make things okay, in any sense of the word. Individually, it’s a pathology. En masse, it’s a driving force behind politics.