Seems to me that we have two general paradigms for explaining psychological things such as (but not limited to) willpower.
From the perspective of energies, there are some numeric values, which can be increased or decreased by inputs from environment, or by each other. Different models within this paradigm posit different types of values and different relations between them. We can have a simple model with one mysterious value called “willpower”; or we can have a more complicated model with variables such as “glucose”, “dopamine”, “reward”, “evidence”, etc. Eating a cake increases the “reward” and “glucose” variables; completing a level on a mobile game increases the “reward” variable; the “reward” variable increases the “dopamine” variable; the “glucose” variable decreases over time as the glucose is processed by the metabolism, etc.
Solutions within this paradigm consist of choosing a variable that can be modified most efficiently, and trying to modify it. We can try increase the “willpower” by yelling at people to use their willpower, or increase “motivation” by giving them a supposedly motivational speech, we can give rewards or punishment, increase “evidence” by explaining how bad their situation is, and then we can increase “glucose” by giving them a cake, or increase “dopamine” by giving them a pill. The idea is that the change of the value will propagate through the system, and achieve the desired outcome.
From the perspective of contents, there are some beliefs or habits or behaviors or whatever, things that can have many shapes (instead of just one-dimensional value), and the precise shape is what determines the functionality. They are more like lines of code in an algorithm, or perhaps like switches; flipping the switch can redirect the existing energies from one pathway to another. A single update, such as “god does not exist”, can redirect a lot of existing motivations, and perceived rewards or punishments. A belief of “X helps to achieve Y” or “X does not help to achieve Y” can connect or disconnect the motivation to do X with the desirability of Y.
Solutions within this paradigm consist of debugging the mental contents, and finding the ones that should be changed, for example by reflecting on them, providing new evidence, experimenting with things. Unlike the energy model, which is supposed to be the same in general for all humans (like, maybe some people metabolize glucose faster than others, but the hypothesis “glucose causes willpower” is either true for everyone or false for everyone), the contents model requires custom-made solutions for everyone, because people have different beliefs, habits, and behaviors.
(Now I suspect that some readers are screaming “the first paradigm is called behaviorism, and the second paradigm is called psychoanalysis”. If that is your objection, then I’d like to remind you of CBT.)
Yesterday there was the article How You Can Gain Self Control Without “Self-Control”, whose theory seems mostly based on the energies model (variables: awareness, motivation, desires, pain tolerance, energy...), but then it suddenly provides an example based on a real person, whose mental content (“suffering is glorious”) simply flips the sign in the equation how two energies relate to each other, and anecdotally the outcomes are impressive.
I guess I am trying to say that if you overly focus on gradually increasing the right energies by training or pills, you might miss the actually high-impact interventions, because they will be out of your paradigm.
(But of course, if your energies are in disorder e.g. because you have a metabolic problem, fix that first, instead of looking for a clever insight or state of mind that would miraculously cure you.)
Seems to me that we have two general paradigms for explaining psychological things such as (but not limited to) willpower.
From the perspective of energies, there are some numeric values, which can be increased or decreased by inputs from environment, or by each other. Different models within this paradigm posit different types of values and different relations between them. We can have a simple model with one mysterious value called “willpower”; or we can have a more complicated model with variables such as “glucose”, “dopamine”, “reward”, “evidence”, etc. Eating a cake increases the “reward” and “glucose” variables; completing a level on a mobile game increases the “reward” variable; the “reward” variable increases the “dopamine” variable; the “glucose” variable decreases over time as the glucose is processed by the metabolism, etc.
Solutions within this paradigm consist of choosing a variable that can be modified most efficiently, and trying to modify it. We can try increase the “willpower” by yelling at people to use their willpower, or increase “motivation” by giving them a supposedly motivational speech, we can give rewards or punishment, increase “evidence” by explaining how bad their situation is, and then we can increase “glucose” by giving them a cake, or increase “dopamine” by giving them a pill. The idea is that the change of the value will propagate through the system, and achieve the desired outcome.
From the perspective of contents, there are some beliefs or habits or behaviors or whatever, things that can have many shapes (instead of just one-dimensional value), and the precise shape is what determines the functionality. They are more like lines of code in an algorithm, or perhaps like switches; flipping the switch can redirect the existing energies from one pathway to another. A single update, such as “god does not exist”, can redirect a lot of existing motivations, and perceived rewards or punishments. A belief of “X helps to achieve Y” or “X does not help to achieve Y” can connect or disconnect the motivation to do X with the desirability of Y.
Solutions within this paradigm consist of debugging the mental contents, and finding the ones that should be changed, for example by reflecting on them, providing new evidence, experimenting with things. Unlike the energy model, which is supposed to be the same in general for all humans (like, maybe some people metabolize glucose faster than others, but the hypothesis “glucose causes willpower” is either true for everyone or false for everyone), the contents model requires custom-made solutions for everyone, because people have different beliefs, habits, and behaviors.
(Now I suspect that some readers are screaming “the first paradigm is called behaviorism, and the second paradigm is called psychoanalysis”. If that is your objection, then I’d like to remind you of CBT.)
Yesterday there was the article How You Can Gain Self Control Without “Self-Control”, whose theory seems mostly based on the energies model (variables: awareness, motivation, desires, pain tolerance, energy...), but then it suddenly provides an example based on a real person, whose mental content (“suffering is glorious”) simply flips the sign in the equation how two energies relate to each other, and anecdotally the outcomes are impressive.
I guess I am trying to say that if you overly focus on gradually increasing the right energies by training or pills, you might miss the actually high-impact interventions, because they will be out of your paradigm.
(But of course, if your energies are in disorder e.g. because you have a metabolic problem, fix that first, instead of looking for a clever insight or state of mind that would miraculously cure you.)