Black and white thinking
I find that when I can't figure out if something is right or wrong etc., my mind goes into a mad frenzy of thought and this can be really stressful and bring on a meltdown. I sometimes just can't deal with grey areas where there is no right or wrong or where right or wrong is not at all important at that moment, and it's a case of choice between one thing or the other with no real reason to prioritize.
Regarding black and white thinking:
+ vs - (plus sign vs minus sign)
Light vs Darkness
It seems to me that some black/white thinking is based on the idea of sorting.
Many persons will put a 1 inch nail in one jar and a 2 inch nail in another jar to keep them separate for different purposes.
Pepper is in one container on the table, salt is in another container on the table.
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Some persons will make a list and put the benefits on one side of a page and the disadvantages on the other side of the page, then add them up. (2 categories)
I tend to use 3 categories:
- a Benefits column
- a Neutrals column ( - 0 - )
- a Disadvantages column
I use the Neutrals column as ~ the grey area.
+ vs - 0 - vs -
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Within the idea of voting for something as on a ballot, the choices can be:
- Yes
- Abstain from voting
- No
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There is a kind of black and white thinking which is real, for example:
A horseshoe magnet attracts or repels iron objects.
Drinking water can be pure water or polluted water.
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Some philosophies use ~ black and white thinking (saved vs unsaved).
Some philosophies use ~ black, grey, and white thinking (Yin-yang).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yin_and_yang
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Many political groups use black and white thinking: Them vs Us.
I don't believe in grey, however the black and white spots can mix so the whole looks grey. There is no time I can simultaneously think someone is bad and good at the same time, that is parallel thinking and I don't have that much. My thinking is serial so I have to use time to distinguish between black and white.
I'm very confused by this topic. My own black and white thinking applies primarily to ethical and moral considerations. I don't think there is any relative merit, for instance, to torture, or racism. And I certainly don't want to start thinking that there could be.
But I get into trouble when applying it to much more mundane and petty instances of unethical or immoral behavior. When someone does something intentionally hurtful, like a bully for instance, then I think they are a bad person, and it's hard for me to see past that. If they were to apologize and make amends, then my opinion could change, but that doesn't happen much. I'm not really sure how to change my thinking in this regard. I could try to overlook it altogether, but then I m suspending my own judgment and am left with nothing to base my opinion on.
I'm not really a black-and-white thinker. I can accept gray areas. I'm more bothered when things are illogical or arbitrary. I'm very stubborn in that I always like to know the "why" behind things. I also tend to be skeptical. I need to understand everything for myself before I trust it.
I have nuanced view of the morality and politics. It's why I can never make decisions or come to definite conclusions.
My "black/white" thinking is related more to accuracy and specificity. I don't have time for stupid generalizations presented without evidence. I don't have the patience for whishy-washy thinking, fluffy-headed opinions, or people who state personal viewpoints as facts.
It also affects my behavior. I can't stand interuptions, or constant changes in schedules. Either we're going to the zoo, or we're going to the museum, but we're not going to drive to Jeff's house to pick up Mary, so she can call her friends, who will meet us at the museum, so we can drive to the theater to check out the movie times, so we can drive back to the museum if nothing's playing until 2100, so we can drive back to the theater........STOP IT!! ! We're either going to the MUSEUM or we're going to see a MOVIE. PERIOD. NO MORE CHANGING. I'm doing one thing, or I'm doing the other....NOT BOTH!! !! !
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