Monday, June 20, 2011

Common Strange Shifts of Perspective

From the perspective of a control freak, anyone resisting their control appears to be trying to control them.

And from the perspective of a tyrant, anyone resisting their tyranny appears to be trying to tyrannize them.

And, as I wrote last year, a similar shift of perspective characterizes selfishness and generosity:
"Selfish people think of themselves as overly generous. Generous people think of themselves as overly selfish."
A similar shift takes place with the type I refer to as Psycho Pollyannas:
"You will get nowhere by addressing them as transgressors. They're unable to recognize themselves as such even with their noses pressed directly into their own moral effluvia - so they will genuinely perceive you as the villain."

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