Gun bestows 'supernatural' peace of mind?
- Thread starter MikeGoob
- Start date
Thanks, Mike. Glad to hear you find the site helpful. 
To address this more specifically, recently I've been reading a lot of books about how to market a beginning business. One of those books, titled Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, talks a bit about the principle of consistency. It seems that once people have made a decision -- whatever the decision might be, whether it's to buy a product or bet money on a horse or volunteer at the local soup kitchen -- they tend to find other (often more compelling) reasons to support that choice. And they tend to stay with the choice they made and continue to act consistently with that decision even if you take away the original reason they had for choosing the way they did.*
What I'm getting at is something like this: no, it doesn't make any sense to purchase a firearm and learn how to use it simply because you're afraid of storm noises. But. Once she's made that decision to have a gun in her home, she'll almost certainly find other and better reasons she should be prepared to protect herself if she needs to. Even though later on she'll almost certainly agree that her original reason made no sense, she can continue to move forward with those better reasons.
Because people tend to act consistently with decisions they've made in the past and with the self image they currently hold, she probably will not get rid of the gun when she decides that the first reason she had for buying it was a bad one. Instead, she'll probably just find a good reason to keep the gun, and she'll keep going on that path.
So while I wouldn't necessarily encourage the "illogical" reason she currently has, I would not argue against it either. I would just present other, more reasonable (and thus more durable) reasons she might want to be able to protect herself. She's a smart person and will manage the rest on her own.
pax
* This is why shady "bait and switch" tactics work -- and because it's such a strong principle, it's also why such tactics are illegal and immoral and also probably fattening.
To address this more specifically, recently I've been reading a lot of books about how to market a beginning business. One of those books, titled Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, talks a bit about the principle of consistency. It seems that once people have made a decision -- whatever the decision might be, whether it's to buy a product or bet money on a horse or volunteer at the local soup kitchen -- they tend to find other (often more compelling) reasons to support that choice. And they tend to stay with the choice they made and continue to act consistently with that decision even if you take away the original reason they had for choosing the way they did.*
What I'm getting at is something like this: no, it doesn't make any sense to purchase a firearm and learn how to use it simply because you're afraid of storm noises. But. Once she's made that decision to have a gun in her home, she'll almost certainly find other and better reasons she should be prepared to protect herself if she needs to. Even though later on she'll almost certainly agree that her original reason made no sense, she can continue to move forward with those better reasons.
Because people tend to act consistently with decisions they've made in the past and with the self image they currently hold, she probably will not get rid of the gun when she decides that the first reason she had for buying it was a bad one. Instead, she'll probably just find a good reason to keep the gun, and she'll keep going on that path.
So while I wouldn't necessarily encourage the "illogical" reason she currently has, I would not argue against it either. I would just present other, more reasonable (and thus more durable) reasons she might want to be able to protect herself. She's a smart person and will manage the rest on her own.
pax
* This is why shady "bait and switch" tactics work -- and because it's such a strong principle, it's also why such tactics are illegal and immoral and also probably fattening.
zachkuby87
New member
Id say its ok until u come home and the window is riddled with bullet holes cause she killed the evil tree
Fear
Mike, I believe you have grasped the essential features of your girlfriend's problem. Many natural (and unnatural) events can cause fear in many or all of us. These may include storms, traffic, flying, loud noises, the dark, etc. The fact that most of these are irrational fears doesn't alter the emotional response. How many people came to fear the ocean after Spielberg made "Jaws"? How many people know anyone who has been bitten by a sharK? But the movie seized on a primordial human antipathy to sharks (and made a lot of money doing so.)
You are correct in your concern that having a gun available may not the a panacea for your girlfriend's response to nght noises. True, a firearm can be a useful tool to reduce anxiety about specific potential threats, but it is beneficial only in limited and specific circumstances and should not be considered as a therapy for anxieties. If she becomes familiar with the uses and limitations of firearms, I believe she will figure this out for herself. Training her in those uses is beneficial in and of itself, but not because of her fear of night storms.
Mike, I believe you have grasped the essential features of your girlfriend's problem. Many natural (and unnatural) events can cause fear in many or all of us. These may include storms, traffic, flying, loud noises, the dark, etc. The fact that most of these are irrational fears doesn't alter the emotional response. How many people came to fear the ocean after Spielberg made "Jaws"? How many people know anyone who has been bitten by a sharK? But the movie seized on a primordial human antipathy to sharks (and made a lot of money doing so.)
You are correct in your concern that having a gun available may not the a panacea for your girlfriend's response to nght noises. True, a firearm can be a useful tool to reduce anxiety about specific potential threats, but it is beneficial only in limited and specific circumstances and should not be considered as a therapy for anxieties. If she becomes familiar with the uses and limitations of firearms, I believe she will figure this out for herself. Training her in those uses is beneficial in and of itself, but not because of her fear of night storms.