Ransom's Theory of Psychology ~ by Ransom

Let me begin by assuring you that I have no training in psychology, limited contact with wackos, and a very thin track record of solving problems of the head.  I also have a portion of arrogance and the topic amuses me.

Let us begin.

The Theory

Each morning, each person on earth wakes up with a certain amount of unallocated drama that must be spent by the end of the day.  Unspent portions accrue and, if not dealt with, eventually kill the host.

It need not be restricted to drama though that is the obvious observation that started me down this rabbit hole.  We have a baseline of worry, of conflict, and more positive outputs such as joy or industry.

Think of our behaviors as an excretory function.

Our minds have a baseline of stuff that must be expressed and we don't much care how.  A cantankerous person must have a certain level of conflict or he begins to be itchy.  If he finds himself in a situation where conflict already exists he is happy in his own way.  If not he must create it until his excretory needs are met.

A joyful person finds ways to be joyful in just about any circumstance.  While events may bring him down for a while, his baseline behavior is still there and will discover a way to express itself.

This theory occurred to me when I was attempting to explain why women do what they do.  What was the purpose of the outbursts?  They had little correlation to the events to which they were ostensible reactions.  When the problems were solved there was a short period of peace terminated by another wacky issue – often self-inflicted.

I asked myself, why don't they do the obvious thing to be happy?

The answer, it turned out, is that they did not want to.  Being happy interfered with the larger needs of the total organism.

The Baseline

The baseline is unique for each person and is the result of experience, genetics, and rewards.

It is possible for a person's baseline to change, but that is self-initiated.  Instead of trying to change people just find those who's existing dysfunctions you can live with.

It's all rather annoying, but the world as we know it exists because everyone is trying to deal with their own and everybody else's issues.  Truly tranquil people get little done and generally mooch off those who are indulging their issues in a economically-productive manner.

Unending Issues

Because people seek out events by which to excrete their mental issues, they will tend to end up with inconclusive or unsolvable problems – because they have either burned through the easy stuff or they cunningly sought out an interminable problem.

Interminable problems are valuable to people because they don't have to express energy finding new ones and they can become an expert in something they value.

This, incidentally, is one of the reasons why people don't want help with their problems – having problems is very important to them and you are a heartless monster for attempting to take that away.

So what do you think?  I mean, have I really nailed it or what?