Why Did You React Like That?

According to Dean Keith Simonton (2016), whenever you have an opportunity to respond to anything, three factors come into play.  First, there is a particular statistical likelihood that you personally will respond at all.  Some situations will evoke a strong response tendency, some a moderate one, and some a low probability.  Second, some of your potential responses will be adaptive; some will not.  And, finally, even before you respond, most often you will have a general sense of whether your response will produce a successful or an unsuccessful outcome.  There are eight general classes of responses.  They are:

Routine or Habitual Responses
Lucky Guesses or Other Impulsive Actions.

Recurrent Irrational Maladaptive Responses

Problem Finding That Defies Conventional Expectations

Irrationally Failing To Do What You Know Is Good For You

Responding Creatively

Suppressing Your Usual Response

Exploring Various Behavioral Options 

Let’s apply Simonton’s notions to a healthful lifestyle practice: sleep.  And since a narrative explanation of his ideas would extend beyond the time limits appropriate to this blog, I will present a schematic example.  That way, all readers will derive a basic sense of the concepts, and the most interested ones can process and pursue the information further on their own.

In this scenario we will presume that you are sleeping poorly and are trying to decide what to do about that.  

How do the eight response tendencies apply to you regarding your current lifestyle and potential for sleep improvement?  Let's add that you are very stressed and in desperate need of more sleep.  To make the point, I will provide examples of extreme responses, both positive and negative as follows:

Routine or Habitual Responses - Positive = You listen to your doctor who prescribes a sleeping pill, because you always follow her advice.  Negative = You do not fill the prescription because you always ignore your doctor's advice.

Take Away = If it’s not broken don’t fix it, but if it is, do something different.

Lucky Guesses or Other Impulsive Actions - Positive = Although you do not need one, you buy a new bed and sleep much better.  Negative = You waste your money on an unneeded new bed.  It doesn't help and you make no other effort to address your sleep problem.

Take Away = It’s usually better to look before you leap.

Recurrent Irrational Maladaptive Responses - Positive = By definition, there are no positive outcomes.  Negative = You continue with your typical maladaptive reaction to problems which is to rationalize; in this case you recall that many famous people, such as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, and Winston Churchill, slept far worse than you do.

Take Away =  You are not Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, or Winston Churchill.

Problem Finding That Defies Conventional Expectations - Positive = You decide to follow the advice of the 19th Century Bavarian priest, Sebastian Kneipp who advised sleeping in wet socks to combat insomnia, and it works for you ! Negative = You decide to follow the advice of the priest and it does not work for you.

Take Away = Most people prefer not to “wet the bed.” 

Irrationally Failing To Do What You Know Is Good For You - Positive = Once again, by definition, there are no positive outcomes.  In this case, however, you know what works for you and merely choose not to make the effort to do it.  Negative = You continue sleep deprived and in so doing reinforce your irrationality.

Take Away =  Self-directed defiance is self-defeating and masochistic. 

Responding Creatively - Positive = You believe that your insomnia is due to reduced blood flow to your brain.  You decide, therefore, to sleep upside down with your feet resting upon three stacked pillow and it works!  Negative =You believe that your insomnia is due to reduced blood flow to your brain.  You decide, therefore, to sleep upside down with your feet resting upon three stacked pillow and awaken with a migraine headache.

Take Away = Creativity is wonderful, but only when it works.

Suppressing Your Usual Response - Positive = You usually ignore your doctor's advice, but this time you do fill the sleeping medication prescription that she wrote and it works.  Negative = You usually ignore your doctor's advice, but this time do fill the sleeping medication prescription that she wrote and you have an allergic reaction, reinforcing your belief that doctors are incompetent.

Take Away = Trying something new is good so long as you do so after some deliberation.

Exploring Various Behavioral Options - Positive = You research and try an series of somewhat trial and error options and one works for you.  Negative = You try a series of haphazard, unresearched trial and error options and none work for you.

Take Away = Exploring various behaviors also can be useful if you know how to proceed.

So, if Simonton is correct, in situations when a healthful lifestyle response is possible, if you are inclined to respond, you also are likely to have at least a general sense of whether your response will be successful or unsuccessful.  Moreover, you almost certainly tend toward one or more of the aforementioned eight responses that developed in accordance with your temperament, personality, and usual environments.  Most of your responses probably occur automatically - outside your consciousness. Therefore, whenever a response opportunity presents itself, it offers a chance for you either to respond in your characteristic manner if that is adaptive, or to respond uncharacteristically if that is more adaptive. 

To change your response tendencies then, first think about the eight options and then decide which should be consciously enacted in order to effect a meaningful healthful lifestyle change.   Pleasant dreams.

Reference:  Simonton, Dean Keith (2016).  Creativity, Automaticity, Irrationality, Fortuity, Fantasy, and Other Contingencies: An Eightfold Response Typology.  Review of General Psychology, May 5, No Pagination Specified.