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author

It’s a great research question. And quite simple. Does an over reliance on status quo thinking and behavioral inertia predict less healthy personality growth?

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Yea, that is a powerful question. Absolutely, the downstream effects of that low bar can be immense.

Another way of saying this is what do I deserve? And people with unstable, opportunity poor backgrounds often lack a vision of what's possible much less for them. I have to think about the supportive research. I think you might get self-esteem as a proxy and how much a person's sense of self is diminished as a function of adverse childhood events (ACEs) etc.

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Apr 16Liked by Todd Kashdan

This a really interesting dialogue - we (the proverbial 'we') always talk about the importance of growth and so on. However, I see many people that aren't really aspiring for growth per se -- they're content with status quo or they feel forced to ensure status quo. I can't help but wonder if this ambivalence sets the stage for languishing and subsequently suffering.

From a population health perspective, it's becoming clear to me that 'survival' isn't enough...

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Apr 15Liked by Todd Kashdan

What a great conversation here.

I do have a question about “Ideal Self”. What if a person willingly (or unwittingly) sets a low bar for their ideal self? That informs their friendship strategies. It also creates a risk of surrounding oneself with low exposure opportunities.

I wonder what sort of research exists that can help someone see the value of setting a more aspirational bar for that ideal self?

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Thanks for rattling my bones with friendship awareness in this fascinating article that answered questions a girlfriend and I just talked about Saturday. How our friendships are so diverse and how our friendships were with people scattered all over the world. We’re not in the cat group, the dog group, the bridge group, or any particular group, nor do we want to be. Not that it’s wrong if other people find that delightful. And we don’t have to be in their physical presence to value and savor their sharing. We were actually wondering how many other people felt the same way. Your article shed light on the power of productive, fun and supportive camaraderie friendships. Different strokes for different folks is primo. Once again, I’ve paid this Informative and valued post forward. Big thanks!

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