psychic numbing cards
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PHS 09-10
Psychic Numbing
The aff¶s use of the statistics of those suffering and in poverty is aform of psychic numbing that actually decreases the chances that
anyone will get behind their cause. Our focus on the individual is
the most effective means to motivate compassion.
Robertson 2/27/10 (J.E. , µPsychic Numbing¶: Why does mass suffering induce mass
indifference?)
µPsychic numbingµ is a relatively new term, assigned to the phenomenon which shows people
tend to feel less urgent compassion, and tend to give less, when the suffering in question isshown to be more systemic and more pervasive, or affecting larger numbers of people. Some psychologists believe it is linked to our intuitive sense that if one suffers alone, the suffering is
worse, but if one is accompanied, there might be some security in numbers, not just emotionally, but practically.
The individual does not actually suffer less, but somehow, human beings ²across cultures, agesgroups and regions² appear to have an almost inborn tendency to convince themselves that the
one who suffers with others is somehow safer. This is, of course, rarely true. While yes, a young boy might
survive because his older sister goes without food, two young children in a population beset with pervasive, persistent scarcity or political
disorder, may be at significantly heightened risk of violence, or even enslavement.
Others suggest the phenomenon of psychic numbing is more to do with some sort of instinctualcalculation of the worth of one¶s efforts. If one seeks to help one lone child, one¶s actions seemable; if one seeks to send a small amount to help millions, one¶s actions may seem less able, less
capable of µmaking a difference¶.
There is a theory that this might be related to a long ³prehistoric´ period ²far longer than the period which we refer to as ³recorded history´² in
which smaller tribal bands were the organizing principle of human society. We can understand safety in numbers, but we can¶t conceive of howsending a few dollars, or writing a letter, will in any way contribute to easing the suffering of millions of people. Biologically, this just doesn¶t
compute in a cerebral infrastructure organized around tribal society.
Yet there are alternatives: there is the theory of an informational tipping point. The lone photo, with no information and no statistics, will spark
great compassion. Adding statistics or removing the photo, or naming numbers that run into the millions, will lessenthe likelihood of compassion across a large population. But when enough information is given so
that the reader /viewer can comprehend in intellectually resilient terms the scale of a tragic crisis, thereal energy of compassion is again motivated, perhaps more effectively than by any other means.
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PHS 09-10
Psychic Numbing
Psychic numbing is what allows atrocities such as genocide and any
nuclear war scenario to occur. Without it we could never allowourselves to commit these horrible acts.
Roth µ90 (John, In the Lions Den New York/ Oxford; Oxford
University Press 1990)