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Directions for questions 13 to 15:
The passage given below is followed by a set of three questions. Choose the most appropriate answer to each question.
Why do sensible and rational people seem to lose the ability to act sensibly and rationally when they are in conflict? What makes some families tear themselves apart in a variety of squabbles which to outsiders may seem petty but which result in family members not speaking to each other for years? What drives neighbours to blight their daily lives with unpleasant, bitter, and confrontational disputes ? And how can otherwise placid and restrained people become almost unrecognizable when involved in road rage incidents - or even trolley rage in supermarkets?
The answer may be distilled down to one psychological phenomenon self esteem It is one of the strongest motivating factors in conflict and generates powerful emotions. We all have self-esteem, whether corporate or individual: we all have a need to think well of ourselves, and for others to think well of us. Self-esteem governs many of the decisions we make daily, as we expend huge amounts of time and effort constantly maintaining and protecting our self-image
The flipside of our desire for approval is our aversion to disapproval - or worse still, our dread of humiliation. An example of this is the fear of public speaking - a dread that can be greater than that of flying or even of death. It is explained by the fact that the disapproval of each person in the audience constitutes a potentially significant attack on our self-image The larger the audience, the more overwhelming is the prospect of humiliation
There is now neurological evidence demonstrating the effect that attacks on our self-esteem have on the brain. One study showed that “social pain" activated the same circuits of the brain as physical pain. Consequently any attack on our self-image is interpreted by the brain as physical pain. When we speak of "hurt" feelings, we acknowledge that any form of censure, from slight criticism to outright condemnation or rejection, affects our self-esteem and is felt as physical pain - hence our aversion to admitting fault or to accepting liability. The word “sorry" is one of the most difficult to express, despite it being the quickest, cheapest, and most effective form of resolving a dispute. But our brain seems to indicate to us that saying sorry will be as painful as putting our hand into a fire.
The passage given below is followed by a set of three questions. Choose the most appropriate answer to each question.
Why do sensible and rational people seem to lose the ability to act sensibly and rationally when they are in conflict? What makes some families tear themselves apart in a variety of squabbles which to outsiders may seem petty but which result in family members not speaking to each other for years? What drives neighbours to blight their daily lives with unpleasant, bitter, and confrontational disputes ? And how can otherwise placid and restrained people become almost unrecognizable when involved in road rage incidents - or even trolley rage in supermarkets?
The answer may be distilled down to one psychological phenomenon self esteem It is one of the strongest motivating factors in conflict and generates powerful emotions. We all have self-esteem, whether corporate or individual: we all have a need to think well of ourselves, and for others to think well of us. Self-esteem governs many of the decisions we make daily, as we expend huge amounts of time and effort constantly maintaining and protecting our self-image
The flipside of our desire for approval is our aversion to disapproval - or worse still, our dread of humiliation. An example of this is the fear of public speaking - a dread that can be greater than that of flying or even of death. It is explained by the fact that the disapproval of each person in the audience constitutes a potentially significant attack on our self-image The larger the audience, the more overwhelming is the prospect of humiliation
There is now neurological evidence demonstrating the effect that attacks on our self-esteem have on the brain. One study showed that “social pain" activated the same circuits of the brain as physical pain. Consequently any attack on our self-image is interpreted by the brain as physical pain. When we speak of "hurt" feelings, we acknowledge that any form of censure, from slight criticism to outright condemnation or rejection, affects our self-esteem and is felt as physical pain - hence our aversion to admitting fault or to accepting liability. The word “sorry" is one of the most difficult to express, despite it being the quickest, cheapest, and most effective form of resolving a dispute. But our brain seems to indicate to us that saying sorry will be as painful as putting our hand into a fire.
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Question : 13
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