Is anger often the last stand for those who are wrong?

[MorkandMindy]

1. I've seen many examples of this, yesterday I was told debates between (US) Republicans and (US) Democrats are likely to be full of anger. In my own experience it is mainly the Republicans who get angry.

2. Wikipedia defines anger as an intense emotional response... to a perceived provocation.

3. Someone with a better basis for what they are saying might be expected to feel less threatened than someone with none.

Anger can be expressed by someone who has been wronged, such as someone whose country has been bombed, but I would suggest the most intense anger without any good cause would be found more often among those who know they are wrong.

4. So why can't a person in the wrong change their mind?

 

[bhsmte]

1. I've seen many examples of this, yesterday I was told debates between (US) Republicans and (US) Democrats are likely to be full of anger. In my own experience it is mainly the Republicans who get angry.

2. Wikipedia defines anger as an intense emotional response... to a perceived provocation.

3. Someone with a better basis for what they are saying might be expected to feel less threatened than someone with none.

Anger can be expressed by someone who has been wronged, such as someone whose country has been bombed, but I would suggest the most intense anger without any good cause would be found more often among those who know they are wrong.

4. So why can't a person in the wrong change their mind?

It depends on the person.

Anger and defensiveness, can be an indication a person knows they are wrong on an issue and the anger is a defense mechanism to use as an attack on the other person.

Some folks, just get riled up pretty easily though, because it is all they know, in regards to communicating their point.

The reason why some folks dig in deep and don't change their minds (when shown to be likely wrong), is heavily dependent on that persons personal psyche, which varies from person to person.

If certain beliefs are near and dear to people, it becomes too painful to admit they are wrong and will use defense mechanisms to protect their beliefs. If and when it becomes too painful to keep fooling themselves and calling upon defense mechanisms, they will let go of the belief and accept reality.

Some folks can change their beliefs, better than others.

 

[SkyWriting]

1. I've seen many examples of this, yesterday I was told debates between (US) Republicans and (US) Democrats are likely to be full of anger. In my own experience it is mainly the Republicans who get angry.
2. Wikipedia defines anger as an intense emotional response... to a perceived provocation.
3. Someone with a better basis for what they are saying might be expected to feel less threatened than someone with none.
Anger can be expressed by someone who has been wronged, such as someone whose country has been bombed, but I would suggest the most intense anger without any good cause would be found more often among those who know they are wrong.
4. So why can't a person in the wrong change their mind?

What a goofy premise.

People get angry and commit violent acts.
Would that explain why the prisons are brimming with Republicans?

 

[Nithavela]

Some people get angry because they are correct but get frustrated by all the people not getting it.

 

[Ana the Ist]

1. I've seen many examples of this, yesterday I was told debates between (US) Republicans and (US) Democrats are likely to be full of anger. In my own experience it is mainly the Republicans who get angry.

2. Wikipedia defines anger as an intense emotional response... to a perceived provocation.

3. Someone with a better basis for what they are saying might be expected to feel less threatened than someone with none.

Anger can be expressed by someone who has been wronged, such as someone whose country has been bombed, but I would suggest the most intense anger without any good cause would be found more often among those who know they are wrong.

4. So why can't a person in the wrong change their mind?

I think I feel reluctance when I realize that I'm wrong about something...typically followed by an urge to admit my mistake and make a correction. That said...

I can understand why some would get very angry upon realizing their wrong. More often than not though...I believe denial is the last refuge for those who are wrong.

Denial requires no confronting another's reasoning, logic, or arguments...it just requires one blindly cling to their position in spite of such things. It's a bit "easier" than anger. Then again, maybe I see things this way because I'm rather even tempered and I don't get angry easily.

The reasons why someone won't change their mind on something they're wrong about depends on what they're wrong about and many other factors.

 

[Archaeopteryx]

It depends on the person.

Anger and defensiveness, can be an indication a person knows they are wrong on an issue and the anger is a defense mechanism to use as an attack on the other person.

Some folks, just get riled up pretty easily though, because it is all they know, in regards to communicating their point.

The reason why some folks dig in deep and don't change their minds (when shown to be likely wrong), is heavily dependent on that persons personal psyche, which varies from person to person.

If certain beliefs are near and dear to people, it becomes too painful to admit they are wrong and will use defense mechanisms to protect their beliefs. If and when it becomes too painful to keep fooling themselves and calling upon defense mechanisms, they will let go of the belief and accept reality.

Some folks can change their beliefs, better than others.

There's also the discomfort caused by uncertainty. When a firmly held belief that seemingly explains how things are is shaken, there's an urge to fill the explanatory gap left in its place. Yet sometimes there is no clear answer. This is why it's important to emphasise that it's okay to say "I don't know."

 

[bhsmte]

There's also the discomfort caused by uncertainty. When a firmly held belief that seemingly explains how things are is shaken, there's an urge to fill the explanatory gap left in its place. Yet sometimes there is no clear answer. This is why it's important to emphasise that it's okay to say "I don't know."

Cognitive dissonance, is not pleasant.

 

[MorkandMindy]

Some people get angry because they are correct but get frustrated by all the people not getting it.

a bit unsure, I don't remember having encountered that problem yet

I used to sometimes go door to door at college with someone else as a Christian evangelist, but I always found the people very reasonable and often more knowledgeable than ourselves, it was quite interesting, I heard their point and understood their reasoning, so it wasn't frustrating but that was in England, I know things are different in the US where I am now.

 

[MorkandMindy]

...
I can understand why some would get very angry upon realizing their wrong. More often than not though...I believe denial is the last refuge for those who are wrong.

I remember talking with someone about his very loud antisocial cough and he said he could do what he wanted in his own house at his own table with his own children. I explained he really can't be surprised if they don't like the very loud cough and he replied 'what cough, I don't have a cough.' Spooky...

The reasons why someone won't change their mind on something they're wrong about depends on what they're wrong about and many other factors.

It can amount to admitting a mistake to others and people rarely like to do that. That would be for example going from non Christian to Christian and then back again. Going from one to the other is OK, just claim to have discovered the truth but going back again is admitting a mistake.

 

[MorkandMindy]

There's also the discomfort caused by uncertainty. When a firmly held belief that seemingly explains how things are is shaken, there's an urge to fill the explanatory gap left in its place. Yet sometimes there is no clear answer. This is why it's important to emphasise that it's okay to say "I don't know."

Cognitive dissonance, is not pleasant.

In science it seemed necessary to accept areas of puzzlement and to change thinking as new information came to light such as the Strong Interaction distance / force curve. Basically no scientist is in charge of reality, it is reality calling the shots and we all just have to live with it.

Detective books and often Dr. Who as well contain a developing plot where something is found that reframes everything that seemed to make sense before. Would more of that help people tolerate cognitive dissonance and stay more open minded until the whole answer could be assembled, or to leave the verdict open while conflicting data remained?

 

[bhsmte]

In science it seemed necessary to accept areas of puzzlement and to change thinking as new information came to light such as the Strong Interaction distance / force curve. Basically no scientist is in charge of reality, it is reality calling the shots and we all just have to live with it.

Detective books and often Dr. Who as well contain a developing plot where something is found that reframes everything that seemed to make sense before. Would more of that help people tolerate cognitive dissonance and stay more open minded until the whole answer could be assembled, or to leave the verdict open while conflicting data remained?

It depends on a persons psyche and psychological need that goes along with it.

If a person, has a strong psychological need to believe something, it can be so important to them, they are not capable of accepting any evidence or information that would threaten their belief, so they form defense mechanisms to protect the belief.

For these folks, too much pain would be involved with admitting the belief was false, so they have no choice but to protect it. If and when a day comes, where it becomes too painful to keep denying reality, then they will give up on the belief.

 

[zippy2006]

1. I've seen many examples of this...

It is natural and good to want to hold true beliefs. But oftentimes the desire has more to do with us and our beliefs and less to do with truth. We would rather the truth bend to our beliefs than we bend to the truth.

So yes, anger is often the last stand for those who are wrong. But this only means that those who begin to see that they are wrong will often become angry. It does not mean that those who are angry are wrong. Wikipedia's definition of anger is sufficient, and it is clearly much broader than a sign of error. We become angry for any number of reasons, one of which is error.

 

[MorkandMindy]

I guess evasion, deliberate misrepresentation and denial are the first resorts and anger comes after these fail, but some people who have repeatedly been wrong start straight off with both anger and misrepresentation at the same time, so the anger seems to be a first resort, and maybe with some people it is.

I read some more in Wiki and it looks like anger is pretty complicated.

 

[MorkandMindy]

I guess what I should have said would be:

'When people discover something is wrong shouldn't they appreciate the new understanding rather than taking the self-centered approach of denying that they were wrong and therefore continuing to claim they were right but more loudly?

But I'm not sure that would fit in the title field

 

[GrowingSmaller]

I think its conservatives specificaly who are "money mad" - and althought economics and cultural spohistication are goods - blindness to inner peace as a good to be promoted, shows a "blood vessel popping" lack of understanding.

In Buddhism anger IIRC is one of the "3 poisons" - ignorance, anger and attatchment.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_poisons_(Buddhism)#Sanskrit.2FPali.2FTibetan_terms_and_translations

People are said to be dogmatically trying to control samsara, cyclic existence, specifically the material energy and resources of the planet, people, country etc they are born into.

This is seen and paraded as as a solution to our many problems, but this is meant to be ignorant, because it is borne of attachment to something which is not the ultimate cause of happiness (money, cars, tax levels) and neglects the wisdom of traning the heart and mind in inner peace. Buddhists are trained - to some degree - to live life in an attitude detatched from sophisticated material desires...

A hindu sadhu put it another way, the fewer the needs, the greater the peace of mind. Obviously politicians want to control resources, thats their "prison cell" of sorts. And who were the ones to complain about meditation techniques being used as a tool to reduce violence in jails - IIRC conservative Christians.

So, it sadly sounds like a case of what goes around comers around.

 

[DogmaHunter]

1. I've seen many examples of this, yesterday I was told debates between (US) Republicans and (US) Democrats are likely to be full of anger. In my own experience it is mainly the Republicans who get angry.

2. Wikipedia defines anger as an intense emotional response... to a perceived provocation.

3. Someone with a better basis for what they are saying might be expected to feel less threatened than someone with none.

Anger can be expressed by someone who has been wronged, such as someone whose country has been bombed, but I would suggest the most intense anger without any good cause would be found more often among those who know they are wrong.

4. So why can't a person in the wrong change their mind?

Anger in a discussion can also be the result of frustration that the discussion partners can't seem to understand your point or similar.

When people get cornered in a discussion, I'ld think that it could express itself in a multitude of ways. From head-in-sand behaviour, to frustration, anger, cognitive dissonance, etc. Some will simply end the discussion with a meaningless one-liner in an attempt to "run away". Others will resort to becoming hostile and insulting.

 

[buzuxi02]

Anger is an emotion. Most if not all animals get angry. I used to have a macaw ( those large parrots), when that thing got angry it could take your finger off. So no, anger is not an indication of being in error it's one of being annoyed and slighted A person who is robbed or gets his car broken in will be angry, doesn't mean he was angry because he forgot to lock up his house or car.
Not sure about insects and crustaceans though.

 

[Soyeong]

1. I've seen many examples of this, yesterday I was told debates between (US) Republicans and (US) Democrats are likely to be full of anger. In my own experience it is mainly the Republicans who get angry.

2. Wikipedia defines anger as an intense emotional response... to a perceived provocation.

3. Someone with a better basis for what they are saying might be expected to feel less threatened than someone with none.

Anger can be expressed by someone who has been wronged, such as someone whose country has been bombed, but I would suggest the most intense anger without any good cause would be found more often among those who know they are wrong.

4. So why can't a person in the wrong change their mind?

There are plenty of both good and bad reasons to get angry, so I wouldn't say that getting angry indicates that you are wrong. Anyone who knew they were wrong wouldn't continue being wrong. They might want to admit that they were wrong, but it's not humanly possible to continue to hold a belief that you know is wrong.

 

[quatona]

Anger can be expressed by someone who has been wronged, such as someone whose country has been bombed, but I would suggest the most intense anger without any good cause would be found more often among those who know they are wrong.

Sorry, but I see no grounds for this premise.
Oh, now I see what you did - you added "without any good cause" in the second half of the sentence. Depending on your definition of a "good cause" this almost renders your statement tautological.

 

[buzuxi02]

Even "without any good cause" it is still untrue. Stress causes severe anger "without any good cause" such as road rage or taking it out on your spouse.

Then you have people with bipolar disorder that can turn on you on a dime for no good cause. Hormonal imbalance when using steroids etc.
If a person becomes extremely angry for let's say someone pointing out the obvious and he knows you are right, it's a personality type with other underlying causes. A psychologist would be able to identify the traits. For example an extreme case is a mobster who feels he was disrespected if an underling talks back to him and pulls out a gun. Simply the personality type of a person willing to be a mobster is one factor for inciting anger over nothing.

Some people are more dominant others more submissive, making some more likely to be combative and confrontational while others prefer to walk away.

Honestly, I've never observed what the OP is saying. Met plenty of people who always want the last word and think they are always right. Seen arguments get really heated etc. Have seen people get angry very fast over a cause they are passionate about, but rarely a factor in all these incidents was about "being wrong".