Split Ideology Personalities?

[Harpuia]

I'd like to know what people think of split personalities. Not so much the actual medical condition, but in my case, being split ideologically, like one half believing one thing and another half believing another.

I dunno how many people have this same problem (I sometimes think I'm the only one), but I'd like to know what people think of such things.

Or am I just confusing you all?

 

[chipmunk]

^.^ I think I understand you. Perhaps it is just part of trying to figure out who we are and what we really believe.

It's like believing in both social darwinism and socialism. They don't really work well together. *bangs head*

 

[Steezie]

I once spoke with a young woman in high school who had a split personality. One of them was a slavering neo-con and the other was a hippy. Go figgure, as long as you're happy

 

[sister_maynard]

I'm very torn about what to believe on some of the thornier issues, so I suppose I know the feeling. I keep doing the "on the other hand" thing, so I often wind up confused.

 

[Robbie_James_Francis]

Yes, I certainly see what you're talking about, and I think I often have split ideologies. More often than not, it is an emotional response to a particular idea. Usually it is one I find so abhorrent and extreme that it inspires in me an equally vehement anagonistic opinion. On occasion, however, I find a relatively 'extreme' view that I agree with, and it can have the effect of pulling me in the same direction.

The best way to actually get to the heart of my ideologies, I find, is to try to seperate myself from outside stimuli, and to begin from an optimistic position in which I assume the best of everyone and every ideological belief, and work from there.

More difficult is when I find myself more concretely in two minds about something. I find that, over time, a fair and open assessment of the issues from a liberal (I use the term without any reference to political or religious standpoints, but rather to mean more tolerant and diverse) viewpoint helps to moerate and refine my ideas.

It can be a difficult and confusing process, with a lot of mistakes and jumping to opposing conclusions but it is a very positive one, and I find that, as my consideration of issues goes on, I find myself having much more conviction in the beliefs I profess. I feel far less apprehension in professing them because, most importantly, I have greater honesty and integrity in doing so.



peace

 

[SimplyMe]

I think it's normal, a part of being human. Despite the fact that some believe that we live in a black and white world, the fact is that we don't -- there are innumerable shades of gray. Because of this, the same action doesn't work in all cases, yet we often need to make laws as if we were in a one-size-fits-all world.

To use an analogy, typically if you are going to fight fire, you are told to dump lots of water on the fire. However, if it is an electrical fire, water is actually one of the worst things put on the fire.

This is reflected in our legal system, which has different crimes for the same act, as well as different punishments that can be enacted. For example, if you take someones life you may not be charged (if it was a clear case of self-defense), you may be charged with involuntary manslaughter, manslaughter, or one of the various degrees of murder.

So, when we view an issue that is being argued in terms of black and white, we will occasionally see both sides as being equally valid -- simply because in different situations we can see where each point of view has validity.

 

[quatona]

I'd like to know what people think of split personalities. Not so much the actual medical condition, but in my case, being split ideologically, like one half believing one thing and another half believing another.

Could you name one issue on which one of your half believes one thing and the other the opposite - just so I get a better idea what you are actually talking about?
Is it merely that you find reasons for as well as against something? I see no problem with that. Actually, the opposite is the case: I see a problem with the widely spread idea that you have to take a stance, defend it no matter what and ignore the arguments that speak against it.
A split ideology is an oxymoron, in my book.

 

[JohnLocke]

I'd like to know what people think of split personalities. Not so much the actual medical condition, but in my case, being split ideologically, like one half believing one thing and another half believing another.

I dunno how many people have this same problem (I sometimes think I'm the only one), but I'd like to know what people think of such things.

Or am I just confusing you all?

It's generally called ambivalence, and it's quite common. It often occurs along the fuzzy edges of moral and/or ethical principles. Often times a moral principle may be used to come to a "conclusion" concerning a particular matter, but the exact situation has within certain emotional and other factors which cause one pause in imposing that result.

In law we have a maxim "hard cases make bad law." Sometimes, the law applicable to a particular case is perfectly clear, but the result is equally clearly unjust. In some cases, the judges rule according to the law, often with rather biting comments to the appropriate legislature to fix the law. Other times, the judges, more or less boldly, rule in such a way to bring about the just result (often this is accompanied by saying "while the language of the statute appears clearly contradictory to this ruling, it is equally clear that the legislature never intended this result, nor would the result seemingly required by the statute effectuate the stated purpose of the legislation in question).

In short, what you are calling a split ideology is likely to be a lack of refinement in the moral/ethical principle involved. In other words, the actual moral/ethical principle that the individual in this circumstance actually believes is different from the one that they express.

Cheers