Quote:
Originally Posted by Rochard
've discussed this with his family - his sister and his mother, long time family friends - and they say "He is harmless". I bet that's what they always say right before someone snaps.
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This is usually 100% correct.
I will share why.
Using sociopathy as an example. Why can't we understand we are dealing with a sociopath? Why can't we understand our parent is a sociopath? Why does the most obvious evade us for so long?
The single largest reason is kind of bizarre to think about and shockingly simple.
"We can't imagine it".
You can imagine almost anything. What its like to be shot. What its like to be blind. What its like to be deathly ill. What its like to get hit in the head with a bat or whatever.
But you can't imagine what its like to not feel love. You can't imagine what its like to not feel shame. You can't imagine what its like to not feel remorse or guilt.
Because our brains absolutely abhor inconsistency with our understanding and world view, we simply explain behaviors away, particularly when they are close to us and we absolutely need to make sense of them.