by: Brian Maloney
What exactly is dysfunction? It is a word society, although probably overused, labels most anything and everything. However, its true attribute can be characterized as a negative that is mostly hurtful and counterproductive.
A parent who consistently talks down to their children in the attempts of suppressing their self esteem would be a perfect citing of dysfunction.
It is quite obvious that none of us can escape dysfunction. Television and media cater to an extremely dysfunctional character trait that I believe is learned, not necessarily inherited. The you angle is portrayed as subtle, but quite effective.
When the media designs a mass advertising campaign, they brainstorm the best way to approach any perspective consumer in a targeted demographic. The you angle feeds a person’s sense of “what’s in it for me and how can I benefit”? This mindset, I feel, carries over into all phases of one’s life creating an environment of constantly coveting self fulfillment.
So with this said, how does one break this powerful mold the media injects daily onto you?
First, recognition of what is right and wrong is a good place to start because the all-encompassing media does not care about the average person, they simply care about selling products, magazines, newspapers, and the like. This is much like recognizing your opponent’s weaknesses by studying them before you engage them in whatever competition; a person must understand this insurgent aspect of the media.
The media is just one example of dysfunction, but there are literally hundreds of examples one could conjure up, and it would take an entire book to list and explain each one of them.
Initially, if a person has the ability to recognize or detect dysfunction, then it would be logical that this person has the capability to halt its progression into their lives. However, if a person is so accustomed to this way of life, it is seemingly second nature.
In this instance, logical thinking must be implemented in order to understand that aspects of dysfunction are infiltrating now, and have in the past. Well, you might think one person’s trash could be considered another’s treasure, so how would a certain aspect of one’s life be blanketed as dysfunctional?
Logic!
If a person enables dysfunctional behavior, then the people they enable will eventually catch on to this and know that you will always permit it, so the cycle continues.
Using your God-given logic will always assist you in diagnosing a scenario that is littered with dysfunction, or one that has the potential to bring it into your life.
If you are a person who thinks more with their heart than their head, this needs to change immediately! Many of the times we are hurt by thinking with our heart, and in turn the consequences can be quite costly.
Taking control of how much negative comes into your life is the basis for this article. I want the reader to understand that they do have power to not only make changes, however painful they might be, but dam up the flow that a river of illogic and dysfunction causes.
By recognizing dysfunction, you limit its growth at its root and logically understand its negative characteristics. This gives you more than enough ammunition to stave off its constant barrage. So start to control the damage dysfunction brings today rather than settling for a more inferior quality of life.