Well, the answer is that the tendencies are probably much more good than bad.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t be there, working pretty well for man, given his

condition and his limited brain capacity. So the tendencies can’t be simply

washed out automatically, and shouldn’t be. Nevertheless, the psychological

thought system described, when properly understood and used, enables the spread

of wisdom and good conduct and facilitates the avoidance of disaster. Tendency

is not always destiny, and knowing the tendencies and their antidotes can often

help prevent trouble that would otherwise occur. Here is a short list of

examples reminding us of the great utility of elementary psychological

knowledge:

 

Carl Braun’s communication practices.

The use of simulators in pilot training.

The system of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Clinical training methods in medical schools.

The rules of the U.S. Constitutional Convention: totally secret meetings, no

recorded vote by name until the final vote, votes reversible at any time before

the end of the convention, then just one vote on the whole Constitution. These

are very clever psychology-respecting rules. If the founders had used a

different procedure, many people would have been pushed by various psychological

tendencies into inconsistent, hardened positions. The elite founders got our

Constitution through by a whisker only because they were psychologically acute.

The use of Granny’s incentive-driven rule to manipulate oneself toward better

performance of one’s duties.