X-Message-Number: 3718
From:  (David Stodolsky)
Subject: CRYONICS: Re: Depression
Date: Sat, 21 Jan 95 21:57:17 +0100 (CET)

Michael Riskin <> in 
Subject: Depression  writes:

>personality types... so, we may have an unusually high percentage of
>manic -depressives in our ranks. That would certainly account for some of
>the severe personality clashes that have occurred amongst activists. 

Perhaps a simpler explanation is the lack of conflict resolution mechanisms
in the organizations. In fact, personal conflict is magnified when
it is just as easy to change people as to change policies. This is a defect
in organization which has made me drop my support for Alcor.


>   Not only is the reality of the shortcomings of todays technology
> depressing ( when one does the half empty-half full routine), there is the
> continual minority position we hold in the universe, the obstacles we
> encounter from those in charge, the refusal of those among us who are 
> capable of but refuse significant financial support, and yes and probably
> worst, what some cryonicists see as vile, destructive, mean-sprited,
> irrational, and petty behaviours in other cryonicists who supposedly hold
> similiar goals. Its' the old "my god, if you cant trust your friends, who
> can you trust?", problem.

Experimental studies have shown that depressed people are less optimistic
than others. They also show that depressed people are more accurate
in estimating the degree to which their actions control the outcomes
in the experiment. That is, "normals" are significantly over optimistic
in relation to the true probabilities of control.

A non-experimental study found that many people are happy with their
lives. It also found that a minority of persons had a realistic view
of their lives. However, the people who were both happy and had a
realistic view amounted to only about 5 % of the total (this is from
memory).

What these results suggest is that there has been a severe underestimate
of the degree of social support needed by persons involved in the
cryonics movement. Neither the major organizations nor the dominant 
philosophies within the movement are attuned to these needs.

dss


David S. Stodolsky, PhD  * Social *   Internet: 
Tornskadestien 2, st. th.   * Research *    Tel.: + 45 38 33 03 30
DK-2400 Copenhagen NV, Denmark  * Methods *  Fax: + 45 38 33 88 80

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