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< | It is strongly recommended that you include your outline in the body of your essay by using the outline as section titles. The headings below are there to remind you how section and subsection titles are formatted. | | | Combating Compartmentalization | | | We have established that “splitting” is an inevitable aspect of our social interactions. Therefore, in order to overcome our tendency to dissociate from inconvenient realities, it may be more useful to target the mental mechanism that directly facilitates fission, specifically, the initial isolating instance of compartmentalization. | |
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< | Though I feel influenced each week by our meetings, how is it that as soon as I leave the classroom I am so easily able to re-calibrate my line of thinking and immediately immerse myself back into the routine of reading case-law? Though not yet a “deep moral compromise,” this internal resistance is strikingly similar to Carl Wylie’s propensity to compartmentalize prior to sublimating his feelings and “splitting off.” Wylie exudes detachment, as even when he discusses money, ostensibly his primary concern as a corporate lawyer, he quips that he “doesn’t know” what it is and “doesn’t really care.” Wylie’s preoccupation with chaos, although perhaps the ironic result of an aimless attempt at enlightenment, is also emblematic of this willing disconnection. By fetishizing intricacy and the unfathomable, the Partner can protectively shield himself from deeper thought and self-reflection. | >
> | Though I feel influenced each week by our meetings, how is it that as soon as I leave the classroom I am so easily able to re-calibrate my line of thinking and immediately immerse myself back into the routine of reading case-law?
Well, the purpose of what we are doing isn't at all to prevent you from concentrating on the forms of thinking that are being trained in your other classes, so perhaps there is an assumption underlying the whole discussion, not about dissociation but about how teaching works, and how it differs from training, that requires reexamination.
Though not yet a “deep moral compromise,” this internal resistance is strikingly similar to Carl Wylie’s propensity to compartmentalize prior to sublimating his feelings and “splitting off.” Wylie exudes detachment, as even when he discusses money, ostensibly his primary concern as a corporate lawyer, he quips that he “doesn’t know” what it is and “doesn’t really care.” Wylie’s preoccupation with chaos, although perhaps the ironic result of an aimless attempt at enlightenment, is also emblematic of this willing disconnection. By fetishizing intricacy and the unfathomable, the Partner can protectively shield himself from deeper thought and self-reflection. | | |
Understanding but Not Internalizing | | | Conversely, Robinson does not engage in such undiscerning compartmentalization. Rather, the criminal lawyer exhibits prioritization, as he allows himself to internalize reality, form convictions, and act within his niche after forging this deeper understanding. Robinson doesn’t blind himself, but rather makes informed decisions, a manner of conduct that is especially evident when Joseph attempts to pinpoint possible contradictions in Robinson’s work. When the poet questions the merits of putting people in jail, Robinson authentically
responds that “at least [he’ll] know how to try a case,” a testament to his self-awareness. | |
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I'm not sure I read these two the same way you do, and it would have been helpful, at least for me, to tie it tighter to the text. But that takes space and time; perhaps we can do without them altogether and come closer to the material about which we are actually trying to think.
| | | Productive Dissociation
Significantly, though Robinson can appreciate the ramifications of his conduct without sublimating his real feelings, since he is “never far from evil,” he nonetheless is perfectly capable of shrouding certain realities in order to more effectively operate within his niche. Unsurprisingly therefore, Robinson consistently attempts to deflate the importance of his self compromises with over-the-top, sarcastic remarks, and even suffers serious heart palpitations when confronted with particularly distressing examples. | | | What Can We Do?
If a key difference in the behavior between a Carl Wylie and Robinson is indeed located at the border between compartmentalization and prioritization, the question of how risk averse control freaks can repel their propensity for the former in hopes of eventually applying the latter still remains. Though it may be too late for Wylie and co. to combat their subconscious sublimation, we may effectively pre-empt further compartmentalization by emulating Robinson’s thirst for getting closer to the “essence of the thang.” By recognizing our subconscious tendencies and striving to actively undermine them, perhaps we can allow ourselves to become more vulnerable through self-reflection and develop in ways that were not previously possible. For instance, even though Eben had suggested that each of us learn the exact amount of debt with which we will graduate, I had neglected to put forth the minimal amount of effort required to do so. I now recognize that exercises like this are not only important for internalizing the cost of our education and determining whether or not we are receiving our money’s worth, but also because they facilitate deeper evaluative process that helps to promote a more complete self-awareness. Even if after scrutinizing our particular package of loans the monetary figure does not appear to be less burdensome, at least after this assessment we would be capable of making informed evaluations and prioritizing. Hopefully, through this type of forced exposure, we can become more cognizant and function more effectively in spite of our risk aversion by avoiding further compartmentalization.
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This isn't an essay under discipline any more. The route to improvement is editing. We need to identify the core idea of the essay, get it introduced to the reader at the outset, so that the development—which means both explaining the idea and dealing with the most important questions and objections that skeptical editorial reading can identify—can follow in a fashion the reader too can follow. When the draft reflects that level of editorial control throughout, we will have something valuable, I am sure.
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