"Crab Mentality"

[Tenacity]

What is your opinion on "crab mentality"? This is wiki stuff so don't take it that seriously.

"Crab mentality, also known as crabs in a bucket (also barrel, basket, or pot) mentality, is a way of thinking best described by the phrase "if I can't have it, neither can you".[1] The metaphor is derived from a pattern of behavior noted in crabs when they are trapped in a bucket. While any one crab could easily escape,[2] its efforts will be undermined by others, ensuring the group's collective demise.[3][4][5]

The analogy in human behavior is claimed to be that members of a group will attempt to reduce the self-confidence of any member who achieves success beyond the others, out of envy, resentment, spite, conspiracy, or competitive feelings, to halt their progress.[6][7][8][9]

Crab mentality affects performance in an organization as humans behave in similar manner as the crabs particularly within social teams.[10] The impact of crab mentality on performance was quantified by a New Zealand study in 2015 which demonstrated up to an 18% average exam result improvement for students when their grades were reported in a way that prevented others from knowing their position in published rankings.[11]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_mentality

Where are areas in your life where you've been the "crab who tries to escape"?
Where are areas in your life where you've been "one of the crabs in the bucket"?
If this is BS, why is it BS?

 

[Marbles]

So that's what it's called, Crab Mentality. Good to have a word for it.

I see it in myself and others all the time. I try to remember that I'm part of a tribe, and when the tribe does well, I do well. If I stay exclusively supportive of my friends in their triumphs, they graciously include me in them, and through empathy it is almost like experiencing it myself. Besides, you spend most of your time in your own head. Your mind is your universe. If you stay a decent person, you never need doubt that there is good in the world.

It's funny, Jordan Peterson, "the lobster king", writes about crab mentality. He says to get rid of all friends who won't celebrate your victories with you, if I remember correctly.


I gather you've had some professional success, Ten. How have your friends handled that?

 

[Tenacity]

How have your friends handled that?

Friends is a strong word

 

[Rebis]

I had a friend who went to a very good college, I went to one of the worst. Initially I guided him through the world of shenanigans, introduced him to alcohol and even a few drugs (purely experential, I'm not a druggie) and maybe I thought I was introducing him to my domain so I can be the top and he can be the bottom. I felt a role reversal last month, We're both in the same university and I wanted to achieve more than him, I set up an old thinkpad from 2008 with a dualboot of ArchLinux and Bodhi, got the laptop for £50 plus a 9 volt battery pack for £15, so £65 for a laptop I can use for mild programming and web functionality while suckers pay fat stacks for a £600 windows laptop. Anyways, he seemed to want me out more and become a "king" of a social group (used to be one, in a way), he self-defines himself as a leader so I think he may've felt I was getting ahead of him and wanted me to adjust to his life of partying.

I imagine we're both aware of this on a meta-level, so it's all good. It's good when people are amoral, less righteous seeking bullshit.

 

[Rebis]

Having said that, I'm not one to accept my nature. That is I do not try and drag someone down to my level, rather I adapt to theirs. If someone is brighter than me I try to reach their level mainly because I hate feeling incompetent, not superiority for superiorities sake but rather not to be an inferior and inconsequential element. I don't like people looking down on me, I recognise it through their glare, their behaviour and the words they articulate (short/long sentences, inquisitive/dismissive tone). If you are better than others you're free from judgement, relatively speaking. Though with that knowledge I am not one to judge and berate others.

Putting trust in others to behave nicely is relying on probability, putting trust in myself puts me in control of the situation. I try and internalize most things to goals that I can achieve independent of human participation (I'm not human, I'm an alien!!! ;o).