Here’s a stunning video report on some research that is looking with some depth at economic behavior and how we see ourselves and others. I think the implications of this work for economic democracy and understanding empowerment processes could be awesome.
From the report it seems these research studies are underscoring that we have deeply embodied mindsets from our received culture, and that we act out of the ones that fit the way we think of ourselves.
This comes through very directly at the end of the video report about how someone who is actually well-off money-wise can be made to feel they are less well-off just by the way the research agent treats them. When this happens they will then act out of the embedded mindset they have for being "less-well-off."
The same dynamic plays out for poor people in this research. They can be made to feel rich, and then they act out of that mindset.
How far do the embedded mindsets we have received from our culture shape our behavior and how we "see" reality, even how we experience ourselves?
To ask that in another way: how important is it for us to a) understand the role of the culture we have received and embody, and b) how it effects our work for social change?
I also want to note that the new web site Unworthy seems to be offering some very exciting stuff. Here's the link to the report discussed here
Finally, I am delighted that my GEO comrade, Len Krimerman, has recently pushed for clarification on my thinking about the influence of our received culture in our change work, particularly regarding my own recent blog. It has stimulated a lot of thought and I hope to give a direct response soon.
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