On Human Social Behavior By Joe DeClara

I call it the “Centre of the World Syndrome”, and almost everyone has it to some degree. For many of us it does little to effect the world and the people around us. For others it is a constant hindrance and in most situations the sufferer and those around him/her are completely unaware of the problem. Often this syndrome can be mistaken for low intelligence, or deliberate selfishness. It is none of these things, in most cases it is brought on by fear, and low self-confidence. I will argue that CWS exists by arguing; what it is, where it came from, and why some don’t progress beyond it. I will also demonstrate what the negative effects CWS brings to society.

People can only see one perspective at a time, as such; it is difficult to understand that others have a different opinion. Since we cannot jump into another brain to see how they have come up with their thoughts, we are stuck trying to understand them from our own perspective. How can a man for example have any idea what it is like to be a woman and vice versa, or how can a rich man know what it’s like to be homeless and vice versa. Some of us try to understand what it is like for others, and those of us who do not even try, or even contemplate trying have CWS.

The differences between us do not have to be so drastic, really we have no idea how anyone else thinks. We have to assume it is at least similar to own our experiences, yet time and time again people have different opinions. Even if two people experience an event together, they may have different opinions about it. Those of us who refuse to accept that another’s opinion is equal point have CWS. Often times we assume the other is simply mistaken, or possibly we ourselves are mistaken, but there need not be a mistake for two people to disagree. It’s called perspective and those with CWS do not understand how there can be more than one perspective.

Life is a series of realizations. Most of these realizations are taught to us, it’s the nature of our species, and many others, to pass down already acquired information. Each new generation can pick up where the last left off. We do not need to learn irrigation, or establish laws, we change them as necessary because the fundamentals are already there for us. Social behavior is very similar. Human beings each come to their own realizations, parents will show their children the existence of God from their point of view and the child will accept it without hesitation. When the child is older they will question those beliefs and choose for themselves what they want to believe in.

Previous to this choice children do not contemplate what God is, they believe blindly. After that choice they have either realized that God actually does exist or they realize that their parents were wrong. This can also lead immediately to the realization that his/her parents do not know everything there is to know, although most of us come to that particular realization first. That we all think differently is a difficult realization, not only to make, but also to understand. As babies we are completely dependent on those around us, other peoples concern for out well-being is critical to our survival.

This impedes the process of the realization that we are not the centre of the world, because for a long time we are the centre of the world, at least we’re the centre of the world that we know. A child, who has never left his home for any reason, does not know or care anything for the world beyond the front door. To them the world consists of nothing but the house they live in. Since they are too young to do much for themselves, the design of the house, and the family around them concerns themselves with the baby first. To the baby everything revolves around them.

This was evident on a global scale during the time that mankind thought the sun and the cosmos rotated around the Earth. You could say the entire race had a case of “Centre of the Universe Syndrome”. As a child grows parents strive to teach their children, commonly unknowingly, that they are not the centre of the world, that they are just one part of it. This is done by not allowing your child to get everything that they want. Parents who spoil their children will hinder their child’s chances of expanding themselves beyond the CWS.

There are other reasons for an adult to have CWS other than poor upbringing, perhaps the person is question is simply selfish, or as I stated above, perhaps they are afraid. Selfish people will reject the idea that others may have valid opinions because then they may need to face that they are wrong. The underlying cause for this is fear. We fear that others will look at us in a negative light, we fear that others will not like us.

If we do not possess enough self-confidence we cannot accept another’s point of view, this leads to close-mindedness. If a person outright rejects everything that is contrary to what they believe because they cannot comprehend what the other point of view is, it can be very damaging to society. It will lead to racism, sexism, and other forms of bigotry. I will use the example of racism in the United States. When the country was young its people used the black man for slave labour. The people of the time were wrong to do that, they were taking advantage of a people that they could take advantage of.

Similar injustices have happened throughout human history, it seems to be our nature. It is rational for a man of that time to look down upon his slaves, they work for him, and he is legally allowed to do just about anything to them. Society supports his racism. It doesn’t make it right, but it makes it understandable, how many of us can say we only do the right thing no matter what we’re allowed to do, or what we can get away with? (I would also bring up the point that we do not know what society was like during those times from a first person point of view. We cannot base their decisions on what we consider right in our current time, and to do so would suggest an instance of CWS.)

The problem arises as these slave owners family lines progress through time. Today there are no slaves and we all should know full well that all humans are equal. I have never been given good reason to think otherwise, yet still there is racism in the United States. This racism is handed down generation after generation, and the young of these families are taught that the black man is not their equal. They are taught this in much the same way they would be taught that God exists. Both these examples are good examples of beliefs that are difficult to break away from. Racism specifically is a good example because it is believed world wide to be wrong. Why are people still racist then?

Imagine someone telling you that spending time with your family is wrong and should never be done or even considered. You would laugh and walk away from whomever made that claim. Now imagine the majority of the world agreed with that person, you would be quite confused. You want to be your own person, make your own decision, so you decide to reject the world’s point of view. This is essentially what a person with CWS would do. They think they are making their own decision; however, they are making the decision that requires the least self-evaluation, they are making the decision that has been taught to them by others because it is easier. They are afraid that they may actually be what the world looks at them as, and it is easier for them to reject that and live their lives in denial. They have effectively closed their minds to the opinions of others and are a full-blown case of CWS.

CWS does not need to be as extreme as I have outlined so far. Most people have it to some degree. For many if us it does not impede our lives, or the lives of those around us at all, for others it is a huge factor, and for still others it is a daily factor, but not a significant one. Someone who does little things for example, they may not call friends or family, but they still get angry when others reciprocate the same insulting act. They cannot understand how another might feel, even though they’ve felt the exact same way. Usually some time would have passed between the two events (the selfish act committed against another, and the same act reversed) so they are incapable of putting the two together. If the two events occur in a small time frame this may be a trigger to the CWS sufferer to realize that they were wrong and that will help them to overcome the syndrome. Part of the reason so many people suffer from CWS is that few people know of its existence, and make no strives to break someone else free of it. We may think of them as stupid or selfish instead.

If we had the ability to see into another persons mind, telepathy, or even to see, out of another’s eyes, our own actions for one evening, this syndrome may not even exist. For now we are stuck in our own bodies, our own minds. It is a struggle for every one of us to believe that we are just a single part of the world and not the most important part of it. To each one of us we are the most important part of the world, we just have to realize that to others we are not the most important, nor should we be; we are just another factor in their lives.

Joe DeClara, is a researcher/writer for Askipedia.com. A question isn't just something that you have answered, it's a chance to learn something new, and what is more important than expanding our area of knowledge. Come learn with us, all you need is a question.http://www.askipedia.com