Decisions from the unconscious
Muse #169 - right-brained, abstract, from the heart or gut, unexplainable
A few days ago I read this quote by Freud, which got me thinking -
When making a decision of minor importance, I have always found it advantageous to consider all the pros and cons. In vital matters, however, such as the choice of a mate or a profession, the decision should come from the unconscious, from somewhere within ourselves. In the important decisions of personal life, we should be governed, I think, by the deep inner needs of our nature.
— Sigmund Freud (1865 - 1939) Austrian Psychologist
What Freud is saying is that intuitive decisions from the gut or the heart are better than the cognitive left-brained decisions. These decisions roll up all our knowledge patterns into a singular answer in a particular context. Such decisions are more abstract and we often don’t know or unable to explain why we make a decision. Or we construct a story out of retrospective coherence to justify the decision taken.
I see this happening a lot in my life and therefore be able to relate to it. I can look back at my life and count the several times I have taken big decisions, many of which have worked out great for me. I am yet to be able to explain why I did take those decisions. How about you?