Reverse Psychology

Reverse Psychology

Believe the best in other people. This is something I have been told, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.  However this has been a difficult task to accomplish and for the most we end up believing the worst in others. Our selfish genes misguide us into believing that what the other wants, or believes is in their best interest and therefore ours too. Some, being quicker and smarter use reverse psychology to make others want what they guide them to in order to have the other best option for themselves.

When a predator approaches a group of gazelles it is seen as if the ones jumping are trying to grab the predators attention in order to dissuade it from attacking others. What a brave and courage gazelle most would think, but they don’t know their utter intentions. Their real aim is to say to the predator, “Look how high I can jump, I am obviously such a fit and healthy gazelle, you can’t catch me, you would be much wiser to try and catch my neighbour who is not jumping so high!” (Pg 171)

What first seem as a pure altruistic behavior is suddenly turned into nothing but an illusion. This scene is simply a “… competition to see who can jump the highest, the loser being the one chosen by the predator.” Selfishness once again dominates genes, this time being sneakier than others. Jumping high is in this case an advantageous gene for survival.

Reverse psychology is extremely efficient to obtain something you desire for you exclusively. It works at its best when you out-mind tour rival. For example, children are naïve and look out to older people. If a child refuses to eat and you challenge him by saying “I will eat faster than you,” they would want to beat you and eat without analyzing the challenge.  Morally, using reverse psychology is wrong. However on a Dawkins` point of view morality wouldn’t even exist. Selfishness has an absolute monarchy over the world making morality almost unconstitutional.

Cave: from Latin word “beware”. A warning for an approaching danger.Anthropomorphic: attribution of human characteristics to nonhumans

Miscellaneous: composed of varied things

Symbiosis: mutually beneficial relationship

Suckers: Strategy that practices reciprocal altruism indiscriminately

Cheat: A strategy that accepts altruism from other and never pays back 

Grudger: A strategy that practices reciprocal altruism but doesn’t practice it with cheaters by recognizing them