[quote=desmond][quote=jpinpb]eavesdropper – nice Star Trek exchange!

I wish you wouldn’t have picked Palin as an example. I agree w/the example, but I can see this turning to politics. I hope not. I got the point, which was anosognosia.[/quote]

This is a perfect example of what the article is about. The Pigg board has been in turmoil over the political hijacking in recent weeks, yet the Sarah Palin point by e-dropper, was he not capable of realizing what he was doing?[/quote]

My using Ms. Palin as an example of someone seemingly afflicted with anosognia does not constitute a political threadjack. I did not go into her political philosophies at all; I simply held her up as an example of someone who, despite evidence to the contrary, appears to have no doubts as to possessing a base of knowledge that is requisite in the job she is seeking.

In addition, I took special pains, in the original and in subsequent posts, to stress that I was not attempting to “threadjack” or turn the discussion to one of politics. The subject of the article is a fascinating one, and I was hoping for more discussion of its content. Speaking of which, the article is not about people not realizing what they are doing. Simplistically put, it’s about people not knowing what they are doing – and there is a difference. Many times, people get into situations that, in reality, they do not have the skills or knowledge to handle. The problem lies in them not having any idea that they can’t handle it. They have a particular set of skills typically based in concrete-type thinking, that do not allow any sort of comprehensive analysis of the problem and the appropriateness of solutions. Individuals with anosognosia will simply handle that problem like they handle all problems. They do not realize that what they are doing may be tantamount to pouring gasoline on a fire. When the situation is resolved despite their actions, that is confirmation (to them, and often others) that they are skilled and intelligent, instead of simply lucky. Not all that unusual in the everyday world.

However, when the situation implodes, the anosognosic still does not question why. At that point, he will shift the blame onto something or someone else. It’s not an evasive move; he really believes it. It comes down to the fact that, not only doesn’t he know the things necessary to perform the tasks of his job successfully, he doesn’t know that he doesn’t know them. There’s a very distinct gap there. Whether it’s behavioral, chemical, combination of both, or something else, I haven’t a clue. But I’m glad that someone’s taking it seriously and studying it.

Sorry, but I think it’s apparent from my earlier posts that I realized what I was doing, and took pains to let my fellow Piggs know my intentions. If someone reads those posts, and interprets them as a threadjack, or uses them as an excuse to get into a political pissing match, I can’t help them.