Are you suggesting journaling about all your interactions where someone gives you information? That does sound exhausting and unnecessary. It might make sense to do for short periods for memory training.
Another possibility would be to record all your interactions—this isn’t legal in all jurisdictions unless you get permission from the other people being recorded, but I don’t think you’re likely to be caught if you’re just using the information for yourself.
Journaling when you have reason to suspicious of someone is another matter, and becoming miserable and confusing for no obvious reason is grounds for suspicion. (The children of such manipulators are up against a much more serious problem.)
It does seem to me that this isn’t exactly an individual problem if what you need is group resistance to extremely skilled manipulators.
Ironically, now I will be the one complaining that this definition of a “sociopath” seems to include too many people to be technically correct. (Not every top manager is a sociopath. And many sociopaths don’t make it into corporate positions of power.)
I agree that making detailed journals is probably not practical in real life. Maybe some mental habits would make it easier. For example, you could practice the habit of remembering the source of information, at least until you get home to write your diary. You could start with shorter time intervals; have a training session where people will tell you some information, and at the end you have an exam where you have to write an answer to the question and the name of the person who told you that.
If keeping the diary itself turns out to be good for a rationalist, this additional skill of remembering sources could be relatively easier, and then you will have the records you can examine later.
Are you suggesting journaling about all your interactions where someone gives you information? That does sound exhausting and unnecessary. It might make sense to do for short periods for memory training.
Another possibility would be to record all your interactions—this isn’t legal in all jurisdictions unless you get permission from the other people being recorded, but I don’t think you’re likely to be caught if you’re just using the information for yourself.
Journaling when you have reason to suspicious of someone is another matter, and becoming miserable and confusing for no obvious reason is grounds for suspicion. (The children of such manipulators are up against a much more serious problem.)
It does seem to me that this isn’t exactly an individual problem if what you need is group resistance to extremely skilled manipulators.
http://www.ribbonfarm.com/the-gervais-principle/-- some detailed analysis of sociopathy in offices.
Ironically, now I will be the one complaining that this definition of a “sociopath” seems to include too many people to be technically correct. (Not every top manager is a sociopath. And many sociopaths don’t make it into corporate positions of power.)
I agree that making detailed journals is probably not practical in real life. Maybe some mental habits would make it easier. For example, you could practice the habit of remembering the source of information, at least until you get home to write your diary. You could start with shorter time intervals; have a training session where people will tell you some information, and at the end you have an exam where you have to write an answer to the question and the name of the person who told you that.
If keeping the diary itself turns out to be good for a rationalist, this additional skill of remembering sources could be relatively easier, and then you will have the records you can examine later.