This is pasted in from a very different context, so it doesn’t match how I would format it as a post at all. But it paints a sketch of a system I might want to flesh out into a post sometime (although possibly not on LessWrong): Predictiveness vs Alignment as sometimes-diverging axes of Identity.
There’s probably some very interesting things to be said about the points where external predictiveness and internal alignment differ, and I might be a bit odd in that I think I have strong reason to believe that a divergence between them is usually not a bad thing. In fact, at times, I’d call it a legitimately good thing, especially in cases where it feeds into motivation or counterbalances other forces.
Ex: For me in particular, anti-identifying as “sensitive” is load-bearing, and props up my ability to sometimes function as a less-than-excessively-sensitive human being. However, the sensitive aspect is always going to show through in the contexts where there’s no action I can take to cover for it (ex: very easily disturbed by loud noise).
There’s still some question in my head about what internal alignment even is. It feels to me like “Internal Predictiveness” is a subcomponent of it, and aspiration is another part of it, but neither describes it in full. But it felt like there was a meaningful cluster there, and it was easier to feel-out and measure than it was to describe, so for now I’ve stuck with that...
Q: What are some identity labels that apply to you? How aligned with or alienated from them do you feel?
I was only able to do this exercise if I separated out “Externally Predictive” (P-, NP, and P+) and “Internal Alignment,” (AN-, N/A, AG+, and sometimes 404). These sometimes feel like totally divergent axes, and trying to catch both in a single axis felt deeply dishonest to me. Besides, finding the divergence between them is fun.
(I apologize for the sparse formatting on this; I’ll try to find a way to reformat it better later.)
Predictive-First Identities
Nerd & Geek
Predictive (P+), Aligned (AG)
Rationalist
P+, AG+
Biologist
P+, full range from AG+ to bitterly AN- (Alienated)
Programmer
Moderately P+, N/A
Extroverted Geek
P+, Highly AN
Introvert
Slightly P- (used to be P+), AG
Anxious
Slightly P+, Slightly AN
Alignment/Alienation-First Identities
Healthy Boundaries
P+, AG+
Visual Thinker
NP to P+, AG+
Queer
NP (by design!), AG
Smart
P+, 404 (I can’t properly internalize it in a healthy way unless I add more nuance to it)
Not Smart/Good Enough but Getting Better by Doing it
This is pasted in from a very different context, so it doesn’t match how I would format it as a post at all. But it paints a sketch of a system I might want to flesh out into a post sometime (although possibly not on LessWrong): Predictiveness vs Alignment as sometimes-diverging axes of Identity.
There’s probably some very interesting things to be said about the points where external predictiveness and internal alignment differ, and I might be a bit odd in that I think I have strong reason to believe that a divergence between them is usually not a bad thing. In fact, at times, I’d call it a legitimately good thing, especially in cases where it feeds into motivation or counterbalances other forces.
Ex: For me in particular, anti-identifying as “sensitive” is load-bearing, and props up my ability to sometimes function as a less-than-excessively-sensitive human being. However, the sensitive aspect is always going to show through in the contexts where there’s no action I can take to cover for it (ex: very easily disturbed by loud noise).
There’s still some question in my head about what internal alignment even is. It feels to me like “Internal Predictiveness” is a subcomponent of it, and aspiration is another part of it, but neither describes it in full. But it felt like there was a meaningful cluster there, and it was easier to feel-out and measure than it was to describe, so for now I’ve stuck with that...
Q: What are some identity labels that apply to you? How aligned with or alienated from them do you feel?
I was only able to do this exercise if I separated out “Externally Predictive” (P-, NP, and P+) and “Internal Alignment,” (AN-, N/A, AG+, and sometimes 404). These sometimes feel like totally divergent axes, and trying to catch both in a single axis felt deeply dishonest to me. Besides, finding the divergence between them is fun.
(I apologize for the sparse formatting on this; I’ll try to find a way to reformat it better later.)
Predictive-First Identities
Nerd & Geek
Predictive (P+), Aligned (AG)
Rationalist
P+, AG+
Biologist
P+, full range from AG+ to bitterly AN- (Alienated)
Programmer
Moderately P+, N/A
Extroverted Geek
P+, Highly AN
Introvert
Slightly P- (used to be P+), AG
Anxious
Slightly P+, Slightly AN
Alignment/Alienation-First Identities
Healthy Boundaries
P+, AG+
Visual Thinker
NP to P+, AG+
Queer
NP (by design!), AG
Smart
P+, 404 (I can’t properly internalize it in a healthy way unless I add more nuance to it)
Not Smart/Good Enough but Getting Better by Doing it
NP to Moderately P+, AG+
Sensitive
P+, AN
Immature
NP (used to be P-), AN
Self-centered
P-, AN-