CHANGE THE ONE IN THE MIRROR FIRST
One
way to
improve on our own shortcomings is to do a self witnessing experiment. This involves observing your feelings (remember the
affective domain?), thoughts (i.e. the cognitive domain), and reactions
(the sensorimotor domain) while undertaking the task in question. Shall
we try this while driving?
As we all know, the worst traffic offenders include tailgators,
speeders, people who think stop signs just mean slow down, those who
find it necessary to curse others, the ones who are always impatient,
those who forget to signal when changing lanes, those who abuse
the passengers in the car and my all time scourge:the ones who drive
with their high beams and tailgate.
Are we guilty of the above named crimes? Unless we are perfect,
of course we are guilty of at least one offense. I confess that I am
guilty of not always completely stopping at a stop sign. I am not
happy with this habit, so I will practice this self witnessing
excercise with the intent of eliminating the shortcoming.
Not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign may seem to be a
miniscule offense, but there are dangers. The human visual system has
blindspots, therefore we just may not see a speeding car approaching the
intersection, until we feel a blow to the side of our car...or die!
Besides, if it were truly safe to just slow down, would there not be a
"yield" sign instead of a "stop" sign?
I will start by driving normally and observing my thoughts,
feelings and actions. Here is a brief account of the experiences.
Day One: Unmodified Behavior
"...I am encroaching the stop sign at the end of my street and
see that there are no cars on the highway. 'Of course there aren't!'
I say derisively to myself, 'it is too early in the morning and no one
else is on the road! Only a yoyo like me takes a job this early.' I
slow down until I reach the stop sign and pull out without stopping
first. I drive to work without incident. A fine start to a lovely day
by all accounts, except that I had just broken a rule of driving! Does
it bother me? No, this is how I normally drive. However, because I am
enrolled in this traffic psychology course, I am accutely aware of this
unacceptable behavior and will modify it..."
Day Two: Improvisation
"...Instead to chastising myself for taking such an early job, as
I normally do, I try to be content that the roads are so deserted at this
hour. As usual, there is no one at the stop sign on my street, but I come
to a complete stop nonetheless, and look both ways before pulling out
onto the highway. I make an effort to praise myself for having such
discipline, and feel good the rest of the trip."