Misinterpreting People

I was having a discussion on the fediverse with a fellow who misunderstands people. He says he comes from a logical viewpoint and anybody else is wrong. I too would like to deal with matters from a logical viewpoint, but human beings aren’t built that way.

In a reasonably popular book Dale Carnegie states in “How to Win Friends and Influence People” the following :

When dealing with people, let us remember we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity.

I think this was written, I think, in 1936, and it’s as true today as it was back then. In fact, it’s probably more true nowadays with all the advanced psychological manipulation that takes place in modern media.

In fact, this person would do well with reading parts 3 and 4 and committing them to memory. Part 3 is “How to win people to your way of thinking” and part 4 is “Be a leader: how to change people without giving offense or arousing resentment.”

I’ll admit, I don’t always follow Carnegie’s precepts, but if you’re trying to change somebody, it never hurts.