Lauding coping mechanisms as a brilliant way to achieve success is missing several points. Coping mechanisms are cobbled together, makeshift things, which more often than not provide hindrance later. Much of psychotherapy is based around unlearning poor coping mechanisms, and learning or relearning solid strategies for dealing with crisis. The concept of crisis strategies being useful is valid, but shooting for coping mechanisms without the trauma that creates the need for them is imitating MacGuyver instead of engineers; sure, the paperclip shoestring worked in the moment, but it's hardly the ideal solution.

Thanks for doing this.

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking for years (originally read Three Worlds Collide, then HPMOR, then started the sequences) and I guess it's about time to be able to interact.

I participate on the LW Slack, facebook, and local meetups. Looking forward to the new directions LW is heading, and being a part of LW 2.0

[Survey Taken Thread]

By ancient tradition, if you take the survey you may comment saying you have done so here, and people will upvote you and you will get karma.

Let's make these comments a reply to this post. That way we continue the tradition, but keep the discussion a bit cleaner.