The Drive for (A Sense of) Control

(The following notes were made after reading two powerful papers: Rodin, J., and Langer, E., "Long-term effects of a control-relevant intervention with the institutionalized aged,: J. of Personality and Social Psychology, 35, 897-902, and Rothbaum, F., et. al, "Changing the world and changing the self: a two-process model of perceived control," J. of Personality and Social Psychology, 42, 5-37. Between them these show that a sense of having some control over the world is essential to well-being, and that the mind is quite prepared to deceive itself, if that is what it takes to achieve this sense.)

IMO, this basic need accounts for almost all magic, shamanism, a great deal of medical quackery such as theraputic touch, and is certainly a cornerstone of religion. Fundamental to religion is giving you designated, ritual “handles” on causality. Is there something you need, crave, or dread -- but you have no actual control over it? You pray, light candles, promise rosaries etc. Merely the sense of having handed the problem off to another, even the sense of having explained the problem thoroughly to a listening intelligence, assists in dealing with the bad affect that would otherwise go with having no (real) control over the outcome.

How can the unbeliever achieve a substitute for this? Is this why atheists are fewer in foxholes? The trench under bombardment is the ultimate state of being without control, you just wait in awful din to see if you are going to be blown up or not. If you can have even the tiniest belief that a prayer might affect the outcome -- ridiculous as that idea might seem when the battle is considered from an outside, objective viewpoint -- it’s better to pray than not. Not better because the prayer will achieve anything in the external world; nevertheless it might achieve something in the mental condition in which you leave the battlefield.

Any ritual meant to influence objective events, including especially rituals of sacrifice, but magical rituals, religious ones, etc, can be seen as an attempt to develop and maintain a sense of control over events when no such control exists along any physical or social channel. How do unbelievers get along without such rituals? Are they all especially healthy, carefree people? Are they all numbed against worry, unable to feel anxiety? I will forecast on this basis that active unbelievers are more often successful than not, healthy than not, living unthreatened lives.

Is this an achievement of the Existentialist view of the Absurd? To promote a frank, honest, and emotionally tolerable acceptance of the fundamental lack of control we really have over our lives? Look, Sartre said in effect: the universe can accidentally squash you or your loved ones like bugs at any moment and not know or care, and there isn’t a damn thing you can do for all your intelligence and insight. Isn’t that a hoot!? Armor yourself against the inevitable calamity by accepting right now that your continued existence is contingent on completely unreliable bases that you don’t even know about, much less control.