A Theory of Mental Credit Jason Soll Claremont Mckenna College
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Claremont Colleges Scholarship @ Claremont CMC Senior Theses CMC Student Scholarship 2011 A Theory of Mental Credit Jason Soll Claremont McKenna College Recommended Citation Soll, Jason, "A Theory of Mental Credit" (2011). CMC Senior Theses. Paper 275. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/275 This Open Access Senior Thesis is brought to you by Scholarship@Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion in this collection by an authorized administrator. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CLAREMONT McKENNA COLLEGE A THEORY OF MENTAL CREDIT SUBMITTED TO DEAN JEFF HUANG AND DEAN GREGORY HESS BY JASON SOLL FOR SENIOR THESIS FALL 2011 NOVEMBER 21, 2011 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS If there was ever a senior thesis for which credit was to be properly attributed, this would be it. First, I’d like to thank my reader Jeff Huang for guiding me through this challenging intellectual journey. I thoroughly enjoyed all of our conversations and appreciate all of the challenges he posed throughout the process. Among his many suggestions was to use archery as a clear example of satisfaction’s difference from happiness: I use this example in the thesis’ introduction. More so than anything else, I really appreciate his emphasis on writing this thesis for my own internal satisfaction. It is precisely that attitude that motivated me to push my limits and write something I am truly proud of. It was a magical ride watching myself explain the very motivation tactics he instilled upon me in this intellectual pursuit. John Huston provided a plethora of great advice, ideas, and challenges for this thesis. Since this past summer, he has been pushing me to think at a higher level. I had this aspiration in mind throughout the entire writing process. Next, I’d like to thank John- Clark Levin for his advice and thoughts throughout the process. He provided tremendous advice when discussing why one must retain consistent criteria before and after achieving an outcome. His relentless commitment to the internal satisfaction channel is inspiring. Gordon Zacks also gave me great ideas for breaking down the internal satisfaction model while delivering his TEDTalk at the TEDxClaremontColleges conference this fall. I would also like to thank A. Mark Neuman, my life-long mentor, who has not only encouraged me to be relentless in my pursuit for intellectual growth but to distinguish between creating good and doing good so eloquently that I felt compelled to include the distinction in this thesis. I also have to give credit to my parents, Bruce and Joy Soll, my brothers, Evan and Adam, and my girlfriend, Jennifer Plumlee, for being incredibly supportive throughout the process. In ways I can neither accurately identify nor measure, I’d like to thank and give credit to the following people for inspiration: Joe Luchsinger, Heath Hyatt, Bruno Guissani, Chris Anderson, Walter Isaacson, Daniel Pink and Alex Rajczi. To everyone else, I hope this thesis and its many ideas make you internally satisfied. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ..............................................................................................................................5 Introduction........................................................................................................................6 Attribution of Credit..................................................................................................................7 Satisfaction, Happiness and Intrinsic Value..........................................................................11 Discussing Objective Value .....................................................................................................12 Credit Satisfaction....................................................................................................................13 Eternal Satisfaction ..................................................................................................................16 Challenging Attribution...........................................................................................................17 Mental Credit Overview ..........................................................................................................17 Thesis Overview........................................................................................................................19 Chapter 1: Acquisition of Mental Credit.......................................................................21 Attribution Tree Review..........................................................................................................22 Outcome Classification ............................................................................................................23 Leadership Attribution Responsibilities ................................................................................24 Simple Outcome Credit Attribution.......................................................................................25 Leadership Attribution Responsibilities: Simple Outcomes ................................................28 Complicated Outcome Credit Attribution.............................................................................29 Leadership Attribution Responsibilities: Complicated Outcomes ......................................30 Complex Outcome Credit Attribution ...................................................................................30 Leadership Attribution Responsibilities: Complex Outcomes.............................................34 Weight Assignment ..................................................................................................................34 Credit Attribution Conclusion ................................................................................................37 Chapter 2: Credit Satisfaction........................................................................................38 The Internal Satisfaction Model .............................................................................................39 Pick A Card, Any Card............................................................................................................45 Internal Satisfaction in the Workplace ..................................................................................48 Maximizing Customer Satisfaction.........................................................................................59 Parenting Implications.............................................................................................................62 The Technology Catalyst .........................................................................................................64 The Paradox of Choice Explained ..........................................................................................65 External Satisfaction ................................................................................................................66 Credit Satisfaction Summary..................................................................................................67 Chapter 3: The Satisfaction Channels ...........................................................................69 The Virtuous Internal Satisfaction Channel..........................................................................73 The External Satisfaction Pandemic ......................................................................................79 Choosing the Internal Satisfaction Channel ..........................................................................86 Maintaining Satisfaction Criteria...........................................................................................95 The Luxury of Internal Satisfaction .......................................................................................98 Credit Satisfaction Conclusion..............................................................................................100 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................102 Bibliography...................................................................................................................105 4 ABSTRACT A Theory of Mental Credit Many philosophical subjects attempt to analyze the basis of human welfare. Theories of desert, distribution of property, and happiness tend to dominate philosophical discourse. Mental credit, which is the mental acquisition of credit for one’s accomplishments and the satisfaction one derives from this credit, is absent from this discourse despite its underlying role in the way people think about their lives. Mental credit is an eternal cognitive good that deserves thoughtful attention and pious decisions for implementation. The following theory of mental credit seeks to serve as a unifying theory for the mental calculations that guide life’s most imperative decisions, satisfaction, and impact one has on the world. 5 INTRODUCTION Credit is a defining element of the human experience. In a world where one’s own prosperity is dependent upon trade and interactions with others, credit is critical for cooperation and success. When people hear the word “credit,” they often think of financial credit. Credit, in its most basic form, encompasses much more: noun 1. commendation or honor given for some action, quality, etc.: Give credit where it is due. 2. a source of pride or honor: You are a credit to your school. 3. the ascription or acknowledgment of something as due or properly attributable to a person, institution,