Comments on: Why More Is Less #2

By: Anna Harris

Anna Harris — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 11:10:55 +0000

Google is the best search engine

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 14:31:42 +0000

Another satisficer married to a maximizer here… It certainly makes the decision-making process interesting, to say the least.

By: Terry

Terry — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 13:10:37 +0000

Hmmmm 3 and 4 will get most of the men who read this. Not my Steve, but a lot of men.

By: Cindy

Cindy — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 02:18:21 +0000

I’m not sure, but I think that depression and anxiety can often lead one to be a maximizer which appears to me to be the precursor to obssesive/compulsive disorder. I have watched my husband fall into this trap. Maximizing is a defense mechanism designed to distract the victim from inner turmoil; if he can concentrate on making the right choices, then he doesn’t have to think about deeper issues. He’s always on the run.

Cindy

By: mommyHAM

mommyHAM — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 23:02:39 +0000

This is so true….Seems like the American way is that of discontented Maximizing….another failing way to fill that God-shaped hole in our hearts.

I’ll be looking forward to the relational tie tomorrow.

By: Joel G.Quile

Joel G.Quile — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 22:09:39 +0000

Mike,

I’m trying to decide what I think about your post. Do you know what Boone is thinking? I looked over my shoulder but all I see is a sermon needing writing.

Oh well, I’ve gotta run. I’m trying to find a better blog to comment on…

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 17:30:42 +0000

Oops, Katherine. Nice catch. I’ve edited the text. No, that’s not maximizing. It’s just a kind reminder to PROOFREAD before publishing.

By: Kattherine Gould

Kattherine Gould — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 17:21:05 +0000

This reminds me of Paul talking about how he has learned to be content in all circumstances. I strive to be that way…but that is a daily struggle-I seem to fluctuate between these two.

Maybe this comes from my perfectionist tendencies (a whole other quiz), but if we really took this quiz on this scale (both numbers being completely disagree) we would be very confused-I think 7 is supposed to be agreeing Did not want anyone to be confused…is that maximizing? Dang it…

By: Beaner

Beaner — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 15:56:56 +0000

Well, now that I’ve had some time to look at the questions, I guess I go from 1 extreme to the next. Isn’t contentment somewhere in the middle? What’s the happy medium called (in the above scenario)?

By: clint

clint — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 15:21:29 +0000

i think there may be a trust issue in there somewhere.

By: Beaner

Beaner — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 14:31:38 +0000

I’m a saticficer & my husband is a maximizer (I know this w/o even taking the test!) We’re learning to meet in the middle! I think a balance between the two is healthy.

By: Richard

Richard — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 14:20:01 +0000

Two summers ago I worked with some students on research in this area. We expanded Schwartz’s maximizing and satisficing into the “religious marketplace” (e.g., people who try to look for the “best” church, or “best” worship, or “best” preaching). Our results mirrored Schwartz: These people were much less satisfied with church and tended to switch churches more often. By contrast, “religious satisficers” just picked a church, settled in, and went to work. And were much happier.

By: steve

steve — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 14:11:10 +0000

I like these two verses along the lines of maximizer/satisficer:

If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment. (Job 36:11)

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:6-10)

Peace.

By: Jim Clark

Jim Clark — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 14:07:23 +0000

Ouch. I took the test and found out I’m a Maximizer — to the max! But I don’t want to stay on this blog too long because I need to look for another blog…that might be a bit better. : )

Thanks, Mike. I needed this perspective — to help me relax and be content in the Lord. And not try to make this imperfect world into something it can never be.

By: qb

qb — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 13:43:13 +0000

This set of ideas has practical implications for pastoral work, and the stakes seem awfully high. One has in mind the Hippocratic ideal of “first, do[ing] no harm.”

Imagine that a woman in your church appears to be reaching the end of her physical rope under the oppression of an eating disorder, and her physical and psychic systems are slowly but perceptibly shutting down. You have options, but because of the psychic dimension of the oppression, every one of them threatens also to push her over the edge. You and an army of her friends have prayed - hard and consistently - for her deliverance, but to no apparent avail. Now, you feel you must act, even though you personally have no expertise in the clinical matters. So many choices, and the stakes are so high…a satisficer moves in a direction that seems right but ends up making matters worse, while a maximizer is paralyzed and gets nowhere.

This is the nightmare scenario that wakes me up nights. Who am I to be making others’ lives a laboratory for experimenting with my own faith?