Okay, so, I got this idea to mess around with something called “control theory” but not in, like, engineering or whatever. I wanted to see how it works in psychology. Sounds a bit nuts, right? But stick with me.
First off, I started digging around to see what this control theory stuff even is. Turns out, it’s been around since the early 1900s, and this guy named Norbert Wiener wrote some big book about it back in 1948. Basically, it’s a way to explain how control works, which sounds simple enough, yeah?
So, I dove into some articles and papers. It’s mostly used in industrial and organizational psychology, which isn’t really my scene, but whatever. I found it was pretty useful for understanding work-related stuff. People in that field use it to make sense of how things work in a company, how people are motivated, and all that jazz.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. I started thinking, “Can I use this to understand how people tick in everyday life, not just at work?” I mean, it’s all about control, right? So, I started playing around with this idea.
I began by observing some of my own behaviors. Yeah, sounds weird, I know, but I’m telling you, it’s kinda cool. I tried to figure out what my goals were in different situations, what kind of feedback I was getting, and how I adjusted my actions based on that feedback. Like, say I want to get better at cooking. My “goal” is to make a decent meal. The “feedback” is how the food tastes. And then I adjust by adding more salt or cooking it longer next time.
Then, I took it a step further. I started looking at how control theory might explain different motivation theories. Some smart folks had already written about this, saying that these theories aren’t really competing but are actually, like, working together. That blew my mind a little. It’s like, all these different ideas about why we do things can actually fit together under this one control theory umbrella.
My Little Experiment
- Set a Goal: I picked something simple, like reading for 30 minutes every day.
- Track Progress: I jotted down how many minutes I actually read each day.
- Get Feedback: This was the tricky part. I had to figure out what “feedback” meant in this context. I decided it was how I felt after reading—more relaxed, more focused, whatever.
- Make Adjustments: If I felt tired after reading, maybe I’d try reading earlier in the day. If I got distracted, maybe I’d try a different book or a quieter spot.
It was a bit messy, and I’m still not sure I did it “right,” but it was definitely interesting. I started to see patterns in my own behavior that I hadn’t noticed before. And it got me thinking about how this whole control thing plays out in all sorts of areas, not just in individual actions but also in relationships, social groups, and maybe even bigger systems.
So, yeah, that’s my little adventure with control theory in psychology. It’s not like I’ve got it all figured out, but it’s a fun way to think about how we work, how we’re motivated, and how we can maybe, just maybe, get a little better at controlling our own lives. Who knows, maybe I’ll keep messing around with this and see where it goes.
