Knowing yourself
The MAPS OF WHY is a framework for knowing yourself (and other people). It attempts to explain why we do all of the things that we do, why we are who we are, using the principles of evolutionary psychology.
This framework is used to answer questions about human behavior, such as:
These answers are in the form of a series of interconnecting flow diagrams mapping the chain of cause and effect that when read from top to bottom lead back to the underlying reasons why we do what we do.
Central to knowing yourself is understanding the main complication with being human, which is the conflict between our internal doubts about who we are and the confident and competent exterior that we are forced to present to the outside world. This is the human condition, discussed here.
Knowing yourself has two components: firstly understanding why all humans are the way they are (which requires an understanding of the mechanisms of natural selection), and knowing what makes us individuals (which requires, among other things, an understanding of our own specific insecurities). There are several categories of insecurity, and our life and experiences dictate which aspects of insecurity are dominant for us, as well as the strategies that we use to cope with them.
More examples will be added each month, but if you are interested in questions that have not yet been answered on the website, the book (Fears and Facades, understanding yourself and others) on which this website is based covers the full range of human experience, including human interactions and culture. It can be purchased through the link below:
