Mistaking the Signal for the Problem - Part 1: Lying to Ourselves
It is very easy to confuse signals with their consequences, or the manifestation of those signals.
Take, for example, someone with poor eating habits. We might focus on the behavior itself and offer advice, when in fact, it could the signal of a long-standing psychological struggle. Food can become a refuge, much like alcohol is for an alcoholic who try to escape his real problem in life.
The same applies to procrastination. For someone who never finishes their projects or constantly puts things off, we could try to treat that symptom directly. But if we view it as a signal instead, and dig a bit deeper into the genealogy of the problem, we might find hidden reasons that haven’t been revealed yet, such as a specific fear or a deep lack of self-confidence.
The paradox is that it often becomes more comforting to believe that the signal itself is the only problem. Addressing what lies upstream would require dealing with things that are much more complex, difficult, and mentally draining. At the same time, the market is saturated with products that focus solely on fixing these symptoms. This only reinforces the idea that treating the symptom will solve everything and that there is nothing deeper beneath the surface.
Not only is it easy to lie to ourselves, but there are also a thousand and one crutches available to falsely help us prop up the wrong problem.