I also struggle with the 'doing' step. I'm starting to think that's because I spend time imagining the wrong things. I either imagine doing something that doesn't fit into my actual reality or that is too big of a step. I think the trick is imagining a small enough baby step that actually fits into your current life.
a) all your choices may be bad, and in being forced to choose a lesser evil, your agency is reversed
b) being forced to participate in a society that works against your best interests is inherently counter-productive
c) sometimes, even being noticed to be trying is counter-productive, even while it's mandatory to put yourself out to try
--
Overcoming or knowing how to work around these external constraints is primary and mandatory. While they're part of your calculus, they're mis-prioritized.
a) all your choices may be bad, and in being forced to choose a lesser evil, your agency is reversed
b) being forced to participate in a society that works against your best interests is inherently counter-productive
c) sometimes, even being noticed to be trying is counter-productive, even while it's mandatory to put yourself out to try
--
Overcoming or knowing how to work around these external constraints is primary and mandatory. While they're part of your calculus, they're mis-prioritized.
Yes, agency is never limitless or fully free. External constraints (environment, other 'agents', etc.) will (necessarily?) limit your choices or push you into one you don't want.
'Don't look like you're trying too hard' is an interesting one. I'll have to think about that.
What an interesting piece of knowledge, which was brand new to me. So agency is not primarily about doing, but about thinking. It reminds me of the idea that you think it first, envision it, and then create it in the physical reality. This is good news for me, since I tend to think and overthink everything, it means I have more agency than I thought. 🙃
Yep, the usual misappropriation of a psych/scientific term to convey the Nike slogan - just do it. The nuance and complexity of humans doesn't play nice with social media!
This narrative also forgets that agency is not just an individual level construct. It's also shaped by social, cultural and environmental factors that can really keep us stuck no matter how much we want to 'just do it's.
So true, Ellen. People are not sneakers, and the more we try to shuffle psychology into 3-second soundtracks the more we cut away the nuance and complexity that make us human.
(I really should have worked the Nike slogan into the post! 😉)
Fascinating article — and thank you for the callout 🤍 I’m intrigued by this idea because I think it shows how powerfully our mindsets determine how we show up in the world. We will only act on the storylines available to our imaginations. It’s why I’ve recently tried to avoid self-limiting language like “oh, I’m not that kind of person.” Our projected ideals of ourselves determine our actual story!
Great post, with much to think about- not just for self-help but for depression as a whole.
You wrote:
"A foundational 1998 paper on the psychology of agency distinguishes three components that, looped and linked, constitute agency: iteration, projectivity, and evaluation...Any advice that tells you to ‘just do stuff’ almost entirely omits the first two components of agency."
I think you've put into good words why most well-intentioned advice for depression often falls flat: with depression, the "imagining possible routes ahead" of projectivity is by definition in the toilet. Calls to exercise, eat healthier, and all the usual advice certainly aren't bad for you, but without any practical hope for the future or willingness to imagine one's own story, such advice to work on yourself and go outside just seems like theoretical boilerplate. You can't integrate the "do more stuff" heuristic into your own story of success when you think your own story looks like a never-ending panorama of dogsh*t.
Cognitive behavioral therapy has gotten a bad rap in some circles as just another way of rebranding toxic positivity, but this article has given me some good retrospective insight into why it works. CBT in essence tills the soil for the seeds of action to take hold; through resetting negative beliefs or reframing poor self-image or traumatic events it challenges your thinking from "Doing stuff won't do anything for a loser like me" to "Doing stuff might become the next part of my redemption arc".
----
That being said, despite everything I wrote above, I might quibble a bit with the otherwise-excellent doing-as-icing on a cake metaphor. While I've literally just said that "just doing things" is often fruitless for people in depression, I will admit that I have personally- if reluctantly- benefited from "just doing things" while depressed, whether going for walks, looking for jobs, etc, despite having negative infinity desire to do so.
There is some criticism to be made of the "fake it till you make it" route for depression, and I would never claim that simply walking and exercising "cured" my depression, but as you pointed out, "Isn’t high agency supposed to involve breaking routines? Quite the opposite, routines are the launching pads for agency."
Having a routine of doing stuff when you're depressed may feel like doing nothing- "going through the motions", but it's in retrospect that I realize it is an expression of agency in and of itself. It was replacing one routine (doing nothing and staying in bed 19 hours a day) with another (actually getting up and play-acting the role of a human being). The new routine didn't "solve" anything overnight, but it did begin digging, however slightly, at the belief that depression would take away my free will and ability to do anything meaningful in life. Subsequently, exercising the belief that "I am capable of doing superficial bullshit even when I don't want to" paved the way for less superficial actions in the future; reading books, reconnecting with friends, going to therapy, looking for jobs.
In the context of mental health specifically, I'd personally reframe iteration, projectivity, and evaluation as steps of a cake recipe- getting the ingredients, mixing them together, and putting them into the oven. It's true that iteration alone (getting the ingredients) didn't solve my depression, but I doubt I'd have been able to proceed without even getting to that stage in the first place.
Thanks for the equally thought-provoking comment, Chazz.
As someone who's also dealt with depression and who has also benefitted (and continues to benefit) from certain routines, all I can says is "yes to all of it."
The icing metaphor indeed lacks the interaction between the different processes. Such is the struggle of finding a good metaphor. In the depression context, I suppose you could wonder whether it's the 'just doing things' or 'doing things that are just manageable enough to regain some sense of control/agency'. Even if you don't feel/believe it at the time (so I tell myself) the point of the doing, the routines, is to reclaim a modicum of control in a life that seems to spiral away from you. But honestly, that's mostly semantics. Your point stands, and I'm glad you've taken the time to make it.
For the record, I think the icing on the cake metaphor functions beautifully in the context of regular, non-depressed self-help. In that world, I can certainly speak to the culture of "do more stuff" at the expense of self-reflection or long-term planning. But in cases where depression or other deep-seated mental issues are at play, the lack of projectivity or hope necessitates a different kind of emotional triage.
Thanks for going a layer deeper on agency.
I also struggle with the 'doing' step. I'm starting to think that's because I spend time imagining the wrong things. I either imagine doing something that doesn't fit into my actual reality or that is too big of a step. I think the trick is imagining a small enough baby step that actually fits into your current life.
Why hello, fellow catastrophizer ;).
Breaking things down into manageable chunks is probably a great idea. Putting that in practice, well, let's say my brain doesn't always agree with it.
Thanks for reading and sharing, Will!
a) all your choices may be bad, and in being forced to choose a lesser evil, your agency is reversed
b) being forced to participate in a society that works against your best interests is inherently counter-productive
c) sometimes, even being noticed to be trying is counter-productive, even while it's mandatory to put yourself out to try
--
Overcoming or knowing how to work around these external constraints is primary and mandatory. While they're part of your calculus, they're mis-prioritized.
a) all your choices may be bad, and in being forced to choose a lesser evil, your agency is reversed
b) being forced to participate in a society that works against your best interests is inherently counter-productive
c) sometimes, even being noticed to be trying is counter-productive, even while it's mandatory to put yourself out to try
--
Overcoming or knowing how to work around these external constraints is primary and mandatory. While they're part of your calculus, they're mis-prioritized.
Those are great points.
Yes, agency is never limitless or fully free. External constraints (environment, other 'agents', etc.) will (necessarily?) limit your choices or push you into one you don't want.
'Don't look like you're trying too hard' is an interesting one. I'll have to think about that.
What an interesting piece of knowledge, which was brand new to me. So agency is not primarily about doing, but about thinking. It reminds me of the idea that you think it first, envision it, and then create it in the physical reality. This is good news for me, since I tend to think and overthink everything, it means I have more agency than I thought. 🙃
Thanks, Monica. ‘Think, envision, create.’ I like that a lot more than ‘do stuff’.
It sounds more like a process than an impulse burst.
Yep, the usual misappropriation of a psych/scientific term to convey the Nike slogan - just do it. The nuance and complexity of humans doesn't play nice with social media!
This narrative also forgets that agency is not just an individual level construct. It's also shaped by social, cultural and environmental factors that can really keep us stuck no matter how much we want to 'just do it's.
So true, Ellen. People are not sneakers, and the more we try to shuffle psychology into 3-second soundtracks the more we cut away the nuance and complexity that make us human.
(I really should have worked the Nike slogan into the post! 😉)
😜😉
Fascinating article — and thank you for the callout 🤍 I’m intrigued by this idea because I think it shows how powerfully our mindsets determine how we show up in the world. We will only act on the storylines available to our imaginations. It’s why I’ve recently tried to avoid self-limiting language like “oh, I’m not that kind of person.” Our projected ideals of ourselves determine our actual story!
Thank you, Rose.
Also, "Our projected ideals of ourselves determine our actual story!" Yes!
(I too am a sucker for self-limiting language and beliefs. Work in progress, let's say...)
I think we should team up. I’m very good at the doing without the required thinking! 😂
Or at least I am after I've massively overthought, but not thought through with full self-reflection, and then gone sod it. And acted.
Ha, I relate to that. I overthink everything. Until I get annoyed by my overthinking and do something random 😆.
Yes! Exactly 😂
Great post, with much to think about- not just for self-help but for depression as a whole.
You wrote:
"A foundational 1998 paper on the psychology of agency distinguishes three components that, looped and linked, constitute agency: iteration, projectivity, and evaluation...Any advice that tells you to ‘just do stuff’ almost entirely omits the first two components of agency."
I think you've put into good words why most well-intentioned advice for depression often falls flat: with depression, the "imagining possible routes ahead" of projectivity is by definition in the toilet. Calls to exercise, eat healthier, and all the usual advice certainly aren't bad for you, but without any practical hope for the future or willingness to imagine one's own story, such advice to work on yourself and go outside just seems like theoretical boilerplate. You can't integrate the "do more stuff" heuristic into your own story of success when you think your own story looks like a never-ending panorama of dogsh*t.
Cognitive behavioral therapy has gotten a bad rap in some circles as just another way of rebranding toxic positivity, but this article has given me some good retrospective insight into why it works. CBT in essence tills the soil for the seeds of action to take hold; through resetting negative beliefs or reframing poor self-image or traumatic events it challenges your thinking from "Doing stuff won't do anything for a loser like me" to "Doing stuff might become the next part of my redemption arc".
----
That being said, despite everything I wrote above, I might quibble a bit with the otherwise-excellent doing-as-icing on a cake metaphor. While I've literally just said that "just doing things" is often fruitless for people in depression, I will admit that I have personally- if reluctantly- benefited from "just doing things" while depressed, whether going for walks, looking for jobs, etc, despite having negative infinity desire to do so.
There is some criticism to be made of the "fake it till you make it" route for depression, and I would never claim that simply walking and exercising "cured" my depression, but as you pointed out, "Isn’t high agency supposed to involve breaking routines? Quite the opposite, routines are the launching pads for agency."
Having a routine of doing stuff when you're depressed may feel like doing nothing- "going through the motions", but it's in retrospect that I realize it is an expression of agency in and of itself. It was replacing one routine (doing nothing and staying in bed 19 hours a day) with another (actually getting up and play-acting the role of a human being). The new routine didn't "solve" anything overnight, but it did begin digging, however slightly, at the belief that depression would take away my free will and ability to do anything meaningful in life. Subsequently, exercising the belief that "I am capable of doing superficial bullshit even when I don't want to" paved the way for less superficial actions in the future; reading books, reconnecting with friends, going to therapy, looking for jobs.
In the context of mental health specifically, I'd personally reframe iteration, projectivity, and evaluation as steps of a cake recipe- getting the ingredients, mixing them together, and putting them into the oven. It's true that iteration alone (getting the ingredients) didn't solve my depression, but I doubt I'd have been able to proceed without even getting to that stage in the first place.
Thanks for the thought-provoking piece.
Thanks for the equally thought-provoking comment, Chazz.
As someone who's also dealt with depression and who has also benefitted (and continues to benefit) from certain routines, all I can says is "yes to all of it."
The icing metaphor indeed lacks the interaction between the different processes. Such is the struggle of finding a good metaphor. In the depression context, I suppose you could wonder whether it's the 'just doing things' or 'doing things that are just manageable enough to regain some sense of control/agency'. Even if you don't feel/believe it at the time (so I tell myself) the point of the doing, the routines, is to reclaim a modicum of control in a life that seems to spiral away from you. But honestly, that's mostly semantics. Your point stands, and I'm glad you've taken the time to make it.
Thanks for the reply, Gunnar!
For the record, I think the icing on the cake metaphor functions beautifully in the context of regular, non-depressed self-help. In that world, I can certainly speak to the culture of "do more stuff" at the expense of self-reflection or long-term planning. But in cases where depression or other deep-seated mental issues are at play, the lack of projectivity or hope necessitates a different kind of emotional triage.