Writing Prompt

One way you could conceptualise your personality is an arm wrestle. The two challengers are mini personalities within yourself, and the combination of the two manifests itself as your personality.

The first challenger is the instinctual element. This part of you requires satisfaction of your animalistic desires. Aggression, sex, eating, anything of instant gratification. All it wants to do is consume as quickly and as much as possible. Allowing this to dominate the arm wrestle will mean that everything is done in service of quick pleasure and expedience. The meaning of anything at all is banished as the world is seen as a place of opportunities to obtain pleasure, not a place where anything means anything at all. If things did have meaning, the consequences of actions would have to be considered, but when there is no meaning the consequences don’t matter. Allowing this to dominate results in a highly nihilistic output.

The second challenger is the inner critic. Everyone is aware of the idea of their own potential. It’s a place you could be if you did everything that you should do. You are also aware that within you is a mini-personality that every time you do not do something that is in service of your potential, will have no qualms letting you know about it. This strives for perfection. Anything below perfection is worthy of critique, meaning almost everything is. There are two portions to this sub-personality which are the creation of the ideal and then the use of guilt when it is not adhered to. This personality wants to punish you at every chance for not being as you should be. Imagine Jiminy Cricket (yes, from Pinocchio) fulfilling the same role he does in the film, but for you personally. Allowing this to dominate leaves you in permanent angst, depression and anxiety due to not being able to achieve much of what is required.

These two arm wrestling sub-personalities are refereed by you. Your job is to mediate them. At points they can serve useful functions. Aggression under control is a powerful tool, as is a kick up the ass when you’re not doing lots of the things you should be. The aim of the referee is to keep the two arm wrestlers at equilibrium, only tilting ever so slightly. When the referee does not do his job and one begins to dominate, then issues in the game arise as one is tyrannised by the other.

The instinctual element represents chaos, the critical element represents order, and the referee is aiming to keep the two wrestlers toeing the line between the two.