Rule Consciousness: Understanding Rigidity, Moral Standards, and Flexibility.

1. Rule Consciousness By: Avril Dias Guided by Mr. Shyam Gupta, Clinical psychologist & Psychotherapist, Gwalior Contact: 9368503416 Write to us at: info@emotionoflife.in Visit us on: www.emotionoflife.in

2. Shyam Gupta OCD Specialist Therapist Emotion of Life OCD Treatment Research and Training Institute, Agra, India

3. What is Rule Consciousness? Rule Consciousness can be summarized as the way an individual interprets, judges and reacts to the organizational rules in place. It refers to how much an individual conforms and abides by rules; rules either made by society or rules that the individual has set for themselves. An individual can either have a high rule consciousness, i.e. they insist on following the set of rules most or all of the time. Or they can have low rule consciousness, i.e. they are not insistent on following rules and are casual when it comes to following order.

4. How are rules learnt? (1/2) Rules can be learnt by individuals in multiple ways: • At home: Parents and family members set certain rules for the home environment and as children we need to follow them and respect our elders. These are the first type of rules we are exposed to. Eg: Having a set routine for doing work, sleeping and waking on time, doing school and other assigned work on time, respecting people, keeping the surroundings clean, others morals and values relating to culture and religion, etc. • At school: Teachers teach students societal roles and educate them as to how one has to behave as a citizen of their country and the world. Eg: Rules of a good citizen, voting, traffic rules, citizen rights and duties, working in a professional environment, etc.

5. How are rules learnt? (2/2) • Religion: It teaches us moral principles and serves as a moral guide for us. It provides us with spiritual rules to follow. Each religion has a set of rules for its followers and if followed, helps people to be better humans. Eg: Helping the less fortunate, believing in a higher power, having faith and believing, not lying, not cheating, not stealing, not being greedy, etc. • Self: Even thought it may not be taught to us but as individuals we make up our own set of rules that shape us into unique individuals. Eg: For some it is important to avoid drinking or smoking, some feel they need to always be on time for their commitments, etc. It is subjective.

6. Low rule consciousness A person who is casual about rules and does not insist on following things in a particular order or set manner is said to have low rule consciousness. Negative impact: The person is a procrastinator, gets scolded by authorities for not completing work on time, is self-centred, does not mind getting scolded, does not complete work on time, gets work piled up easily, usually does not adhere to deadlines and timings, not very sensitive to others’ emotions.

7. High rule consciousness (1/2) A person who is over-concerned about following rules and prefers to do things properly in a particular way which is prescribed by society or by themselves is said to have high rule consciousness. Positive impact: Person receives praise for being responsible, is given high posts in school or work environment, person has less work pile up, is admired by society and others. A person with high rule consciousness wants to complete work on time, use their full capacity in their work, wants to constantly better themselves and they are liked and respected within their ecosystem.

8. High rule consciousness (2/2) Negative impact: • Always has performance anxiety. • Person is more sensitive and it impacts their day to day life. • Person may develop an intrusive thought pattern. • Person may expect same behaviour from others. • Person chases perfection. • Extra work load is given due to good quality work results, wants to be in control of every situation. • Person is vulnerable to emotional health issues, eg: anxiety, depression, OCD and personality disorder.

9. Balanced rule consciousness A person with a balanced rule consciousness is one who follows rules but does not let the idea of extreme perfection or extreme lethargy get in the way. People using this approach are known to ‘take things easy and accept them as they come.’ A balanced approach is challenging to acquire and the question arises as to how much is too much or too little. Being someone who follows rules and is not hard on themselves yet pushes themselves to become better each time is a balanced approach.

10. How can a balanced approach be achieved? For a person with high rule consciousness: • Learning when a certain situation feels pressurizing and being able to detect it. • Learning to deal with failure and increasing the ability to take risks. • Learning that always being perfect is almost impossible. For a person with low rule consciousness: • Making schedules to work on time management. • Surrounding themselves with people who are responsible and hardworking will help their attitude become better.

11. Conclusion • Rule consciousness is how each individual interprets and reacts to a set of rules or order. • Low rule consciousness: Person is not concerned about following a proper order or set of rules. • High rule consciousness: Person is very concerned about following rules and wants to practice every task in a proper manner. • A balanced approach is better that being on either of the extremes. It is important to follow the rules but still have space for failure and taking risks so one can learn from it.

12. Thank You If you or your loved one is struggling with OCD and seeking recovery, please reach out to us by Call: 9368503416 WhatsApp: 9368503416 Visit our website at www.emotionoflifeindia.com E-mail at info@emotionoflife.in