--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To understand most important ideas in…" description: "\"To understand most important ideas in psychology, you need to understand how the mind is divided into parts that sometimes conflict. We assume that the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/jonathan-haidt-1823_assuming_to-understand-most-important-ideas-in-ps_787985.jpg" --- # To understand most important ideas in psychology, you need… ![“To understand most important ideas in psychology, you need to understand how the mind is divided into parts that sometimes conflict. We assume that there is one person in each body, but in some ways we are each more like a committee whose members have been thrown together to do a job, but who…” quote by Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/jonathan-haidt-1823_assuming_to-understand-most-important-ideas-in-ps_787985.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/jonathan-haidt-1823_assuming_to-understand-most-important-ideas-in-ps_787985.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/jonathan-haidt-1823_assuming_to-understand-most-important-ideas-in-ps_787985.jpg) > “To understand most important ideas in psychology, you need to understand how the mind is divided into parts that sometimes conflict. We assume that there is one person in each body, but in some ways we are each more like a committee whose members have been thrown together to do a job, but who often find themselves working at cross purposes.” [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human cognition consists of multiple mental modules that can clash, making us feel like a conflicted committee rather than a single unified self. **In simple terms:** The mind has competing parts that can disagree. Key Takeaway Recognize internal conflicts and align actions with core values. Themes psychology self conflict decisionmaking identity Mood introspective analytical thoughtful Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - personal relationships - team collaboration - ethical dilemmas - self‑reflection Key Concepts modular mind cognitive dissonance dual-process theory Questions to Reflect On - How do you notice when different parts of yourself disagree? - What strategies help you integrate conflicting motivations? A Different Perspective Internal conflict can hinder decisive action if not managed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conflict/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) ## Related quotes > [“The mind is divided, like a rider on an elephant, and the rider's job is to serve the elephant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/the-mind-is-divided-like-a-rider-on-an-elephant-and-the-rider-s-job-2/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [If mankind is to profit freely from the small and sporadic crop of the heroically gifted it produces, it will have to cultivate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-trotter/if-mankind-is-to-profit-freely-from-the-small-and-sporadic-crop-of/) [Wilfred Trotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-trotter/) > [“What's the psychology of Need-payoff Questions? 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I tend to write mine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/in-all-seriousness-people-think-that-it-s-the-ideas-that-are/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“All important ideas must include the trees, the mountains, and the rivers. • To understand many things you must reach out of your own condition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/all-important-ideas-must-include-the-trees-the-mountains-and-the/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) ## More by Jonathan Haidt > [Love and work are to people what water and sunshine are to plants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/love-and-work-are-to-people-what-water-and-sunshine-are-to-plants/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [You can see the rider serving the elephant when people are morally dumbfounded. They have strong gut feelings about what is right and wrong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/you-can-see-the-rider-serving-the-elephant-when-people-are-morally/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [Congress is full of good, decent, smart people who have devoted their lives to public service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/congress-is-full-of-good-decent-smart-people-who-have-devoted-their/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [Once you understand the power of stimulus control, you can use it to your advantage by changing the stimuli in your environment and avoiding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/once-you-understand-the-power-of-stimulus-control-you-can-use-it-to/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [“The ethic of autonomy is based on the idea that people are, first and foremost, autonomous individuals with wants, needs, and preferences. 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Other”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/our-minds-have-the-potential-to-become-righteous-about-many-different/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [People who devote their lives to studying something often come to believe that the object of their fascination is the key to understanding everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/people-who-devote-their-lives-to-studying-something-often-come-to/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [“Nonetheless, if you are trying to change an organization or a society and you do not consider the effects of your changes on moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/nonetheless-if-you-are-trying-to-change-an-organization-or-a-society/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [If you have a personality predisposed to liberalism, you might gravitate more to the artsy crowd or the anti-establishment crowd. 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Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [A state of mind is something that one assumes. It cannot be purchased, it must be created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/a-state-of-mind-is-something-that-one-assumes-it-cannot-be-purchased/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [One must believe that every living thing whatsoever must change insensibly in its organization and in its form... 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Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) Browse all 2,452 Assuming quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To understand most important ideas in psychology, you need to understand how the mind is divided into parts that sometimes conflict. 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