General Discussion
Hi! to kick of our Monday questions I am going to share with you an experience I had recently -
Here's a breakdown of the situation:
Friend seeks opinion: The friend approaches the speaker and asks for their opinion. The speaker...me.. provides an honest opinion.
Unfavorable response: The friend doesn't like the speaker's opinion, possibly because it doesn't align with what they were hoping to hear.
Hidden motive revealed: Later, the speaker discovers that the friend wasn't really seeking guidance; instead, they were looking for support to justify their decision.
Avoiding responsibility: The friend might be seeking this support so that if things don't go as planned, they can shift the blame to the speaker. For instance, they could say, "You thought it was a good idea too" or "You agreed with me."
Enabling behavior explained: If the speaker had told the friend what they wanted to hear, even if it wasn't the speaker's genuine opinion, they would have been enabling the friend. In this context, enabling means justifying or supporting the friend's behavior, even if it may have negative consequences.
In summary, enabling, in this scenario, involves providing support or agreement to a friend's decision not because it's the right or honest thing to do, but rather to help them justify their actions and potentially avoid taking responsibility for any negative outcomes.
The question is, did the speaker do the right thing? if so ...why?