But I do explain a lot, but it does not land, that is the problem.
You take this thread for example,OK ?
I make a valid comment and then it starts to attract abuse, and the mods have to step in with a fat finger. Why ? Because i give as good as I get, if not better, I always respond fiercely if I am attacked.
Let's talk about this thread.
What exactly does Brett Steenbarger do his best to solve ?
( I have had PM traffic with him and he seems a very decent chap, btw.)
The problems that beset him, and any other house psychologist for that matter is that he has to find a way to bring people to proficiency, to stop them doing silly things, to stop them taking flyers, to stop them reacting incorrectly to market prompts, to help them retain control of themselves, to help them prevent themselves from becoming serial traders out of control, to stop them overtrading, to help them not be emotional, reactive, impatient, and all these things.
What could be at the root core of all these problems ?
Is it the fault of the house psychologist ? No, he is himself, and trying to do his best.
Is it that the people he is trying to help are maniacs ? No they are ordinary human beings in an environment that requires a different attitude, conduct and responses to those they are accustomed to in ordinary life.
Now who avails himself of the help offered by the house psychologist ?
Obviously those who need it, the ones who are having problems, because according to their frame of reference they are doing the right things, but then, frequently, the outcomes they get are not the ones they expect. This is because this group, for whatever reason, persist in having the wrong responses, the wrong attitudes, the wrong reactions, the wrong way of going about things, the wrong way of dealing with problems, the wrong way of meeting problems and resolving them, the wrong way of responding, of self monitoring, of self governance, of self responsibility and ultimately of control. Nearly all of it is a problem of control.
These are the cases a house psychologist has to deal with to try to help put them right.
Now I get a lot of abuse because I contradict mainstream thinking on all this.
Consider the quiet ones in the corner, who don't fall prey to doing all of the above. They don't need any help and have no reason to ask for any. They keep themselves to themselves. You don't hear them whinging and complaining because they have no reason to.
The house psychologist's skills are not needed by this group. They have a totally different way of going about things and tackling problems. The house psychologist acquires a template to help individuals with problems.
He does not acquire a template for the other group. There is no need for one. The other group do not even comment, they just get on with it. Therefore you could say that the template for the successful ones is missing.
Additionally, the successful ones are apt to guard themselves against being asked too many questions, as it is in their interest to protect their proficiency (notice that I say proficiency and not an edge, because that comes much later) so what happens ? Everyone gets to be familiar with the nature of problems but everyone remains in the dark about non problems.
When I bring this up, I get a lot of abuse.
Now another example.
Some time ago the question of stops was being discussed.
Again, when I commented incisively on it, it served to stimulate the rowdy element as well.
Without going into deep details I explained that efficient traders use very tight stops because efficient traders get it right many many more times than they get it wrong, that is why they are efficient traders, OK ?
Therefore efficient traders are surprised and shocked when they get it wrong. The fact that they use very tight stops immediately limits losses.
Inefficient traders are apt to use wide stops and some blighters none at all !
They now begin to argue, yes argue, that to use a wide stop is the right thing to do because it allows a position to "breathe" and other nonsenses. When it is pointed out that wide stops used by inefficient traders who get it wrong often and really ought to fiercely control losses, they get abusive, or, begin to argue.
That is why I have so many posts under my belt. I have tried in the past to illustrate lots of ideas. These ideas are immediately recognised by a few who go on to use them beneficially which pleases me enormously. The great majority see fit to argue and argue and do not progress.
I am accused of being among other things, a charlatan, a wordsmith, an autocrat, etc.,
The problem is that a lot of people forget about the message being delivered to them and only concentrate on the way the message is delivered and so miss the content altogether.
