Arrested Psychological Development as a Social Norm: The Cost of Deferring One’s Conscience to Leadership Structures and Societal Frameworks that are Consciously Underdeveloped Awakened Paradigm
People that idolize, uncritically follow, or defend psychospiritually stagnant leaders and institutions at all costs—even in the face of clear ethical failure and psychological underdevelopment—they are usually psychospiritually stagnant themselves. So, rather than expanding their capacity for more knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, they outsource their thinking to "authority" figures and societal institutions that mirror their own avoidance of personal growth and inner examination. This means that instead of engaging in self-reflection, refinement of their character, and learning how to think for themselves—where questioning their beliefs, tolerating the discomfort that comes from having their assumptions challenged and their self-image disrupted, and developing personal discernment outside of any external authority and group approval that may be keeping them in a state of arrested psychological development—they remain psychologically dependent on these leaders and insti...