The Psychology of Self-Preservation
The Psychology of Self-Preservation: Understanding Silence in Leadership and Everyday Life
What makes a person look the other way when truth is being trampled? Why do institutions, especially those tasked with protecting the public good, so often go quiet when their voices are needed most? And more importantly—what does that have to do with the rest of us?
In this compelling episode of The Psychology of Us with Professor RJ Starr, we explore the deeply human instinct of self-preservation—not just as a biological drive, but as a moral, emotional, and psychological reflex that shapes our actions and inactions in profound ways. Drawing from recent public behaviors in the United States Congress, Professor Starr examines how silence has become a form of survival—not only in politics, but in relationships, workplaces, and everyday life.
With the warmth and depth of a seasoned psychologist and professor, RJ Starr guides listeners through a journey that begins in the public arena but soon turns inward. This episode unpacks the reasons people stay silent even when they disagree, the mechanisms our minds use to justify complicity, and the emotional toll that self-preservation can take when it becomes chronic.
You’ll learn how self-preservation is linked to avoidance, groupthink, pluralistic ignorance, and the fawn response—a lesser-known cousin of fight, flight, or freeze. Through the lens of psychological theories by Maslow, Janis, Zimbardo, and Anna Freud, we investigate how individuals conform in the face of pressure, how leaders justify the erosion of integrity, and why so many of us retreat rather than resist when the stakes are high.
But this episode doesn’t leave us in critique. It offers a hopeful, reflective look at what courage looks like. Not as grand gestures or rebellion—but as quiet moments of clarity and integrity. You’ll be invited to examine your own behavior, your own silences, your own inner compass. You’ll come away with a deeper understanding of why we protect ourselves the way we do—and how we can begin to choose presence over retreat.
This isn’t a partisan lecture. It’s a human conversation. Whether you’ve lost faith in leadership, struggled to speak up in your own life, or simply want to understand why people act against their values—this episode offers the psychological insight and emotional honesty to help you understand yourself and the world more clearly.
RJ Starr’s signature style—a blend of accessible academia, introspection, and narrative storytelling—makes this episode both intellectually satisfying and emotionally resonant. It’s not just about politics. It’s about how all of us are wired, and how we can start rewiring for something more honest, more present, and more human.
Perfect for psychology students, educators, leaders, therapists, and anyone seeking to live with greater awareness and integrity.
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