Momentum Trumps Reason

I consider myself a student of human behavior. Under ordinary circumstances the biological sciences and psychology provide useful, if only partial, understanding of what it is that motivates people. There are times however when those kinds of paradigms fall short. Totally Irrational behavior (seeking failure), self destructive behavior (drug abuse) and behavior we would term "evil" (terrorism), in particular, are instances where the usual explanations frequently seem less than satisfying.

It recently occurred to me that we have rarely consulted and seemingly with good reason "Physics" in our efforts at human understanding. This science of physical forces acting on physical objects after all is not totally removed from our life experiences. Among our many wonderful subjective, spiritual and mental attributes there is also our sheer physicalness. Our body has substance and is subject to external forces some of which are physical.

One of the laws of physics for example addresses the phenomenon of "momentum". To wit, "A body in motion will continue in motion." Things don't always stop of their own volition they will continue at the same speed and in the same direction unless impeded by an outside source. Could there be some of that in the habituated and irrational human behaviors mentioned earlier? Could that explain some instances of "extreme stubbornness"? Do some repellent repulsive human actions continually repeat not because of some internal "Demon", some perverse motivation but simply because there is an already established "momentum" built in?

If this argument holds any water it would suggest that there are instances where the "talking therapies" should be shelved and replaced by a temporary substitution of various forms of physical restraint, curbs, and diversions, in other words "equal and opposite forces". Isn't that in fact what we have learned when we force someone to go "cold turkey" to defeat a drug habit. Under ordinary circumstances we do what we have always done unless confronted by physical stops in our surroundings.

It matters not at all how the momentum first kicked in, the original cause doesn't matter and can be long gone. Once the repeated pattern of behavior is in place it will only respond to effective physical curbs applied today.

The more I think about this the more applications seem to fit: How many marriages that were consummated in romantic love continue because of sheer momentum?