^
Maybe, but I suspect that many people like to have emotional support so that they feel strong enough to find their own solutions. Morale seems to be a great enabler. I've not noticed it work that way very much in my own case, but I've certainly been more able to fix problems when I've felt confident, and I have some indirect evidence that just being with the right people helps me with practical things.
I remember a time when somebody was helping me learn the Highway Code for a driving test by reading questions out to me. Although they weren't doing a great job of reading them (intonation and pronunciation difficulties), I did a lot better at answering them than I did when I was alone later. I felt less confident when I was alone, and I think that was interfering with my performance. But just having that friend there somehow helped. At the time I was just thinking "dammit, they can't even read the questions properly, this is going to be a waste of time," and I had no direct feeling at all that they were making me feel secure or enabling me.
25 Feb 2024, 7:06 pm
