Unclumping

[zdo 20]

Unclumping

Take all the struggling traders and put them it a big struggling trader clump. Call in the experts (from forums, in our case) to assess and advise. And they come - called or not . And each of them tends to bring a single causation hypothesis with a single focused solution. For purposes of illustration, let’s narrow it to two categories – keeping in mind though, this two way categorization is far from comprehensive.

 

Our first set of advisors preaches the following - generally: Quality plan Discipline Quality plan Discipline Quality plan. Just keep trying to stick to the plan over and over until… Suppress emotions… ’Trading psychology’ is useless (… and they will come right up in a trading psychology thread to tell you so over and over and over, too ). Essentially, if they don’t have an emotional component to deal with in their trading - no one does. Use your mind to box off your mind and be done with it!

 

Our second set of advisors preaches the following – generally: The mind can NOT use the mind to box off the mind. Emotions implicitly work with(in) the brain to co-create the ”trader's mind”. Everyone can use trading therapy – but Especially if you come to the game with pre-existing fear ‘triggerability’ to non life threatening events … and/or Especially if ‘uncertainty’ quickly degrades your performance. You HAVE to find ways to work with emotions (and more)...

 

Let’s take all the struggling traders and de-clump them.

Some of them do not pass the threshold of susceptibility to fears, emotions, etc. Some of them do just need edge development only.

Another segment of struggling traders does pass the threshold of susceptibility to fears, emotions, etc. They need ‘trading therapy’ - and an edge too.

 

 

For the first category, DbPheonix http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/trading-psychology/9278-your-mama-doesnt-trade-so-wise-25.html#post157383 is not the most blatant example of the first category advisors in this forum; nor, in real life, do I think he really take such a completely extreme position re: ‘trading psychology’, and for sure, he doesn’t chronically come right up in a trading psychology thread to tell you so over and over and over – he’s simply the first one to pop into my mind today.

Yes, I’m drawing heavily on Rande-Speak in the description of the second category as, in this forum, he has developed lexicon and descriptions of these processes (and offers a niche protocol for recovery). If you’re not familiar with him, just search on Rande Howell to get his own take. Not pigeonholing either one- Both guys are just being used as situational representatives for illustrative purposes only. (If I have harmed you, please forgive me.)

 

As I said before, this two set categorization is far from complete. Three sets may be more accurate. Completely different categorizations may be indicated. The point being made is that we need to de-clump ‘struggling traders’ and stop intra thread fighting about multiple categories when usually the OP has already limited the scope to one of the ‘categories’. A not very extreme but still smelly example of this categorizations clusterfkn I'm trying to persuade us to avoid is at http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/psychology/14649-blind-spot-traders-review-mirror.html

 

(and btw noobs - If you’re not able to immediately ascertain which category you’re in –start in the second one. :grin:)