Crab Bucket Mentality
Have you ever heard about crabs in buckets? I’ve heard the “stories” about crab buckets for years. Here’s a synopsis:
If you put one crab in a bucket, put a lid on it.
Things change when you have two or more
crabs in the bucket.
When one crab begins to crawl out and attempt an escape,
the other crabs pull it back down.
No need for a lid.
Just for the record, I tried to find scientific proof for this assertion. I used three different search engines. Google even gave me 8.5 million hits, but none were based in true science. After an hour of clicking on every link, I still couldn’t find proof for the hypothesis. If I liked to catch or eat crabs I would have driven a few hours to the ocean and done my own study. But, that’s not what is at the heart of this Motivational Monday.
The characters in these crab bucket illustrations vary. The details of the stories vary. Even the science behind it may vary. But, the human analogy of crab bucket mentality is the same. When some humans see others escaping the “bucket,” they pull them back. In crab bucket mentality, the members of a group will attempt to negate or diminish the importance of any member who achieves success beyond the others. This could be out of envy, spite, conspiracy, or competitive feelings. It’s all done to halt progress. Their actions prove the statement –
I found a lot of articles and blogs describing crab mentality. Victorino Abrugar lists Ten Signs That a Person Has a Crab Mentality, but this is Motivational Monday. Overcoming and defeating a crab mentality are the skills we need to help ourselves and others. The image below is a great illustration of what might happen if we added a new component to Crab Bucket Mentality… ESCAPING the Crab Bucket.
What if, instead of picking apart brilliant ideas that would threaten our mediocre existence, we began listening to them. We developed a plan for helping all improve. Or, imagine a crab, or a group of crabs on the other side of the bucket building a ladder to aid our escape. They are wearing “noise cancelling” headphones and have quit listening to the negative. Because they’ve tasted freedom and they know about the struggle, they are putting their energy into helping others. They know how to get out of the bucket!
Nelson Berry describes a few simple, but effective ways to escape crab bucket mentality:
1. Stay away from negative people as soon as possible. If you have friends or even family members who are trying to put you down for no reason, it’s a good idea to just stay away from them. Create a whole new circle of friends or stay close to those that you trust the most.
2. Share your feelings. You should never allow the anxiety to build up inside you. Otherwise, it may lead to depression or too much stress. Rather, share your feelings. There are many ways to do that. You can grab a pen and paper, then write everything you want to say to those people. When you’re done with the rant, you throw them away. The purpose of writing is to let your negative feelings out, not to remember them over and over.
3. Be nice. Do you know that these people don’t want you to be nice? They are very observant. They want to find even the minutest mistake about you and utilize it to bring you down. But if you’re nice, it will be hard for them to do that. Second, you’ll feel good about yourself.
4. Practice affirmations. It’s normal to lose a sense of confidence when you’re presented with a lot of negativity, but you can always counteract that with positive internal messages. You can fill your mind with positive thoughts each day. If you’re feeling sullen, you can repeat the following messages:
I am the author of my life.
I know that I am a good person.
I am self-reliant and very strong.
I have a wall that keeps negative people away from me.
I think Ron Clark, author of the Resilient Worker, summarizes it best,
“A pot of boiling crabs does not have to be a metaphor for your life. Focus on your own journey to success and happiness. When you get there, realize that others may still be suffering. Reach back down and lend them a helping hand (or claw!). Some will still try to pull you back down into the boiling pot. Do not pay attention to them.
You will be too busy celebrating the accomplishments of others.
You will be too busy inspiring others to succeed.
You will be too busy leading the resilient and
healthy lifestyle you were destined to live!”
I’m here to lend a helping hand when you need one…
–Glenna
