death spiral

[keannu]

I think "death spiral" means "bad repititious circle or vicious circle coming from your contradictory behavior not to achieve from trying to achieve". Is it correct?
And also "ironies" means "your contradictory behavior not to achieve from trying to achieve." If you have a different opinion, please let me know.

ex)To require perfection is to invite paralysis. The pattern is predictable: as you can see error in what you have done, you steer your work toward what you imagine you can do perfectly. You cling ever more tightly to what you already know you can do - away from risk and exploration, and possibily further from the work of your heart. You find reasons to procrastinate, since not to work is not to make mistakes. Believing that artwork should be perfect, your gradually become convinced that you cannot make such work. Sooner or later, since you cannot do what you are trying to do, you quit. And in one of those perverse little ironies of life, only the pattern itself achieves perfection - a perfect death spiral : you misdirect your work; you stall; you quit.

st119

 

[SoothingDave]

When a satellite, like the moon, loses its orbit it spirals around the planet at an ever-decreasing distance from it. Eventually it crashes into the planet and is obliterated.

That is the "death spiral" analogy.

The irony mentioned here is that the only "perfection" achieved is the perfect death spiral.

 

[keannu]

Is the reason why the term "spiral" was used that you go back and forth between a goal(artwork) and a retreated point(giving up) repetitiously? And that kind of action is similar to a spiral?
Or just as a metaphor for a crashing spiral without accomplishing its goal?

 

[SoothingDave]

No, I explained already why it is a spiral. It's the shape a satellite takes when crashing.

In the described situation above, the person's instincts make the situation worse. That's why it's a spiral.

"You cling ever more tightly to what you already know you can do" --- This describes a person doing the same exact thing in response to a bad situation. If you are failing, then doing the same exact thing will only lead to a death spiral.​

 

[SoothingDave]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...n_spiral.svg/300px-Archimedean_spiral.svg.png

A spiral. Note that it only goes in one direction - closer and closer to the center point.

 

[BobSmith]

[AmE - not a teacher]

Only a metaphor, IMO.

 

[keannu]

For this "You cling ever more tightly to what you already know you can do", I thought it's like if you are a perfect soccer player, and don't play basketball very well, afraid of not showing or achieving pefect basketball skills in front of others, you just turn back to soccer which you can do perfectly.
I thought "what you already know you can do" is something you are already good at. But you seem to say "it's going away from or giving up a goal" you want to achieve. I don't know if I'm mistaken.