EVE General Discussion

Psychologists identify four major reactions to significant changes in people's accustomed environment or routine activities:

Disengagement - Withdrawal, loss of initiative or interest, fear while hoping for the best, being physically present but mentally absent, loss of drive and commitment, marginal performance.

Dis-identification - Identity is threatened by change, loss of sense of mastery, dwelling on the "old" way of doing things, sadness and worry.

Disenchantment - negativity or anger, seeking support by forming coalitions, engaging in sabotage or backstabbing.

Disorientation - feeling lost and unsure, wasting energy figuring out "what" to do instead of "how" to do things, become detail-oriented, leave tasks until all "questions" are answered, feeling of losing touch with priorities, analyzing the change "to death".

(Thanks University of Pittsburgh Psych Department)


"Life is change. How it differs from the rocks." - Grace Slick -

We go through this every time. The devs try to refine their product that's some eight or nine years old now, incrementally to prevent crippling shock ravaging the masses. We get the same percentage of people overall reacting in one of the four above mentioned fashions every time. If you did a statisical check, you'd find with each change the same number of people post the same type of reaction...every time.

In the dreaded and unmentioned RL, it's likely change is met the same way by the same people in the same numbers. It's only natural. Move one stick of furniture and my border collie is suspicious for a week. He'll calm down, but months after he'll still sniff it as he walks by as if to say "this still isn't RIGHT."

What we should ask ourselves is are we reacting to what and how it was changed, or to the change itself? Most of us from many years of experience know you're unfamiliar with a key punching, 'puter procedure till you do it a few times, and before you know it, it's second nature. Sure as my Hurricane is under-insured, the same will happen with THIS change, as it has with all the OTHER changes.

"If it ain't broke don't fix it." - Every Redneck I've Ever Worked With -

It's true, sometimes people mess with things just to be messing with them (as we say in Alabama). Change for the sake of change is resisted and it's arguable - rightly so. The question then becomes, was the change necessary, or an improvement? I daresay so far, until we've all made the new keystrokes second nature, we can't really say. So, much criticism is a bit premature, and is likely a reaction to the change itself.

Over time we may find a change, or two, just weren't for the best. I'm sure the devs aren't so hard-headed as to ignore this. However, some people are enamored of their own work, and themselves resist change - especially if it involves reversing a change they thought was so brilliant to begin with. Such vanity isn't very helpful, but we can't know if this is presently the case until events unfold. This, too, will take time.

In the meanwhile, I just love watching us being ourselves. Don't you? The one sure change we can all agree on is - Be sure to change your underwear. You never know WHEN you might be hit by a bus.

You, sir, have FAR too many likes!

shameless bump

Nah. The question becomes: do the additions add more value than the things that were unquestionably lost, and does “improvement” really have room for such a thing as lost functionality?


The change was necessary; the loss of functionality and efficiency was not. It could have been an improvement, but was fumbled. At best, it might reach a level of “just as good, but in a completely different way”, which doesn't really qualify.

Psychologists identify four major reactions to significant changes in people's accustomed environment or routine activities:

Psychologists identify four major reactions to significant changes in people's accustomed environment or routine activities:

Disengagement - Withdrawal, loss of initiative or interest, fear while hoping for the best, being physically present but mentally absent, loss of drive and commitment, marginal performance.

Dis-identification - Identity is threatened by change, loss of sense of mastery, dwelling on the "old" way of doing things, sadness and worry.

Disenchantment - negativity or anger, seeking support by forming coalitions, engaging in sabotage or backstabbing.

Disorientation - feeling lost and unsure, wasting energy figuring out "what" to do instead of "how" to do things, become detail-oriented, leave tasks until all "questions" are answered, feeling of losing touch with priorities, analyzing the change "to death".

(Thanks University of Pittsburgh Psych Department)


"Life is change. How it differs from the rocks." - Grace Slick -

We go through this every time. The devs try to refine their product that's some eight or nine years old now, incrementally to prevent crippling shock ravaging the masses. We get the same percentage of people overall reacting in one of the four above mentioned fashions every time. If you did a statisical check, you'd find with each change the same number of people post the same type of reaction...every time.

In the dreaded and unmentioned RL, it's likely change is met the same way by the same people in the same numbers. It's only natural. Move one stick of furniture and my border collie is suspicious for a week. He'll calm down, but months after he'll still sniff it as he walks by as if to say "this still isn't RIGHT."

What we should ask ourselves is are we reacting to what and how it was changed, or to the change itself? Most of us from many years of experience know you're unfamiliar with a key punching, 'puter procedure till you do it a few times, and before you know it, it's second nature. Sure as my Hurricane is under-insured, the same will happen with THIS change, as it has with all the OTHER changes.

"If it ain't broke don't fix it." - Every Redneck I've Ever Worked With -

It's true, sometimes people mess with things just to be messing with them (as we say in Alabama). Change for the sake of change is resisted and it's arguable - rightly so. The question then becomes, was the change necessary, or an improvement? I daresay so far, until we've all made the new keystrokes second nature, we can't really say. So, much criticism is a bit premature, and is likely a reaction to the change itself.

Over time we may find a change, or two, just weren't for the best. I'm sure the devs aren't so hard-headed as to ignore this. However, some people are enamored of their own work, and themselves resist change - especially if it involves reversing a change they thought was so brilliant to begin with. Such vanity isn't very helpful, but we can't know if this is presently the case until events unfold. This, too, will take time.

In the meanwhile, I just love watching us being ourselves. Don't you? The one sure change we can all agree on is - Be sure to change your underwear. You never know WHEN you might be hit by a bus.