Speed Your Mental Evolution — Be Mentored by Jean Moroney

My motives in offering the mentoring level

This is an exciting time in my work. I realized recently that I have a new approach to psychology based on Objectivism, the philosophy of Ayn Rand. This was quite a surprise, because I set out to understand how to manage thinking, not the whole field. What I learned is that every aspect of psychology — not just cognition, but also motivation and voluntary motor action — needs to be understood from the aspect of the interaction between the conscious mind and the automatic functions of memory and affect. As a result, I have:

• An original model of how knowledge is stored in memory, including the role of perception, affect, and voluntary action
• A new conception of the role of emotions in human life
• A theory of motivation that radically simplifies our understanding of motivational problems
• A causal explanation for how the choice to focus results in volitional control over action and motivation
• A hypothesis for how the conceptual level develops in stages from birth through the ability to think in principle

This integrated perspective is very new. It came together in 2024 very suddenly — after 30 years of effort — though I had been drawing on it implicitly for about 5 years or so.

To make it fully objective, I need to apply the ideas to a wide range of concretes and explain it to a lot of people. But most people just want advice; they don’t want to understand the tactics in terms of fundamentals. I need a cohort of people who want me to “nerd out” on the details so they can understand the advice more deeply and then do it for themselves. I need people who will work with the fundamental ideas, asking questions about them so I can find the areas that need to be explained further and challenge them with their own experiences, if appropriate.

This is what the master classes will permit me to do, using planned evolution. I’ll start with a 20-minute mini-presentation, to explain the issues, in principle, in a way that everyone can take in. Then I will discuss the ideas in relation to a real issue of the mentee, the one they raised. This should be helpful for everyone — those who are just interested in application, and those who are more interested in the theory. The last portion of the master class will be pure application, open to anyone at any level who has questions or issues on the topic.

In particular, I see mentoring as the means whereby I will learn to teach something I’ve discovered but haven’t yet fully explained: how and when you can intentionally change your psychology. First you need to learn to make rational decisions. Then you need to learn to self-direct to follow through on those decisions. Once you have mastered those skills, you can, if you choose to, strategically shift your value hierarchy. We’ve already started on this endeavor in the first master classes in the program.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I schedule a quick consult? Text me. (I’ll give you my cell number when you join.) Tell me what windows you have to talk in the next 24 hours, and I’ll pick a time. I’ll remind you to send me something by email explaining the issue you want to discuss, so that we can make the best use of our 10 minutes. You’ll call me at the appointed time.

Will quick consults be recorded? No.

How do I schedule a master class? Email me and I’ll tell you available dates in the next few months. Normally these will be Tuesdays. If you can’t make any Tuesdays, I’ll offer you some Thursdays. We’ll figure out a date. Then you’ll choose a time. See the FAQ on Master Classes for more information. You’ll need to send in a topic at least 8 days in advance, we’ll negotiate the description, and then I recommend you also do the homework I concoct for you and send it to me in advance.

What happens if I need to reschedule a master class? I can reschedule the time of day as late as 1 week in advance. I can change to another day that same week as late as 2 weeks in advance. I can move you to a different week as late as 4 weeks in advance. But barring a bona fide emergency, if you have to reschedule with less notice than this, you will lose the credit.

When do I need to use the credits by? All credits need to be used within the 1-year term of your membership. Ideally, you will use about one credit a quarter. You can use them faster than that, but if you use them slower than that, you may lose the option of scheduling a master class with one of them. (You could still use it for Quick Consults.) I will let you know if there is a deadline for scheduling a master class or else losing that option. I will be reaching out to schedule from time to time, especially between Launches, since I have more time between Launches.

What will happen to the recording of the master class? It will be posted to the Current Classes podcast, where it will be available to all Thinking Labbers for about three months. In some cases, I’ll decide a master class would make a good bonus recording for one of the self-study courses. If so, I’ll ask you if you are okay with that before adding it.

Can I request an edit of the recording of the master class? If you want something cut from your master class, please tell me IMMEDIATELY, either during class or immediately afterwards. It is sometimes posted within a couple of hours of being held. I don’t promise to be able to edit the recording, but it is not out of the question if there is some urgent reason to edit it.