Expectations
The ways and means by which psychological guiding processes give structure can also be described by the every-day word ‘expectations’. Expectations mean that one reckons with certain events or possibilities, but not with others! These expectation structures (if one asks the researchers about infant research) already occur in the first weeks of life, because of the experience we make regarding responses from our environment. We also call these expectations psychological decision-making premises: people form probability assumptions for almost every life situation: falling in love, making applications, contradicting, being a group member, engaging in conflict, putting oneself forward, telling jokes, making decisions, writing exams, seeking contact, competing and thousands of other processes. The common ground, though, is the relationship to other people and their reactions. Expectations in the psychological system are, to a certain extent, also relationship expectations; what sort of reaction will I get from others to my actions, and how do I respond to their actions.
Humans are relational beings and dependent upon ‘addressing’. Therefore, the psychological structures are incorporated relationship experiences, which pre-determine the expectations of how one lives, experiences and acts. The past is the present in the form of my expectations.