Question: Under what conditions do people reach a state where they feel able to make a decision?

I am currently thinking about why people become unable to take action under uncertainty.

Many people hold vague intentions such as
“I want to become like this” or “I want to do something like that.”
At the same time, there is a clear difference between situations in which people are able to act, and situations in which they remain stuck.

What I want to ask is the following.

■ Problem framing

When humans make a decision to act,
what elements are actually necessary?

Is the difference between being able to act and being unable to act:

a difference in the amount of information?
a difference in knowledge or ability?
or something else entirely?

I currently have the following working hypothesis.

■ Hypothesis (tentative)

The primary reason people become unable to act may be that
they cannot compare or evaluate other people’s experiences within their own context.

More concretely:

Other people’s experiences are shaped within certain backgrounds (contexts).
Meanwhile, an individual has:
- their own current situation, and
- their own intentions or aspirations (“how they want to be”).

When a person cannot connect these elements in a comparative, relatable way,
they may become unable to move toward a decision.

In this view, the problem is not simply reading success stories or experiences.
Rather, the issue is being unable to judge whether those experiences can meaningfully apply to one’s own situation.

■ Questions for discussion

I would like to invite opinions on the following points:

At what moment do people feel
“I am now able to make a decision”?
When referencing others’ experiences,
how much contextual information is required before people perceive them as comparable?
When people fail to act, is the main cause:
- a lack of information?
- or the inability to map that information onto their own circumstances?
Does comparing experiences:
- provide reassurance that supports decision-making?
- or does it instead encourage postponement or avoidance of decisions?

■ Purpose (important)

This question does not assume any specific product or solution.
I am seeking empirical, theoretical, and critical perspectives on the conditions under which humans reach a “decision-capable” state.

Arguments such as
“this premise itself is flawed” or
“a different factor is more fundamental”
are very welcome.

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