The author identifies the long-term outgrowth of a very necessary decision-making strategy as which term?

• A. Cynicism
• B. Possibility thinking
• C. Social alienation
• D. Social criticism

Answer: (C)

The long-term outcome described here is social alienation: when a necessary decision-making discipline requires constant caution, detachment, and processing of risk, a person can gradually become emotionally distant from colleagues, family, and community. This distancing isn’t about doubting others or criticizing society; it’s about a growing sense of being separated from social connections because interactions are filtered through a protective, procedural mindset. Over time, that persistent guard diminishing openness and warmth leads to alienation.

Cynicism would imply a pervasive distrust of people's motives, which is not the same as feeling disconnected. Possibility thinking is a constructive mindset focused on imagining alternatives, not the eroded social bonds described. Social criticism involves evaluating and challenging society, not the personal estrangement that can come from a required decision-making approach.