VICIOUS CIRCLE

Written by 

Brij Sachdeva 

A vicious circle is a phenomenon of cause and effect in which the cause leads to the effect and in turn, the effect leads to the cause. Now if the first thing leads to the second thing and the second thing leads to the first thing, they will intensify and aggravate each other. Hence a feedback loop is created in which events reinforce each other through a reciprocal sequence. This feedback loop goes on intensifying until and unless intervened by some greater external force.

Dehydration example

Diarrhoea and vomiting lead to dehydration. Dehydration leads to diarrhoea and vomiting.
The more the diarrhoea and vomiting, the more the dehydration. The more the dehydration, the more the diarrhoea and vomiting.

Poverty example

When a vicious circle of poverty is established, it becomes very hard to break it. It passes on from one generation to another generation getting more and more severe with time. The more the poverty, the lesser the resources. The fewer the resources, the more the poverty.

Subprime mortgage crisis example

The subprime mortgage crisis of America occurring between 2007 and 2010, which caused the economic recession, is also an example of a vicious circle. The decline in home prices led to defaults and foreclosures. Defaults and foreclosures led to more decline in home prices.

Success failure example

Your strength of mind leads to success and your success, in turn, leads to more strength of mind. The more the strength of mind, the more the success; the more the success, the more the strength of mind. Now, the success takes charge and the success itself starts succeeding. You might have heard the proverb ‘nothing succeeds like success’.

Nothing succeeds like success

It is not the man or his intelligence that succeeds. Man or his intelligence succeeds only once in a while. Mostly it is the success that succeeds again and again. And the same is true about the failure also.

Nothing fails like failure

It is not the man or his intelligence that fails. Man fails only once in a while. Mostly it is the failure that fails again and again.