Gentian vs Gorse
Gentian is discouraged and can be talked round. Gorse has stopped expecting anything and does not want the pep talk. Gorse is the same feeling, further along.
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Why they get muddled
Both are the flat feeling that follows things not working out, and Bach put them next to each other in the uncertainty group. The state runs on a spectrum, and most people can place themselves by how they react to encouragement.
The differences
The quickest test
Gentian
Encouragement helps. It genuinely lifts you.
Gorse
Encouragement irritates. It sounds naive.
What caused it
Gentian
Something specific. You can name the setback.
Gorse
A long run of the same disappointment, or too many to list.
What you expect next
Gentian
Probably the same again, though you are not certain.
Gorse
Nothing. You have concluded there is no point.
Will you try again
Gentian
Reluctantly, with a push.
Gorse
You will agree to, without expecting it to work.
Which one to pick
Choose Gentian if
- You can name the exact thing that discouraged you
- A small setback has flattened you more than it should
- Encouragement from other people does actually lift you
Choose Gorse if
- You believe nothing will help, and you have your reasons
- You agree to try things without expecting them to work
- Other people's optimism feels naive or irritating
What if both sound right?
If you are somewhere between the two, take both. Bach placed them side by side for a reason, and there is no exact point where one turns into the other.
Common questions
What if there is no cause at all?
Look at Mustard, which is the gloom that arrives with nothing behind it and lifts as suddenly as it came. Gentian always has a cause you can point to.
Is Gorse the same as giving up?
It is the belief that trying is pointless, which is not the same as not minding. Wild Rose has drifted into not minding either way. Gorse has tried hard and lost hope, and that still has some heat in it.
Keep narrowing
The pairs closest to this one, if neither of these two turns out to be it.
GentianvsMustard
Ask yourself why. If you can answer, it is Gentian. If you go looking for a cause and there is genuinely nothing there, it is Mustard.
GorsevsWild Rose
Gorse has tried and lost hope. Wild Rose stopped trying a while ago and does not mind much either way. Gorse still hurts underneath. Wild Rose has stopped feeling much at all.
GorsevsSweet Chestnut
Gorse is calm about it and Sweet Chestnut is not. Both feel like the end of the line, but one has settled into resignation and the other is still inside the worst of it.
Star of BethlehemvsSweet Chestnut
Star of Bethlehem is numb. Sweet Chestnut is anguished. Both follow something hard, and the difference is whether you can feel it.
Still not sure?
Read both profiles in full, or start from the feeling and let the quiz narrow it for you.