I think many people are in a state of flux, looking for ways to achieve things and yet being caught up with feelings that conflict with the results they want. In the end, they stay where they are.

This is known to many people as ‘learned helplessness’, or the inability to do something because of a fear of what will happen. This fear is so intense that being punished for not moving forward has no effect, and the individual is trapped in the ultimate dilemma of being punished regardless of what choice is made.