Sunday, April 18, 2010
notes on american gods
I don’t really believe, Shadow thought. I don’t believe any of this. Maybe I’m still fifteen. Mom’s still alive and I haven’t even met Laura yet. Everything that’s happened so far has been some kind of especially vivid dream. And yet he could not believe that either. All we have to believe with is our senses, the tools we use to perceive the world: our sight, our touch, our memory. If they lie to us, then nothing can be trusted. And even if we do not believe, then still we cannot travel in any other way than the road our senses show us; and we must walk that road to the end.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Sunday, June 17, 2007
kinesics
Others rely
on the "science" of reading body language known as "kinesics." They
may tell you that whenever a woman crosses her legs she's defensive, if a
man hooks his thumbs in his belt he is making a sexually suggestive
statement, and someone who looks away while talking to you is being
dishonest and evasive.
All I can say is, "It's not that easy." I've seen every technique imaginable
attempted in the courtroom by those who want to read jurors and
witnesses. But I've never seen any form of rigid or simplistic analysis
work consistently and reliably. And no short cut to understanding peo
ple or predicting their behavior will work any better for you outside the
courtroom.
As you read on, you'll find we typically identify many possible meanings
that can be attributed to particular characteristics, not just one.
Don't get frustrated by your natural desire to want to be told that a particular
trait has a specific meaning. Instead, recognize that throughout
the balance of this book, as in life, there will seldom be one clear sign
pointing to the ultimate answer to someone's personality. Instead, each
clue may point in ten directions, and therefore be of limited value in isolation.
on the "science" of reading body language known as "kinesics." They
may tell you that whenever a woman crosses her legs she's defensive, if a
man hooks his thumbs in his belt he is making a sexually suggestive
statement, and someone who looks away while talking to you is being
dishonest and evasive.
All I can say is, "It's not that easy." I've seen every technique imaginable
attempted in the courtroom by those who want to read jurors and
witnesses. But I've never seen any form of rigid or simplistic analysis
work consistently and reliably. And no short cut to understanding peo
ple or predicting their behavior will work any better for you outside the
courtroom.
As you read on, you'll find we typically identify many possible meanings
that can be attributed to particular characteristics, not just one.
Don't get frustrated by your natural desire to want to be told that a particular
trait has a specific meaning. Instead, recognize that throughout
the balance of this book, as in life, there will seldom be one clear sign
pointing to the ultimate answer to someone's personality. Instead, each
clue may point in ten directions, and therefore be of limited value in isolation.
people reading: compassion and achievement
Compassion
The closer people are to the compassionate end of my personal hardness
scale, the more they tend to be generous, fair, sincere, affectionate,
gentle, family-oriented, forgiving, and understanding of human frailty.
They are inclined to give other people the benefit of the doubt and are
more inquisitive and patient than people who lack compassion. They
may have a harder time coming to a decision than those who are less
compassionate, but only because of their desire to do the right thing.
They don't want to hurt anyone, so they are unlikely to be dishonest.
They tend to believe that what goes around, comes around.
People who fall on the uncaring end of the scale tend to be more critical,
intolerant, unforgiving, harsh, punitive, and self-centered. They are
also frequently more analytical, more likely to scan the facts and make a
quick decision. By the same token, they tend to be more judgmental, impetuous,
and inclined to act before all the information is in. Their motto
frequently seems to be "What's in it for me?"
Achievement
Over the years, after paying particularly close attention to this characteristic,
I have found that people who have achieved their goals tend
to believe in personal accountability and responsibility. They tend to be
more compassionate, supportive, at peace with themselves and others,
and optimistic. They also tend to be more forgiving, hardworking, and
industrious.
Those who have not achieved their goals often have a victim mentality.
They can be quick to place blame on others and may be bitter, angry,
negative, pessimistic, and vengeful. Usually, they are less industrious and
more critical and cynical than achievers.
Dimitrius
The closer people are to the compassionate end of my personal hardness
scale, the more they tend to be generous, fair, sincere, affectionate,
gentle, family-oriented, forgiving, and understanding of human frailty.
They are inclined to give other people the benefit of the doubt and are
more inquisitive and patient than people who lack compassion. They
may have a harder time coming to a decision than those who are less
compassionate, but only because of their desire to do the right thing.
They don't want to hurt anyone, so they are unlikely to be dishonest.
They tend to believe that what goes around, comes around.
People who fall on the uncaring end of the scale tend to be more critical,
intolerant, unforgiving, harsh, punitive, and self-centered. They are
also frequently more analytical, more likely to scan the facts and make a
quick decision. By the same token, they tend to be more judgmental, impetuous,
and inclined to act before all the information is in. Their motto
frequently seems to be "What's in it for me?"
Achievement
Over the years, after paying particularly close attention to this characteristic,
I have found that people who have achieved their goals tend
to believe in personal accountability and responsibility. They tend to be
more compassionate, supportive, at peace with themselves and others,
and optimistic. They also tend to be more forgiving, hardworking, and
industrious.
Those who have not achieved their goals often have a victim mentality.
They can be quick to place blame on others and may be bitter, angry,
negative, pessimistic, and vengeful. Usually, they are less industrious and
more critical and cynical than achievers.
Dimitrius
Sunday, June 10, 2007
On Dostoievski's Art
Problems of Dostoyevsky’s Art is considered to be Bakhtin’s seminal work, and it is here that Bakhtin introduces three important concepts. First, is the concept of the unfinalizable self: individual people cannot be finalized, completely understood, known, or labeled. Though it is possible to understand people and to treat them as if they are completely known, Bakhtin’s conception of unfinalizability respects the possibility that a person can change, and that a person is never fully revealed or fully known in the world.
Second, is the idea of the relationship between the self and others, or other groups. According to Bakhtin, every person is influenced by others in an inescapably intertwined way, and consequently no voice can be said to be isolated. In an interview, Bakhtin once explained that, "
In order to understand, it is immensely important for the person who understands to be located outside the object of his or her creative understanding—in time, in space, in culture. For one cannot even really see one's own exterior and comprehend it as a whole, and no mirrors or photographs can help; our real exterior can be seen and understood only by other people, because they are located outside us in space, and because they are others.
As such, Bakhtin's philosophy greatly respected the influences of others on the self, not merely in terms of how a person comes to be, but also in how a person thinks and how a person sees oneself truthfully.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Emphasizing the positive
Emphasizing the Positive - Erickson was dyslexic as a boy, and was both colour blind and tone deaf throughout his life. He claimed that these sensory 'disabilities' helped him to focus on aspects of communication and behavior which most other people overlooked. This is a typical example of emphasizing the positive.
Erickson would often compliment the patient for a symptom, and would even encourage it, in very specific ways. In one amusing example, a woman whose parents-in-law caused her nauseous feelings in the gut every time they visited unexpectedly was 'taught' to puke spectacularly whenever the visits were especially inconvenient. Naturally the parents-in-law would always sympathetically help her clean up the vomit. Fairly soon, the annoying relatives started calling in advance before turning up, to see if she were 'well enough' to see them.
The subject of dozens of songs, 'emphasizing the positive' is a well known self-help strategy, and can be compared with 'positive reformulation' in Gestalt Therapy.
Erickson would often compliment the patient for a symptom, and would even encourage it, in very specific ways. In one amusing example, a woman whose parents-in-law caused her nauseous feelings in the gut every time they visited unexpectedly was 'taught' to puke spectacularly whenever the visits were especially inconvenient. Naturally the parents-in-law would always sympathetically help her clean up the vomit. Fairly soon, the annoying relatives started calling in advance before turning up, to see if she were 'well enough' to see them.
The subject of dozens of songs, 'emphasizing the positive' is a well known self-help strategy, and can be compared with 'positive reformulation' in Gestalt Therapy.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)