Alternatives to Thought as a System

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Alternatives to Thought as a System

• CCLDI Summer Leadership Academy
• 2006
• Dr. Henry Pugh

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Purpose of this session

• Explore a practical method to examine some
  aspects of our thought systems.
• Apply a couple of concepts of the self to our
  decision-making roles.

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Dr. David Bohm

• Theoretical physicist and Einsteins protégé
• 1917-1992
• Viewed thought as if it was a system of beliefs.
  He knew that thought and knowledge influenced
  every level of human activity, from our own
  private thoughts, to our personal identity. Our
  collective thoughts as a group shape the
  civilization we live in.

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Key Concepts

• When Bohm uses the word thought to represent the
  ego, which is Latin for I, it means a collection
  of psychological processes that are concerned
  with Self.
• The ego or self is a hypothetical construct that
  serves as a basis for our interests, attitudes,
  desires, and beliefs.

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Key Concepts (cont)

• The core of the ego/self derives from bodily
  sensations, and can be paired with certain
  emotions and feelings.
• Rejected the idea that our thinking processes are
  neutral. What we believe to be looking at is
  loaded with our biases. This affects the way we
  conduct business and personal relations.

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Key Concepts (cont)

• The way we normally perceive and process
  information-- remains fairly constant.
• Our mind creates two selfs, one self is
  observing and the other self is thinking about
  what is being observed.

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The Princeton University Word Net definitions

• Ego is an inflated feeling of pride in our
  superiority of the other.
• Self is our consciousness of our own identity.

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• Bohm doesnt give us a practical solution but
  there may be some possibilities we may experience
  the idea of the ego through perceptions of the
  roles we enact.

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Roles gives us structure
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First group activity

• Review blue instructions

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Question to keep in mind

• How would the characters have acted if they knew
  that whatever one of them did had some affect on
  everyone else?

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• Thought can become a system so automated it is
  easy to become somewhat blasé about it.
• We cant examine a thought while thinking it, but
  we can look at a way to examine thought from
  another aspect of the self.

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Carl Rogers

• (1902 1987) An American Psychologist and founder
  of the humanist approach to psychology.
• Instrumental in developing empathy and positive
  regard for the other person in counseling and
  personal relationships.

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• Dr. Robert Thurman of Columbia University
• Link to empathy has a deeper potential of
  examining thought by looking at ones self
  through the eyes of the other.

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• Thurman sums it up like this
• When you encounter others, and you looked at them
  in an honest way, you locate people in an instant
  in one of three ways
• As an inferior, in some way.
• As an equal, in some way.
• As a superior, in some way.

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• Other people are just as perceptive as you and
  they dont need a bio to consciously or
  subconsciously pick up your cues in a second.

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• When you honestly examine your experience and you
  locate the other person as inferior, in some
  wayyou condescend or despise them.
• If you locate the other person as an equal, in
  some way, then there is the tendency to try one
  ups-man or fall into rivalry and competition to
  squeeze ahead of the other person.

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• If you see the other person as your superior, in
  some way, you immediately struggle with envy and
  jealousy of the other person and you consciously
  or subconsciously suppress thoughts like Who
  does he/she think he is anyway? Im just as
  good as he is.

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• Our unspoken behavior elicits the equal or the
  opposite response in the other person.
• When we locate him or her as inferior, then we
  will see, in ourselves, contempt or disdain
  through the eyes of the other, in some way.

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• That means we have the same capability to locate
  him or her as an equal thus we have the
  potential to see great joy through their eyes of
  the other person, met by equality in some way.

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• It is possible to see a person classified as a
  superior or inferior without the negative
  qualities.
• This is because it is possible to reverse roles
  and see any person with positive regard, even
  compassion.
• The concept opens infinite possibilities in any
  relationship.

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