Post by Tamrin on Jul 5, 2008 20:18:53 GMT 10
Elsewhere, the topic of whether our thoughts are really our own or if they originate elsewhere was raised. I was reminded of Descartes', "I think, therefore I am," with the emphasis on "I." It is MY thoughts which lead me beyond Descartes' position of radical doubt to the undeniable conclusion that "I" exist. While our thoughts and even our habits of thought have been influenced by parenting, schooling, advertising, peers, etc., a functional individual maintains robust psychological borders and self-discipline, they have a concept of their own identity and can distinguish it from that which is not themself, accepting responsibility and accountability for the thoughts they experience. They tend toward what has been called an internal "locus of control."
By contrast, many dysfunctional individuals have poorly developed psychological borders and little self-discipline, having difficulty accepting responsibility and accountability for their own thoughts, often thinking either that others are projecting thoughts into or are stealing thoughts from their heads. Those desperately dysfunctional individuals of this kind, who also experience auditory hallucinations, might not even think to ask, "Are our voices really our own?" but simply take for granted that they originate elsewhere, are out of their control and have a meaning independent of what ever rational critique they may apply to ideas they identify as their own, (e.g., I dreamt "X", thus I was told to accept "X", despite "X" being unreasonable).
Where one deliberately tries to turn-off and shut-down their psychological borders and uncritically open-up to other influences (as opposed to the possibility of some advanced, controlled and fully conscious disciplines for going beyond conventional "ring-pass-nots"), whether the afore mentioned, self-negating possibility is realistic or not, the intention is psychologically harmful.
By contrast, many dysfunctional individuals have poorly developed psychological borders and little self-discipline, having difficulty accepting responsibility and accountability for their own thoughts, often thinking either that others are projecting thoughts into or are stealing thoughts from their heads. Those desperately dysfunctional individuals of this kind, who also experience auditory hallucinations, might not even think to ask, "Are our voices really our own?" but simply take for granted that they originate elsewhere, are out of their control and have a meaning independent of what ever rational critique they may apply to ideas they identify as their own, (e.g., I dreamt "X", thus I was told to accept "X", despite "X" being unreasonable).
Where one deliberately tries to turn-off and shut-down their psychological borders and uncritically open-up to other influences (as opposed to the possibility of some advanced, controlled and fully conscious disciplines for going beyond conventional "ring-pass-nots"), whether the afore mentioned, self-negating possibility is realistic or not, the intention is psychologically harmful.
