McKennaWhipple

GrandValleyStateUniversity
COM30101
November21,2016

Oursocietyrevolvesaroundcommunicationandourabilityashumansto
appropriatelyexpressourbeliefsandopinionsallwhileunderstandingthoseofothers.
Wedevelopourbeliefsfromtheculturalinfluenceswereceiveaschildren.Thereare
variousapproacheswecantakeinordertoobtaintheabilitytoobserveouropinionsand
assumptionsseparatefromthoseofothersseeminglydifferentthanourown.Thisskillis
acquiredthroughpatienceandcarefulunderstanding;wemustlearnthatourmindshave
thecapacitytocontrolourthoughts,reactions,andemotions.Thoughtisthepoolofall
feelingandallowsustocreateassumptionsaboutwhatisconsideredappropriatefor
society.Byunderstandingthedifferencebetweensuppressionandsuspensionwecan
overpowertheunnecessarymiseryweofteninflictonourselvesduetooverthinking,
makingassumptions,orneglectingtocontrolourownthoughts.
Thepowertorecognizethedifferentiationofsuppressionandsuspensionderives
fromtheinitialawarenessthatme,I,andselfareallinternalthoughts.Whenwe
gaintheskilltothinkofourselvesasaseparateentity,thoughtbegins.Oncewe
distinguishtheseparationourknowledgeexpandsandwecankeepgoodthoughts
unconnectedfrombad.ThisconceptiswhatRobinDunbarreferredtoasTheoryof
Mind.Sheexplainsthewayindividualsunderstandhowwhattheyarethinkingand/or
feelingcomparesordiffersfromthethoughtsoremotionsofothers(Dunbar,1998).The
mentalcapacityrequiredtoachievethismindsettypicallydoesnotbegintodevelopuntil
theageoffour,whenwebegintorecognizetherearealsofalsebeliefsandourfalse
beliefsmaybetruetosomeoneelse.

Thoughthastheabilitytocontrolitselfifwedonotseparateourselvesfromitand
becometheobserver.Whilesuppressionandsuspensioncanhappeninvarioussituations,
theyoccurmostofteninsituationsinvolvingaggressionorconfrontation(Bohm,2004).
Theaggressioncanbecomeoutofourcontrolifwedonotremoveourmentalthoughts
fromthefeeling.Thiscanhappensubconsciously,however,soitisvitaltounderstand
thedifferentiationofthetwoactivethoughts.Ifweallowtacitthoughtstotakeoverwe
findourselvesonautopilot.Whileweareactivelyfocusedonthetask,thethought
itselfwillbesomewhereelse.Ourfocusissolelyontheactivityandnothoughtsare
continuingtodevelop.Toexpandontheconcepttoassistintheunderstanding,thereis
theexampleofdrivingfrompointAtopointBandnotrecallingexactlyhowwegot
there.Thisisoppositeoftacitthoughtbecausethethoughtisthedominantandnotthe
taskathand.Tacitthoughtsappearingduringaconflictvoidtheabilitytosuppressor
suspendandcanleadtoanescalationinaggressionbecausethereisnocontinuous
thought.
Iftacitthoughtisoccurringthanthereisnothoughtsdevelopingtohelptheaggressor
determinehowtohandlesituations.Weletouremotionsgetthebetterofus,butif
thoughtisactivethensuppressioncantakeplace.Suppression,definedbyDavidBohm,
isnoticingtheaggressiontakingplaceandthinkingitmuststopbecauseitis
unnecessary.Wethensuppresstheaggressioninternally,butweturnitagainstourselves
bydoingso.Theobserver(us)oftheaggressionisinfiltratedbyaggressiontoward
ourselves(Bohm,2004).Ourthoughtsduringsuppressioncangotwoways,however.
Thereisparticipatorysuppressivethoughtandliteralsuppressivethought.Participatoryis

somewhatofaparadoxandcontainsfeelingssuchassuperstition.Forexample,not
steppingoncrackswhenwewereyoungbecausewewaveredwiththethoughtofit
potentiallybreakingourmothersback.Inrelation,literalthoughtisjustasitsounds,
realisticandobjective.Itisdirectandismoremathematicallyskewed.Theyaremore
factualandreliablethanbeliefs,whichareparticipatory.Duringsuppressionwhat
thoughtwehavechangestheaggressionwedirecttowardsourselves.Ifitisirrational
thoughtweareabletocopewithitbetterthanliteralthought,whichcancause
suppressiontobecomeworse.Whenthesuppressionfurthers,theaggressionbuildsinus
andcanultimatelyaffectourcharacterandthepositivityornegativitytakingplaceinour
thoughts.Whenweareawareofbothtypesofsuppressivethoughtwecanunderstandthe
poolofthoughtswearehavingandtakethestepstoseparatethetwo,gettinguscloserto
achievingsuspension.
Incontrasttosuppressionthereissuspension.Thisthoughtissimilartoaformof
meditationandastheobserverweseeourandfeelourbodymovementsfromoutsideof
ourselvestounderstandtheaggressionandwhereitcamefrom.Asthethoughtsgobywe
canfeelourbodiesrecognizethem,butwedonotgiveoffareaction.Accordingto
Bohm,suspensionrevealsitselfbecausewecanseetheaggressionunfoldbybeingthe
observer(Bohm,2004).Itistheabilitytorecognizeourphysicalfeelingsarisingfromthe
feelingofaggression,suchasrapidsheartbeats,bloodpressurerising,ourbreathing,the
tensingofourbodies,andbecomingmoreawareoftheconnectionthefeelinghastothe
physicalsensations.Wethencansuspendallnegativethoughtassociatedwiththe
confrontationbyrecognizingtheconnection.Becausesuspensiongivesussomuch

poweroverouremotionsandthewaywehandledifficultsituations,itisnotaneasy
abilitytoobtain.AsBohmpointsout,thehumanracedoesnotpracticemeditative
suspension.Heexplainswhyhethinkswehaveyettolearnthis,itisanaturalpotential,
butwehavenotdevelopedinsuchawayastofavoritverymuch(Bohm,2004).

Asweattempttowalkthroughtheprocessofachievingsuspensionwhile

avoidingthedepthsofsuppressionitiscommontobecaughtoveranalyzing
situations.Theambiguitiesoffutureeventsstarttotakeholdofourthoughts,
pushingusintoasuppressedstupor.Inoursociety,particularlyrecently,weoften
observemembersofyoungergenerationssuccumbingtothenegativeeffectsof
assumption.Forexample,theviolenceinstilledduetotherecentelectionprocess
anditsshocking/notsoshockingresultsderivedfromignorantcompliancetotrends
ratherthanfacts.
Now,stuckwithinthewallsofnotknowingwhereonestandsandinstead
joiningwithothersaliketodetermineouropinions.Thereisastigmaaroundnot
beinginvolvedinalifechangingcountrywideeventsuchasthepresidentialelection,
convincingyoungpeopletheymustbeinvolved.Andwhiletheyshouldbe,theydo
notdosowithvigorouseffortandknowledge.Theyinstead,usesocialmediaas
theirplatformtogaininformationandexpresstheirvoices,butoftenfallto
worshippingthevoicesofothers.Resultinginjoiningforceswithotherswethink
arelikemindedbecausewestrayedfromourownthoughts.

Thoughtcontrolsthebody,emotions,andactionsandoverthinkinga
situation,likeanelectionaboutwhatweshouldthinkorwhoweshouldvoteforcan
leadusintooblivion,lostinourthoughts.Thecountryisunderadeepsuppression
oflettingtheiremotionsbeincontrolinsteadofsuspendingandlettingtheir
thoughtscontroltheiremotionsandactions.ThisfurthersBohmsclaimhumans
areunabletomakesuspensionthefavorablebehavior.Ashumansweadoptthe
thoughtsofothersintoourown.AsCoreyAntonsaysinhisadaptionofLaing,
Phillipson,andLeeswritingoninterpersonalperceptions,Adulthumansroutinely
incorporateothersbeliefsandperspectivesintotheirownperspectives,andthis
incorporationoccursatmultiplelevels(Anton,2015).
Betweenthemultiplelevelsmentioned,humanshavetheabilitytoavoid
suppressionbyemployingtheinterpersonalperceptionmethoddevelopedbyLaing,
Phillipson,andLee.Thismethodinvolvesordersofintentionality,whichbasicallybreaks
downtheproperstepstowhollyunderstandourinteractions.Wecanusethisschemeto
recognizeourownperceptionsofourinteractionsandthoseofotherswhowereare
interactingwith.Asconflictsarisetheprocessallowsustodiscoveriftheconflictis
agreementordisagreement,understoodormisunderstood,andrealizationorfailureto
realize.
Byutilizingthismethodtodissectourconfrontationalinteractionswecanobtain
awellroundedunderstandingofthepathourthoughtstypicallyyield.Indoingso,we
willnotonlybeabletoseparateourthoughtsfromthoseofothersbecausewehavea
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betterunderstanding,butthiscomprehensioncangiveusthecontrolneededtoachieve
suspension,ultimatelymakingusbetterinteractivehumansoverall.AsLaingmentions,
Animportantaspectofeachpersonsselfconceptistheextenttowhichhefeelscapable
ofbeingunderstood(Laing,Phillipson,Lee,1966).Themoreunderstoodwefeelasan
individualthemorewecancomprehendothers.Withcollectiveunderstandingeachofus
hastheabilitytoseparateourownthoughtsfromthethoughtsofothersandcan
differentiatebetweenwhensubmittingtosuppressionorsucceedingsuspension.
Ourthoughtsareapooloffeelings,makingtheminterconnectaswehandle
situationsinourlives,goodandbad.Weofteninflictunnecessarymiseryontoourselves
becausewecannotcontrolourthoughtstobebeneficialtoourinterpersonal
communicativeskills.Ifeachofus,asmembersofacollectivesociety,couldlearnto
recognizethedifferencebetweensuppressionandsubmissionbycompletingthe
interpersonalperceptionmethodtounderstandourthoughtprocesseswecanchangethe,
oftenviolent,communicationdisplayedsoprominentlyrecently.Communicationholds
thepowertobemanipulatedbythought.

WorksCited
Anton,C.(April,2015).ComprehendingOrdersofIntentionality:AnAdaptationof
Laing,Phillipson,andLeesInterpersonalPerceptionMethod.TheReviewof
Communication,15,161172.
Bohm,D.(2004).OnDialogue.NewYork:RoutledgeClassics.
Dunbar,R.(1998).Grooming,Gossip,andTheEvolutionofLanguage.Harvard
UniversityPress.
Laing,R.D.,Phillipson,H.,Lee,R.(1966).InterpersonalPerception:ATheoryand
MethodofResearch.London:TavistockPublications.