When we're thinking about when someone's involved in interpreting his or her own actions on the basis of intentional mental states (such as physical sensation, desires, needs, feelings and the like), the related concept of ‘mindfulness’ is particularly helpful. Langer In the late 1980s, after a decade or so of research, Ellen Langer wrote her book ‘Mindfulness’ as a way of translating the technical jargon of psychological research
‘Mentalising simply implies a focus on mental states in oneself or in others, particularly in explanations of behaviour. That mental states influence behaviour is beyond question. Beliefs, wishes, feelings and thoughts, whether inside or outside our awareness, determine what we do’ [1]. Mentalising involves a capacity for interpretation of thoughts and actions, to ‘think about thinking’. It's experiential in the sense of being a starting point for thinking. A
‘Know thyself’ (Delphic maxim) A CIA interrogation manual from the mid-1960s admitted that ‘regression’ in the psychic sense is the aim of interrogation. The anonymous author wrote that it was necessary to ‘obliterate the familiar and replace it with the weird’. He called it ‘the Alice in Wonderland or confusion technique’, and the object was ‘to confound the expectations and conditioned reactions of the interrogatee. He is accustomed to
Judith Rodin outlines five characteristics of resilience - awareness, diversity, integration, the capacity for self-regulation and adaptability [1]. And an individual or a community needs all five to be resilient. Sometimes real or perceived threats can seem innumerable, but boiling them down to these five principles can aid clarification. To illustrate, we'll look at these five principles in the light of Andrew’s experience. Aware An individual needs to be
Some of us may be more vulnerable than others to adverse pressure because of earlier life experiences. Thankfully this need not mean that we have to throw in the towel when things get tough. Research indicates that a strong supportive adult relationship can effect a turning point and can have a significant beneficial effect on our ability to cope [1]. This may be from a partner, friend, a work colleague,
“This is how sailors’ bodies are hardened against the sea, farmers’ hands are calloused, soldiers’ arms are strong enough for throwing javelins, runners’ legs are swift. In each case, what is exercised the most is the toughest.” (Seneca) The devastation caused in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 may seem a world apart from the overwhelming situation facing a lawyer in central London. One involves an environmental disaster
