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I have found the responses to my invitation to Bob- that we consider
the meaning of lies in PCP- very interesting. First, all of the
responses, except for Bob's initial response acknowledging my
invitation, have avoided me as the source and a relevant member in
the inquiry. Aside from being in poor taste and rather adolescent,
it illustrates the role of denial and repressions and possibly
oppression at work in the bandwagon. Recall that in the bandwagon
grid, the leader preempts all of the elaboration. Bob was immediately
heralded as brilliant after very loosely suggesting some questions.
The master speaks in mysterious but profound ways and his followers
take the bait and run with it. Then there was a kind of celebration of
relativism, climaxing in the absurd statement that the true self is a typ=
e =
of bad faith and that experience is devoid of any thing "static". Some =
people apparently derived a naughty kind of thrill from saying the =
exploration of human potential through fixed role therapy was a type =
of lying. Harvey, Hunt, and Schroder's Conceptual System theory =
would see all of this as a field day for system III types. They lack =
integrity. They ignore what is inconvenient to their immediate needs. =
I can see them dancing around a fire now, burning effigies of ballerinas,=
=
chanting "Down with Form, down with Self. Master, Master, Master."
=0D
And Bob brings it back to his earlier discussions on romanticism, all =
to show, perhaps, that it is all just a foot note on the old master's tab=
le =
scraps. I don't know, I wasn't following the snake dance in those days. =
Bob also now apparently has decided to ignore me -thinking he 'put me =
in my humble place' last night. Now the master apparently is thinking he =
kindly provided or confirmed one of the faithful's peg for me- 'Bill' is =
a =
Platonist and as abusive as Socrates. The suggestion has even been =
made that Socrates/Plato were responsible for the Inquisition. Its almost=
=
comic to imagine Socrates burning witches- almost, if we try to pretend =
that something like Orwell's Animal Farm may not be at work here. So =
the boys appear to have dismissed me as a Platonist. I have been =
called worse. Of course I really haven't been called anything here =
directly, since I am apparently not worthy of address, much less =
dialouge. By the way, I have not said whether I am a Platonist or not
- and no one has bothered to ask me. Ya'll frantically grabbed what
you thought you could handle and ran with it.
=0D
I simply said that we might look into the issue of lies and that the Socr=
atic
=0D
Method was useful in catching liars. I showed a grid technique =
that reflects lies and contradictions. Bob and Co. have thrown up a =
smoke screen of terms they may or may not understand, while =
ignoring the very solid demonstration of the originator of this inquiry- =
that coordinate grids can measure inconsistencies and lies.
=0D
But remember, on the band wagon grid, its all got to add up to the leader=
=2E =
And for this to be made so, the very sense of a true self is on the =
chopping block. There is a gleeful willingness to sink into a =
dissociative whirlpool of loosening, under the banner of extreme =
Heraclitean flexibility of --what? Kelly grounded experience in the =
recognition of order in real events. If experience is impossible with =
"static" structures, such as the self ( as has been suggested), then =
one might wonder What is In movement? More movement? Is there =
no end to the dissociative thrill of structureless movement of movement =
of.....? Quite a trip, man. Far out? Or some where or nowhere? When =
the snake eats its tail and vanishes let me know. For now, there is just =
a bunch of snakes rolling in knots, having a whistling contest among =
some pretty solid and apparently scarry grid shaped tomb stones.
George Kelly, however, is rolling over in his grave, and I bet it ain't f=
un.
=0D
My friends, do you say that it is true that there is no truth. If you do,=
=
you are contradicting yourselves. You are doing violence to truth and =
to your construct systems. Now some of you think contradicting =
yourselves is cool. "Let the anal retentive types eat silence. We are =
riding the crest of freedom by dissociation." Very profound, yall. =
I imagine you treat your students and therapy patients the same way =
and then puff your chests out as almost "real doctors." But =
none of this really hides the question of whether or not you have =
integrity as scholars and whether or not you think integrity is even =
possible or desirable. Do we have a responsibility as psychologists =
to pursue the truth. Is it ethical to ignore discoveries that could be =
clinically and theoretically useful? Is it ethical to ignore the
suppression of knowledge by your leaders? I understand my own
career is over.Ya'll won for God's sake. For me, its now just a
matter of simple curiosity and responsibility. As a mere
methodologist, apparently lacking the subtly of your refined =
brilliance, I would appreciate it if yall would come back a little while=
=
to the process and context that initiated this thinking fest, to little =
old me and tell me if you think the coordinate grid reflects =
contradictions and lies. It could be helpful to us fools who =
still believe in truth. Humour us. Embrace the credulous approach =
just for a little bit. If not for us fools, why not keep your bases
open and do it for yourselves. I hear ya'll lost your journal of =
personal constructs or something to the higher ambitions of =
your leaders. They could switch over to behaviorism tomorrow =
and some of you would think its just a Zen exercise and follow =
them. I assure you, the EAB boys will not be amused with =
you. Don't burn your PCP bridges. Act like scientists, for a while.
=
Bill Chambers
=0D
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