re: what kinds of exchanges

Tim A. Connor (connort@pacificu.edu)
Tue, 2 Jul 1996 21:27:08 -0700 (PDT)

I think Ana put it very well--it seems to me that what has been disturbing
to many of us of late is the adversarial tone of some recent discussions,
which is not typical of this list, and seems foreign to the spirit of PCP.
I don't think the answer is to somehow "purify" the list--I, for one feel
that exploring convergences and divergences among the various streams of
constructivist thought is fruitful, if it's done in a truly exploratory
mode (the "hypothetical mood" as GAK put it). The discussions of social
constructionism have been enlightening. The compatibility of Maturana and
Kelly is an interesting question,and I know there are differing views of
it within PCP. It's just that one doesn't want to have to define
elementary terms before beginning, or to feel apologetic for stating a
position.

I'd be distressed if Lois and other people whose main focus is something
other than PCP were to feel excluded--theories do run the risk of becoming
cultish when they refuse to draw connections with other schools of thought
(psychoanalysis being the classic example). An FAQ file with a reading
list might go a long way toward dealing with the problem of people
arriving on the list without adequate background. As for the rest, I think
it's better to take our chances on an occasional disruption than to go
overboard trying to prevent a problem that may or may not occur again.
The two episodes that inspired this thread don't seem to me to have much
in common--one seems to have involved malice, the other was
well-intentioned but misdirected--and I can't think of any single strategy
that would have prevented both of them, even if prevention is assumed to
be a desirable goal.

Perhaps the most useful thing about all this (for me, at any rate) is the
light it sheds on how the sociality corollary operates in cyberspace.
It's not a terribly bright light as yet, but maybe we can crank up the
wattage....

Best

Tim

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Tim Connor, M.S. "Psychotherapy is not
Pacific University an applied science, it
School of Professional Psychology is a basic science in
2004 Pacific Avenue which the scientists
Forest Grove, OR 97116 USA are the client and his
<connort@pacificu.edu> therapist"
--George Kelly
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