diomedesxx said:I feel that the Principle was incorrect in his actions towards the students affected, but the experience left a bit of doubt in me: "Am I being conceited to think that my coworker should have been aghast, as I was, at the principle's behavior?" "Am I being a mirror of intolerance consistent with the principle by thinking my coworker should believe as I?"
Buddy said:That was probably the best thing to do until you are able to expose the prejudices for what they are without caving in to the negative reactions that may follow.
anart said:If it were a different situation... ...then that would be different
diomedesxx said:I feel that the Principle was incorrect in his actions towards the students affected, but the experience left a bit of doubt in me: "Am I being conceited to think that my coworker should have been aghast, as I was, at the principle's behavior?" "Am I being a mirror of intolerance consistent with the principle by thinking my coworker should believe as I?"
The feelings of syntony and empathy
On a low level of development, i.e. primitive integration, we observe forms of syntony so primitive that, depending on circumstances, they can easily change into asyntony. Primitive forms of syntony find their expression in union with a collective mood, in union with the psychomotorics of a dancing group, in common laughter, in the impulses of a crowd (such as fighting, “living it up,” drinking, primitive forms of rivalry, etc.). Such primitive syntony involves spontaneous, rhythmic, dynamic, or explosive forms of behavior in the area of sensory needs and primitive emotional interests. This is a constitutionally compulsive behavior determined physiologically.
On a somewhat higher level, i.e. on the level of unilevel disintegration, we observe instinctive forms of the desire to help others. This is accompanied by ambivalent and changeable overexperiencing of other people’s problems. These feelings, however, are so unstable that from positive emotions they may easily turn to resentment, jealousy, stubbornness and hatred. Such coupling of the stimulation of primitive levels of the self-preservation instinct with an awakening of the feelings of syntony shows a disequilibrium of syntonic and asyntonic attitudes. Hence the ambivalence, ambitendencies and changeability displayed through a disharmony of thought, feeling, and action. It also manifests shifting away from the rigidity of primitive integration towards the greater plasticity of initial disintegration.
On a higher level, i.e. at the first stage of multilevel disintegration, there appears a hierarchy of values. We observe more alterocentric, unselfish attitudes expressed by a readiness to help; we observe more consistent sensitivity towards the need of others forsaking primitive selfishness. This attitude is characterized by a more or less strong participation of thoughtfulness and reflection. This is empathy.
On the level of the organization of multilevel disintegration we observe conscious forms of syntony coupled with an ability to perceive and to systematically weed out residual forms of primitive syntony, such as understanding and love. Deeper syntony and kindness are united here in an understanding of the developmental level and type of each encountered individual (identification with others). A disapproval of his more primitive moral attitudes and actions does not diminish the desire to help him. Typical examples are: a tendency to defend others, a heart-warming attitude, understanding, and the like, which are accompanied by reflection and critical evaluation.
On the highest level, that is to say, in secondary integration, we encounter deeper understanding of every human being in respect to his developmental level, inner potential and similar functions. This expresses a form of syntony that is multi-dimensional and multi-level; it goes parallel with an increased understanding of the whole psychic structure of encountered persons. With the understanding of the deeper needs of others, with constant readiness to help, with identification with others and profound empathy comes peace of mind. Its mark is an attitude of “syntonic” wisdom, understanding, kindness and generosity. What is primitive is not approved of, neither is it condemned.
Another aspect of reaction to frustration is the problem of maladjustment. In our opinion, much too often in psychology, education, and psychiatry, adjustment is discussed as positive and maladjustment as negative. In the attitude of adjustment, we can easily isolate two forms. First we can see a form of adjustment to the low level of reality of everyday life. This is a noncreative, nondevelopmental, automatic adjustment. The second form of adjustment is adjustment not to that which is actually present, but to that which arises as a new, higher level of mental life. It may be called adjustment to that which “ought to be”. In this form of adjustment there is an element of development and creativity connected with autonomous hierarchization of needs and values. Only this second form of adjustment is truly developmental. However, this adjustment of a higher type is, at the same time, a positive maladjustment to lower levels of reality.
What is the source of the phenomenon of positive maladjustment? It arises from psychic hyperexcitability particularly emotional, imaginational, and intellectual, from the nuclei of the inner psychic milieu, and from the instincts of creativity and self-perfection.
Collisions with the environment within a smaller or larger social group, at the period of early childhood, and throughout later life cause the development of positive maladjustment. In people endowed with a favorable potential these collisions create a basis for an elaboration of a program of development.
Positive maladjustment characterizes all forms of creative and positive development and characterizes also most of the psychoneurotic dynamisms which we consider to be positive and creative.
All the phenomena discussed above, that is to say, positive psychic hyperexcitability, low frustration threshold, maladjustment, are marks of the process of positive disintegration, i.e. the process of psychic loosening, disintegration and even possible breakdown. In some cases disintegration has a negative character leading to psychotic dissolution. But in the vast majority of cases, the phenomena of disintegration point to a very great developmental potential. They form the basic dynamisms of mental growth, of sensitivity and creativity; they indicate the possibility of rich positive development which an individual could be capable of.
LOS said:You may also want to look into the subject of organic portals. There's a great thread on the topic if you do a search. There was also a recent news article on Sott, Moral Endo-skeletons and Exo-skeletons: A Perspective on America's Cultural Divide and Current Crisis which is a great read on the same area.
Laura said:They rely on "authority" to give them their "world view" and this is a particularly bad thing when the authorities are pathological - psychopathic.
The world wasn't always this way and one of the things that is exercising me at the moment is trying to pinpoint where, when and how psychopathy originated.
Laura said:The world wasn't always this way and one of the things that is exercising me at the moment is trying to pinpoint where, when and how psychopathy originated. At the moment, I'm toying with the idea that it is a cross between the Cro-Magnon and the Neanderthal with the "creative drive" of the Cro-Magnon emotional nature and the superior Cro-Magnon brain, being modified by the Neanderthal instinctive substratum (moving center and sex center of Gurdjieff and Mouravieff).
That's my very loose working hypothesis for the moment and I'm digging for clues