The Mental Game

Thanks

Joe,

Thanks for the additional information you have supplied in several replies. Seems like one of my suspicions about the various parts of the psyche is accurate, there is a lot of interaction that isn't clearly defined.

As a comparison, to transfer this information over the internet from my computer to yours there is a nice twelve level theoretical model if I remember correctly. In the model everything is disassembled, packaged, shipped, unpackaged and assembled in a very neat and precise order. However in reality nobody uses that many levels. Two or three levels are often combined or some of the functions of different levels are combined. To make things more confusing, the combined levels or functions may not be adjacent to each other in the nice theoretical model so where we started with nice clear theory and a neat map of a super highway we have a vast web of small trails with many twists and turns actually performing the task.

The conscious seems like it could be the customer, the executive, or the board of directors. It usually decides what is wanted done. No guarantees that the other parts of the psyche will do exactly what the conscious wants done. They don't always clearly understand instructions plus like the people carrying out tasks they are capable of taking off on their own agendas a little here and there.

We also have the very powerful fight or flight and emergency reflex controls that seem to be coming from somewhere closer to our core than our conscious. At times we far exceed the speed we can verbalize thought to do things and we even exceed our normal physical capabilities. Some of the greatest athletes tap into this on demand I believe.

Joe, once again a truly great thread. The mental game is the weakest part of many people's package although most prefer to cast blame elsewhere. Get the mental game working well and many other small problems simply drop away.

Hu

PS: I have been looking at candle flames.
 
Hu I vey much agree with your interpretation of the executive function of the conscious process. You have a neat way of putting it that is indeed very real as I have observed in my prior clinical work.

One of the offshoots of this type of thinking is the idea that we need to be our own best friend if the "whole" mind is to get us where we want to go. Without taking it too far, this is why some people are addicted to various substances though they do not want to be. It is also related to the explanation for why some men assault their wives and are then extremely remorseful. These processes are quite powerful and affect our lives in many ways. In my opinion, to have a good life one must be on good terms with all facets of their own mind.

I also agree with Neil's thinking. The subconscious and the unconscious are quite literal. They do not think or learn in the same ways that a mature conscious learns. Most of the learning by these processes is through association of two idea that are perceived as "good" for the person. I have tried to state, to the point of redundancy, that we should use physical actions and images to help these processes learn. Their ablity to verbalize is limited and we need to be quite clear in our thinking when communicating and teaching these processes. The upside to all this is that the sub and unconscious processes are highly protective of the individual so you can not immediately direct them to do X, Y, or Z if they are not in basic agreement.

The mind is a complicated machine similar to a car engine. There are many parts and many funtions that are poorly understood by the average person who drives a car.

BTW "looking at candle flames" is useful in many ways. In the end you will derive much benefit.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top