On 13 Oct 97 at 0:41, Jochen K F Althoff wrote:
> Unfortunately I have to object to your above statement. To my mind we
> can't be concerned with behaviour and neglect feelings at the same time.
> Behavior follows feelings.
Perhaps I can present an alternative view. While intuitively we
"know" that behaviour follows feelings, there is sufficient evidence
that feelings often follow behaviour. Some of the most effective
psychological techniques (eg. phobia treatment) operate on this
assumption--it is perhaps one of the least assailable findings in
psychology.
So, in fact, there is some substance to the idea that we can focus on
behaviour (although I am not convinced a SOLE focus is appropriate).
There is indeed a very heavy risk for focussing overly much on
feelings, however...that we give people an "out" for poor behaviour
(which actually is often the case in our society). As a society, we
disempower people when we grant them a "feeling based" rationale for
poor behaviour...because we suggest that they are at the whim of
their feelings...this works both ways.
Probably a cognitive/behavioural/emotive approach makes the most
sense, since clearly the three are inter-linked.
>
> Now we could say, that we are not interested in how a person feels, as
> long s/he "functions" in the way that is required. May be we could
> devise a measure/training that would produce the desired behavior
> despite the feelings that caused the original "wrong" behavior. But we
> can be certain, that after a while that person's behavior will
> "deteriorate" again to the original behaviour; because the feelings are
> still the same.
That certainly isn't the case with emotional phobic reactions. I see
no reason why it "must" be the case in other domains.
>
> We mustn't be afraid to work with feelings. They are important
> indicators, especially in an organization. If those feelings produce a
> behaviour that is identified as being "problematic" then we as
> consultants have something to work with (if we are not afraid of working
> with feelings), as that behaviour will almost certainly also point at a
> problem of the organization.
In my work teaching people to deal with hostility (no cracks,
please-grin), I teach people that feelings do not "PRODUCE"
behaviour, but that we can choose to follow our feelings willy-nilly,
or establish cognitive higher-order control over our behaviours. The
reasoning is that if we assume that feelings are somewhat beyond our
control, then if feelings produce behaviour, we are saying to people
that they are helpless. This is a fundamental core issue in domestic
violence, also. Unless people delink their feelings somewhat with
behaviour, they cannot recognize any personal responsibility.
There are links to management education in this which I will leave
for now...others can explore them if they wish.
Robert Bacal, Inst.For Cooperative Communication,
rbacal@escape.ca
Visit our Resource Centre for articles on mgmt.,training,communication, and defusing hostility
at
http://www.escape.ca/~rbacal (204) 888-9290
*Site Last Updated On Sept.11, 1997*