Happy New Year.
I posted a comment on http://closetstutterer.blogspot.com/ and Sophie replied that one reason for not pushing the idea of copying others is that it may open prejudice against PWS in some professions. True. But that is not a reason for denying the power of copying or modelling in stammering. The first is social bigotry the second is a possible association with a state of affairs.
If you want to learn some scepticism about Genetics and brain imaging I would recommend The Language of the Genes by Steve Jones. Reckoning with Risk: Learning to Live with Uncertainty by Gerd Gigerenzer and Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini - particularly his explanation of Captainitis.
In terms of genetics it really is important to go to the original papers and look at the numbers involved and ask yourself if there could be another explanation. Don’t be too impressed by titles or qualifications. Remember that the experimenter cannot be evaluated out of his context: just as a stammer requires a context. Just remembered; The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard Feynman, what science should be about and usually isn’t.
Recently in UK an innocent lady was jailed on the evidence of an expert who wasn’t cross-examined with proper skepticism because he was an expert. The expert who didn’t know his statistics but didn’t know he didn’t know ( Donald Rumsfeldism ) was ultimately vilified. If he was properly challenged the outcome might have been different for all concerned and he would have found out that he didn’t know what he was talking about ie that he didn't know he didn't know.
You should also be sceptical about my notions. Ask yourself if I want you to believe things on my word or if I want you to search your own experience to verify my propositions and do yourself some good. Go back to the territory!
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About Me
- PM
- I am a middle aged medic who is interested in Modelling Behaviour. I have 12 yrs experience and attend trainings regularly with John McWhirter at Sensory Systems Training in Glasgow, Scotland. I am interested in stammering and I am convinced that in the majority of cases it is a behaviour and not an affliction. Rather than lurk on other sites I decided to share my thinking on a blog.
2 comments:
Peter,
I agree with you to some extent that behaviour can be modified to stammer less or maybe none at all. To do that, I believe, you need to modify the way you do things so that it follows a certain pathway. This would be the same pathway that is triggered when we sing, read together or talk to a child. That means pretty much changing the person that you are.
Couldn't agree more Dev. Thanks for the feedback. Interesting and very important point.
The change in identity occurs no matter what we learn or change. Depends on what you are identifying with. Ash's post is interesting in that he regards himself as having stammered but now as an effortless speaker who can stammer if he wants to. Similar to a smoker who doesn't smoke
(very hard work) vs a non-smoker who smokes occasionally (effortless).
Are you the same person after you learn to drive or dance, learn a new language, fall in love with a new person?
I know you speak several languages so how did learning a different language change your identity. I suspect your values and sense of identity remained pretty stable.
However, we can merge into what we want to be a bit at a time and instead of thinking of 'I am a stammerer' , what about 'I do stammering.' or better, 'I do speaking and I can manage HOW I speak' but it might take a bit of time. That is how speech coaches make a living- changing how people: actors, businessmen speak - is it not? To the outside world no one would notice you weren't stammering, and you wouldn't notice yourself unless you reflected on it.
I didn't know that Ash used to stammer until we were chatting and I told him of my interest. It never entered my head, and I do have a low threshold for noticing speech difficulties. Also Charles Dance and Bruce Willis.
How would your identity be different if you became a trained runner compared to the jogger you would have been at the beginning or the non- runner you were before?
What is the difference between being a sportsman and playing / doing a sport? One is an identity and the other is something we do, actually we do identity too by fixing on an abstract concept of a fixed self ie being rather than becoming - becoming is more useful.
You would only be doing something differently: if you were a nice chap before ( as I know you are ) then you would be a nice chap after because your values would be the same.
Alcoholics have a similar problem - genuinely - if they stop drinking will they be 'too good' what will people who know them and drink with them, think of them - how will they manage that? Folk often don't want to stand out or have people think they are getting above themselves.
Fear of being this new person that we don't know is a very common reason for not moving on. I have experienced it myself and it is difficult to change without outside help to see things from a different point of view.
The fact is that when we change no one notices very much, including ourselves, unless the behavior is offensive, and to identify oneself as someone who can stammer at will might be one way to go.
If I go to a shopping center and watch people going about their business the thing that strikes me is that none of them notice me or are interested in me - or if they look twice I discretely check my fly! Disappointing but true I am anonymous except to someone I know.
I like watching people and noticing what they are wearing and doing, because I am interested in behaviour. But, unless I rudely stare at someone, they don't notice me at all. And people who don't know you won't know that you used to stammer, and those that do know you won't notice either because they are attending to what you are saying.
Thanks again
Peter
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