Skip to main content

General Consensus


Postmodern Perspectives . . .

General Consensus 

There needs to be more about general consensus in postmodern discourse. From a postmodern perspective, that denounces the idea of objectivity, I have come to use the concept of general consensus as a way to acknowledge a kind of pseudo structure that binds our individual relative existences together. For me, explicitly acknowledging the existence of constructed structure helps me get my head around the idea that there is no inherent structure. 

This is the conceptualization I use to position myself as a professional therapist in a therapeutic setting. I work with people to unpack and explore their expectations from all levels of social existence; in pursuit of a more preferable consensus understanding of one’s self and the environment around them. 

Sometimes I think about the relationship between the terms consensus and congruence. From a strictly definitive standpoint they are synonymous, but I use applied meaning to differentiate. 

For me, congruence is a state of positive affirmation of the inner self and the environment around. There is a value judgment that the elements of being are correct and as they should be. Consensus is the acknowledgment and agreement that the self and environment are as they are, with no applied value judgment for the self or environment. One can exist in a state of consensus agreement on the way things are and also be in a stare of incongruence with how the “should” be. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Love Languages

Postmodern Perspectives . . . Love Languages - Making a distinction between the modern view and the postmodern view. Modern - There are five love languages that are waiting for you to identify with. Postmodern - There are infinite love languages and yours is waiting to be constructed.
Post a Comment
Read more

Suggestion

Postmodern Perspectives . . . Suggestion I’m often slow to offer suggestion inside the therapy room because I feel it’s disempowering to a client to offer my  solution options  instead of helping them to grow and strengthen their own ideas. However, sometimes  I feel that the situation does require me to insert something directly into the conversation. A way to do this, that I have become comfortable with, is to present an idea from a second hand perspective. I then immediately switch to a line of questioning that prompts the client to explore that option from their own perspective, morphing it into their own. An example might be:        In my work with other folks, I have heard of        _________________ being tried in this scenario. How might _________________ look or play out in your situation?  This approach keeps the client empowered to put their personal narrative into the suggested solution option....
Post a Comment
Read more

The Villainizing of Mood States

Postm odern Perspectives. . . The Villainizing   of Mood States Why must we try and stop anxiety or make it go away? Part of what makes the anxious experience unpleasant is the socially constructed idea that we are not supposed to be anxious. Instead of stopping anxiety, another option might be to become its friend and comfortably exist in an anxious state. The same could be said for anger. Why are we always trying to stop being angry?  Part of the reason might be because certain mood states have been assigned a negative value by society and cast aside as villainous. Sure, we will probably always have to concede to social norms regarding the management and control of behaviors that are driven by emotions. We can’t go around punching people in the face because we are angry (we’ll, we can but there will certainly be consequences for that). We can’t stay in our rooms for our entire lives because we are anxious (Well, we could if we won...
Post a Comment
Read more