my mind begins to hum...

the fire elf · Post by **the fire elf** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 11:27 am

In the cases of scientists who have since achieved incredible levels of popularity, such as Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein, priority questions are often rooted in taking too seriously the myth of the "lone genius" which is often cultivated around such quasi-mythic figures. In an attempt to laud such scientists as visionaries, the context in which they worked is often neglected by popularizers, making it appear as if they worked without assistance or without reference to other work, something which is rarely the case.

third person perspective · Post by **third person perspective** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 1:05 pm

Growth as an attribute of life occurs in a simultaneous symposium of interaffirming activities. To purport that the U.S. Constitution is a living document is both fallacious and insidious when taken into the context of people/nature/and environ. If it is a god of mankind's words on paper that you trust, there shall be a remittance or a reckoning.

mayavin · Post by **mayavin** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 3:49 pm

The spinal accessory nerve provides motor innervation
from the central nervous system to two muscles of the neck:
the sternocleidomastoid muscle and the upper part of the trapezius muscle.
The sternocleidomastoid muscle tilts and rotates the head,
while the trapezius muscle has several actions on the scapula,
including shoulder elevation.

the fire elf · Post by **the fire elf** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 3:52 pm

Owing to its peculiar course,
the spinal accessory nerve is notable for being the only cranial nerve
to both enter and exit the skull.

third person perspective · Post by **third person perspective** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 3:59 pm

Among investigators there is disagreement
regarding the terminology used to describe the type of information
carried by the accessory nerve.
As the trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles
are derived from the branchial arches,
some investigators believe the spinal accessory nerve that innervates them
must carry branchiomeric (special visceral efferent, SVE) information.
This is in line with the observation
that the spinal accessory nucleus appears to be continuous
with the nucleus ambiguus of the medulla.
Others, notably Haines, consider the spinal accessory nerve
to carry general somatic efferent (GSE) information.
Still others believe it is reasonable to conclude
that the spinal accessory nerve contains both SVE and GSE components

mayavin · Post by **mayavin** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 4:05 pm

_____________________________________

Anxiety is often described as having
cognitive, somatic, emotional, and behavioral components

the fire elf · Post by **the fire elf** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 4:31 pm

Cognition is a diffuse term and is used in radically different ways by different disciplines.
In psychology, it refers to an information processing view of an individual's psychological functions.

The term somatic refers to the body, as distinct from some other entity, such as the mind.
The word comes from the Greek word Î£Ï‰Î¼Î±Ï„Î¹ÎºÃ³Ï‚ (SomatikÃ²s), meaning "of the body".

Emotion, in its most general definition,
is a complex psychophysical process that arises spontaneously,
rather than through conscious effort,
and evokes either a positive or negative psychological response and physical expressions,
often involuntary, related to feelings, perceptions or beliefs about elements,
objects or relations between them, in reality or in the imagination.
An emotion is often differentiated from a feeling.

Behavior or behaviour (see spelling differences)
refers to the actions or reactions of an object or organism,
usually in relation to the environment.
Behavior can be conscious or unconscious, overt or covert, and voluntary or involuntary.
In animals, behavior is controlled by the endocrine system and the nervous system.
The complexity of the behavior of an organism is related to the complexity of its nervous system.
Generally, organisms with complex nervous systems
have a greater capacity to learn new responses
and thus adjust their behavior.

In psychology, desensitization (or graduated exposure therapy)
is a process for mitigating the harmful effects of phobias or other disorders.
It also occurs when an emotional response is repeatedly evoked
in situations in which the action tendency that is associated with the emotion
proves irrelevant or unnecessary.

mayavin · Post by **mayavin** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 4:41 pm

When an animal's surroundings are controlled,
its behavior patterns after reinforcement become predictable,
even for very complex behavior patterns.
A schedule of reinforcement is the protocol
for determining when responses or behaviors will be reinforced,
ranging from continuous reinforcement,
in which every response is reinforced,
and extinction, in which no response is reinforced.
Between these extremes is intermittent or partial reinforcement
where only some responses are reinforced.

mayavin · Post by **mayavin** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 4:43 pm

Specific variations of intermittent reinforcement reliably induce specific patterns of response, irrespective of the species being investigated (including humans in some conditions). The orderliness and predictability of behaviour under schedules of reinforcement was evidence for B. F. Skinner's claim that using operant conditioning he could obtain "control over behaviour", in a way that rendered the theoretical disputes of contemporary comparative psychology obsolete. The reliability of schedule control supported the idea that a radical behaviourist experimental analysis of behavior could be the foundation for a psychology that did not refer to mental or cognitive processes. The reliability of schedules also led to the development of Applied Behavior Analysis as a means of controlling or altering behavior.

Many of the simpler possibilities, and some of the more complex ones, were investigated at great length by Skinner using pigeons, but new schedules continue to be defined and investigated.

the fire elf · Post by **the fire elf** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 5:11 pm

In biology and ecology, an organism (in Greek organon = instrument)
is a living complex adaptive system of organs that influence each other
in such a way that they function in some way as a stable whole.

The concept of an organism can be challenged
on grounds that organisms themselves are never truly independent of an ecosystem;
groups or populations of organisms function in an ecosystem
in a manner not unlike the function of multicellular tissues in an organism;
when organisms enter into strict symbiosis,
they are not independent in any sense that could not also be conferred
upon an organ or a tissue.

the fire elf · Post by **the fire elf** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 5:13 pm

amenities are any tangible or intangible benefits of a property

third person perspective · Post by **third person perspective** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 5:17 pm

Greek articulation of a "final theosis"
and the Latin articulation of "purgatory"
are essentially equivalent expressions of a final purification.

third person perspective · Post by **third person perspective** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 5:20 pm

"... may afterward in a quite different manner be
very much interested in what is better,
when, after his departure out of the body,

he gains knowledge of the difference between virtue and vice
and finds that he is not able to partake of divinity
until he has been purged of the filthy contagion in his soul
by the purifying fire"

mayavin · Post by **mayavin** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 5:22 pm

mayavin · Post by **mayavin** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 5:29 pm

... though containing all things within His immensity,
willed to become small.
This He did, not by putting aside His greatness

the fire elf · Post by **the fire elf** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 5:35 pm

When she recognizes Puck she says,

Either I mistake your shape and making quite,
Or else you are that shrewd and knavish sprite
Call'd Robin Goodfellow: are not you he
That frights the maidens of the villagery;
Skim milk, and sometimes labour in the quern
And bootless make the breathless housewife churn;
And sometime make the drink to bear no barm;
Mislead night-wanderers, laughing at their harm?
Those that Hobgoblin call you and sweet Puck,
You do their work, and they shall have good luck:
Are not you he? (Act ii., Scene i.)

To this Puck replies,

Thou speak'st aright;
I am that merry wanderer of the night.
I jest to Oberon and make him smile
When I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile,
Neighing in likeness of a filly foal:
And sometime lurk I in a gossip's bowl,
In very likeness of a roasted crab,
And when she drinks, against her lips I bob
And on her wither'd dewlap pour the ale.
The wisest aunt, telling the saddest tale,
Sometime for three-foot stool mistaketh me;
Then slip I from her bum, down topples she,
And 'tailor' cries, and falls into a cough;
And then the whole quire hold their hips and laugh,
And waxen in their mirth and neeze and swear
A merrier hour was never wasted there. (Act ii., Scene i.)

third person perspective · Post by **third person perspective** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 5:37 pm

If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber'd here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend:
if you pardon, we will mend:
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call;
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends. (Act v. Scene i.)

the fire elf · Post by **the fire elf** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 5:40 pm

the fire elf · Post by **the fire elf** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 5:45 pm

E=MC^2
___________________

mayavin · Post by **mayavin** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 12:09 pm

LA Times today wrote: Timoner cites research showing the United States to be the cult epicenter
of the world: The nation was founded on the principles of religious
tolerance, after all, a practice that has allowed some rather unorthodox
groups to prosper. Some, like Heaven's Gate and David Koresh's Branch
Davidians, became notorious, while others have become more
corporatized. But nearly all, says Timoner, operate under the radar. "It's
almost like if you declare yourself a religion you can run with it," she
says. "You can do whatever you want."

... Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center (described as the only
accredited residential "cult-victim treatment facility" in the US) ...

Counselors at Wellspring define mind control according to the eight
precepts laid out in the 1960's by psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton, which
include a demand for purity, confessions of sins, the total control of
information and communication, and a sharp delineation between insiders
and the outside world. Any group that exhibits at least six of the qualities
is considered destructive.

Robert Jay Lifton, M.D. (born May 16, 1926) is an American psychiatrist
and author, chiefly known for his studies of the psychological causes and
effects of war and political violence and for his theory of thought reform.

Lifton was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Harold A. (a
businessman) and Ciel (Roth) Lifton. He studied medicine at New York
Medical College. From 1951 to 1953 he served as an Air Force psychiatrist
in Japan and Korea, to which he later attributed his interest in war and
politics. He has since worked as a teacher and researcher at the
Washington School of Psychiatry, Harvard University, and the John Jay
College of Criminal Justice, where he helped to found the Center for the
Study of Human Violence.

He married the writer Betty Jean Kirschner in 1952 and has two children.

Lifton calls cartooning his avocation; he has published two books of
humorous cartoons about birds.

Lifton's work in this field was heavily influenced by Erikson's studies of
Hitler and other political figures, as well as Sigmund Freud's concern with
the mass social effects of deep-seated drives, particularly attitudes
toward death.

Milieu Control -- The control of information and communication.

Mystical Manipulation -- The manipulation of experiences that appear
spontaneous but in fact were planned and orchestrated.

Demand for Purity -- The world is viewed as black and white and the
members are constantly exhorted to conform to the ideology of the group
and strive for perfection.

Confession -- Sins, as defined by the group, are to be confessed either to
a personal monitor or publicly to the group.

Sacred Science -- The group's doctrine or ideology is considered to be the
ultimate Truth, beyond all questioning or dispute.

Loading the Language -- The group interprets or uses words and phrases
in new ways so that often the outside world does not understand.

Doctrine over person -- The member's personal experiences are
subordinated to the sacred science and any contrary experiences must be
denied or reinterpreted to fit the ideology of the group.

Dispensing of existence -- The group has the prerogative to decide who
has the right to exist and who does not.

Contrary to popular notions of "brainwashing", Lifton always maintained
that such coercion could only influence short-term behavior or produce
general neuroses, not permanently change beliefs or personality.

The American Sociological Association has stated that it does not consider
such an analysis scientifically valid, but have not disavowed Lifton's
original work.

the fire elf · Post by **the fire elf** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 12:12 pm

Mind control is a general term for a number of controversial theories
and/or techniques designed to subvert an individual's control of their own
thinking, behavior, emotions, or decisions.

third person perspective · Post by **third person perspective** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 12:17 pm

While discussion of these techniques are popular amongst cult critics,
conspiracy buffs, and as a subject of speculative fiction, any techniques of
mind control that actually work would have real-world applications. Such
applications, were they to exist, might include use by hypothetical
religious cults, by governments as torture techniques used to obtain
confessions, as psyops to break resistance movements, by the
advertising industry to manipulate consumer habits, and by the public
relations industry to manufacture consent or remediate corporate image
in the event of a crisis.

third person perspective · Post by **third person perspective** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 12:18 pm

The feasibility of such control and the methods by which it might be
attained (either direct or more subtle) are subject to debate among
psychologists, neuroscientists, and sociologists. Also, the exact definition
of mind control and the extent to which it might have any kind of influence
over individuals are debated.

mayavin · Post by **mayavin** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 12:21 pm

The question of mind control has been discussed in conjunction with
religion, politics, prisoners of war, totalitarianism, neural cell
manipulation, cults, terrorism, torture, parental alienation, and even
battered person syndrome.

the fire elf · Post by **the fire elf** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 12:24 pm

Cognitive dissonance is a psychological term which describes the
uncomfortable tension that may or may not come from having two
conflicting thoughts at the same time, or from engaging in behavior that
conflicts with one's beliefs.

More precisely, it is the perception of incompatibility between two
cognitions, where "cognition" is defined as any element of knowledge,
including attitude, emotion, belief, or behavior.

The theory of cognitive dissonance states that contradicting cognitions
serve as a driving force that compels the mind to acquire or invent new
thoughts or beliefs, or to modify existing beliefs, so as to reduce the
amount of dissonance (conflict) between cognitions.

the fire elf · Post by **the fire elf** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 12:27 pm

Social psychologist Leon Festinger first proposed the theory in 1957 after
the publication of his book When Prophecy Fails, observing the
counterintuitive belief persistence of members of a UFO doomsday cult
and their increased proselytization after the leader's prophecy failed. The
failed message of earth's destruction, purportedly sent by aliens to a
woman in 1956, became a disconfirmed expectancy that increased
dissonance between cognitions, thereby causing most members of the
impromptu cult to lessen the dissonance by accepting a new prophecy;
that the aliens had instead spared the planet for their sake.

third person perspective · Post by **third person perspective** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 12:31 pm

other possibly relevant topics wrote:The Great Disappointment of 1844 as an example of cognitive dissonance
in a religious context

Groupthink, lacking in cognitive process

Self-perception theory, a competing theory of attitude change

Choice-supportive bias, memory distortion that makes past choices seem
better than they actually were.

Supernaturalization for a description of another explanation of causal
belief

The Fox and the Grapes for an example in fiction

Dialectics, is an exchange of propositions resulting in a synthesis of the
opposing assertions

Does not compute, a phrase common in popular science fiction to indicate
the theme of cognitive dissonance in an artificial intelligence

Double bind, is a communicative situation where a person receives
different or contradictory messages.

Doublethink, is the act of holding two contradictory beliefs simultaneously
and fervently believing both.

Denial as a related defense mechanism.

False dilemma, involves a situation in which two alternative statements
are held to be the only options...

Paradox, paradox is an apparently true statement or group of statements
that leads to a contradiction

True believer syndrome as an example of immunity to cognitive
dissonance.

Hostility (in the psychological sense) as a psychological response to
cognitive dissonance

Javert

Cultural dissonance

Buyer's remorse

mayavin · Post by **mayavin** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 12:38 pm

Psychological Operations (PSYOP, PSYOPS) are techniques used by
military and police forces to influence a target audience's emotions,
motives, objective reasoning, and behavior.

mayavin · Post by **mayavin** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 12:41 pm

Target audiences can be governments, organizations, groups, and
individuals, and are used in order to induce confessions, or reinforce
attitudes and behaviors favorable to the originator's objectives. These are
sometimes combined with black operations or false flag tactics.

This concept has been used by military institutions throughout history, but
it is only since the twentieth century that it has been accorded the
organizational and professional status it enjoys now.

the fire elf · Post by **the fire elf** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 12:45 pm

Parental alienation is any behavior by a parent, a child's mother or father,
whether conscious or unconscious, that could create alienation in the
relationship between a child and the other parent. Parental alienation can
be mild and temporary or extreme and ongoing.

E=mc^2