05-11-2011, 12:00 AM
Positive and negative as used in NLP, which appears to be where this idea that the mind cannot process negatives comes from, interestingly.
The term positive is generally used to mean "desirable" or "beneficial", and negative is generally used to mean "undesirable" or "bad". However, in neuro-linguistic programming they have a specific meanings in the phrases positive intent and stated in the positive, and negative intent and stated in the negative.
In this sense, the term is used to mean linguistically stated in the affirmatory. In other words, a goal or intent is said to be positively stated if it is stated by reference to a state or thing one desires, and it is said to be negatively stated by reference to a state or thing one wishes to avoid.
The following statements are all positive intent or stated in the
positive, regardless of whether they are beneficial or damaging wishes:
Stated in the positive
I want a car with a 6 litre engine.I'm hoping to retire in 5 years.I'd like to steal/harm/take something or someone (stated in the
positive in the technical linguistic and NLP senses, and would
constitute a "positive intention", though negative in an everyday sense).
The following statements are all negative intent or stated in the
negative, regardless of whether they are beneficial or damaging wishes:
Stated in the negative:
I don't like this office.I hate it.I want them to stop picking on me.When I retire I won't have to work.If I had money I wouldn't have to steal (stated in the negative
in the linguistic and NLP senses; it does not constitute a positive
intention, though it is a positive wish in an everyday sense. To turn it
into a positive, one might ask questions such as, "What would you like
to be doing if you were not stealing?")
The significance of this comes from the psychological phenomenon
claimed by some, that the mind does not always process
neuro-linguistically negatives well. For example, when one focuses on
what he or she does not want, the mind may, at some level, imagine the
object to be avoided more than the relational word "not." For example,
the common quote, "Don't think of a white bear!" may cause one to have difficulty not thinking of a white bear. However, does not prevent the mind from processing the negative. We still intake the idea and spin it around in our minds, thus processing it.
In cognitive terms, therefore, "not wanting to steal" is not the same
as "being honest," and tends to keep the negative idea at the forefront
of the mind. It also subjectively suggests a single dead-end rather
than a general direction to go. This is why, whilst a wish to avoid can
motivate, it is generally not seen by NLP as being as useful as a
positive intention.
A person's intention
in performing an action is his or her specific purpose in doing so, the
end or goal at which he or she aims or intends to accomplish. Whether
an action is successful or unsuccessful depends at least on whether the
intended result was brought about. The aphorism in NLP is that all human action fulfils a positive intent at some level.
Iin NLP it is generally seen as more beneficial to
focus on the opportunities a person has, other than those he or she
wants to be gone.
Which makes a lot of sense, certainly, however, still does not support the claim that the mind won't process negatives, but affirms that it is more beneficial to think and speak in positives, especially if you are attempting to affect a desired outcome! So, seems like something that is used by some people in NLP circles has somehow ended up in Toltec and nagualist forums and spread around as truth. While it is true, it is better to speak with intent and voice our selves positively, the notion that our minds are not able to process negatives is nothing more than a myth, based on some concepts used in NLP and applied to a broader scope for which they were not intended.
The term positive is generally used to mean "desirable" or "beneficial", and negative is generally used to mean "undesirable" or "bad". However, in neuro-linguistic programming they have a specific meanings in the phrases positive intent and stated in the positive, and negative intent and stated in the negative.
In this sense, the term is used to mean linguistically stated in the affirmatory. In other words, a goal or intent is said to be positively stated if it is stated by reference to a state or thing one desires, and it is said to be negatively stated by reference to a state or thing one wishes to avoid.
The following statements are all positive intent or stated in the
positive, regardless of whether they are beneficial or damaging wishes:
Stated in the positive
I want a car with a 6 litre engine.I'm hoping to retire in 5 years.I'd like to steal/harm/take something or someone (stated in the
positive in the technical linguistic and NLP senses, and would
constitute a "positive intention", though negative in an everyday sense).
The following statements are all negative intent or stated in the
negative, regardless of whether they are beneficial or damaging wishes:
Stated in the negative:
I don't like this office.I hate it.I want them to stop picking on me.When I retire I won't have to work.If I had money I wouldn't have to steal (stated in the negative
in the linguistic and NLP senses; it does not constitute a positive
intention, though it is a positive wish in an everyday sense. To turn it
into a positive, one might ask questions such as, "What would you like
to be doing if you were not stealing?")
The significance of this comes from the psychological phenomenon
claimed by some, that the mind does not always process
neuro-linguistically negatives well. For example, when one focuses on
what he or she does not want, the mind may, at some level, imagine the
object to be avoided more than the relational word "not." For example,
the common quote, "Don't think of a white bear!" may cause one to have difficulty not thinking of a white bear. However, does not prevent the mind from processing the negative. We still intake the idea and spin it around in our minds, thus processing it.
In cognitive terms, therefore, "not wanting to steal" is not the same
as "being honest," and tends to keep the negative idea at the forefront
of the mind. It also subjectively suggests a single dead-end rather
than a general direction to go. This is why, whilst a wish to avoid can
motivate, it is generally not seen by NLP as being as useful as a
positive intention.
A person's intention
in performing an action is his or her specific purpose in doing so, the
end or goal at which he or she aims or intends to accomplish. Whether
an action is successful or unsuccessful depends at least on whether the
intended result was brought about. The aphorism in NLP is that all human action fulfils a positive intent at some level.
Iin NLP it is generally seen as more beneficial to
focus on the opportunities a person has, other than those he or she
wants to be gone.
Which makes a lot of sense, certainly, however, still does not support the claim that the mind won't process negatives, but affirms that it is more beneficial to think and speak in positives, especially if you are attempting to affect a desired outcome! So, seems like something that is used by some people in NLP circles has somehow ended up in Toltec and nagualist forums and spread around as truth. While it is true, it is better to speak with intent and voice our selves positively, the notion that our minds are not able to process negatives is nothing more than a myth, based on some concepts used in NLP and applied to a broader scope for which they were not intended.