The Mental Transformation

If we change the pattern of our thinking or acting, the brain cells begin to establish additional connections and "wirings". These new connections then communicate in fresh ways with other cells and before long, the path-ways or wirings that held our phobia or other habits are altered. All this is accomplished by mechanical means we call Auto-hypnosis. In the future post, more details will be posted.

A. The Cognitive Dissonance

In 1957 Leon Festinger published his theory of "Cognitive Dissonance".

"Cognitive" means an idea, opinion, view or a belief.

"Dissonance" means reacting, getting angry or being upset.

According to the theory, people get a psychological feeling that makes them to get angry, uncomfortable, irritated and stressful when they are confronted with views, opinions and beliefs or situations, contrary to their own beliefs and opinions they feel strongly about.

Such reactions tends to limit to a degree their perception and awareness of the perceived situation or opinions. This is called Cognitive Dissonance. It works to protect our conscious mind with scotomas and leads us to locking out useful opportunities needed to realise our full potential.

The creation of dissonance is distressful and produces a state of psychological tension. Our subconscious moves in to protect us from dissonance (anger) by blocking out from us the information that causes dissonance. It shuts us from some aspect of reality. We become resistant and react to new ideas and limit ourselves. The more different or discrepant the new information is from our own position the more dissonance and reaction we experience.

Generally this occurs when people are placed in new and unfamiliar situations. It could be a new job, new tools or new setting. The seetarian conflict and ethnic hatred or prejudice are the unfortunate illustrations of the theory.

The Subconscious works to protect our Conscious Mind from dissonance, when our conscious feels that tension. It builds scotomas or blind spots against information that does not match with our present beliefs.

This is what protects the Left Side Hemisphere and keeps it dominance over the Right Side.

Clustering

Before a decision is taken a lot of work and exploration goes on, data and facts are collected, to ensure a correct decision. However, after a decision is taken or a commitment is made then we cannot stand any criticism of it, we get upset if we are opposed. We tend to get people around to support our decision or views, they make us feel good and they look good for believing as we did. We cluster such people around us, the admiralties and the "loyalists". This is called Clustering.

Fear of Goals

If there is dissonance against new challenges, we rationalize into opting out of facing them, we hesitate to take up ventures requiring higher expectations, higher aims, such as to win a game, to complete a new job or go after a new client. Because of our belief structure, we hate to be confronted with the reality or goal we might not be able to achieve. We would quit taking the challenges of new goals.

Good Leaders

1.   They are very effective communicators.

      We communicate on three frequencies:

      a)  Remember, almost 70% of communications between man and man is non-verbal i.e., in terms              of Body Language.

      b)  Through spoken words.

      c)  Subconscious to Subconscious. Through intuition and instincts, the inner signals.                                 Communications are most effective when three frequencies are operating on TRUTH.

    

     Communication is that of a message and not meaning, the receiver intercepts the meaning.

2.   They have courage of faith and convictions. They are not insecure people.

3.   Operating on truth is operating with Cosmic Energy.

4.   They have High Self-Images and Self-Esteem.

5.   They recognize that opposite views don't hurt.

6.   They know that what they are perceiving as truth, is merely their version of truth, may well be             half the truth.

7.   They are very analytical and skeptical about what they see. They would like to verify what they           perceive.

8.   They are always prepared to listen to others, to get to the real truth. They are always looking for         greater option.

9.   They are people of high Self-Esteem, always prepared to confront with new ideas and new ways         of doing things.

10.  They open up to greater challenges and higher goals. They are option thinkers and open minded.        They appreciate and encourage criticism and analysis.

11.  They sell their ideas by pure strength of conviction and do not force them on others.

12.  They are not hesitating and procrastinating.

13.  Good Leaders are honest, fair "I am OK and you are OK" people.

Low image and hesitating people need a lot of reassurance and proof that other people have tried the same thing before they succeeded. They also need constant of admiration, support and presence of loyal and approving people around them.

Low-Performers

Scotomas prevent low performers from seeing the real problems and therefore real solutions. They have a tendency to manipulate perceptions based on their pre-conceived notions to become opinionated, stubborn, rigid and even prejudiced. So they lock on to what is apparent and build scotomas to views that don't match with theirs. They would cling on to old ways of doing things instead of trying out new ones. They lock on to the past to ignore what is required of the future. They look to problems instead of working out solutions.