This is http://www.essayz.com/a9411223.htm Previous-Essay <== This-Essay ==> Following-Essay Click HERE on this line to find essays via Your-Key-Words. {Most frequent wordstarts of each essay will be put here.} ========================================================== %REFLEXIVE RELATION CONSEQUENCE DECISION ACTION+941122 %ASSUMPTION PERCEPTION EXPERIENCE THINK TALK SAY+941122 %REBELLION CONFLICT COLLUSION ADDICTION DEPENDENT 941122 The consequences of reflexive actions depend strongly upon what the people involved in the actions think the consequences will be. The consequences of objective events within the objective realm depend little upon what the people involved in the actions think the consequences will be---because if the events are truly objective events, by definition people play very small roles in determining the consequences of events at one time and place when they are objectively detached from them. In the objective realm people are almost always passive observers, watching what happens among objects which are interacting with each other, but interacting very little with the passive observers. The more observers play active roles in determining the course of events among objects, the less objective are the processes which the observers observe. Objectivity has to do with detachment of observers from what they are observing. When the desires, fears, and expectations of observers have a major influence upon the course of the relationships among the actors in the drama which is being observed---the processes which are being observed are no longer objective processes; they are reflexive processes. How people behave under the watchful eye of other people depends upon what the participants in the processes and the participants in the watching expect of each other. Actions may be designed to conform to expectations. Actions may be designed to be in overt and explicit rebellion against expectations. Actions may be designed to be covert ways of rebelling against expectations. Actions may be willing conformations in keeping with expectations. Actions may transcend expectations in surprising and creative ways. Expectations can play major roles in influencing the behavior of watched people--- without determining what the behavior will be. In any case, where expectations play a major role in influencing the behaviors of watched people, the processes are not objective processes, and they do not fall within the realm of the expertise of objectively trained scientists. The process of watching and influencing the behaviors of watched people applies to people watching themselves, as well as to people being watched by others---because people who are watching themselves often do so in ways which are influenced by how other people are watching the processes of people who are watching themselves. The self-watching is a process which is itself watched by others. Self is influenced by the process of self- watching---which occurs in the implicit presence of the watching on the part of others---even when others are not actually watching the self-watching. How self is influenced by self-watching---is itself influenced by implicit others' watchings; influenced in ways which may be almost totally under the control of what self thinks others would think, were they to know details about self and self's self-watching. This is the case even when self is not well informed, or totally mis- informed---about what others would actually think were they well informed about self, and self's self-watching. Reflexive consequences of watchful expectations can be quite fully internalized within one person who is both the watched, and the watcher---who is behaving in terms of how the said person mis-guidedly thinks others would think and behave---were they to know the details of what was happening. Reflexive behavior is not simple behavior! (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy) ==========================================================