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Course 3: PL 102 - Denial & Distractions (Discussion 3)

User Profile: GlenM
GlenM August 26th, 2020

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There is a lot to unpack in Chapter 2 and 3. Denial and distraction keep us unaware and stuck in patterns that are not particularly good for us as individuals or communities. In this discussion and others, I'm mostly interested in what you think and the type of ideas that we collectively surface as a group. And a quick note that there are no bad or wrong answers here - the important thing is to share ideas and learn together. ÃÂ

Please read chapters 2 and 3 and then answer the following questions:

1. How would you define denial in your own words? ÃÂ

2. What is the most important thing you learned about things that operate outside of awareness or the unconscious?

3. What do you believe are the top 3 distraction systems? Which one of these is the most powerful and why?

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User Profile: Readylistener
Readylistener April 17th, 2021

Denial is the practice in which people deny reality to escape an uncomfortable or distressing situation.

I learnt that things that I had never considered before, such as driving or not missing my mouth with the spoon, actually operate outside of awareness.

Online distractions, social media and food are the top 3 distraction systems. I think online distractions are the most powerful as they are very entertaining but can quickly make us lose track of time. We could have used this time to do something productive, but the allure of entire new seasons of favourite shows can distract us very easily.

1 reply
User Profile: thisisirene
thisisirene April 18th, 2021

@Readylistener great answer!

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User Profile: loveagape
loveagape April 18th, 2021

1. How would you define denial in your own words?

A: do not have the power to accept what one is going through.

2. What is the most important thing you learned about things that operate outside of awareness or the unconscious?

A: Much what we think, feel, and do actually happens below the surface, outside our awareness. The part above the surface represents the conscious mind. When one is learning something, it is on the conscious mind, and one is used to doing that thing, then that thing will become unconscious.

User Profile: loveagape
loveagape April 18th, 2021

3. What do you believe are the top 3 distraction systems? Which one of these is the most powerful and why?

A: The distraction systems are: defense (against anxiety), anxiety (reacted parts of oneselves), and repressed feeling (or unconscious emotional need). I believe that anxiety is the most powerful, because anxiety are first stirred by anger, so the two others are easily to follow.

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User Profile: thisisirene
thisisirene April 18th, 2021

@loveagape great answer!

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User Profile: thisisirene
thisisirene April 18th, 2021

@GlenM

1. How would you define denial in your own words? �

Trying to convince yourself that a proven fact or situation is not true.

2. What is the most important thing you learned about things that operate outside of awareness or the unconscious?

They could be a learnt behaviour

3. What do you believe are the top 3 distraction systems? Which one of these is the most powerful and why?

Internet- platforms such as instagram tiktok or facebook are truly a distraction and are a very dangerous tool

Society - When you're with people you tend to be distracted. Sometimes you feel weird or judged too.

Food - sometimes people spend hours thinking what they're gonna eat

User Profile: marvelloustree1111
marvelloustree1111 April 21st, 2021

@GlenM

1. How would you define denial in your own words?

I would define denial as a process or experience where people tend to leave out or not take into concern some of the experiences or possible scenarios in order to continue to survive and sometimes not experience unnecessary anxiety.

2. What is the most important thing you learned about things that operate outside of awareness or the unconscious?

The most important thing I learnt is that most of the times when things are fed into our subconscious for long, it could result in us not trying change that could be healthy for us. We could remain in the same state only because it feels familiar.

3. What do you believe are the top 3 distraction systems? Which one of these is the most powerful and why?

The top three distraction systems according to me are

Food - Food has got immense varieties to keep us hooked. It isn’t a myth that almost ½ of the world population will be obese by 2030 which is more than the number of people who will be malnutritioned. Food companies are constantly trying to enlighten the taste buds which is obviously a hefty distraction.

Online Distractions – The Internet has got a plethora of ways to keep us hooked and be it social media or sites we enjoy, they all are developing and getting better to plug us in.

Employment – The race can in itself give us anxiety and serve as a distraction. Sometimes we get so addicted to holding ourselves up in a manner that we don’t take care of our personal growth as a human.

According to me, the most powerful is the internet, and to be specific, it would be cell phones because everyone seems to be glued to them and they have ways of bringing us back to those sites time and again.

User Profile: giggleZebra2708
giggleZebra2708 April 22nd, 2021

@GlenM

1. How would you define denial in your own words?

Denial I think is defined as the act of refusal of certain events and situations which is completely true. It's also like a mechanism that activates in distressing events and situations. Being in denial that a loved one is sick, thinking of our death and the loss of a loved one are all situations that we deal with all the time.

2. What is the most important thing you learned about things that operate outside of awareness or the unconscious?

Our basic behaviours and characteristics are all learnt or operated unconsciously.

3. What do you believe are the top 3 distraction systems? Which one of these is the most powerful and why?

Social media : People these days are driven by what I would like to call, instant gratification. The need to be instantly rewarded and gratified. It’s like when we post on instagram we hope to get instant likes and comments. This is how we learn to distract ourselves from reality.

Relationships: We tend to always go to our family and friends when we need a moment of distractions, when we spend time with people that we love and enjoy it allows us to experience positive emotions that overweigh the effects of negative emotions.

Hobbies : Personally, when I need to be distracted, I always tend to shift focus on my hobbies, like singing, dancing and volunteering. As mentioned above the positive emotions that I feel overweigh the negative emotions felt at the moment. I personally believe that Relationships are the most powerful because even if social media provides us first hand entertainment and distraction, the feeling of being able to talk to someone face to face and share moments exceeds all forms of distractions and creates positivity.

User Profile: Cristen
Cristen April 26th, 2021

1. How would you define denial in your own words?
I would define denial as the non-acceptance of a difficult truth or reality and the refusal to acknowledge or confront it.

2. What is the most important thing you learned about things that operate outside of awareness or the unconscious?
The most important thing I’ve learned is that in the unconscious mind, there still exists, the parts of us that were not accepted in our early learning years – that even though we thought we’ve discarded them, they still exist outside of our awareness and it is these rejected parts that cause us anxiety.

3. What do you believe are the top 3 distraction systems?
i) Food
ii) Online Distractions
iii) Wealth

Which one of these is the most powerful and why?
Personally I think that all three of the above are most powerful since the common denominator between all of them is that it is always never enough i.e. there is never enough food or online distractions to indulge ourselves in, and never enough money to keep the illusion of happiness and fulfillment in our lives. All three are equally as powerful as the other, because they always manage to keep us coming back for more.

User Profile: cuteeeezombieeee
cuteeeezombieeee April 27th, 2021

1.How would you define denial in your own words?

In my opinion, denial is forcing ourselves not to believe in something, or to believe against something.

2.What is the most important thing you learned about things that operate outside of awareness or the unconscious?

Thoughts and emotions outside of our awareness continue to exert an influence, even though we are unaware of these underlying influences. The unconscious can include repressed feelings, hidden memories, habits, thoughts, desires, and reactions.

3.What do you believe are the top 3 distraction systems? Which one of these is the most powerful and why?

I think the top three distraction systems are:

Food

Social Media

Celebrity News Sites

I think social media is the most powerful amongst these as the developers make it in such a way that it captivates people to the point of their lives completely revolving around social media.

User Profile: SweetDreamer69
SweetDreamer69 April 27th, 2021

1. Denial is something that we use in order to protect ourselves from reality. Denial is rejecting the truth continuously just because either we don't want to face it, or it's not the kind of truth we would like to acknowledge. 2. That it is a learned behaviour 3. I think that the top 3 distraction systems are - social media, mobile and all electronic gadgets. All three are powerful. But the most powerful one, I believe, is social media. Unknowingly, it is controlling our lives to a huge extent which is leading into depression, comparing our lives with others, etc.

User Profile: blindHeart12
blindHeart12 May 7th, 2021

@GlenM

1.How would you define denial in your own words? ÃÂ

Denial means to me that running away from accepting the fact or reality. Usually we denial as we don’t want to feel pain or get into uncomfortable state in our life. It like we all want to be on greenery side of life.

2.What is the most important thing you learned about things that operate outside of awareness or the unconscious?

Denial- denial is something that make people stay in unhealthy relationship or abusive relationship which make other people wonder the reason ,why someone staying in such relationship or situation.

After reading chapter I realise that the things or quality within us which are not validate or accepted by our close one or people around us. Are some where hidden below the ice and that make us react or play role in decision which we sometime are not aware why we took such decision or why we behave that particular way.

The thing which are validate ,accepted and reinforce into us by since childhood who to talk .. how to behave or speak in particular manner.. are unknowing impose in our unconscious brain.

That develop our personality or behaviour which we carry whole life. We feel comfortable in that particular way of living ,… way of people around us and similar situation.

3.What do you believe are the top 3 distraction systems? Which one of these is the most powerful and why?

Online website or app.

Offline is accomplishment

Food and online website or application are powerful as we called as digitialised era and today generation is more into technology based. Everything is done online.. shopping.. meeting.. chating.. playing games..

So less room of going out of the room to buy anything or put in a situation or to socialise. So this keep people in comfort zone and in virtual world. As thing are designed in such a way that make person feel more comfortable and happy.