Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 09:14:38 +0100

To: ken-wilber-l@listserv.azstarnet.com

From: Thomas Jordan <Thomas.Jordan@redcap.econ.gu.se>

Subject: How to catch the ego: Part 2

How to catch the ego by the tail - some hints: Part 2

Here comes the second example of ways in which the ego tries to protect its integrity in conflict situations:

Control strategy 2: Simplification/Complexity reduction. Reduced ability to perceive the complexity of others’ personalities. Reduced ability to see the individuality of outgroup members.

Complexity reduction is a further strategy to keep the lifeworld simple, predictable and comprehensible - but often at the price of serious misinterpretations. In particular it becomes increasingly difficult for us to remain sensitive to the complexity of our counterpart in a conflict. Every person has many different tendencies simultaneously: greed, fear, commitment to visions, altruism, attraction to power, kindness. In social conflicts we also tend to attribute collective characteristics to individuals: wilber-list members are nuts, the people from the XY-department are bossy, business people are superficial, etc.

It takes courage to remain open to the complexity, paradox, contradictions and incoherence of people and groups. The ego may fear that it is losing its precious grasp over reality if it can't integrate all information into a coherent and unequivocal picture. Therefore certain salient features are picked out, and the others, those that don't fit into a neat and clear image, are ignored, repressed or marginalized.

One can learn to observe the ego's inclinations for simplification by turning attention to how our images of counterparts in conflicts are constructed, preferably persons who evoke strong negative feelings. Look at your images of them closely and sincerely to see if some incongruences have been screened out. Better yet, try training to be mindful about the image-forming processes during stressful situations as they happen.

Thomas