The True Power Paradigm
The antithesis of the Dominance Paradigm would be: (a) regardless of threat and regardless of privilege status, to rehumanize interactions with everyone; (b) to focus on oneself as the source of true power, and (c) to develop the repertoire of skills for enacting our power. In the True Power paradigm I propose, these three elements are called Personal Respect, Personal Accountability, and Personal Responsibility.
Personal Respect
In the Dominance Paradigm, the term "respect" often means submission or fear. But the Latin roots of the word “respect” mean “to look again.” At its most basic, Respect in the True Power Paradigm means simply "looking again" or giving attention. We give attention to what we value and find worthy. Thus, Respect in the True Power Paradigm is to give value and worth to self and others under all circumstances.
The habit and practice of attending will bring empowerment, but the skills of the Respect component go beyond that. The next level of Respect is to hold basic human value for all (even those who might be trying to dominate you), then making a commitment to nonharm. The highest level of Respect skills involves investment of your time, energy and other resources in one’s own or others’ growth and development.
We can easily see how Respect for ourselves would be empowering, but how does Respect for others—even those who are trying to dominate us—give us empowerment? The answer is that Respect for others is the only way to stay whole ourselves. In order to disrespect something in you, I have to numb out my empathy for you and anything in me that is similar to that aspect of you. Any chronic numbing is essentially an amputation of aspects of myself. In this case, those aspects I am numbing in order to disrespect someone else are my highest human qualities—arguably the aspects of myself I can least do without in the quest for true power.
Personal Accountability
Accountability in the Dominance Paradigm has connotations of blame and shame. In the True Power Paradigm, Accountability is defined simply as “the ability to account for one’s experience and choices.” The skills of the Accountability component include self-focus, self-awareness, and self-expression. The Threat Responses push us towards other-focus; building the habit and ability for turning our focus back to ourselves will take conscious effort. Simple training is usually sufficient to learn the skill (such as is offered in Gendlin’s Focusing book[1] or other mindfulness training). The challenge is in creating the habit so deeply that it no longer requires such conscious effort. The other-focus of the Threat Response is like a road with deep ruts—we have a hard time steering in directions that don’t follow the ruts. Developing the habit of self-focus requires the effort to pave a new road such that the new road becomes as easy to go down as the built-in Threat Response road.
Once we have self-focus, we then need the skills of self-awareness—the ability to understand or know what it is we are experiencing. Self-awareness appears to develop naturally so long as nothing blocks it. However, we have numerous defense mechanisms to block awareness of certain aspects of experience. Because these mechanisms are “designed” to keep us unaware, we need tools for finding awareness in spite of our defenses. One such tool I use is called the Personal Awareness Path, which identifies a “road map” for noticing and identifying our internal experience. The Personal Awareness Path (Figure 1) identifies experience as beginning with sensory stimuli, which we then interpret (thoughts). Out of our thoughts arise emotions and our emotions give rise to longings. Our intentions are formed out of our longings and in turn give rise to our actions. Having a road map such as this helps us realize aspects of our experience that have not been available to consciousness previously.
The third skill of Accountability is Accountable Self-Expression. It includes a statement about our own experience while also calling on us to be thorough, to include our best awareness of all the components of the Personal Awareness Path. Accountable Self-Expression is a core alternative to the Threat Responses. When we use Accountable Self-Expression to seek understanding, we now have a basis for negotiation and conflict resolution, for self-management, and for setting boundaries—all effective alternatives to the dysfunctional Threat Responses.
Accountability defined this way imparts power because it involves deep self-awareness. Self-awareness leads to consciousness of what we want or intend in a situation, which in turn provides opportunities to serve those longings and intentions. Serving our longings and intentions effectively is the core of what is meant by true empowerment.
Personal Responsibility
Responsibility in the Dominance Paradigm carries connotations of burden and obligation. In the True Power Paradigm, Responsibility is defined as "the ability to respond effectively according to one's own longings and intentions." As such, Responsibility, in the True Power Paradigm, calls for us to develop an ever more refined repertoire of skills to use in the service of our own longings and intentions.
Some of the skills we need have already been described in the Respect and Accountability sections. In addition, as implied in an earlier segment of this article, we all generally need to develop and refine our skills for self-management of our Threat Response. Most of us in U.S. American culture also have not been socialized with appropriate skills for boundary-setting, negotiation or conflict resolution and would gain empowerment from learning these.
A key skill for self-management of the Threat Response is diaphragmatic or “belly” breathing. Just as the deer in my prior example took several very deep breaths as part of coming out of the shutdown state, when we take deep breaths we can “reset” our nervous systems. In the Belly Breathing technique, you take a full six counts to breathe in, hold for six counts, and take a full six counts to release and repeat this several times. When done correctly, the diaphragm muscle, which is at the area where the rib cages meet, should be expanding, making the belly push out. It appears that when the diaphragm muscle is stretched, the parasympathetic nervous system is triggered. The Threat Response is the activation of the sympathetic nervous system which readies us for the fight, flight or fright responses. The parasympathetic nervous system serves to return us to equilibrium. They operate in such a way that the degree that one is activated means the other is deactivated. The ability to activate the parasympathetic gives us a tool for deactivating the Threat Response. It is simple to learn and can be done effectively in nearly all circumstances.
More self-management skills will be described in depth in future postings.
The Importance of Balance
We are most effective and functional in our power practices when the three components are in balance. Respect without Accountability and Responsibility offers nothing more than benevolent presence. Accountability without Respect can lead to a super-sized, shaming superego. Accountability without Responsibility can lead to guilty helplessness. Responsibility without Accountability can lead to misguided efforts that are ineffective. Responsibility without Respect can lead to harmful action. One who balances Respect, Accountability, and Responsibility is a compassionate, well-guided, artful power.
Immunity from Dominance
The skills of the True Power Paradigm offer immunity to the lures and perils of Dominance. When we Respect ourselves well, others’ disrespect has little threat-value to us. When we take shame out of our inner world, it cannot be used to control us. Similarly, when we have basic Respect towards others, we take out dehumanization of another. Remember that dehumanizing another is a ticket to the Dominance Paradigm, which is disempowering to all. Once we find that level of personal Respect for self and others, it cannot be taken from us without our complicity. When we really understand the process of Accountability, we take unconsciousness and blame out of the equation. Dominance strategies depend heavily on unconsciousness to be effective. We have more trouble using Dominance strategies ourselves when we are fully conscious of our own motives and the impact we are having. When we learn the self-focus of Accountability processes, the whole issue of blame becomes irrelevant. Sorting out who is to blame feels like wasted energy when you really understand that true empowerment lies in knowing yourself, how you work, and what drives you. Once we reach that level of personal Accountability, it cannot be taken from us without our complicity. When we deeply grasp the concept that empowerment also lies in creating effective choices for ourselves, and when we have begun to see the fruits of developing our personal skills, we let go of unnecessary helplessness. We also make a different kind of peace with the aspects of life that are not within our realm of influence. We take those aspects into account and develop our choices realistically. Once we reach this level of personal Responsibility, it cannot be taken from us without our complicity.
Because Respect, Accountability, and Responsibility cannot be taken from us by force, these qualities are immune from Dominance—the empowerment of these qualities cannot be taken from us. This is not to say we are free from others' attempts to dominate us, only that the tactics and strategies of Dominance will not be effective in truly controlling us.
In the Dominance Paradigm, change comes when the Oppressed have nothing left to lose and rise up in violent rebellion. But this "change" does not alter the Dominance Paradigm itself. In the True Power Paradigm, deep change comes through anchoring ourselves in that which cannot be taken.
[1] Gendlin, E. (1982) Focusing, 2nd Ed. Bantam Books.
The antithesis of the Dominance Paradigm would be: (a) regardless of threat and regardless of privilege status, to rehumanize interactions with everyone; (b) to focus on oneself as the source of true power, and (c) to develop the repertoire of skills for enacting our power. In the True Power paradigm I propose, these three elements are called Personal Respect, Personal Accountability, and Personal Responsibility.
Personal Respect
In the Dominance Paradigm, the term "respect" often means submission or fear. But the Latin roots of the word “respect” mean “to look again.” At its most basic, Respect in the True Power Paradigm means simply "looking again" or giving attention. We give attention to what we value and find worthy. Thus, Respect in the True Power Paradigm is to give value and worth to self and others under all circumstances.
The habit and practice of attending will bring empowerment, but the skills of the Respect component go beyond that. The next level of Respect is to hold basic human value for all (even those who might be trying to dominate you), then making a commitment to nonharm. The highest level of Respect skills involves investment of your time, energy and other resources in one’s own or others’ growth and development.
We can easily see how Respect for ourselves would be empowering, but how does Respect for others—even those who are trying to dominate us—give us empowerment? The answer is that Respect for others is the only way to stay whole ourselves. In order to disrespect something in you, I have to numb out my empathy for you and anything in me that is similar to that aspect of you. Any chronic numbing is essentially an amputation of aspects of myself. In this case, those aspects I am numbing in order to disrespect someone else are my highest human qualities—arguably the aspects of myself I can least do without in the quest for true power.
Personal Accountability
Accountability in the Dominance Paradigm has connotations of blame and shame. In the True Power Paradigm, Accountability is defined simply as “the ability to account for one’s experience and choices.” The skills of the Accountability component include self-focus, self-awareness, and self-expression. The Threat Responses push us towards other-focus; building the habit and ability for turning our focus back to ourselves will take conscious effort. Simple training is usually sufficient to learn the skill (such as is offered in Gendlin’s Focusing book[1] or other mindfulness training). The challenge is in creating the habit so deeply that it no longer requires such conscious effort. The other-focus of the Threat Response is like a road with deep ruts—we have a hard time steering in directions that don’t follow the ruts. Developing the habit of self-focus requires the effort to pave a new road such that the new road becomes as easy to go down as the built-in Threat Response road.
Once we have self-focus, we then need the skills of self-awareness—the ability to understand or know what it is we are experiencing. Self-awareness appears to develop naturally so long as nothing blocks it. However, we have numerous defense mechanisms to block awareness of certain aspects of experience. Because these mechanisms are “designed” to keep us unaware, we need tools for finding awareness in spite of our defenses. One such tool I use is called the Personal Awareness Path, which identifies a “road map” for noticing and identifying our internal experience. The Personal Awareness Path (Figure 1) identifies experience as beginning with sensory stimuli, which we then interpret (thoughts). Out of our thoughts arise emotions and our emotions give rise to longings. Our intentions are formed out of our longings and in turn give rise to our actions. Having a road map such as this helps us realize aspects of our experience that have not been available to consciousness previously.
The third skill of Accountability is Accountable Self-Expression. It includes a statement about our own experience while also calling on us to be thorough, to include our best awareness of all the components of the Personal Awareness Path. Accountable Self-Expression is a core alternative to the Threat Responses. When we use Accountable Self-Expression to seek understanding, we now have a basis for negotiation and conflict resolution, for self-management, and for setting boundaries—all effective alternatives to the dysfunctional Threat Responses.
Accountability defined this way imparts power because it involves deep self-awareness. Self-awareness leads to consciousness of what we want or intend in a situation, which in turn provides opportunities to serve those longings and intentions. Serving our longings and intentions effectively is the core of what is meant by true empowerment.
Personal Responsibility
Responsibility in the Dominance Paradigm carries connotations of burden and obligation. In the True Power Paradigm, Responsibility is defined as "the ability to respond effectively according to one's own longings and intentions." As such, Responsibility, in the True Power Paradigm, calls for us to develop an ever more refined repertoire of skills to use in the service of our own longings and intentions.
Some of the skills we need have already been described in the Respect and Accountability sections. In addition, as implied in an earlier segment of this article, we all generally need to develop and refine our skills for self-management of our Threat Response. Most of us in U.S. American culture also have not been socialized with appropriate skills for boundary-setting, negotiation or conflict resolution and would gain empowerment from learning these.
A key skill for self-management of the Threat Response is diaphragmatic or “belly” breathing. Just as the deer in my prior example took several very deep breaths as part of coming out of the shutdown state, when we take deep breaths we can “reset” our nervous systems. In the Belly Breathing technique, you take a full six counts to breathe in, hold for six counts, and take a full six counts to release and repeat this several times. When done correctly, the diaphragm muscle, which is at the area where the rib cages meet, should be expanding, making the belly push out. It appears that when the diaphragm muscle is stretched, the parasympathetic nervous system is triggered. The Threat Response is the activation of the sympathetic nervous system which readies us for the fight, flight or fright responses. The parasympathetic nervous system serves to return us to equilibrium. They operate in such a way that the degree that one is activated means the other is deactivated. The ability to activate the parasympathetic gives us a tool for deactivating the Threat Response. It is simple to learn and can be done effectively in nearly all circumstances.
More self-management skills will be described in depth in future postings.
The Importance of Balance
We are most effective and functional in our power practices when the three components are in balance. Respect without Accountability and Responsibility offers nothing more than benevolent presence. Accountability without Respect can lead to a super-sized, shaming superego. Accountability without Responsibility can lead to guilty helplessness. Responsibility without Accountability can lead to misguided efforts that are ineffective. Responsibility without Respect can lead to harmful action. One who balances Respect, Accountability, and Responsibility is a compassionate, well-guided, artful power.
Immunity from Dominance
The skills of the True Power Paradigm offer immunity to the lures and perils of Dominance. When we Respect ourselves well, others’ disrespect has little threat-value to us. When we take shame out of our inner world, it cannot be used to control us. Similarly, when we have basic Respect towards others, we take out dehumanization of another. Remember that dehumanizing another is a ticket to the Dominance Paradigm, which is disempowering to all. Once we find that level of personal Respect for self and others, it cannot be taken from us without our complicity. When we really understand the process of Accountability, we take unconsciousness and blame out of the equation. Dominance strategies depend heavily on unconsciousness to be effective. We have more trouble using Dominance strategies ourselves when we are fully conscious of our own motives and the impact we are having. When we learn the self-focus of Accountability processes, the whole issue of blame becomes irrelevant. Sorting out who is to blame feels like wasted energy when you really understand that true empowerment lies in knowing yourself, how you work, and what drives you. Once we reach that level of personal Accountability, it cannot be taken from us without our complicity. When we deeply grasp the concept that empowerment also lies in creating effective choices for ourselves, and when we have begun to see the fruits of developing our personal skills, we let go of unnecessary helplessness. We also make a different kind of peace with the aspects of life that are not within our realm of influence. We take those aspects into account and develop our choices realistically. Once we reach this level of personal Responsibility, it cannot be taken from us without our complicity.
Because Respect, Accountability, and Responsibility cannot be taken from us by force, these qualities are immune from Dominance—the empowerment of these qualities cannot be taken from us. This is not to say we are free from others' attempts to dominate us, only that the tactics and strategies of Dominance will not be effective in truly controlling us.
In the Dominance Paradigm, change comes when the Oppressed have nothing left to lose and rise up in violent rebellion. But this "change" does not alter the Dominance Paradigm itself. In the True Power Paradigm, deep change comes through anchoring ourselves in that which cannot be taken.
[1] Gendlin, E. (1982) Focusing, 2nd Ed. Bantam Books.
Figure 1: Personal Awareness Path (Those are arrows representing that Sensory experience leads to Thoughts or Meanings made of the sensory experience, to Emotions about the meanings made, to Longings arising from emotions, to Intentions developing from emotions, to Actions that serve intentions, to Effects of actions.)
Effects (noticed or not) Sensory (See, Hear, Touch, Taste, Feel)
^ |
| v
Actions (skilled or not) Thoughts (Expectations, Interpretations, Meaning)
^ |
| v
Intentions (conscious or not) Emotions (sad, happy, scared, hurt, delighted, etc.)
^ |
| v
Longings (conscious or not)
Effects (noticed or not) Sensory (See, Hear, Touch, Taste, Feel)
^ |
| v
Actions (skilled or not) Thoughts (Expectations, Interpretations, Meaning)
^ |
| v
Intentions (conscious or not) Emotions (sad, happy, scared, hurt, delighted, etc.)
^ |
| v
Longings (conscious or not)