A position is a simple predictive statement which influences all of the individual's transactions; in the long run it determines his destiny and often that of his descendants as well. A position may be more or less absolute.Positions are taken and become fixed surprisingly early, from the second or even the first year to the seventh year of life - in any case long before the individual is competent or experienced enough to make such a serious commitment.
It is not difficult to deduce from an individual's position the kind of childhood he must have had.
Unless something or somebody intervenes, he spends the rest of his life stabilizing his position and dealing with situations that threaten it: by avoiding them, warding off certain elements or manipulating them provocatively so that they are transformed from threats into justifications.
[Eric Berne]
Games People Play, p.42
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Assume a position
Don't commit to it
Construct it differently
Status Quo
Do Not Disturb
Shedding Skin
Sailing the Turbulent Seas
Challenging Art
Incursions of the unknown
Testing new opinions and courting new impressions
Hold it Still
Convictions easily turn into self-protective devices; if this happens they tend to become rigid; but that is contrary to the sense of life.
ReplyDeleteThe test of a firm conviction is its elasticity and flexibility; like every other exalted truth, it thrives best by admission of its errors.
[C.G. Jung]
Essays On Contemporary Events ('Psychotherapy and a Philosophy of Life'), p.39