January 28, 2014

January 28, 2014

Written by Maximus Peperkamp, M.S. Verbal Behaviorist

Dear Reader, 

 

This author, who is also a Psychology Instructor at Butte College, has written his syllabus with this spacious and easy-to-read letter type. Since Spring semester has just started, he had to adjust his syllabus and was again exposed to this letter type called “Latha.” The author choose to use this letter type with his first syllabus because he had copied the syllabus from someone else. It is because of this coincidence that he became familiar with it. 

Although he had used it, he didn’t pay attention to it, but now that he is key-boarding a new entry in his journal, he realizes what a nice letter type “Latha” is. We are more likely to read something which is easy to read and we are more likely to listen to Sound Verbal Behavior (SVB), which is easy to listen to. If it is difficult to read or difficult to listen to, it becomes Noxious Verbal Behavior (NVB) to us. SVB and NVB are on a continuum, we either move in one direction or the other. This writer knows the reader will find it easy to read these words in the same way that the speaker knows that the listener will have no problem listening to what the speaker says. 

The word “Latha” makes this writer think of milk, grass, cows, breasts, the mother, new-borns, food, nourishment, attachment and caring. There is also a whiteness in to this writing, a possibility to see the page. Usually, we are not aware of the page, but this writing makes the background against which our words appear clear. Once related to this background, our words become more meaningful, more poignant, in a figure-ground-kind-of way. 

It is important for this writer as a speaker, as a lecturer, as a teacher, to keep in touch with the page on which ideally the rest of the class is with him. To keep be on the same page with is class is a challenging, but rewarding task. This semester, this teacher is going to teach by the book and by the test, so that there is alignment between what is taught and talked about and what is tested and no confusion for the student. 

The nourishing aspect of teaching, the attachment of connecting previous knowledge to new knowledge, the security of development, the care, the availability of circumstances in which feeding and learning becomes possible, all of these will be remembered during this semester by this teacher, so that he will engage his class. When he read some of the feedback from the students of his previous class, he was hurt by what was said about him. Some didn’t think he taught very well. Some said he didn’t know the material well enough. Others said he was just reading from the slides. It was also said that he did all the talking, that he was boring and inadequate with the computer and should take a class himself. It pained him to read some of these critical comments. It was so upsetting that he drew a blank in front of the class and felt embarrassed about it. He regained himself, but it was a very difficult first class, so difficult that he was seriously thinking of leaving this job. The whole day he was upset and anxious. Only in the evening, when he came home to his wife from his other job with the mentally ill clients, he was finally able to calm down. When he got home, his lovely wife had some food and wine and was watching a beautiful documentary about nature with soft music playing. The next morning he felt much better. 

On Sunday this author had another one of his seminars. There were only five people, which was the smallest turnout so far. It was still a wonderful event and we had a great time talking together. One participant suggested we should have SVB regularly in a salon-like setting. This is a great idea which hopefully will be taken to the next level. Because there were so few people it was an extremely mellow event. We were very calm and concentrated and this allowed us to experience the deep relaxation that is caused by SVB. Many things were said indirectly, that is, they didn’t need to be spelled out and were only referred to. Because it would have been possible to say them, the participants didn’t feel the pressure anymore to say them. This made it possible for them to talk indirectly about the things which in NVB simply can’t be said. Being able to mention these things without having an urge of going into to them is essential to SVB. 

SVB frees us up to say many other things. When this happens, some of us initially choose not to say anything, while others seize this opportunity to say what they are now capable of saying. After this went on for a while, those who listened approved of those who had spoken, by saying that they were thinking and feeling similar things as they were just talking about. Then, those who initially spoke were calmed down and listened to those who initially didn’t speak. As they began to speak, because they were being listened to so attentively, their words were under control of speech that only happens when listening is increased across the board. First, those who could speak, spoke, and those who could listen, listened, but then the essence SVB happened: speakers and listeners switched sides.