June 17, 2014

June 17, 2014

Written by Maximus Peperkamp, M.S. Verbal Behaviorist

Dear Reader, 

 

This writer discovered all sort of things due to the problems he used to have with spoken communication. He found out that his negative private speech was caused by Noxious Verbal Behavior (NVB) public speech. By arranging for more SVB public speech, he successfully changed his NVB private speech into Sound Verbal Behavior (SVB) private speech. He found out that only SVB public speech can create SVB private speech and that nothing can be done about NVB private speech. 

The only way to effectively deal with NVB is to recognize it and to avoid it as much as possible. One can and will only do this to the extent that one is familiar with the SVB/NVB distinction.  For a long time this writer wasn’t capable of avoiding NVB, because avoiding wasn’t his goal. As long as it is one’s objective to change others, one can’t avoid what one is trying to change and one inevitably becomes involved in and entangled by NVB. To avoid NVB, one has to be able to recognize it in oneself as well as in others. 

This writer came a long way experimenting with SVB and NVB. However, his biggest challenge continues to be the maintenance of SVB in spite of the NVB that is happening around him. Previously, he felt bad about producing NVB, because he was still trying to change himself. Nowadays, this is no longer the case. He now accepts he is producing NVB too. Interestingly, his ability to avoid NVB has improved since he no longer tries to change himself. Until recently, he was focused on how SVB is caused by inclusion of private speech into public speech. Although this is true, with that as his objective, he was less capable of avoiding NVB. This writer realized that his ability to avoid NVB had increased as a consequence of his ability to recognize it in himself and others, without trying to change it. 

To avoid NVB it is sufficient to recognize it, even though one finds that one is producing it oneself. The idea that something needs to be changed prevents a person from observing and avoiding NVB. The distinction between SVB and NVB is needed to avoid it, but this distinction is lost when one gets involved in NVB. Only in contrast to one’s previous SVB experiences does one know that the distinction was lost. However, this knowledge is only available in one’s private speech. When one brings one's SVB private speech into the NVB public speech of others, one notices that one will get involved in NVB. This author has found that positive SVB private speech can only be continued as long as it is not expressed during the NVB public speech of others. 

SVB private speech should always be protected from NVB public speech. Thus, when one achieves SVB public speech, there is no need to refer to SVB private speech. The need to refer to SVB private speech only exists privately, for each of us individually, when NVB is surrounding us and when SVB public speech is therefore impossible. Behavioral control of the organism as a whole can only be obtained if the individual him or herself accurately identifies manipulable determinants in historical contingencies which gave rise to these phenomena. 

SVB private speech is a function of environmental variables: SVB public speech, the speech which involves security, cooperation and support. Likewise, NVB private speech is a function of NVB public speech, which is based on our struggle for survival. Historically, NVB, of course, has made SVB possible, but each time the  stage is again set for NVB, the contingencies for SVB are absent. 

This author writes about the experimental analysis of our spoken communication. To make the reader understand why SVB or NVB occur, he focuses the attention on historical contingencies of reinforcement which give rise to SVB or NVB. Our behaviors were selected by the circumstances we found ourselves in. We can create and maintain the circumstances that give rise to SVB and that extinguish NVB.