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Children
are cautioned to not jump to any conclusions about what they might have seen or
heard on the playground because it might not be accurate or true. Scientists must
follow specific research guidelines when they conduct an experiment to ensure
that what they observe in the lab is a legitimate result and not a fluke
produced by confounding data. Criminal investigators are also expected to
follow a protocol when they collect clues so they can correctly deduce not only
who committed a crime but also know when and how it was done. Without this
information, there can be no case to prosecute; and if the evidence is
incorrect or prejudiced, the mystery will not be solved. Despite these warnings,
it can be very hard to resist the temptation to fill in the blanks and provide
some kind of answer to an unusual situation, even if our explanation is equally
likely to be wrong.
Two
stories have been featured in the news recently that likely fall into the
category of erroneous conclusions versus actual fact. The first addresses the
constant rumors that the Duchess of Cambridge is pregnant again. Speculation
about her being pregnant really amped up a couple of days ago when some photographs
were released that showed Kate clutching a handbag in front of her abdomen. The
fact that she and Prince William are apparently planning to stay at their new
home this month is only adding fuel to people’s new-baby theory. Why else would
they stay home, right?
In the second
story, a security camera recently filmed a grainy image of a large cat- or
dog-like animal prowling a neighborhood in Norwalk, California. Local residents
and wildlife experts have pitched different explanations for the creature: it’s
a cougar; no it’s a large dog; uh-uh, it’s an African lion that escaped from
the zoo, and so on. Television viewers and social media are also discussing a
possible identity of the mystery animal; I have even heard speculations about
it being a cross between a large dog and a mountain lion (unlikely). Having
said that, as I am writing this blog no one has identified the animal; however,
one biologist speculated that it could also be an African lion which someone is
keeping illegally as an exotic pet.
I am fascinated with these
stories not because of their content, but how people react and respond to them.
I am interested in which message units and subconscious knowns these news reports trigger in us that we want to look for
reasons, information and explanations to support our beliefs about what is
really going on in these situations. Not knowing something or not having a
believable explanation is uncomfortable, even painful. As John Kappas, Ph.D.
explained in his Theory of Mind, the subconscious mind will default to a story
or mental script that it already knows and is comfortable with to avoid the
discomfort of not knowing. This is true even when the conscious mind also
doubts that this script is accurate.
Perhaps our
fascination with the Duchess of Cambridge stems from all those fairy tales we
were told during childhood, stories about beautiful women who married a
handsome prince and went on to live happily ever after. Lo and behold,
fairytales obviously do come true because look at the Duchess of Cambridge: She
grew up (sort of) like “one of us,” fell in love with a handsome prince and
married an heir to the British throne. Now, people want to know everything
about her, and when that information isn’t forthcoming, they look for “clues”
or evidence that will support their ideas about what her life is like. Rumor
has it that they want to have another baby, and Kate had such bad morning
sickness last time; it just makes more sense that they want to stay in England
right now. It just doesn’t make sense to us that she and Prince William would
rather spend their summer vacation setting up their new home and hanging out
with their son instead of jetting off to an exotic location. No, the real reason they aren’t going away must be that she is pregnant again, right?
Well, that’s our story, and we’re sticking to it. And so on.
As
for that mysterious animal in Norwalk, human mythology is rife with tales about
mysterious creatures of the night. It is fun to imagine what this one is and
how it got here. We ultimately may learn that it is just a very large dog that
jumped out of its yard, or a mountain lion that came down from wherever to
scavenge for food and water. However, the grainy quality of the surveillance
video combined with the eerie night lighting and the ambiguous form prowling
around a peaceful neighborhood set our imaginations into overdrive. The fact
that no one knew what it was gave us license to imagine what it could be.
Stay
tuned…
Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in
Southern California. She graduated with honors from the
Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about
Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
© 2014
Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in
Southern California. She graduated with honors from the
Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about
Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
© 2014
