Course 3: PL 102 - Denial & Distractions (Discussion 3)

@GlenM

1. How would you define denial in your own words? ÃÂ

Denial is a defense mechanism in our brain which allows us to escape certain situations to avoid total collapse due to shock. Denial can be both harmful and beneficial, depending on the situation that an individual is facing.

2. What is the most important thing you learned about things that operate outside of awareness or the unconscious?

The things we do unconsciously are a result of activities that we have done previously in the past. As we grew up, these things became our shadows and have a reflex action, one that happens on its own, without us knowing. For example, getting angry and facing its effects is automatically input into our brain since we have learned to suppress it during our childhood.

3. What do you believe are the top 3 distraction systems? Which one of these is the most powerful and why?

The top three distraction systems are food, online activities, and scores (in school or at work).

The most powerful is online activities (social media sites and celebrity news sites) since it has made this world get stuck to a device that was created for convenience rather than a nuisance.

@GlenM How would you define denial in your own words?

Denial for me would be something we deny being a part of ourselves. We tend to deny all the negative emotions within us which is denial for me. Something that isn't encouraged by my surroundings to be a part of me goes into denial and as said in the book, it joins what is called the shadow. The rejected part of ourselves is what is called denial

2. What is the most important thing you learned about things that operate outside of awareness or the unconscious?

I have learnt that denial always stays with us. The more we run away from it the more we get hurt from it. If we let it be a part of the shadow, it keeps increasing but it doesn't mean it goes away. We tend to do things which we know the outcomes of or something we are used to, but it doesn't help us in the long run. We need to face the problem. It helps us to overcome it in a better way. Facing does sound scary and something we would want to skip but the only way is to face it

3. What do you believe are the top 3 distraction systems? Which one of these is the most powerful and why?

Top 3 distractions systems for me would be social media, friends and watching something. The most powerful for me would be talking to friends (in a positive way as it helps me get my mind off for a bit). Talking about negative impacts, it is definitely social media. It makes it addictive for us to be a part of social media. It can have a negative impact on us to see the perfect lives of others when ours might not be what theirs is. I feel a positive distraction in our life is needed compared to a negative impact like social media. Social media is quite powerful in making us addictive and it is something we should avoid maintaining our sanity.

@GlenM

1. How would you define denial in your own words? ÃÂ

Denial is an unwillingness to accept something we either think or know is wrong or right,

2. What is the most important thing you learned about things that operate outside of awareness or the unconscious?

We need to be more aware of real-life situations, and it is very hard at times to accept things are the way they are, are we good enough? are we worth it? of course we are! we are in denial of these things due to issues that are outside of our awareness, and it isn't always something we can see.

3. What do you believe are the top 3 distraction systems? Which one of these is the most powerful and why?

1) Hobbies - personally, mine is watching TV, playing a game, music or singing, or alternatively, work.

Hobbies are great for taking us out of reality, I have personally found that each of the above are great hobbies to take us out of reality, the problems may still be there when we have finished, depending on what the cause is, but it helps at times to bring us out of reality.

Exercise - Exercise is great for our health, boosting our bodies and also distracting ourselves from things, and not only is it great for distraction, it's also great to keep healthy and have something positive in life, my personal favourites are walking and swimming.

Self-Reflection - A lot of people disagree here regarding treating this as a distraction method, but it works for me, basically, if I'm in a situation, for example, let's say somebody called me ugly and it made me feel really bad, I can't ignore nor change what has happened and in this situation, distraction isn't always ideal for me, so I will look at the situation, and maybe look in a mirror, and maybe say to myself "You may have some ugly features, but that nose is really cute!", this in turn, is accepting that someone has said something and allowing them their right of opinion, I won't say anything back because it is unfair and makes situations worse, but I will always turn the situation around to make myself feel better, I will usually do some tasks then to take my mind away from what happened.

@GlenM

1. How would you define denial in your own words?

I would define denial as stating that something isn't true.

2. What is the most important thing you learned about things that operate outside of awareness or the unconscious?

An important thing about things that operate outside of awareness or unconsciousness is the patterns of interacting we use today, we learned early on in our lives based on early relationships. I thought that was also really interesting to discover.

3. What do you believe are the top 3 distraction systems? Which one of these is the most powerful and why?

I believe that the top three distraction systems are 1) Food 2) Social media 3) School. They all have a system behind them to keep people attached to them.

I think that the most powerful distraction system is probably social media. It can be so addicting to just keep scrolling on these platforms and kills all of your time distracting you from things on your mind or whatever you need accomplish. It can be an endless cycle.

1. How would you define denial in your own words?

= Not believing something as a truth concept or to be true.

2. What is the most important thing you learned about things that operate outside of awareness or the unconscious?

= I honestly am still processing what I read about because most of it, I couldn't relate with :( I have had to emotionally and mentally grow up alone at 11; as early as a decade and a year, I have learned to fend for myself. I knew as early as 6yo that my parents aren't like the ones that my friends or my cousins have. I've had to learn to relate to others through books I've read and through conversations with people I'm often spending time with outside of my social circle like the school service driver, the librarian, the janitor, etc. All the things in my subconscious were mostly built by me, too.

3. What do you believe are the top 3 distraction systems? Which one of these is the most powerful and why?

= Food, online distractions, and offline distractions. It depends on many factors, I guess, and no one distraction is more powerful than the rest. It's not the same for everyone.

For example, in one of my classes, I handle about 40-45 engineering students, only 3-4 are girls. They come from various families in terms of income, background, and of course, their own preferences for a university degree. Most of them are in the school because their parents are engineers and have wanted them to take the course.

Looking back at the dynamics of that class, considering these are millennials, most of their distraction is the school which comes off as a surprise for me. Food comes a close second because a large number of them come from island provinces so studying in the metropolis/economic capital of the country gives them more access to food that they only see in commercials. The last is employment. Another large number of my students then are working students, both for allowance and to support themselves in their studies. These are for those who really wanted to be engineers but whose parents couldn't afford to send them to our school, especially since we have 4 terms in a year.

And this is just a classroom setup, what more a work environment, or even something as public as a mall? Every distraction is powerful for everyone.

@GlenM
1. How would you define denial in your own words?
Denial involves not acknowledging reality or denying the consequences of that reality, being often in denial situation, means struggles are present to accept something that seems to be overwhelming or stressful.

2. What is the most important thing you learned about things that operate outside of awareness or the unconscious?
>The most important thing you learned about things that operate outside of awareness is that to give an insight into our beliefs to figure out whether they are positive or holding you back, which give knowledge and then we can know what need to do to the direction of the need to go to make changes to improve and be successful.
>The most important thing you learned about things that operate outside of unconscious mind is that take place below the level of conscious awareness which consists of deeper mental processes not readily available to the conscious mind. Understanding different levels of consciousness can help spot signs that might be experiencing a problem, emotional states, attitude, the nature of our relationship with another person or more.

3. What do you believe are the top 3 distraction systems? Which one of these is the most powerful and why?
Food, Online distractions and Social media. The most powerful distraction among this 3 are social media because it refers to the process by which social media cues draw individuals’ attention away from a task that they originally pursuing with any kind of working background. Any social media carried deep data analysis that sites have with a phone that routinely sends us push notifications and does have the equivalent of cheesecake for the mind which is nearly impossible to resist.

@GlenM

Hello everyone,

#1: If I had to define denial it would be something along the lines of not accepting or realizing a problem or a potential conflict.

#2: I think my biggest takeaway would be just how much we are thinking unconsciously. I really enjoyed the example of learning how to eat. Takes lot's of effort & conscious thinking & then once we master it, it automatically shifts to unconscious thinking.

#3: Food, Social Media & Drug Addiction. I believe that all of these systems are powerful in there own way but if I had to pick one I would say social media. Reasoning for picking this one is just how it easily accessible it is & just how unconsciously it is.