Misspoken Words

An old Psych 101 joke tells the story of two psychiatrists passing each other in the hall during rounds at the hospital. One says to the other, "Good morning, have a nice day." The other psychiatrists smiles and thinks to himself, "I wonder what he meant by that?" This old "saw" is a demonstration of "Paralysis from analysis."

How often do we find ourselves excessively analyzing statements made by others? Obviously, it is all too often or this issue would not have significance. The reason seems fairly straight forward. We all live with our heads on a metaphoric swivel. Life is full of innuendo, sarcasm and hidden agenda.

The dynamic of human communication can be hurtful, spiteful and filled with thorns. Human communication often requires the skill required to hug a porcupine. One must proceed carefully. Words have particular depth of meaning to each of us. A light heartened comment by one may poke a humiliating memory in another. The hurtful statement may be innocent or filled with intention. Recovery from a slip of the lip may take days or weeks.

Increased personal awareness is the desired remedy for misspoken words. Perception is the product of influences in our lives. We produce a cocktail of confusion while interpreting words, and assigning meaning to words. Think about the influences in the life of another before speaking passionate opinion to that person

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#interpreting