Intention - how to apply the method of paradoxical intent?

It is natural for a person to study this world, to be included in consciousness in many processes in order to understand the essence of things. Intensity is a phenomenon of "attention" of the mind directed at a fictional or real object of cognition. The term is widely used in psychology, philosophy, sociology, religion.

Intention - what is it?

Intence is (with Latin intention - aspiration, intent) - the intention of a person focused on the goal of knowing the object or object. Intention is different from just desires, which are the attraction of the soul in that these are actions and decisions in accordance with the planned plan. Intentionality of consciousness is a property inherent in the psyche, helping to perceive the world, to discover relationships with objects and phenomena.

Intent in Psychology

Psychology is a science that has come out of philosophy and continues to share with it many of the basic concepts. Intensity in psychology is a psychic phenomenon of the focus or focus of consciousness on a particular subject. Studying the external reality, a person correlates this with his inner experiences and ideas, building a chain of relationships with the world. Franz Brétano, Austrian psychologist and philosopher of the XIX century. investigating the phenomenon of intention, singled out the following points:

  1. Consciousness is always objective and has to do with any thing real or imaginary.
  2. Comprehension of the subject occurs at the emotional level, in the form of a memory of subjective knowledge about the object with real experience, and comparison with the generally accepted axioms.
  3. Conclusion: the person's inner perception of a phenomenon or object is more true than external, based on the opinion of many.

Intentionality in philosophy

What is an intention in philosophy? The term originated in scholasticism - the medieval philosophical school. Thomas Aquinas believed that an object can not be known without active intervention in it. Intent and choice, then what is guided by human consciousness and in this there is a free moral act of will. The German philosopher M. Heidegger included the notion of "caring" in the intention phenomenon, believing that a person cares about his being. Another German philosopher E. Husserl continued studies of intentionality and intentionality, as properties of consciousness relying on the work of F. Brittany, brought new meanings:

  1. The process of knowing the subject is the heart. At the moment of alarm, the heart directs the attention of the mind to the object causing an anxious feeling.
  2. The subject of the study "does not exist" until the contemplation of the object or the direction of attention to it has occurred.

Paradoxical Intention

Viktor Frankl, an outstanding Austrian psychologist who has gone through the horrors of the Nazi concentration camp, has treated various phobias with success. Logotherapy - the direction of existential psychoanalysis, founded by Frankl included effective methods for dealing with fears. Paradoxical intention is a method that is based on a contradictory message or intention regarding phobia. A patient who felt fear was asked to want what he so much fears - the situation is worked out until a permanent relief from anxious feelings is secured.

Paradoxical Intention - how to apply

The method of paradoxical intention is more effective if used with the inclusion of humor in it. American psychologist G. Olport said that the neurotic, who during therapy learns to treat himself with humor and his phobia - is on the path of self-control and recovery. Examples of paradoxical intent:

  1. Therapy of insomnia . A person who is some period in anxiety about a sleep disturbance is fixed in a sense of fear that again he can not fall asleep. Frankl suggested that the patient should try to wake up as much as possible. The desire not to fall asleep soon causes a dream.
  2. Fear of public speaking . Shivering during the speech. V. Frankl proposed to work out the situation with a tremor, causing a strong desire to tremble, become a "champion in shaking" and the tension is removed.
  3. Family quarrel . The Logotherapist, within the framework of the paradoxical intention, instructs the spouses to begin to quarrel consciously with great emotional heat, until they completely exhaust each other.
  4. Various obsessive-compulsive disorders . An interesting example is the practice of Dr. Kochanovsky. A young woman outside her home was always wearing dark glasses that obscured the direction of her gaze on the genital area of ​​all the men on the way. Therapy consisted in removing the glasses and allowing the therapist to look without shame towards the genital area of ​​any men. The patient got rid of compulsion in two weeks.

Paradoxical Intention - Stuttering

Fear of speaking is a common cause of stuttering. A person is afraid to speak, because stuttering in his submission is inevitable. Intentionality of consciousness can help translate the fear of stuttering from emotional contexts into the domain of meanings. Provocative (paradoxical) technique of working with stuttering:

  1. The patient is asked to stutter as hard as possible: "As I now begin to stutter, no one before me has not yet stuttered so much, I'm the most-champion of stammering, now everyone will hear ..."
  2. The attention is switched to logic.
  3. If the patient is afraid to stutter - he stutters, as soon as he begins to strongly desire stuttering - the speech violation goes away.

Paradoxical intention for losing weight

The concept of intentionality always appeals to a person's conscious choice and his will. Obesity is a problem that is based on psychological problems , reinforced by unhealthy foods. How can an intension help in losing weight? It's very simple - you have to start to force yourself to eat: "I just have to eat, now I'll go buy a huge cake and eat everything, I will become the thickest person on the planet Earth!". The body begins to actively resist the huge desire to overfeed it. The principles of sincere intent and the everyday practice of the method are important here.