The poetry of Sylvia Plath Book

Mentioned Ms. Elgin in his Authors series last month - her first book was already checked out (and I believe I'd already read it sometime in college), so I borrowed this from the library instead.

One topic I found particularly interesting was the concept of sensory modes* as a way of expressing yourself, and how using a conflicting sensory mode can inadvertently escalate conflict/confusion in a discussion.

Elgin also reviews the Satir modes of verbal behaviour: Blamer, Placater, Computer, Distracter and Leveler; and identifies 8 basic verbal attack patterns, including
-- "if you really X (loved me, wanted this job, cared about this class), then you wouldn't/would Y (smoke, be late for work, come to class)"
-- "Even X (you, a woman) should be able to Y (understand how I feel, do this basic calculation)"

She gives methods of responding to them. Her focus is on using techniques to recognize an attack, defuse the confrontation and help the person you're dealing with break their bad verbal habits.

Even though I read this more for general information than out of a particular need at the time, I found it interesting and will keep some of these "judo moves" in mind for future situations. Recommended for anyone with an interest in communication and/or conflict resolution.


* The sensory modes are as follows:
-- visual ("I see what you mean... looking at it this way...."),
-- auditory ("That sounds good to me.... I hear what you're saying...."),
-- tactile ("I've got a good feel for this..... I can't grasp what you're saying").

She also mentions gustatory ("What a sweet thing to say!") and olfactory ("This stinks!") but believes that these are less common, probably because English has fewer examples of these modes.