{"id":57938,"date":"2022-01-11T13:23:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-11T17:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=57938"},"modified":"2022-01-18T16:50:27","modified_gmt":"2022-01-18T20:50:27","slug":"observing-self","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/observing-self\/","title":{"rendered":"The Observing Self vs. the Thinking Self"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is the thinking self? Do you agree with Descartes’ philosophical notion that “I think, therefore I am?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have two minds or \u201cselves\u201d that affect our response to events: the thinking self and the observing self. The thinking self provides a running (judgmental) commentary on events, while the observing self neutrally observes this running commentary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we\u2019ll define the thinking self and the observing self and explore the relationship between the two minds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Defining the Thinking Self<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Harris explains that the thinking self, or \u201cconceptualized self,\u201d is what most people in Western society think of when we think about ourselves, or who we are.<\/strong> (Shortform note: And it\u2019s no accident that we think this way. One of the linchpins of Western philosophy is Ren\u00e9 Descartes\u2019s famous cogito ergo sum<\/em>: I think therefore I am. In his Meditations on First Philosophy<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Descartes takes his own thoughts as evidence of his existence.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Harris, the thinking self operates primarily through words and images. It constitutes an uncontrollable running commentary on our lives. Any thought you have, no matter how serious or trivial, comes to you through the thinking self. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In ACT, the thinking self is a product of hundreds of thousands of years of evolution to avoid threats and danger. The thinking self\u2019s running commentary is meant to keep us safe from harm, but the conditions under which the thinking self evolved no longer pertain to our modern existence. Therefore, most of its efforts are wasted. Furthermore, the thinking self\u2019s constant stream of negative thoughts and images decreases our quality of life<\/strong>\u2014and struggling with those thoughts and images only makes our predicament worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Thinking Self Categorizes Experiences<\/strong>

In Mindfulness in Plain English<\/em><\/a>, Bhante Gunaratana describes ordinary thought (or the thoughts of the thinking self) as an automatic response to the stimuli we experience in our lives. Anything can cause the automatic process of thought to respond: an attractive person, a barking dog, or a traffic light.

Gunaratana says that our brain separates our experiences into three categories: good, bad, and neutral<\/a>. Our brain deals with these types of experiences in different ways:

When an experience is good, we naturally want more of it, but our brain also automatically presents us with the idea that the good experience will end eventually, which means that we can\u2019t fully enjoy the experience of good things. When an experience is bad, we try to avoid it. This is similar to Harris\u2019s argument about control strategies creating a happiness trap. Unlike Harris, Gunaratana does not argue that attempting to avoid bad experiences generates more bad experiences. When an experience is neutral, we tend to view it as boring and ignore it. 

Gunaratana asserts that this categorization causes us to be constantly dissatisfied with life\u2014we always want more, want less, or want something more exciting, rather than simply being content. As an antidote, he proposes using meditation<\/a> to achieve mindfulness, or awareness, in order to free ourselves from the automatic process of thought that either chases good feelings, flees bad feelings, or ignores neutral ones. Harris will propose a similar solution\u2014although he doesn\u2019t promote meditation by name\u2014in the form of the observing self, which he defines as a kind of awareness that underlies the experience of consciousness.   <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Harris notes that many forms of psychology and self-help try to help us control the thinking self. For instance, the positive thinking movement tries to control the thinking self by saying that we can replace the negative thoughts of our thinking self with positive ones. (Shortform note: In The Power of Positive Thinking<\/em><\/a>, Norman Vincent Peale argues that you can cultivate a peaceful mind<\/a> by emptying your mind<\/a> of negative emotions each day, saying peaceful words like \u201ctranquility\u201d and \u201cserenity,\u201d having positive conversations with others, and spending at least 15 minutes a day in silence\u2019s.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ACT takes a slightly different approach by connecting us with the other half of our mind: the observing self, which has the power to mediate the thinking self\u2019s influence on our lives.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defining the Observing Self<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The observing self observes the thoughts of the thinking self, the feelings of the body, and the external world we experience through our five senses.<\/strong> While the thinking self interprets <\/em>our experiences, the observing self directly experiences reality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To understand the difference between the thinking and the observing self, imagine you\u2019re at a festival, slow-dancing with a partner in a crowd. You\u2019re immersed in the scene, engaged with your observing self. As you move your body in tandem with your partner\u2019s, you aren\u2019t actively thinking about where to place your next step. You aren\u2019t focused on the crowd, only the space directly in front of you. You move in time with the music and your partner\u2019s body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, your thinking self derails your observing self by distracting you from the immediacy of your experience: You start to second-guess your movements. You feel the gaze of the crowd and wonder if you are a good dancer. Suddenly, you find yourself stepping all over your partner\u2019s toes and tripping up what had once been an effortless flow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harris lists several characteristics of the observing self:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. The observing self does not change<\/strong>. As opposed to the thinking self\u2019s running commentary of thoughts and images, the observing self is fundamentally fixed, stable, and unalterable. (Shortform note: This will become a crucial part of the mindfulness techniques Harris details later in the book.)<\/li>
  2. The observing self is incapable of judgment and therefore perfectly accepts everything\u2014including you<\/strong>. No matter what you do, the observing self does not think. Therefore, it cannot judge whether an action is good or bad, or whether a situation is fair or unfair. While the thinking self bombards us with thoughts, the observing self does what it always does: observes impartially. <\/li>
  3. The observing self is invulnerable<\/strong>. While your body may undergo changes (such as aging) or experience damage, the observing self cannot be harmed. No matter how badly you are hurt, or how much you have changed, you can still observe. <\/li>
  4. The observing self is not quantifiable<\/strong>. It has no material quality that we can examine. It cannot be manipulated, measured, or taken from you. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Harris describes the observing self as a constant, unchanging awareness that you experienced even before you had a name to give it. By connecting with the observing self, you can stop identifying with your thinking self. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Self-as-Context<\/strong>

    ACT literature refers to the observing self as \u201cself-as-context\u201d<\/a>\u2014the alternative to the \u201cconceptualized self,\u201d or the person we think<\/em> we are because of the running commentary of the thinking self. This terminology makes the concept of the observing self a bit more clear\u2014in the self-as-context model, our thoughts, feelings, and experiences occur within the context of the self, rather than being identified with the self. 

    Imagine the self-as-context as a playground and the individual thoughts, feelings, and experiences as children who are playing on the playground. Even when all of the children have gone home, the playground will still be a playground. It would be nonsensical to argue that the children are<\/em> the playground\u2014they often populate the playground, but they don\u2019t define it. 

    Elsewhere in the ACT literature,     Harris emphasizes two major benefits of the self-as-context<\/a> that he doesn\u2019t mention in The Happiness Trap<\/em>:

    1) It provides us with a secure sense of self. In contrast to the conceptualized self, where we are<\/em> our     thoughts and feelings<\/a> (both negative and positive) and therefore change rapidly from moment to moment or day to day, the self-as-context is a less variable configuration for our lives.

    2) It can provide us with a transcendent sense of self. While Harris generally eschews mysticism in The Happiness Trap<\/em>, the ACT literature suggests that the self-as-context is a \u201chigher\u201d and more enduring form of being than the conceptualized self. It\u2019s not merely that we are not <\/em>our thoughts and feelings, but that we are more than<\/em> our thoughts and feelings.   <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    The Observing Self Is Your Meta-Awareness<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Harris argues that the thinking self and the observing self are fundamentally different human faculties: As we discussed, while the thinking self operates as a running commentary on the events of your life, the observing self observes this running commentary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You can think of the observing self as a kind of \u201cmeta-awareness.\u201d For every thought you think, the observing self notices you thinking that thought; for every sensation you experience in your body, the observing self notices the sensation. Your observing self notices everything you experience\u2014from your thoughts to your physical sensations to the world around you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When you understand the relationship between the thinking self and the observing self, you can redirect the observing self\u2019s attention away from the thinking self and toward other sources of input, like your five senses. In the following chapters, we\u2019ll explain how this ability to redirect your attention is the foundation for mindfulness techniques that can alter the way you experience your thoughts, your feelings, and the world around you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Your Thoughts and Feelings Don\u2019t Define You<\/strong>

    We\u2019ve referred to the conceptualized self<\/a> in relation to the thinking self, but it\u2019s important to underscore that the conceptualized self is more than an entity that produces<\/em> thoughts\u2014it\u2019s the person we think<\/em> we are when we identify with those thoughts. Without the observing self, we can come to the conclusion that we are<\/em> our thoughts, feelings, and urges. 

    The ACT literature explains that when we identify with our thoughts and feelings, we can excuse behavior that would be inexcusable in a more objective context. For instance, if someone frequently gets angry and lashes out, they may begin to think of themselves as an angry person. Once they\u2019ve adopted that identity, they may excuse their continued outbursts because they already believe<\/em> that they\u2019re an angry person.

    However, the observing self enables people to see that they are not<\/em> their thoughts and feelings, but rather a context in which thoughts and feelings occur. With this insight, they can separate themselves from their thoughts and feelings, rather than feeling controlled by them. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    What is the thinking self? Do you agree with Descartes’ philosophical notion that “I think, therefore I am?” We have two minds or \u201cselves\u201d that affect our response to events: the thinking self and the observing self. The thinking self provides a running (judgmental) commentary on events, while the observing self neutrally observes this running commentary. In this article, we\u2019ll define the thinking self and the observing self and explore the relationship between the two minds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":22992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,6],"tags":[565],"class_list":["post-57938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychology","category-spiritual","tag-the-happiness-trap","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Observing Self vs. the Thinking Self - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Our minds encompass a thinking self and an observing self. 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