One's search for a sense of stability in this world can be daunting. Have you ever wondered what controls your life? Is it your thoughts, your feelings, or your desires? Is it other people that control your life? If you were able to find a path to self-enlightenment and inner change that would transform your life, what would it be worth to you? Through the use of a simple unified model, this book attempts to explain the behavior and interactions of individuals, groups, and systems. It presents a unique method that can be used for self-guided personal growth and change. Together, the model and method can be used to obtain greater mental flexibility, power, and stability. The long-term goal is continuous personal growth and change. As you proceed, you will gain a deeper understanding of yourself and of our world. You will also gain new tools that you can use when dealing with the people and the systems that surround and impact you. You can use these tools to teach others about your nature and about their own natures as well. Along with stories, quotes, thought provoking information, carefully chosen questions, and suggestions; David S. Arnold, M.D. provides in-depth guidelines for self-enlightenment and inner change that will transform the reader's life. He offers sane, sensible, and reliable insights that will enhance the reader's ability to make important life decisions.

The Way of The Flexible Gyroscope

A MODEL AND METHOD FOR SELF-ELIGHTENMENT AND CHANGEBy David S. Arnold

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2009 David S. Arnold
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4490-1787-3

Contents

1. Introduction................................................................12. The Gyroscopic Model........................................................53. Sigmund Freud's Tripartite Model............................................94. The Ego Defense Mechanisms..................................................135. Moods and Affect............................................................176. Mood Gone Wrong and Emotional Laziness......................................237. Our Ability to Change.......................................................298. The Gyroscopic Method for Self-Guided Growth and Change.....................459. Application to Our Troubled Communities.....................................5910. Some Major Biological Forces and their Impact...............................7111. Conclusion..................................................................75Appendix A: Listing of Ego defense Mechanisms...................................77

Chapter One

Introduction

What controls your life? Is it your thoughts, your feelings, or your desires? Is it your behavior? This book offers a path to self-enlightenment and inner change that can transform your life. Through the use of a simple unified model, this book attempts to explain the behavior and interactions of individuals, groups, and systems. This book also presents a unique method that can be used for self-guided personal growth and change. Together, the model and method can be used to obtain greater mental flexibility, power, and stability. The long-term goal is continuous personal growth and change. As you proceed, you will gain a deeper understanding of yourself and of our world. You will also gain new tools that you can use when dealing with the people and the systems that surround and impact you. You can use these tools to teach others about your nature and about their own natures as well. They can be used to examine, analyze, understand, and teach about human behavior, and also about the behavior of systems. It is my hope that you will find this model and method to be of benefit.

Throughout the centuries, several repetitive questions regarding our existence have arisen. Who am I? Am I really happy with my life? Why do people act the way they do? Why do I think, feel, and behave the way I do? Why are people and systems so frequently resistant to new ideas; and so slow to change? Can things really ever change at all? The list goes on. In an attempt to answer these questions, many people have searched for the "right way" or the "right path" to follow. In response to this need, many "paths" have been developed and taught throughout the ages. Sometimes those teaching the various paths have claimed to have the only path to follow. The truth, however, is that there is no one right way or path to follow. There are many paths to many ends. Which path to follow, must ultimately be chosen by the individual, in order to meet their own particular needs and desires. Thus, this book will not attempt to place any one philosophy, system of belief, or end above another. The intent of this book is to teach a powerful tool that can be used to obtain deeper self-enlightenment, personal growth, and change. It reveals a method that can be used to overcome many obstacles that hinder one's ability to develop greater psychic and emotional flexibility.

Many theories and models have been proposed in an attempt to explain and understand human behavior. Most systems use a basic premise or central idea as their foundation. My system, too, follows such a construct. It states that all people and all systems are "gyroscopic". What I mean by the term "gyroscopic" will be explained more fully in the next chapter. But, briefly, gyroscopes have an inner wheel. People, like gyroscopes, also have an "inner wheel". Like gyroscopes, we cling to our own central axis for a sense of stability. Driven by our "inner wheels" we are all, by our very nature, mostly inflexible. Thus, we remain set in our own ways and remain mostly blind to our world. Here, I propose that all people and all systems resist change as a matter of natural law. In fact, I propose that my model is rooted in the natural laws of the universe, like any other phenomena such as gravity and inertia. As such, I consider this model to be a universal fact. However, the purpose of this book begins with the individual in mind: You. Enjoy!

Chapter Two

The Gyroscopic Model

As we attempt to analyze and understand our own thoughts, feelings and behaviors, things can quickly become confused. In order to avoid such a state, it helps to have a model or framework in mind to help guide us. To keep us focused in our thinking. Models can provide us with a highly useful roadmap of the human experience. They can provide us with familiar points of reference; from which we can further expand our knowledge and understanding. Models can provide us with a structure that lends itself to greater clarification of our thoughts, observations, feelings, and conclusions. They can also be used to test our ideas and assumptions. Ideally, our chosen model should prompt us to remain objectively focused when we stray off course. Many models of the human mind (psyche) have been proposed. After close scientific and clinical scrutiny, some models of human behavior have been accepted as being more valid and relevant than others. One such model was Dr. Sigmund Freud's tripartite model. There he described three basic components of our psyche, namely: the id, the ego, and the superego. He then defined and described the initial sets of our Ego Defense Mechanisms, which were then further expanded by the works of his daughter, Dr. Anna Freud. They are described in Appendix A. In Chapters 3 and 4, I will present a small portion of their monumental works. Previously I had mentioned the term "gyroscopic". For the sake of greater clarity, I will begin with the standard definition of a gyroscope taken from Webster's New World Dictionary:

Gylro-scope (ji'ro skop', -r[??]-) n. [GYRO- + -SCOPE] a wheel mounted in a set of rings so that its axis of rotation is free to turn in any direction: when the wheel is spun rapidly, it will keep the original direction of its rotation axis no matter which way the ring is turned: gyroscopes are used in gyrocompasses and to keep moving ships, airplanes, etc. level

If you were to take a gyroscope, wind a string around its axis, and then rapidly pull the string, the central wheel would begin to spin at a very high speed. If you then placed the gyroscope on a tabletop, the gyroscope would stand upright, much like a spinning top. If you then attempted to push the gyroscope over on to its side, the gyroscope would simply stand right back up and return to its previous position. The gyroscope resists any attempt to change its axis. In fact, the faster the wheel of a gyroscope spins, the more difficult it becomes to shift its axis. The physical forces involved are readily observable and can be quite strong. They can actually be felt while manipulating the gyroscope in mid-air. If you have never seen or handled a gyroscope, it would be worthwhile obtaining one to witness first hand the powerful physical forces generated by gyroscopes. This will also allow you to directly witness their great resistance to any attempts that...