In my OEN article "Dr. Albert Rothenberg on Creativity" (dated October 29, 2021), I discuss his 1988 book The Creative Process in Psychotherapy (New York: W. W. Norton). In it, he discusses the important role of articulation in psychotherapy. In the present essay, I discuss a memorable fourfold heuristic exercise that a psychotherapist once had me do about some of my childhood memories. OEN readers might want to try it.

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Duluth, Minnesota (OpEdNews) October 31, 2021: I recently discussed the American psychiatrist Albert Rothenberg's 1988 book The Creative Process of Psychotherapy (New York: W. W. Norton) in my OEN article "Dr. Albert Rothenberg on Creativity" (dated October 19, 2021):

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In it, among other things, I pointed out that Dr. Rothenberg stresses the key role that articulation plays in psychotherapy, on the one hand, and, on the other, I noted that the American Jesuit Renaissance specialist and cultural historian Walter J. Ong's discussion of the key role that rhetoric plays in his 1971 essay "Rhetoric and the Origins of Consciousness" in his 1971 essay collection Rhetoric, Romance, and Technology: Studies in the Interaction of Expression and Culture (Cornell University Press, pages 1-22).

Incidentally, Ong further elaborates his point about articulation in his 1971 essay in his 1982 essay "The Agonistic Base of Scientifically Abstract Thought: Issues in [Ong's 1981 Book] Fighting for Life: Contest, Sexuality, and Consciousness," which is reprinted in An Ong Reader: Challenges for Further Inquiry, edited by Thomas J. Farrell and Paul A. Soukup (Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, 2002, pages 479-495).

Now, in my book Walter Ong's Contributions to Cultural Studies: The Phenomenology of the Word and I-Thou Communication, second revised edition (New York: Hampton Press, 2015; first edition, 2000), I discuss the American psychiatrists Thomas Patrick Malone and Patrick Thomas Malone's 1987 book The Art of Intimacy (New York: Prentice Hall) in connection with Ong's celebration of I-thou communication (for specific page references in my book to the Malones, see the "Index" [page 313]).

But the Malones' 1987 book The Art of Intimacy also involves a theory of psychotherapy, just as Dr. Rothenberg's 1988 book The Creative Process in Psychotherapy does.

In any event, Dr. Rothenberg's extended discussion of the key role that articulation plays in psychotherapy prompted me to remember the memorable experience I myself had had in the context of psychotherapy with a bold new (to me) psychotherapist. I was consulting him because I was concerned about the complicated grief that I had been experiencing after the death of my former teacher and mentor Walter J. Ong (1912-2003). I had previously consulted other psychotherapists about my concern.

In preparation for my intensive consultation with the new psychotherapist in July 2006, I compiled in June 2006 a list of about a dozen memories from my childhood (roughly, under the age of ten, the earlier the better). But I had not attempted to compile a complete or exhaustive list of my early memories - just about a dozen striking examples.

Now, for my present purposes, I prefer not to list here the details of my memories that I listed, because I want to stress here the articulation involved in the fourfold exercises that the psychotherapist had me undertake with them.

When I met with the new psychotherapist in July, he eventually asked me to complete an exercise for each memory. He did not claim that he himself was the originator of this fourfold exercise, which I will style here as a heuristic exercise designed to advance my own personal articulation (in Dr. Rothenberg's terminology) - but perhaps with occasional assists to my own articulation from the psychotherapist himself, based on his knowledge of and empathy for me.

For each of my memories, I was supposed to complete the following statements, one by one:

(A) I am . . .

(B) Other people are . . .

(C) The world is a place where . . .

(D) In order to have a place in the world, I must . . .

After each memory below, I have entered the responses that I wrote out in July 2006 - occasionally also noting my psychotherapist's further articulations.

Memory (1)

(A) I am not quick to make new connections.

(B) Other people are prompting me to make new connections.

(C) The world is a place where you need to make new connections.

(D) In order to have a place in the world, I need to make new connections from time to time.

Memory (2)

(A) I am the object of fury. (Psychotherapist: I am provocatively creative.)

(B) Other people are occasionally furious with me.

(C) The world is a place where people occasionally become furious with me.

(D) In order to have a place in the world, I'd better avoid making people furious, or else learn how to withstand their fury.

Memory (3)

(A) I am cautious about undertaking new ventures.

(B) Other people are encouraging me to undertake new ventures.

(C) The world is a place where new ventures must be undertaken from time to time.

(D) In order to have a place in the world, I must undertake new ventures from time to time.

Memory (4)

(A) I am occasionally emboldened to take unwise risks. (Psychotherapist: I enjoy going out on limbs. I am not satisfied to stay on the already established platform.)

(B) Other people are needed at times to warn me off from unwise risks.

(C) The world is a place where unwise risks should be avoided.

(D) In order to have a place in the world, I must avoid unwise risks.

Memory (5)

(A) I am vulnerable; I can be hurt.

(B) Other people are needed to recognize when I've been hurt and console me.

(C) The world is a place where I can be hurt unexpectedly. (Psychotherapist: The world is a place where people aim missiles at you.)

(D) In order to have a place in the world, I must acknowledge when I've been hurt, so that others can support me. (Psychotherapist: In order to have a place in the world, I must take necessary risks.)

Memory (6)

(A) I am stumped at times and need personal tutoring in learning something. (Psychotherapist: I am open to guidance from others. Psychotherapist: I am recipient on the part of people who would instruct me.)

(B) Other people are needed at times to tutor me and assist me in learning something. (Psychotherapist: Other people are willing to help me.)

(C) The world is a place where I at times need to be tutored about things. (Psychotherapist: The world has complex problems.)

(D) In order to have a place in the world, I must be tutored at times. (Psychotherapist: In order to have a place in the world, I must engage in problem-solving with others.)

Memory (7)

(A) I am inclined to need personal attention and assistance in order to learn something.

(B) Other people are needed to help assist me in learning.

(C) The world is a place where I may be called upon to learn things with the assistance of others.

(D) In order to have a place in the world, I must learn things with the assistance of others.

Memory (8)

(A) I am inclined to carry out tasks I've been asked to do.

(B) Other people are likely to ask me at times to carry out certain tasks.

(C) The world is a place where I may be asked to carry out demanding tasks that I may not be able to fulfill.

(D) In order to have a place in the world, I must attempt to carry out certain tasks, even when they are frustrating to carry out.

Memory (9)

(A) I am inclined to help people when they call upon me for assistance.

(B) Other people are inclined to call out for assistance when they are frustrated.

(C) The world is a place where people at times get frustrated and call out for assistance.

(D) In order to have a place in the world, I must be prepared to assist people when they call out for assistance.

Memory (10)

(A) I am shocked and dumfounded into silence by some revelations.

(B) Other people are likely to make revelations at times that will surprise me and leave me in silence.

(C) The world is a place where shocking things happen occasionally.

(D) In order to have a place in the world, I must expect to hear shocking news occasionally.

Memory (11)

(A) I usually am eager to please others by doing things they ask me to do.

(B) Other people are inclined to have their own expectations about things I do.

(C) The world is a place where people can get furious with you if you do not happen to meet their expectations.

(D) In order to have a place in the world, I must do my best at the task at hand, but expect that some people may be dissatisfied with my effort.

Now, I am offering this record here to OEN readers who might be interested in trying out this fourfold heuristic exercise on their own childhood memories, because I believe that Dr. Rothenberg is correct in emphasizing the key role that articulation can play in the creation of insight (see esp. 63 and 176-179).

Dr. Rothenberg says, "Creating insight is one of the major therapeutic actions of psychotherapy" (page 63). In addition, he devotes a subsection titled "Creation of Insight and Personality Attributes and Structure" to further elaborating what else must accompany insight (pages 176-179). He says, "Two endpoints of the creative process in psychotherapy are the production of insight and of personality attributes and structure" (page 176).

Dr. Rothenberg also says, "As I suggested in the previous two chapters, creation of both insight and personality attributes and structure results from an articulation function that operates throughout the course of therapy" (page 177). This sentence prompted me to remember my memorable experience with the fourfold heuristic exercise about my childhood memories.

In addition, Dr. Rothenberg says, "In addition to this continuing articulation, with its separating and connecting in general, it is important to remember that both homospatial and janusian processes provide particular types of articulation. . . . The primary mode of articulation in the therapeutic process involves both therapist and patient working together. . . . [I]nsight is created in the interaction between the therapist and patient. . . . [A]ll childhood events are constructed in adulthood in accordance with the child's level of cognitive and affective development at the time they occurred. . . . Articulation of insight leads, in an intrinsic way, to articulation of personality attributes and structure. . . . Articulation of insight and of personality attributes and structure occurs concomitantly, each serving, to some degree, as a function of the other. . . . Alteration of maladaptive patterns and resolution of conflict, therefore, cannot alone result in improvement. New patterns and [personality] structures are needed that the patient never before experienced or used" (pages 177 and 178).

Authors Website: http://www.d.umn.edu/~tfarrell

Authors Bio:

Thomas James Farrell is professor emeritus of writing studies at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD). He started teaching at UMD in Fall 1987, and he retired from UMD at the end of May 2009. He was born in 1944. He holds three degrees from Saint Louis University (SLU): B.A. in English, 1966; M.A.(T) in English 1968; Ph.D.in higher education, 1974. On May 16, 1969, the editors of the SLU student newspaper named him Man of the Year, an honor customarily conferred on an administrator or a faculty member, not on a graduate student -- nor on a woman up to that time. He is the proud author of the book WALTER ONG'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO CULTURAL STUDIES: THE PHENOMENOLOGY OF THE WORD AND I-THOU COMMUNICATION (Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, 2000; 2nd ed. 2009, forthcoming). The first edition won the 2001 Marshall McLuhan Award for Outstanding Book in the Field of Media Ecology conferred by the Media Ecology Association. For further information about his education and his publications, see his UMD homepage: Click here to visit Dr. Farrell's homepage.

On September 10 and 22, 2009, he discussed Walter Ong's work on the blog radio talk show "Ethics Talk" that is hosted by Hope May in philosophy at Central Michigan University. Each hour-long show has been archived and is available for people who missed the live broadcast to listen to. Here are the website addresses for the two archived shows:

Click here to listen the Technologizing of the Word Interview

Click here to listen the Ramus, Method & The Decay of Dialogue Interview