The Words We Speak

My history and philosophy of psychology class has introduced me to a new way of thinking. What if the words we speak carry power beyond the energy it takes to utter them? What if the ideas we hastily subscribe to and share—even if false—permanently impact our thinking?

They do. Consider how often you find yourself saying something like this—

I wonder what caused Amy to do that.

Here we assume that Amy is a passive object acted upon by some stimulus which caused her behavior. Most of us will agree that if Amy robs a bank she is responsible for her crime. But almost in the same breath we will regurgitate some intellectual slop about how Amy's upbringing or genes or stressful work environment or difficult relationship caused her behavior. We don't feel comfortable saying Amy is not responsible for her decision. But we feel equally uncomfortable believing what we say—that Amy indeed chose to rob the bank and that she could have chosen otherwise. 

Either our words don't match our beliefs or our beliefs don't match our words.

What if we said this instead?

I wonder what her reasons were for doing that.

Here we acknowledge that Amy has reasons for robbing the bank. Yes, her circumstances contributed to her decision; how could they not? But they didn't cause anything. Amy chose to rob the bank. She could have chosen differently.

We rob the human race of dignity when we reduce a man to his behavior. We demoralize man in his search for meaning when we deny the reality of his agency.

Let us not through the words we speak offer man the toxic binge of behaviorism. Let us instead share doctrine.

True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior. (President Boyd K. Packer—Little Children, Ensign Nov. 1986)