Observing Eye and Perceiving Eye

[DISCLAIMER]

As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman.

The authors quote ancient Stoic philosopher Epictetus who stated, “It isn’t events themselves that disturb people, but only their judgments about them” (page 118). When developing REBT, the late psychologist Albert Ellis relied heavily on this quote.

For instance, Ellis’s ABC model illustrates that when an undesirable Action occurs and you Believe an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable assumption, not the occurrence itself, that causes an unpleasant Consequence. This is known as self-disturbance.

Addressing how people upset themselves with unhelpful attitudes, the ABC model incorporates Disputation of unproductive philosophies of life in order to explore Effective new beliefs. Whereas rigid beliefs cause self-disturbance, flexible beliefs result in an un-disturbed condition.

Epictetus’s perspective likely also influenced work of the late Scottish philosopher, historian, economist and essayist David Hume. Regarding this topic, I stated in a blogpost entitled It’s Like That, and That’s the Way It Is:

In a blogpost entitled The Is-Ought Problem, I discussed the late philosopher David Hume’s philosophical razor sometimes termed “Hume’s guillotine.” This matter relates to a descriptive versus prescriptive perspective.

Summarizing Hume’s guillotine, the late philosopher posited that one cannot derive an ought from an is. In other words, when faced with descriptive truth and reality, a person cannot prescriptively demand in a logical or reasonable fashion what ought to instead be the case.

In essence, Hume valued the observable nature of the world (i.e., what is) versus what may be perceived (to become aware of through the senses) when using unnecessary prescriptions (i.e., what ought). Regarding this outlook, authors of The Daily Stoic state (page 118):

The samurai swordsman Musashi made a distinction between our “perceiving eye” and our “observing eye.” The observing eye sees what is. The perceiving eye sees what things supposedly mean. Which one do you think causes us the most anguish?

Per Ellis’s ABC model, self-disturbed anguish is the product of Musashi’s perceiving eye which violates Hume’s guillotine. About this framing of the matter, authors of The Daily Stoic conclude (page 118):

An event is inanimate. It’s objective. It simply is what it is. That’s what our observing eye sees. This will ruin me. How could this have happened? Ugh! It’s so-and-so’s fault. That’s our perceiving eye at work. Bringing disturbance with it and then blaming it on the event.

Taking this view into account, imagine an embattled samurai swordsman who is faced with the fact that members of his inner circle have betrayed him (Action). Is there an Action-Consequence (A-C) connection that explains how or why he responds as he does to the event?

No! Instead, when faced with betrayal (Action) and the swordsman Believes, “This absolutely mustn’t be, because betrayal by my closest peers is unforgivable,” it’s his unproductive self-narrative that causes desperation and a killing spree that follows thereafter (Consequence).

This Belief-Consequence (B-C) connection is a matter of the perceiving eye, not the observing eye. Rather than using an actual guillotine, which proverbially relates to Hume, the self-disturbed samurai swordsman uses katana in a fit of rage.

Fortunately for you, I presume you have neither a guillotine nor a katana available. Therefore, I encourage you to instead use the psychotherapeutic weapon of the ABC model to slice through B-C disturbance. So, which will it be: the observing eye or perceiving eye? The choice is yours.

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

Photo credit, from Throne of Blood (1957), property of Toho and Turner Classic Movies, fair use

References:

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