The CONTEXT(S) of PERFORMANCE(S)
The second set of circles deals with CONTEXT(S) where experience(s) happen, and which determine MEANING(S)
All BEINGS, all PERFORMANCES, and all EVENTS occur in CONTEXTS which it is incorrect and misleading to ignore. Because EXTERNAL CONTEXTS (Settings & Relationships) are much more available for observation, they get inordinately more attention and seem to have much more powerful influence and explanatory value than do INTERNAL CONTEXTS.
Yet there is certainly always, ultimately and absolutely, the INDIVIDUAL determining private MEANINGS -- in some sense solitary and separate. And there is also the constant, quiet presence of FAMILIAL, SOCIETAL & CULTURAL HERITAGE.
The INTERNAL CONTEXTS of IMPRESSIONS, IMAGES, MEMORIES, FANTASIES, SYMBOLS, BELIEFS, MYTHOLOGIES, VALUES & CONCLUSIONS certainly determine behavior and the interpretations of experience as much as do EXTERNAL CONTEXTS.
In addition to having respect for INTRA- and INTER- INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES, we must becme increasingly appreciative of the dimension of human existence which transcends the individual personality and involves an on-going attempt to "make sense" out of the "larger picture" of experience(s).
Because it is harder to gain access to the INTERNAL DOMAIN, it is also harder to express, clarify and understand it. That is the work of therapy, and FRIENDSHIP, as the person, pair, or family group invites a helper to participate in an exploration of their experience and its significance, seeking together the positive applications of what they can discover, better understand and often change.
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