A Psychological Concept: Directed Focus

Not really in the same field as philosophy but I thought I would stick it in here. Enjoy :)

In this essay I want to examine a concept called directed focus. I want to start off by saying that anyone can be happy. Yes, anyone; the homeless man, the man on death row, the woman beaten by her spouse, the starving child Ever wonder why some people, no matter what life throws at them, still wake up smiling every morning while others complain and subject themselves to misery over every little bump in the road �" from a rainy day to slow traffic?

Unlike animals, the complex human mind has amazing cognitive abilities. This can be a blessing and a curse, for it causes us to interpret situations in different ways that can either be harmful or beneficial to our psychological health. Directed focus is simply a term used to describe the practice of manipulating our interpretations of events in such a way as to perceive them in a positive rather than negative light. Inspired by idioms such as “focus on the positive rather than the negative” or “there is a silver lining to every cloud”, directed focus can cause two people to react to the same event in very opposite ways.

Example: A businessman is on a work-based trip in Boston when, only an hour after his flight lands, the city is locked down in response to a terrorist threat. Unable to depart from the hotel, his meetings are all cancelled and he is confined to the four walls of his hotel room for an undetermined period of time. How does this man react? He is happy! Suddenly he has free time on his hands, the peacefulness to be left alone with his thoughts �" a chance that this busy businessman has not been given in a very long time.

 

Every situation, every event, every set of circumstances, has an abundance of angles to it. There are both positive and negative aspects to every event. Psychologically one can shift his position to view a situation with a new perception. One can literally direct their focus towards the positives within a given case which can help them to not only cope with but perhaps even appreciate the circumstances. As intelligent as human beings are, we cannot control our lives. What happens happens, regardless of whether we want it to or not. On the other hand, because we are intelligent beings we can control how we react to such happenings. Even further, we can turn an unfortunate event into something bearable, even enjoyable, with nothing other than our set of fascinating cognitive capabilities.

 

One last example: you order out at a restaurant only to receive a dish that does not suit your tastes. You can complain, scoff, push the plate away, or you can realize how lucky you are to have enough food to eat and enjoy it for the simple gratification of leaving with a satisfied appetite �" a luxury many cannot claim.

 

Directed focus is a simple concept when taken down to its core, but the reason such a practice is possible is due to a very complex - wired system known as the human mind. It is rather an appealing idea to consider that anyone and everyone can be happy. Such explanation really does prove the popular saying “happiness is a choice”. Indeed, happiness is.