My favourite trainer, Fredrick Tucker would often narrate the story of an abandoned baby that was wasting away in a hospital… it was not responding to treatment and the doctors were forced to enter its condition as ‘hopeless’ on the examination charts. They had given up hope that the baby would survive.
As a last resort, a doctor who had uncommon success in dealing with sick children, for whom everything else had failed, was called in. He wrote on the child's chart – ‘put the baby’s cradle next to the hospital entrance. Put up a large sign requesting people to hold the baby and play with it for a few minutes before moving on.’
The instructions were immediately complied with. The method was ancient, but very effective. The magic formula took effect and the child began to prosper as visitors began to speak to and fondle the baby… the positive strokes healed the little baby that was suffering from a highly common human disease of indifference.
A stroke is a unit of recognition, when one person recognizes another person either verbally or non-verbally. Eric Berne introduced the idea of strokes into Transactional Analysis based upon the work of Rene Spitz, a researcher who observed that infants deprived of handling – in other words, not receiving any strokes – were more prone to emotional and physical difficulties.
Adults need physical contact just like infants, but have learned to substitute other types of recognition instead of physical stimulation. So while an infant needs cuddling, an adult craves a smile, a wink, a hand gesture, or other form of recognition. Berne defined the term ‘recognition-hunger’.
It is pertinent to note that ‘any stroke is better than no stroke at all.’ Hence we must choose to pass on strokes that encourage or reprimand… that motivate or instigate… that are positive or negative… but we must engage… we must keep in touch through strokes that ensure that terminal indifference does not set in.
Shun indifference, touch every bloke…
through a positive recognition stroke!
- Pravin K. Sabnis
As a last resort, a doctor who had uncommon success in dealing with sick children, for whom everything else had failed, was called in. He wrote on the child's chart – ‘put the baby’s cradle next to the hospital entrance. Put up a large sign requesting people to hold the baby and play with it for a few minutes before moving on.’
The instructions were immediately complied with. The method was ancient, but very effective. The magic formula took effect and the child began to prosper as visitors began to speak to and fondle the baby… the positive strokes healed the little baby that was suffering from a highly common human disease of indifference.
A stroke is a unit of recognition, when one person recognizes another person either verbally or non-verbally. Eric Berne introduced the idea of strokes into Transactional Analysis based upon the work of Rene Spitz, a researcher who observed that infants deprived of handling – in other words, not receiving any strokes – were more prone to emotional and physical difficulties.
Adults need physical contact just like infants, but have learned to substitute other types of recognition instead of physical stimulation. So while an infant needs cuddling, an adult craves a smile, a wink, a hand gesture, or other form of recognition. Berne defined the term ‘recognition-hunger’.
It is pertinent to note that ‘any stroke is better than no stroke at all.’ Hence we must choose to pass on strokes that encourage or reprimand… that motivate or instigate… that are positive or negative… but we must engage… we must keep in touch through strokes that ensure that terminal indifference does not set in.
Shun indifference, touch every bloke…
through a positive recognition stroke!
- Pravin K. Sabnis
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