It is not about sports like soccer, cricket or TT; nor about some indoor games like chess or computer games. How often we hear words which on surface convey a simple meaning but deep inside the meaning may be totally different ?!. It is about these ‘games’.
Formally defined, games are a form of ulterior transaction, and which leads to a definite payoff. Ulterior transaction is the one, which on surface may appear to be completely normal and without any hidden “trick”, but at psychological level it may mean something totally different. For example it may appear as if an adult is talking to an adult (adult – adult transaction), but at psychological level the ‘adult’ speaker may be talking to a child (adult-child transaction).
(No more technical jargons from now onwards!)
How often we hear the phrase “In US it isn’t so; actually there it is …” At the surface it may seem like a mature adult talking to another, stating plain facts. But at other level it is telling that “I have been to USA”. The payoff being satisfaction obtained by means of boasting. Similar may be with someone saying, “In PQR book it is written …” at psychological level meaning “I have read this book.”
Even in classroom, we find teacher playing such games. Often during the course of a lecture we hear something like, “When I was working with company XYZ on ABC project …” On surface it also appears as a simple statement of facts. But the psychological meaning would be telling that “I have worked with likes of company XYZ”, and the payoff once again similar to the previous case.
During the course of conversation, we may hear someone telling something like “Oh … don’t study this much”. On surface this may be another normal conversation, but the hidden meaning could be that “I don’t want you to study that much. But I would, and get top grades!”
Or during exam time, a simple conversation may be of types “I haven’t studied a word. I am surely going to flunk.” All apparently normal on surface, the underlying meaning may be “I am making progress, but I don’t want to know where I stand. It is me who will get the good grades.” Or in the words like “Hey, you are a genius. You know everything about it”. Though it may not be a game many a times, but often at the psychological level it may mean “Ok, you have a last laugh before I get better grades in examinations.”
Games are many. This may include the replies like “Nothing special …” meaning “I don’t want to let you know” or replies like “The same standard …”, again meaning the same, and many more. These all may sound too cynical, but these are few of the many games played by students. Not only students, but we all play games throughout our life, and games do form an integral part of our lives.
Formally defined, games are a form of ulterior transaction, and which leads to a definite payoff. Ulterior transaction is the one, which on surface may appear to be completely normal and without any hidden “trick”, but at psychological level it may mean something totally different. For example it may appear as if an adult is talking to an adult (adult – adult transaction), but at psychological level the ‘adult’ speaker may be talking to a child (adult-child transaction).
(No more technical jargons from now onwards!)
How often we hear the phrase “In US it isn’t so; actually there it is …” At the surface it may seem like a mature adult talking to another, stating plain facts. But at other level it is telling that “I have been to USA”. The payoff being satisfaction obtained by means of boasting. Similar may be with someone saying, “In PQR book it is written …” at psychological level meaning “I have read this book.”
Even in classroom, we find teacher playing such games. Often during the course of a lecture we hear something like, “When I was working with company XYZ on ABC project …” On surface it also appears as a simple statement of facts. But the psychological meaning would be telling that “I have worked with likes of company XYZ”, and the payoff once again similar to the previous case.
During the course of conversation, we may hear someone telling something like “Oh … don’t study this much”. On surface this may be another normal conversation, but the hidden meaning could be that “I don’t want you to study that much. But I would, and get top grades!”
Or during exam time, a simple conversation may be of types “I haven’t studied a word. I am surely going to flunk.” All apparently normal on surface, the underlying meaning may be “I am making progress, but I don’t want to know where I stand. It is me who will get the good grades.” Or in the words like “Hey, you are a genius. You know everything about it”. Though it may not be a game many a times, but often at the psychological level it may mean “Ok, you have a last laugh before I get better grades in examinations.”
Games are many. This may include the replies like “Nothing special …” meaning “I don’t want to let you know” or replies like “The same standard …”, again meaning the same, and many more. These all may sound too cynical, but these are few of the many games played by students. Not only students, but we all play games throughout our life, and games do form an integral part of our lives.
hmmmm
ReplyDeleteThat's why they emphasize upon reading between the lines !