Thus, it was surprising to read on to Connor's conclusion (in
regard to PCT and lying):
[PCT's notion that every action is an experiment] is not a
licence to be capricious--to adopt a role that is profoundly
incompatible with one's core structure is lying. But to
claim that one does not role-play because that would be
dishonest is also lying, by denying that one _always_
construes others [sic] constructions and adapts one's
behavior accordingly.
My problem with this conclusion is that it assumes that it is we
adopt a role in the first place, that it is optimal to attain a
fixed "core structure." This sounds suspiciously like the notion
of identity to me. Would it be too radical to suggest that
adopting a "role" or a "core structure" is itself an exercise in
self-deception and bad faith? The notion of constant role-
playing implies developing scripts for hypothesis testing -- far
too cognitive for a more experiential type like myself. If you
ask me, to role-play and test hypotheses in this manner is
several steps removed from experience. I would also ask the
question posed by Beverly Walker: Isn't role playing a lie in the
first place?
Timothy Anderson, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN 37240
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