Paradoksalne efekty prób umysłowej kontroli - zarys teorii Daniela Wegnera

Abstract

The article aims at presenting Daniel Wegner’s theory which exp!ains the issue of paradoxical experiences that, under certain conditions, appear when we attempt to control our mental processes. The subject of mental control is preceded by introducing basie distinctions related to the questions of control over the surrounding environment. According to the theory, individual mental control is achieved by the interaction of two processes: the operating proccss and the monitoring process which, as cognitive processes of searching, influence the mental contents. According to Wegner, paradoxical effects are morę likely to appear when mental load rises and the intended mental control is manifested by supressing a certain behavior (as opposed to the intention of creating a certain State of mind or its accessibility). The experiments and their results regarding such mental control processes as thinking, concentration, mood, beliefs, stereotypes and prejudices have been widely presented in the study. At the end, the so-called “coiling the spring” effect and its relation with paradoxica! processes were described.