A person's interpretation of an event is a story. The objective facts of an event are the state. Separating the story from the state helps people understand what is truly happening.
By Pawan Nayar · from the LLOS AI Learning record
A person's interpretation of an event is a story.
The objective facts of an event are the state. Separating the story from the state helps people understand what is truly happening.
The state is what actually happened. It is the objective reality. For example, a student came home late. The story is a person's thoughts or feelings about what happened. It is a subjective interpretation. For example, a parent might think the student does not care about rules. Naming this difference helps people talk about the real problem. It helps them understand the painful thoughts they have.
A manager sees a team member leave work early. The state is the team member left early. The manager's story is that the team member is lazy. The manager asks the team member, "The story I am telling myself is that you do not care about your work. Can you tell me what happened?" The team member explains a family emergency. This helps the manager understand the real situation.
Resolved from this lesson's own record — real definitions, not invented for this page.
More from the same record, pulled by shared topic — not written new for this page.
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An 'I feel' statement changes the focus. It moves from blaming another person to describing one's own emotion.
A person's interpretation of an event is a story. The objective facts of an event are the state. Separating the story from the state helps people understand what is truly happening.