Attending: Active listening c/o Baggini & TPM

Reading through more past issues of The Philosopher's Magazine, I came across Baggini's short contribution of Attending one of "50 New Ideas".

That Hodges' model has a role in attention must follow from its main purpose as an aide-mémoire. To 'know', to recognise that your memory has been jogged is surely to attend.

I realise that Hodges' model represents a philosophical smörgåsbord, rather like the 50 ideas in this issue.^

Baggini draws on a film for inspiration on empathy, feelings for other, humanity and moral philosophy. For Hodges' model our context can encompass media, but the focus remains empathy, ability to relate in the clinical, social care context. Attention and interpersonal skills come the fore here.

If you are not hungry, the model (smörgåsbord) can be considered as empty. This is a precondition for 'attending' - having unconditional positive regard. Apart from information that relates to the patient's, student's, and your safety the domains of Hodges' model are vacant spaces. How they are populated depends on how we attend. There are important lessons for students here. The first is their phone. Its being on their person, may impact their ability to attend to the other (person). The window to outside isn't a screen either.

 Individual
  |

     INTERPERSONAL    :     SCIENCES               

HUMANISTIC --------------------------------------  MECHANISTIC      

SOCIOLOGY  :   POLITICAL 

|

GROUP

previous experience cognitive furniture - elephants in the room (for all?) attend/attending attention active listening authenticity observation empathy - rapport therapeutic relationship unconditional +ve regard I see, I hear you ...	physical space physical environment measurements furniture - layout position / posture observation

Attending needs to be active listening. This includes all the senses, although sniffing the air is probably  best avoided - body odour may announce itself. Attention, then is synonymous with observation and in this context must span an individual's physical and their psychological presentation. You may draw social, political and spiritual assumptions, it is human to do so. Intuition has a role in healthcare but initial conclusions must be recognised as potentially premature and be verified. 

To initiate, be-in, partake-in such situations is to attend to the verbal, and non-communication; the data you already have and information communicated, including in a referral. Is this confirmed, challenged, what is your opinion? What about your colleagues? Most importantly, what does the person (patient, client... say)? What is unspoken? Do you understand? Did you seek clarification? 'Where' have you been / not been in Hodges' model? What picture is emerging at this stage?

It is gratifying that this is the first of the 50 'new' (2016) ideas in TPM #72. 

More to follow - drawing on TPM and (I think, Hodges' model as a 'philosophy? Surely not!)

Baggini, J., Attending, The Philosopher's Magazine, 1st Quarter 2016. Issue 72. pp.21-22.

TPM #72 cover image: https://ericthomasweber.org/correcting-political-correctness/