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--- weasel_words [2026/01/29 11:21] – created tom
+++ weasel_words [2026/01/29 12:24] (current) – tom
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 {{tag>related}}
-====== Maybe Man Patterns ======
+====== Maybe Man linguistic Patterns ======
 These Patterns identified by a lack of commitment to one's own experience. The client rarely makes definitive statements, using words like "maybe," "possibly," "sort of," "I guess," or "it seems like."
-In linguistics and communication, words like "maybe," "possibly," "sort of," and "I guess" are primarily called **hedges** or **hedging**.
+====== Scaling Question Examples: The Maybe Man ======
-Here is a breakdown of the different views used to describe this language, ranging from the technical to the colloquial:
+When asked to rate their experience on a scale of 0–10, the "Maybe Man" client avoids a definitive number. A specific number represents a specific state of reality; to maintain dissociation, they must keep the number vague.
+^ Category ^ Example Response ^ Analysis of the Avoidance ^
+| **Hedges** | "I’d say it’s **around** a 6, **maybe**?" | The client offers a vicinity ("around") rather than a location and turns the statement into a question, seeking validation rather than stating a fact. |
+| **Qualifiers** | "It feels **sort of** like a 7, or **roughly** an 8." | The qualifiers "sort of" and "roughly" blur the edges of the number. The client isn't at 7; they are in the "fog" near 7. |
+| **Epistemic Markers** | "It **seems like** it **could be** a 5." \\ "I **guess** it **might be** a 9." | The client focuses on the *possibility* of the number rather than the reality of it. "It seems" distances the client from the feeling itself. |
+| **Weasel Words** | "I **suppose** you **could call it** a 4." | This removes the client as the owner of the experience. It implies that "you" (the therapist) are calling it a 4, not them. |
+| **Downtoners** | "It's **just a bit** over 5." \\ "It's **not quite** a 10." | Used to minimize the impact. "Not quite a 10" allows them to hint at the severity without taking responsibility for the crisis of a 10. |
+| **The Range (Bonus)**| "It's between a 4 and an 8." | **(Classic IEMT Pattern)** The client gives a range to ensure they are never wrong. If the therapist treats a 4, the client says it's an 8, and vice versa. |
+Here is a breakdown of the different views used to describe these language patterns, ranging from the technical to the colloquial:
 ==== 1. Hedges / Hedging (The Primary Term) ====
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   * **Reference:** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedge_(linguistics)|Hedge (linguistics) - Wikipedia]]
-==== 2. Qualifiers ====
+==== 2. Qualifiers (Grammatical) ====
 In grammar, these words are often categorized as **qualifiers** (a type of grammatical modifier).
   * **Function:** A qualifier is a word that limits or enhances another word's meaning. While "very" and "extremely" are qualifiers that intensify, words like "somewhat," "possibly," and "rather" are qualifiers that limit or reduce certainty.
@@ Line 45: / Line 56: @@
 | **Downtoners / Softeners** | Modifiers used specifically to reduce the force of a statement, often to be polite or save face. | "A //little bit// expensive", "Not //terribly// good" | [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intensifier|Intensifier (Downtoners)]] |
-==== What about MoM ? ====
+==== The IEMT perspective  ====
-This pattern relies on **Hedging** and **Weasel Words** to keep the client safely dissociated. As long as the client avoids saying 'I am,' they remain unassociated with their experience. To break this loop, the practitioner must refuse to accept ambiguity. The specific intervention is to frame specificity as a requirement of the therapist, asking: 'I like to be specific. Is it this, or is it that?' This forces the client to choose a definitive position."
+{{ :scalequestion.png?nolink&300|**The Maybe Man Scale:** The client uses vagueness to avoid the reality of a specific number.}}
+This pattern relies on **Hedging** and **Weasel Words** to keep the client safely dissociated. As long as the client avoids saying "I am," they remain unassociated with their experience.
+To break this loop, the practitioner must refuse to accept ambiguity. The specific intervention is to frame specificity as a requirement of the therapist, asking:
+> //"I like to be specific. Is it this, or is it that?"//
+This technique creates a strategic [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_dilemma|Binary Choice]] (or False Dichotomy). This forces the client to choose a definitive position. By artificially removing the vague "middle ground," the client is compelled to associate with a specific reality.
+====== Related Concepts ======
+The linguistic patterns of "Weasel Words" and Hedging do not exist in isolation. They are often symptoms of deeper psychological structures regarding agency, time, and control.
+==== Learned Helplessness ====
+The refusal to commit to a specific reality ("I guess," "maybe") can be a manifestation of **Learned Helplessness**. In this state, the client has conditioned themselves to believe that they have no control over the outcome of a situation. Therefore, making a definitive statement or commitment feels futile or dangerous.
+  * **Connection:** By using vague language, the client avoids the "failure" of being wrong. If they never definitively say "I am at a 10," they do not have to face the full reality of that state, nor do they have to take responsibility for reducing it. They remain in a state of passive endurance.
+  * **Reference:** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learned_helplessness|Learned Helplessness - Wikipedia]]
+==== MoM: Active vs. Passive Time (The "At Effect" State) ====
+In the //Metaphors of Movement// model, a crucial distinction is made regarding how a client relates to the passage of time.
+  * **Active Time (The Agent):** The client moves //through// time. They are the driving force in the metaphor.
+  * **Passive Time (The Patient):** The client stands still, and time moves //through// or past them. Events happen //to// them.
+The use of Weasel Words places the client firmly in **Passive Time** (being "At Effect").
+  * **The Mechanism:** When a client says, "It //seems// like a 6," or "It's //sort of// bad," they are passively observing their emotional state as if it were the weather. They are waiting for the internal number to change on its own, rather than taking action to change it.
+  * **The Intervention:** Forcing a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_dilemma|Binary Choice]] ("Is it a 6 or a 7?") disrupts Passive Time. It forces the client to perform an active cognitive act (making a decision), momentarily shifting them from "Patient" to "Agent."
+==== Locus of Control ====
+This concept refers to the degree to which people believe that they, as opposed to external forces, have control over the outcome of events in their lives.
+  * **External Locus:** Indicated by Weasel Words ("It seems," "It feels like," "Maybe"). The client perceives their state as determined by external circumstances or mysterious internal fluctuations.
+  * **Internal Locus:** Indicated by Specificity ("I am," "I feel"). The client owns the experience and acknowledges their role in it.
+  * **Reference:** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locus_of_control|Locus of Control - Wikipedia]]