I have always said that I would never consider myself an expert in anything because there is always so much more to learn. The interesting thing with that is it sounds a lot like perfectionism. If one can’t do it right why do it at all?!
According to Werner Heisenberg in his writing ‘Physics and Beyond’, 1969; “An expert is someone who knows some of the worst mistakes that can be made in his subject and how to avoid them.”
If that were the case than we would all be experts in life! I believe it is more complicated than that.
The Oxford Pocket School Dictionary published in 1996 states that an expert is “a person with great knowledge or skill in something.”
So I think I am understanding an expert to be someone who knows just a little bit more than other people. However, the topics we become ‘experts’ on are constantly growing and evolving. So should anyone be able to use the expert label? I suppose that is where the perfectionist comes in. If one can never know all there is to know about something or even come close to knowing it all should anyone ever hold the expert title?
Everyone can teach themselves what they need to know through books and the internet so then should someone who has not gone to college or university or apprenticed be called an expert? Does one need an official degree or certificate? Many people would agree that a self-proclaimed expert cannot be nearly as experienced or knowledgeable as one who is claimed as an expert by others so how can we learn so much and yet be refused the great ‘expert’ title if we learn on our own?
I personally never feel like I know enough about anything no matter how much I learn, but others know that they know more than others and offer that advice. Great! I have no problem with people sharing what they have experienced I think the whole world would be better off if sharing were fashionable. However, how do we know that what they are saying is right or true if we don’t know as much as they do? Yup more issues with the self-proclaimed expert or even with the recommended expert.
Really I suppose being an expert is a matter of opinion so should we look for these so called experts when looking for help or to learn new things? I doubt it. There is no knowing what is right or true unless we try it our selves, watch other people try it or learn from real relationships. When one chooses to use an ‘expert’ they are doing so at their own risk for the sake of a title that makes the person seem more knowledgeable and important.
What’s the difference between an expert and someone who claims to be able to do the job or to know about the topic? Is it a reference? A certificate or degree? Using large words when talking or throwing in statistics? I can say I can build websites….I do create my own after all. Would I advertise just from that to be able to build websites for other people? Probably not. Does it come down to confidence or cockiness? How can we decide if the person is qualified when they are just starting out?
Perhaps I have opened the door on a huge debate or a large and extensive topic but it is one I have wondered about for a long time. So what do you think about the expert title and the perfectionist downfalls? Are they connected? Can one ever be an expert? I would love to know how others feel about this topic. Perhaps just to be a confidence builder for those that question their abilities or perhaps to clarify for people what they should be looking for in their learning and job needs.
Seeing as society creates the titles and outlines the qualifications I thought there would be no better way to understand this topic than to pose it to the general public.
“To establish oneself in the world , one has to do all one can to appear established.” -La Rochefoucauld, Maxims, 1678
Book Review: Emotional Fitness March 21, 2011
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Title: Emotional Fitness: Discovering our Natural Healing Power
Author: Janice Berger and Harry Hall
Genre: Self Help
ISBN: 0-14-305557-7
The author of Emotional Fitness seems to have made it into more than just a publication. She has made cds, hosts workshops and seminars and counsels people through their own healing. Her website has wonderful information about the process to healing ourselves. Janice Berger is considered to be a pioneer off Deep Emotional Therapy and has been counselling for over 30 years. Janice Berger co-authored Emotional Healing with Harry Hall who has been practicing Deep Emotional Therapy for over 20 years. Harry trained in the psychiatric practice of the late Dr. L. Macintosh here in Toronto.
To best review this book I began looking at the sections. The introduction to this book is filled with powerful emotions. The author has openly shared her pain with the reader in order to allow them feel more comfortable with their own past experiences. She has shared her path to where she is now and mentions books and authors that helped her on that way. She ends the introduction with what would be her mission statement:
“This book is the fulfillment of my desire to open doors for everyone willing to take responsibility for their own healing and willing to risk taking steps toward positive change.”
Her experiences, coupled with her reason for writing Emotional Healing make it feel like an honest yet hard read, yet worthwhile as well. If there were a theme to this book it would be self help which is of course the topic. The style of using a lot of well thought out and well placed examples that pertain to real life make it seem like something anyone can accomplish. There is no hocus pocus or preaching, no talking down to and no expectations. This book is simply a vote of confidence in our ability to heal our selves emotionally. Readers are probably not so sure they can accomplish what they are reading and many are not even willing to try, but one thing’s for sure; it will help you understand yourself better. Why do you feel how you feel about a particular situation? Why are you reacting in an irrational way? Why does something so small bother you so greatly? We have all had questions like these at one time or another. This book helps us understand the most important part of who we are; our emotions. We may be complicated but we now know we are not so misunderstood. In fact we are all textbook cases who deal with our pasts very differently. Mrs. Berger gives us one personally hard and emotionally demanding way to conquer the past and make our future what we want it to be by controlling the only thing we can; ourselves.
Not only is this book great to read through and work with but it is set up much like a reference book. Janice Berger has set up chapters on the most common emotions. So if the reader has an emotion they cannot understand they simply look it up and voila! They can identify their emotion and begin to work through it. I recommend this book if even just to read and not work through just yet. Reading through it will make a difference to your understanding and you may even start implementing it in small parts throughout your life without even realizing it. Normally self-help books are recommended to adults but I think even young teens could benefit from this book as they begin to explore their emotions more and have no clue how to express them or even understand them. Go on and get started learning how to understand yourself more. It’s never too late to make a difference in your understanding and appreciation of yourself and your complicated emotions.