Intellect
[This article is part of a series about how to craft an intentional life using ideas and tools from Constantin Stanislavski’s acting system for working on our inner motive forces. Introduction: The Triumvirate of Consciousness]
Intellect is one of the three inner motive forces that drive us to action, the other two being emotion and will. If we want to act positively, effectively and intentionally, then we need to work on strengthening our understanding of and influence over each of the three motive forces. Here, I consider intellect.
Our intellect is the part of us that thinks, learns, understands, dreams, imagines, plans and forms beliefs. It is both the seat of our rationality and the source of our wildest fantasies. This ability to operate with logic and coherence, and imagine wonderful prospects makes the intellect a powerful engine. However, it is also the part of us that becomes deluded, ruminates, paralyses us with indecision, and takes shortcuts in thinking which result in biases. The ideal cognition that leads to positive, intentional action is quality and clarity of thought and vision which is goal-directed or productive, based on truth.
The members of the triumvirate are linked. Our intellect takes the information at our disposal - gathered through our senses, experiences and memories - and works on it. That information and our thoughts are coloured by our emotions, which can enhance or confuse our intellect, just as intellect stirs the emotions with powerful mental pictures and stories; our will to action is, in turn, directed or confounded by our thoughts and emotions. I have discussed our emotions and how we can understand them better and influence them towards positivity and positive action. Similarly, if our thoughts are in disorder, we are less likely to act effectively and positively. As Stanislavski says:
“Until his goal is clear the direction of his activities will remain unformed. He will feel only individual moments in his role. It is not surprising that in this period the flow of his thoughts, desires and emotions appears and disappears. If we were to chart its course the pattern would be disjointed and broken. It is only when he comes to a deeper understanding of his part and a realization of its fundamental objective that a line gradually emerges as a continuous whole. Then we have the right to speak of the beginning of creative work.” (Constantin Stanislavski, An Actor Prepares)
Stanislavski was talking about an actor preparing for a role and coming to an intellectual understanding of the goals of his character. We can translate this to our own lived experience. Imagine your intellect as the playwright who creates a play: its plot and meaning are your plan and purpose in life; the fundamental objectives or goals of the character are the objectives that you want to achieve to find your purpose. In following Stanislavski’s system, we are bringing our own stories to life.
Think of your life and where it has led you. There will be events, objects and places that have meaning for you. We focus on certain elements from our past to create our sense of self. Think about the end of your life and what you want to have accomplished by then. What do you find important? This can guide your future story.
Think of your intellect as the storyteller of your life. It tells the story of how you came to be here and who you are; it imagines possible futures, creates the narrative, and positions it within space and time; it plots the development of your character, based on your history, psychology and relationship to other characters; and it draws focus to the important moments in that story.
As a storyteller creates the first idea for a story, we have to work out what we want in life before filling in the details. This doesn’t have to be an epic masterpiece; we can create a few short stories with short-term goals instead of a magnum opus. In any case, this is not something we will do once - it is repeated to make new goals and reflect on existing ones. The most important thing is that you are the hero of these stories. As the hero, you have agency and can direct your future.
Spend some time thinking about the things you want in life. Create a ritual to put yourself in the best frame of mind for this. Set aside time and find positive space. Allow yourself to enter what Stanislavski calls an inner creative state - where you are physically and psychologically relaxed, in a playful and alert state of mind:
“One must know how to choose the time and place…if one is to invite one’s soul to buoyancy, one must be physically and spiritually buoyant.” (Constantin Stanislavski, Creating a role)
Here is an extract from Stanislavski to illustrate the process:
“‘Tell me,’ said he, turning to Vanya, ‘what you did today, from the moment you got up until you came here.’…‘In recalling the past, do not try to go forward towards the present. Go backwards from the present to the point in the past which you wish to reach. It is easier to go backwards, especially when you are dealing with the recent past….Now you are here talking with us. What did you do before that?'
‘I changed my clothes.’
‘Changing your clothes is a short, independent process. It contains all sorts of elements. It constitutes what we may call a short line. What were you doing before you changed?’
‘I was fencing and doing gymnastics.’
‘And before that?’
‘I smoked a cigarette.’
‘And still earlier?’
‘I was at my singing lesson.’
He pushed Vanya farther and farther into the past until he reached the moment when he first woke up.
“‘Now, Kostya, let me see you do the same thing in the future, taking the latter half of today.’
‘How do I know what is going to happen to me in the immediate future?’ I asked.
‘Don’t you know that after this lesson you have other occupations, that you will go home, and have dinner? Have you nothing in prospect for this evening, no calls to make, no play, movie or lecture? You do not know that your intentions will be carried out but you can suppose that they will be. Then you must have some idea about the rest of the day.
In the next articles, I will describe five concepts from Stanislavski’s writings that we can use to become mindful of the power of our intellect, and train it to work positively in guiding us to an intentional life.
Intellect is one of the three inner motive forces that drive us to action, the other two being emotion and will. If we want to act positively, effectively and intentionally, then we need to work on strengthening our understanding of and influence over each of the three motive forces. Here, I consider intellect.
Our intellect is the part of us that thinks, learns, understands, dreams, imagines, plans and forms beliefs. It is both the seat of our rationality and the source of our wildest fantasies. This ability to operate with logic and coherence, and imagine wonderful prospects makes the intellect a powerful engine. However, it is also the part of us that becomes deluded, ruminates, paralyses us with indecision, and takes shortcuts in thinking which result in biases. The ideal cognition that leads to positive, intentional action is quality and clarity of thought and vision which is goal-directed or productive, based on truth.
The members of the triumvirate are linked. Our intellect takes the information at our disposal - gathered through our senses, experiences and memories - and works on it. That information and our thoughts are coloured by our emotions, which can enhance or confuse our intellect, just as intellect stirs the emotions with powerful mental pictures and stories; our will to action is, in turn, directed or confounded by our thoughts and emotions. I have discussed our emotions and how we can understand them better and influence them towards positivity and positive action. Similarly, if our thoughts are in disorder, we are less likely to act effectively and positively. As Stanislavski says:
“Until his goal is clear the direction of his activities will remain unformed. He will feel only individual moments in his role. It is not surprising that in this period the flow of his thoughts, desires and emotions appears and disappears. If we were to chart its course the pattern would be disjointed and broken. It is only when he comes to a deeper understanding of his part and a realization of its fundamental objective that a line gradually emerges as a continuous whole. Then we have the right to speak of the beginning of creative work.” (Constantin Stanislavski, An Actor Prepares)
Stanislavski was talking about an actor preparing for a role and coming to an intellectual understanding of the goals of his character. We can translate this to our own lived experience. Imagine your intellect as the playwright who creates a play: its plot and meaning are your plan and purpose in life; the fundamental objectives or goals of the character are the objectives that you want to achieve to find your purpose. In following Stanislavski’s system, we are bringing our own stories to life.
Intellect as storyteller
As human beings, we tell stories all the time. These stories about ourselves and the world around us give us meaning.Think of your life and where it has led you. There will be events, objects and places that have meaning for you. We focus on certain elements from our past to create our sense of self. Think about the end of your life and what you want to have accomplished by then. What do you find important? This can guide your future story.
Think of your intellect as the storyteller of your life. It tells the story of how you came to be here and who you are; it imagines possible futures, creates the narrative, and positions it within space and time; it plots the development of your character, based on your history, psychology and relationship to other characters; and it draws focus to the important moments in that story.
As a storyteller creates the first idea for a story, we have to work out what we want in life before filling in the details. This doesn’t have to be an epic masterpiece; we can create a few short stories with short-term goals instead of a magnum opus. In any case, this is not something we will do once - it is repeated to make new goals and reflect on existing ones. The most important thing is that you are the hero of these stories. As the hero, you have agency and can direct your future.
Spend some time thinking about the things you want in life. Create a ritual to put yourself in the best frame of mind for this. Set aside time and find positive space. Allow yourself to enter what Stanislavski calls an inner creative state - where you are physically and psychologically relaxed, in a playful and alert state of mind:
“One must know how to choose the time and place…if one is to invite one’s soul to buoyancy, one must be physically and spiritually buoyant.” (Constantin Stanislavski, Creating a role)
Exercise in past narrative
This exercise is inspired by Stanislavski. It promotes thinking about the events of your life and how they become narrative. It is also good practice in being mindful of your daily practices and their meaning.Here is an extract from Stanislavski to illustrate the process:
“‘Tell me,’ said he, turning to Vanya, ‘what you did today, from the moment you got up until you came here.’…‘In recalling the past, do not try to go forward towards the present. Go backwards from the present to the point in the past which you wish to reach. It is easier to go backwards, especially when you are dealing with the recent past….Now you are here talking with us. What did you do before that?'
‘I changed my clothes.’
‘Changing your clothes is a short, independent process. It contains all sorts of elements. It constitutes what we may call a short line. What were you doing before you changed?’
‘I was fencing and doing gymnastics.’
‘And before that?’
‘I smoked a cigarette.’
‘And still earlier?’
‘I was at my singing lesson.’
He pushed Vanya farther and farther into the past until he reached the moment when he first woke up.
‘We now have collected a series of short lines, episodes in your life since early morning, bringing us down to the present moment. Now do the same thing in the reverse order, starting with the moment when you first opened your eyes this morning.'” (Constantin Stanislavski, An Actor Prepares)
At the end of the day, think of all the elements and events of the day.
At the end of the day, think of all the elements and events of the day.
- Start at the present moment. Where are you and what are you doing right now?
- What did you do before that? For example, you may have changed your clothes, had something to eat, driven home from work, greeted your family, or gone for a run.
- Repeat this in tiny increments until you reach the point at which you woke up in bed.
- Then do the same in reverse order. This time, consider the nature of each element:
- Which were more meaningful?
- Which were habitual and almost unconscious?
- What you felt, if anything, about each?
- If you were telling someone about your day, which elements would you highlight and which would you ignore as being unimportant.
- What is your overall feeling about this day and how it fits into your current life?
- Was it typical?
- Was it good, bad or neutral?
Exercise in future narrative
Now do the same thing for the future: the rest of your day or week. Stanislavski shows us the way:“‘Now, Kostya, let me see you do the same thing in the future, taking the latter half of today.’
‘How do I know what is going to happen to me in the immediate future?’ I asked.
‘Don’t you know that after this lesson you have other occupations, that you will go home, and have dinner? Have you nothing in prospect for this evening, no calls to make, no play, movie or lecture? You do not know that your intentions will be carried out but you can suppose that they will be. Then you must have some idea about the rest of the day.
Don’t you feel that solid line as it stretches out into the future, fraught with cares, responsibilities, joys and griefs? In looking ahead there is a certain movement, and where there is movement a line begins. If you join this line with the one that has gone before you will create one whole unbroken line that flows from the past, through the present, into the future, from the moment you wake in the morning until you close your eyes at night. That is how little individual lines flow together and form one large current that represents the life of a whole day.'” (Ibid)
We cannot know the future, but we can have ideas and plans for how it is likely to be and what it could be. This exercise shows us how the elements and events of each day connect to form the narrative of our lives. We can also become aware of our intellect as a storyteller. Stanislavski provides other examples and tools to help us in this awareness, and to help the intellect craft a compelling story that is based in reality and filled with positive possibilities for the future.
We cannot know the future, but we can have ideas and plans for how it is likely to be and what it could be. This exercise shows us how the elements and events of each day connect to form the narrative of our lives. We can also become aware of our intellect as a storyteller. Stanislavski provides other examples and tools to help us in this awareness, and to help the intellect craft a compelling story that is based in reality and filled with positive possibilities for the future.
Stanislavski’s tools
Stanislavski’s tools help us to reconceptualise our past narratives in positive ways and create new future stories that take us where we want to go.In the next articles, I will describe five concepts from Stanislavski’s writings that we can use to become mindful of the power of our intellect, and train it to work positively in guiding us to an intentional life.
- Observation: having a sense of curiosity and awareness about ourselves and the world around us, to ground us in reality and help us know ourselves. Listening to ourselves and others.
- Concentration of attention: active focus at different levels of awareness so that we pay attention where it matters and can sustain that attention when it matters.
- Imagination Part 1: The Magic If and Imagination Part 2: Prompts: how to stimulate and encourage positive creative thought and possibility out of our given circumstances.
- Given circumstances: the facts and circumstances of our lives in which our future stories are grounded and which constrain us; our situation in place and time; our relationships; what we are doing and want to do, and why; how we might get there.
- Units and objectives: breaking down our larger goals into smaller objectives, and creating smaller actions to achieve those objectives.
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