You Are Not Book.indb - Stephen H. Wolinsky Ph. D.

42 / You Are Not
some sensations (or perceived aspects) of something in
reality are left out of the meaning of the label for that
thing. Any word or description can represent only some
aspects of something in reality. As Korzybski put it: ‘The
object has more characteristics [such as its features or
qualities] than we can include in the . . . definition of
the label for the object.’ (Korzybski, Science and Sanity,
p. 414)” (Sawin)
“Korzybski often used the terms map and territory
to help explain the difference between the non-verbal
levels of reality (territory) and the verbal levels (maps),
consisting of words, descriptions, beliefs, theories, etc.
(Korzybski, Science and Sanity, p. 58) With language we
create map-like descriptions of the territory of reality.
The map is not the territory and the word is not the
thing, and there is ‘. . . no connection between the symbol
and that which is symbolized.’ (Hayakawa, Language
in Thought and Action, p. 22) Among other things, this
last quote means that just because there is a word for
something that does not mean that the something actually
exists. For example, as far as scientists know, there is
no thing or process in the real world which corresponds
to the word ‘luck.’” (Sawin)
This becomes a major departure point in both appreciating
and understanding the problem with modern-day psychology.
First let us begin by understanding that the description or
symbol of the thing is not the thing. In this way characterizing,
diagnosing, or typing people in some way can only describe
behavior, but the description is not the thing it is describing.
Moreover, “there is no connection between the symbol, (diagnosis
character type, etc.) and the symbolized (the person
to whom it is referring). Furthermore, just because the nervous
system symbolizes something or someone, this does not