PACIFIC WORLD - The Institute of Buddhist Studies

332Pacific WorldMiller’s analysis—function to help stabilize the cognitive system in the faceof perceived threats:Omission:Error:Queuing:Filtering:Abstracting:Escape:Chunking:failing to transmit certain randomly distributed signalsin a messageincorrectly transmitting certain signals in a messagedelaying transmission of certain signals in a message,the sequence being temporarily stored untiltransmissiongiving priority in processing to certain classes ofmessagesprocessing a message with less than complete detailacting to cut off information inputtransmitting meaningful information in organized“chunks” of symbols rather than symbol by symbol 40To escape threatening inputs, for example, we may simply ignore (consciouslyor unconsciously) information that contradicts our beliefs or selfimage.Some degree of filtering also seems to be built into the cognitivesystem, since inputs that do not fit cognitive maps will tend to simply gounregistered.Important in the functioning of all the above homeostatic processes isobject-oriented attention. Homeostasis involves a defensive posture towardslife, and as Gilbert points out, “The attention structure in defense isfocused rather than open.” 41 This “focusing” correlates with an objectorientedengagement with the world, reflecting the cognitive system’sattempts to manipulate “things” in order to maximize safety. Such attentionmay be directed either externally (on “objects”) or internally (onthoughts). It takes the form of a non-reflective immersion in a world ofobjects that rarely focuses on anything in particular (i.e., it is not concentrative).Instead, it involves a rapid shifting of attention among objects.Fluctuating between the mental and the external and driven by whateveregocentric agenda is at the forefront of consciousness, object-orientedattention is accompanied by a loss of any felt, existential appreciation forthe moment.Directed externally, this type of attention reinforces perceptual dualismand the presumption of an ontological distinction between subject andobject. As discussed above, one of the self-reinforcing aspects of the mentalsystem is the perceived world itself—being a construction of conceptualconstructs, it reflects those constructs back to the system. Object-orientedattention is a central factor supporting this involvement in a constructedworld. In doing so, it also operates in conjunction with conceptual con-