Following is a small collection of word definitions given by Ron in response to a query about their meanings. They are passed on for your information and use. All the words appear on the HDC or HDG courses.
A departure from rational thought or behavior. From the Latin aberrare, to wander from, Latin ab, away, errare, to wander. It means basically to err, to make mistakes, or more specifically to have fixed ideas which are not true. The word is also used in its scientific sense. It means departure from a straight line. If a line should go from A to B, then if it is "aberrated" it would go from A to some other point, to some other point, to some other point, to some other point, to some other point, and finally arrive at B.
Taken in its scientific sense, it would also mean the lack of straightness or to see crookedly as an example, a man sees a horse but thinks he sees an elephant. Aberrated conduct would be wrong conduct or conduct not supported by reason. When a person has engrams, these tend to deflect what would be his normal ability to perceive truth and bring about an aberrated view of situations which then would cause an aberrated reaction to them. Aberration is opposed to sanity, which would be its opposite. Aberree was sometimes used in the early days of Dianetics to designate an aberrated person,
Something said or done to inform another that his statement or action has been noted, understood and received. "Very good," "OK," and other such phrases are intended to inform another who has spoken or acted that his statement or action has been accepted. An acknowledgment also tends to confirm that the statement has been made or the action has been done and so brings about a condition not only of communication but of reality between two or more people. Applause at a theater is an acknowledgment of the actor or act plus approval. Acknowledgment itself does not necessarily apply in approval or disapproval or any other thing beyond the knowledge that an action or statement has been observed and is received. In signaling with the Morse code the receiver of a message transmits an R to the sender as a signal that the message has been received, which is to say acknowledged.
There is such a thing an over-acknowledgment and there is such a thing as under-acknowledgment. A correct and exact acknowledgment communicates to someone who has spoken that what he has said has been heard. An acknowledgment tends to terminate or end the cycle of communication, and when expertly used can sometimes stop a continued statement or continued action. An acknowledgment is also part of the communication formula and is one of its steps. The Scientologist, sometimes, in using Scientologese abbreviates this to "ack," he "acked" the person.
This is a noun which means an individual who co-operates with, supports and helps another for a common object, a supporter, a friend. In Dn and Scn it basically means someone who protects a person who is in a weak state and becomes a very strong influence over the person. The weaker person, such as a child even partakes the characteristics of the ally so that one may find that a person who has, for instance, a bad leg, has it because a protector or ally, in his youth, had a bad leg. The word is from the French and Latin and means to bind together
A composite word meaning the action of altering or changing the reality of something. Is-ness means the way it is. When someone sees it differently, he is doing an "alter-is" — in other words, is altering the way it is. This is taken from the Axioms.
A thing which has been added. This usually has a bad meaning in that an additive is said to be something needless or harmful which has been done in addition to standard procedure. Additive normally means a departure from standard procedure.
For example, an auditor puts different or additional words into a standard process or command. It means a twist on standard procedure. In common English, it might mean a substance put into a compound to improve its qualities or suppress undesireable qualities. In Dn and Scn, it definitely means to add something to the technology or procedure resulting in undesirable results.
A contraction or shortening of the word administration. Admin is used as a noun to denote the actions involved in administering an organization. The clerical and executive decisions, actions and duties necessary to the running of an organization such as originating and answering mail, typing, filing, dispatching, applying policy, and all those actions, large and small which make up an organization.
Admin is also used to denote the action or fact of keeping auditor's reports, summary reports, worksheets and other records related to an auditing session. "He kept good admin" meaning that his summary report, auditor's report and worksheets were neat, exactly on pattern, in proper sequence, and easily understood, as well as complete. "His admin was bad" from the scribble and disorderly keeping of records of the session while it was in progress one could not make out what had happened in the session.
You will also see the word admin in connection with the three musts of a well run organization. It is said that its Ethics, Tech and Admin must be "in," which mean they must be properly done, orderly and effective. The word derives from minister, which means to serve. Administer means to manage, govern, arrange financial transactions as a steward or executor, to apply or direct the application of laws or discipline, to conduct or execute religious offices, dispense rights. It comes from the Latin administrare, "to manage, carry out, accomplish, to attend, wait, serve. " In modern English, when they use administration, they mean management or running of government, or the group that is in charge of the organization or the state.
Capable of resolving, such as problems, situations. The analytical mind would be the conscious aware mind which thinks, observes data, remembers it and resolves problems. It would be essentially the conscious mind as opposed to the unconscious mind. In Dn and Scn the analytical mind is the one which is alert and aware and the reactive mind simply reacts without analysis.
The word analytical is from the Greek analysis, meaning to resolve, undo, loosen, which is to say take something to pieces to see what it is made of. This is one of those examples of the shortcomings of the English language since no dictionary gives the word analytical any connection with thinking, reasoning, perceiving, which in essence is what it would have to mean, even in English.
A word made from the initial letters of Affinity, Reality, Communication which together equate to understanding. It is pronounced by stating its letters A-R-C. To Scientologists, it has come to mean good feeling, love or friendliness, such as "he was in ARC with his friend. " One does not however, fall out of ARC, he has an ARC Break. (See below.)
A sudden drop or cutting of one's affinity, reality, or communication with someone or something. Upsets with people, or things come about because of a lessening or sundering of affinity, reality, or communication or understanding. It's called an ARC Break instead of an upset because, if one discovers which of the three points or understanding have been cut, one can bring about a rapid recovery in the person's state of mind. It is pronounced by its letters ARC Break.
When an ARC break is permitted to continue over too long a period of time and remains in restimulation, a person goes into a 'sad effect,' which is to say they become sad and mournful, usually without knowing what is causing it. This condition is handled by finding the earlier ARC Break on the chain. Finding whether it was a break in Affinity, Reality, Communication or Understanding, and indicating it to the person, always, of course, in session.