[From Fred Nickols (2006.11.08.1046 EST)] --
Actually, I'm having a little trouble with the use of "co-opt." My
knee-jerk reaction to Rick's first post was to say that I was one of the
co-opters. Here's why:
A verb
1 co-opt
take or assume for one's own use; "He co-opted the criticism
and embraced it"
2 co-opt
appoint summarily or commandeer; "The army tried to co-opt
peasants into civil defence groups"
3 co-opt
choose or elect as a fellow member or colleague; "The church
members co-opted individuals from similar backgrounds to replenish the
congregation"
4 co-opt
neutralize or win over through assimilation into an
established group; "We co-opted the independent minority tribes by pulling
them into the Northern Alliance"
My ordinary use of co-opt is in sense 4, winning over through assimilation.
That's a result of my OD days and, believe me, management co-opted the OD
movement. Neuter and neutralize have a lot in common.
In sense 1, I'm a co-opter; I've liberally helped myself to PCT for my own
use.
I don't think senses 2 and 3 apply.
It doesn't seem to me that Carver et al are co-opting PCT in sense 4. They,
like me, seem to fall into sense 1.
Regards,
Fred Nickols
"Assistance at a Distance"
nickols@att.net
www.nickols.us
[From Rick Marken (2006.11.08.0820)]
Fred Nickols (2006.11.08.1046 EST)] --
Actually, I'm having a little trouble with the use of "co-opt." My
knee-jerk reaction to Rick's first post was to say that I was one of the
co-opters. ...
4 co-opt
neutralize or win over through assimilation into an
established group
That's what I mean by co-opt, too
It doesn't seem to me that Carver et al are co-opting PCT in sense 4. They,
like me, seem to fall into sense 1.
Your sense 1 is "take or assume for one's own use", which Carver and Scheier certainly did. But in the process the completely neutralized PCT -- ignoring the methodological implications of PCT, which are completely revolutionary, in order to assimilate PCT into the IV-DV research framework of the established group of research psychologists. Like you, I have "co-opted" PCT in sense 1; everyone correctly understands PCT and uses it for their on purposes is co-opting it in sense 1. But Carver and Scheier have co-opted PCT in the good old 1960s revolutionary sense of taking a revolutionary idea and changing all about it that is revolutionary -- except for the words used to describe it -- in order to make it palatable to the establishment. Sort of like what the right wing fundamentalists have done with the teaching of Jesus. Now THAT is co-opting!
Best
Rick
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