Need a special term for fooling oneself.

[HareBrain]

Several times in my WIP a character in a magical semi-trance state tries to convince himself of something he would know logically to be untrue, to give his unconscious (and thus the magic) more power. For example, if he managed to convince himself that he was the reincarnation of King Harold, he would find it easier to connect with knowledge about King Harold swimming round in the ether.

Trouble is, I can't think of a snappy verb or phrase to refer to this. "Believe" is wrong, as his rational self doesn't hold it to be true. "Affirm" sounds a bit New-Agey for some reason. Any ideas?

 

[Jo Zebedee]

It almost sounds like it's around enhanced concentration. Focusing? Rationalising? Enhancing?

 

[Mouse]

Delusion. I dunno, I quite like 'affirm.'

 

[HareBrain]

Rationalising?

Made me think "irrationalising" might be a possibility, but ... uhm, not sure.

The trouble with "affirm" is it's already a psychological technique, and though both work in a similar way, I don't want them tangled up.

 

[prizzley]

Made me think "irrationalising" might be a possibility, but ... uhm, not sure.

The trouble with "affirm" is it's already a psychological technique, and though both work in a similar way, I don't want them tangled up.

Delusion-rationalisation with or without a hyphen, dr for short. Or with some elision, delisation, which has the advantage of 'sounds like' lie in the middle.

 

[The Judge]

Assert? Self-identify? Beguile? Profess? Sham? Enact? Personate?

 

[Juliana]

Assert? Self-identify? Beguile? Profess? Sham? Enact? Personate?

I like beguile! Has a nice ring to it...

 

[Phyrebrat]

In remote viewing there is a term called Front Loading which would seem to go with what you're after. Another is Analytic Overlay (AOL) or you have the good ol fashioned 'hoodwinked' which sounds more fantasy...

pH

 

[HareBrain]

Thanks for the ideas so far.

Assert? Self-identify? Beguile? Profess? Sham? Enact? Personate?

Don't pay too much attention to the reincarnation example. It could just as easily be the willing self-delusion that the sky is a bowl with holes in for the stars to shine through.

 

[The Judge]

You mean it isn't?

Anyhow... more thoughts...

Affect? Not effect -- though that's also possible. He affected. He affected himself. Perhaps not...

Give us a sentence so we can see exactly how you'd like to use the word, and that might help. (Mr-just-gone-by-4000-and-not-put-a-piece-up-for-critique.)

 

[Abernovo]

As TJ says, it would help to see a sentence, but, in the mean time, could he 'submerge' or 'immerse' himself in the trance/belief?

Admittedly, they're both recognised as words that go with trance and meditation techniques, but it's the best I've got right now.

 

[HareBrain]

I've found a bit. Can this count as my 4000-post critique?

But now, on his fourth dive, Orc felt ready. He was the young king-to-be, here for a wedding, not a death: he’d spent hours imprinting that truth on his psyche, purging Cass’s attempts to instil doubt.

(So he's convincing himself into a particular role here, but as I said, it could be he wants to change a fact about the world.)

I see I've used "imprinting" here, but I'm not sure that works generally.

I quite like "hoodwink" -- hadn't seen that when I last replied.

 

[Abernovo]

Imprinting works for me, HB, but possibly because it's the term used for ducklings accepting a 'parent'.

 

[The Judge]

I've found a bit. Can this count as my 4000-post critique?

Let's think... How about "No"?


"Imprinting" works fine in that sentence. You'd always need a longer sentence using it generally because just a "He imprinted" would be a bit odd, ie "He imprinted the image, the had-to-be-truth in his mind" but then you'd have to do the same with something like "He beguiled his mind into believing" or "He asserted the truth to himself".

If you wanted a sentence which was no more than a "He[verb]ed" you might have to invent a word, so it carried only the associations you wanted and no others.

 

[nubins]

Isnt this self hypnosis?

Other phrases that come to mind.. from a magical perspective.. ensorcelled(sp?) & bewitched. Other more worldy phrases.. training, (in)scribing, ingraining ?

 

[kaal]

My first thought was auto-suggestion, as in self-hypnosis.
You could also have auto-imprinting, just to emphasise that the process is entirely internal.
K

 

[TheDustyZebra]

I think imprinting works perfectly. It implies a process of printing something into his brain, brings engraving to mind, and, yes, has the added relevance of ducklings deciding something is their mother even though it's obviously not true.

"Overprinting" is another possibility, but it doesn't have the same connotations.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Empathise?

 

[crystal haven]

I've found a bit. Can this count as my 4000-post critique?

But now, on his fourth dive, Orc felt ready. He was the young king-to-be, here for a wedding, not a death: he’d spent hours imprinting that truth on his psyche, purging Cass’s attempts to instil doubt.

(So he's convincing himself into a particular role here, but as I said, it could be he wants to change a fact about the world.)

I see I've used "imprinting" here, but I'm not sure that works generally.

I quite like "hoodwink" -- hadn't seen that when I last replied.

I like imprinting too. I wondered about 'absorbing'.

 

[Warren_Paul]

I like imprinting too.