The Importance Of Connecting

While continuing to read “Burn Journals”, I came across a situation where Brent is simply tired of his psychologist. I can relate to this because personally I have felt this way. I think he feels this way because Dr. Rubenstein, his psychologist doesn’t do any effort to connect with him. This is when we go back to rhetoric and audience. She doesn’t know how to adapt to the situation, so she can't gain Brent’s trust, therefore she is unable, to obtain important information to help him.

Throughout the book he keeps on stating how much he hates her, and how she has nothing to do with him or his life. How he has no problems and she should simply back off. In this quote we can se how much he really dislikes her, “Dr.Rubenstein is here again with her annoying voice. I really don’t like her. I really don’t.” He really emphasizes how much he hates her. Therefore, she cant do her work and is being ineffective, for anything she tells Brent is going to go in from one ear and out through the other.

In order to connect with him she should have acted like his friend. As soon as she met him, all she did was question him. Sometimes even making him feel bad. She needed to create a bond, like if they were friends so he would tell her the truth and let her help him out.

Even if she is determined to help him, she can’t anymore. Brent is simply not going to cooperate with her, and for him to move on he has to help himself as well. Here we can see how Brent is simply not going to work with her, “I see how it works. If I don’t answer, shell be stuck on the first question and she won’t be able to work up on the more complicated ones”. Now using the ignoring technique, which isn’t going to take him anywhere, but he thinks it’s actually very effective. He is harming his own self!