A centipede was happy – quite!
Until a toad in fun
Said, “Pray, which leg moves after which?”
This raised her doubts to such a pitch,
She fell exhausted in the ditch
Not knowing how to run.“The Centipede’s Dilemma” is a short poem which has given its name to an effect in psychology: the centipede effect (or centipede syndrome). This is when a normally automatic or unconscious activity is disrupted by consciousness of it or reflection on it. For example a golfer thinking too closely about their swing or someone thinking too much about how they knot their tie may find their performance of the task impaired. The effect is also known as hyper-reflection or Humphrey’s law[1] after the English psychologist George Humphrey (1889-1966) who propounded it in 1923. As he wrote of the poem, “This is a most psychological rhyme. It contains a profound truth which is illustrated daily in the lives of all of us”.
As I was doing my 2007 book, I ended up squarely in the Centipedes Delimma – After I got some recognition by MyPublisher for my 2006 book, I started to out-think myself and try to reproduce a hit. In stead of just rolling with it and making a book to my liking, I started to think about what made the ‘other’ book good.
Well, I had to step back for a bit, put the book down as soon as I recognized what was going on, which happened quickly, and let things settle. I have started working on the book again, but it still doesn’t feel quite natural just yet. I may have to step away again. The interesting thing is that I hadn’t even been back to MyPublisher to see if the book was on the front page … I just did and it isn’t, but that’s just fine, probably better. 
Beware of the Centipedes Delimma!
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I had never heard of that before. Now I have a name for one of my problems. I believe your book will come together in due time. You are too talented for it not to. Just have fun with it.
Monte Stevens recently posted..I Enjoyed the Walk
Well, at least it’s nice to be able to categorize your issues, Monte.
I’m not worried about the book and I am having lots and lots of fun looking back at the photos.
I have that syndrome once in a while – usually when someone asks me how I do something that I normally just do – suddenly you have to break it down into its components and you get psychologically tongue-tied. A minor example is tying a tie…I don’t think about it – when I do I suddenly get confused about the process. Fortunately, I don’t have to wear ties but once in a great great great while!
John recently posted..Back from Blogcation
John: This happens to me in Tai Chi, frequently. I learn part of a form, know it pretty well, do it with no problem. Then, suddenly, I start thinking about the moves, in particular the next move, then it just breaks down and looks horrible. One of my teachers spotted it one day and said: You started thinking about it, didn’t you? LOL – He was absolutely right!
Other good examples: if you’re typing with 10 fingers – just try to think about the next letter you want to hit. Or when playing piano… where’s that damn’ed c#?
All this has me wondering… Do caterpillars get the Centipede’s Dilemma?
Mark recently posted..Red-backed Salamander photo
Probably if they have toads as friends!
After years of loading film in reels in darkrooms, I was asked by some friends to show them how it’s done. I had so much trouble loading a test roll in daylight so they could see and describing what I was doing it was a joke. Sometimes over thinking something just doesn’t work.
Ken Bello recently posted..BLUE MONDAY 3
I seriously doubt that I could describe it, step by step either. No way!
Yeah, it’s a well-known phenomenon, in my language we simply call it “achievement anxiety”. Good you found yourself again, because it’s going to get a good book as long as you do it your way.
Ove recently posted..089
Like Ove I’ve only heard of this as “achievement anxiety” but “centipede effect” has a nice ring to it. After years of not wearing ties my son asked me to help him with his school tie. I took the tie, put it around my neck and did a half Windsor knot. Then slipped it off and gave it to him. But then he said “do it again slowly so I can see how to do it myself” and suddenly I couldn’t do it. It used to happen in TaiChi and Kung Fu as well. It’s like we create an action (as in Photoshop) which we use over and over again until one day we have to do it on somebody else’s computer and we haven’t got a clue how to go about it.
Yelp, I’ve certainly been the centipede on more then one occasion. Perhaps it’s a small victory in itself when you can recognize what’s happening at the time it’s happening…
Earl recently posted..I hear the train a coming…