Webvan manen (1990) illustrates the multifaceted nature of silence by describing three variations: The literal, the epistemological and the ontological. Webin an integrative science symposium at the inaugural international convention of psychological science in amsterdam, the netherlands, an eminent panel. Webthe culture in which the silence occurs can itself determine its meaning: In some cultures, for example, it implies wisdom or respect; In others, it is an absence of. Webwhat of silence that we must train our bodies to produce—to listen intensely or extensively, to meditate? What of silence that defies cultural norms and/or power. Illustration by wesley allsbrook. She was sitting in a youth bible. When silence speaks volumes. Silence can be more than the absence of words; It can be a potent indicator of underlying conflicts. Webneedless to say, for long, silences have been understood as placeholders whose main function was to signal the absence, e. g. , of audible sound, linguistic signs,. Webexperiences of emotional absence, such as feeling numb with shock or grief, feeling unamused, or feeling fearless, are not simply flat or neutral states of awareness,.
