The first component of a discourse is the jargon which is promoted by the "experts" who represent the discourse. They often offer "glossaries" to lay people so they can understand the special language. in 1984, the dystopian novel about Oceania, the jargon of the party is "newspeak". Have you noticed how the 2025, MAGA, group has coined a jargon of their own to promote their desire to oppress, subjugate, and dominate? Are immigrants "undocumented" or "illegals"? Are guilty insurrectionists "felons" or "patriots"? Is all news that doesn't report MAGA's "alternative facts" "fake news"?
Every discourse has its own jargon, a taxonomy of words that describe and define the discourse. This jargon predominates in every discourse whether it be the medical, the legal, the educational, or any other discourse. In order to understand the dynamics of the discourse, the observer must learn the language.
Words are powerful because they shape our thoughts. Without the words we couldn’t think the way we do. Our thinking is skewed based on the words that make up our thoughts. So, if you want to influence and control how people think, use certain words that contribute to thinking that shapes their beliefs and then their behavior.
The same result of controlling people’s thinking by introducing certain words into their vocabulary is to censor and eliminate other words. In our current society in 2025, those who would control us label words they don’t like as “fake news.” They take other steps to censor certain words in what is called “cancel culture” and certain words require “trigger warnings” to warn people about unwanted emotional arousal at the sound of certain words.
While we take pride in the US about our first amendment rights to free speech, speech is anything but free because of the normative sanctions that are placed on unwanted words in any number of ways.
Those who control the acceptable words, control the thoughts, and controlling the thoughts, controls the behavior. So in Oceania in the novel 1984, there are the thought police who surveil people’s use of language and punish them or vanish them if they are found to be perpetrating the use of certain words unacceptable to Big Brother and the Party.
Introducing new words for an observation or experience in psychotherapy is called a “reframe” where a new word is substituted for an old one which isn’t serving the person or the group well. As a therapist I act on the motto “If you can’t name it, you can’t control it. So what do you call it?”
Naming a perception and experience is very powerful not only for individual functioning but for group functioning and societal functioning as well. So if you want to understand the power that a discourse has over you first learn the jargon. Learning the jargon unlocks an understanding of the other components of a discourse.
Use your words carefully because the words produce thoughts which produce beliefs which produce behavior.
Use your words consciously. They have power to influence.
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