inhibition Throughout the early years of our lives we build our identity through interacting with the world around us, namely by interacting with the people around us in our first language. In this way our egos are built and are very intimately connected to our first languages. For this reason, it is when speaking our first language that we truly feel like ourselves. Our first language is the language that expresses our identity. Through years of experience we have learned how to say the right thing at the right time and avoid making mistakes that could cause us embarrassment. We have learned how to skillfully give others the impression of us that we want them to have. As we grow up and establish our identity some of us build weak egos and some of us build strong egos. People with weak egos avoid situations or actions that might damage their ego by causing them embarrassment, humiliation, or loss of face. They like to stay in situations they are familiar with, situations that make them look good. They will only do something if they know they can do it well. People with strong egos however, do not feel such a strong need to protect their ego. They do not feel the need to avoid situations that might cause them to lose face. They are less likely to blame themselves when unavoidable mistakes happen. They know that it is unavoidable to make mistakes when trying to do something unfamiliar. They know that everybody falls down the first time they try on skis. Likewise, they know that everybody makes errors when trying to use a second language. People with high egos have a certain feeling of security and self-esteem that people with weak egos are lacking. From comparing people with weak egos to those with strong egos, we can see that the human ego builds a wall of defenses around itself. These defenses manifest themselves as a sort of fear that causes us to avoid unfamiliar or potentially embarrassing situations. This fear and the behavior associated with it are generally referred to as inhibition. It is our inhibition that keeps us from doing something that we might regret such as taking off all our clothes in hot weather. In that sense inhibition can be viewed as a part of our personalities that is necessary for living in a society and obeying its norms. On the other hand, if an irrational fear of trying something new keeps us from learning something necessary for our personal, psychological, or intellectual growth, then it is a problem that must be dealt with. When inhibitions caused by a weak ego interfere with language learning, the learner and the teacher must team together to overcome them.
how inhibition can interfere with language learning Inhibitions can manifest themselves in a number of ways during language learning. One of these would be people’s rejection of other languages in their surroundings. Many people don’t even want to be in a situation in which people are using other languages because they are afraid that their own ignorance or lack of education will be exposed. They simply don’t tolerate the use of other languages in their presence. For example, here in Korea, just the simple presence of English causes some people to feel inadequate because they feel like it is something they should know but have failed in learning. To avoid the language they may leave the situation, criticize people for using the language, or simply make fun of the language. These weak-ego people may pretend to be strong in order to protect themselves. They are often "too cool to use English", or "too proud of their own culture to use English". Another common manifestation of inhibition in language learning is when learners avoid using the second language to communicate because they don’t believe they can express their personality through it or because they are afraid that the personality they express in the second language does not make them look good. It is only natural to feel frustrated when trying to express oneself through a second language. In a second language we are generally less capable of saying the right thing at the right time and making a good impression on others. In fact, most of us are reduced to a humiliating child-like status. Even if we do succeed at developing some proficiency in the second language, we still don’t like the personality it expresses. Some Koreans for example have complained that they don’t feel that they can "show respect" for others when speaking English because it lacks the honorific morphemes that their own language has. Likewise, Americans speaking Korean may dislike having to speak to people differently according to age. They might consider it "undemocratic". In this sense we can see that the first language ego might wind up being at war with the learner’s growing second language identity, often due to cultural differences between the two languages. This is why learners with high inhibition generally feel safer when analyzing or translating languages than with learning through direct experience. During such language learning activities they never actually have to leave the security of their first language at all. Yet another way inhibition manifests itself in language learning is in learners’ avoidance of language use situations that might cause them to make mistakes or errors that hurt their pride. When learners actually use a target language to communicate they often must go beyond using what they are sure of and take chances with what they are unsure of. This can happen in listening and reading as well as speaking and writing. When listening, language learners are often forced to make guesses about what they just heard, and often must even act on those guesses. This action of guessing from context is a very important part of "natural" or "direct" language learning. When learning a language without translation, one must always make guesses in order to figure out the meaning of the new expressions otherwise they will never learn. When speaking, language learners must often try to make sentences that they have never made before or even heard before and use words or forms they are unsure of. This action of testing hypotheses is also extremely necessary in language learning. It is how learners discover the rules of the target language through trial and error and eventually construct a system in their head. In conclusion, inhibition can interfere with the learner ever using the language communicatively, or even ever tolerating the presence of the language.
the teacher’s role in helping learners overcome their inhibitions Can language teachers get rid of learners’ inhibitions? The answer to this question would be both "yes", and "no". As for the primary cause of inhibition itself, the ego, there is not much that can be done. If a person has a weak ego and therefore constantly feels very insecure and threatened, there is very little that a language teacher can do. One’s ego is formed before puberty and seems to be fixed and unchangeable once it is formed. A language teacher cannot cure a language learner’s weak ego. In the words of H.D. Brown, it is the language learner herself that needs to "muster the necessary ego strength" to face the potentially embarrassing situations that arise during language learning. Ultimately, the language learner must confront her fears and use the language. Only by using the language regularly and learning to cope with the feelings of embarrassment, insecurity, and inadequacy involved will the learner ever actually overcome those feelings. Language teachers can help in this struggle however. Some common suggestions are that teachers could provide a sort of counseling. At one level this counseling would involve discussing the feeling and helping the learner to realize that their fear is irrational. It could also involve praise and encouragement to help build self-esteem. It could also involve avoiding critical or negative feedback that could cause the learner more fear. It is important to keep in mind however, that learners must eventually DO what they fear, otherwise they will never overcome the fear. In that sense, the following are the most important thing that a teacher can do to help the students:
The most important way teachers can help their students overcome their inhibitions is by providing a lot of opportunities for them to face those inhibitions and get used to confronting them. Students with high inhibition need to actually DO the thing that they most fear, creative, unplanned use of the language. It is just like any person seeking therapy for a phobia. If a person is afraid of heights then counseling might help, but it would all be a waste of time if she doesn’t eventually face her fear in some way. A psychiatrist might eventually have a person who is afraid of heights take a ride on an airplane or do other such tasks. Likewise, since language learners with high inhibition fear misunderstandings and miscommunication, a language teacher could actually have them practice clearing up misunderstandings and miscommunication in intense communicative activities that are not very guided or controlled. They could for example participate in a role-play in which they must negotiate some touchy or embarrassing situation. For example, the teacher could put them into pairs and then give them situation cards. The situation cards could give difficult situations that they must work out in unplanned production in a role-play. A situation card might read like the following:
While doing such a role playing task the students are forced to engage in unplanned production, using all of their language resources, including a lot that they are unsure of. While doing so they must also express a personality and even get to practice the cultural norms of the target language while trying to communicate in a socio-linguistically appropriate manner. This type of task prepares them for the real world of language use and helps them build a second language identity. Furthermore, since the students are working in pairs instead of a full-class setting, they all get an opportunity to try it. Pair work gives students a chance to speak that they might not get if they had to do it one-on-one with their teacher. In conclusion, communicative activities in small groups give students more opportunities to practice facing and overcoming their inhibitions about the target language. When forcing students to confront their inhibitions however, the teacher must create situations that the students are actually likely to try to do and succeed in doing. It would be pointless to give them some task that is so overwhelming or uncomfortable to them that they don’t even try. Mainly, the teacher needs to offer enough safety for the students’ egos so they will be willing to risk a try. This brings out yet another big advantage of group work and pair work. When students speak one-on-one with their peers their ego is less threatened. If they mess up, then only a few people will see their humiliation as opposed to a full class of people judging their inadequacy. They might also feel comfortable when comparing themselves to a peer instead of the teacher. They might realize that their peers make the same mistakes as them. Learners find this comforting. They can laugh together with a feeling of relief at their shared struggle and mishaps. Besides pair work and group work, teachers can also lower students inhibitions by focusing on meaning instead of form. In order to help their students be more willing to try to speak teachers should correct fewer errors and be more accepting of their students attempts to answer questions. Teachers who feel the need to correct errors can do so while pointing out that they are natural and unavoidable. They can tell the student who made the error that it is a very common error and that all the other students have been making the same error. Students will feel less embarrassed if they know that other students are making the same error. They need to know that it is not an attack against them alone. Teachers can also write down the errors they hear their students making frequently and discuss them later writing them anonymously on the board instead of spotlighting one individual student’s problem in front of the whole class. If a teacher feels the need to correct errors, then more subtle and communicative techniques can be used like clarification requests and recasting instead of explicit correction. Also, when the students focus on an interesting topic or task instead of a grammar form, they are less likely to be overwhelmed by their frustrating inability to speak correctly. They will get satisfaction out of completing the task or discussing the topic and while doing so may get some necessary practice in expressing their ideas and opinions in the target language. They might also learn that nobody really cares if they don’t speak perfectly as long as they can communicate effectively. Besides allowing students to protect their egos while using the language, a teacher might also allow students to escape their egos while using the language. The most obvious way of doing this is to provide students with some imaginary character or personality that they must play. Students with high inhibitions often come out of their shell when given opportunities to play some role. They find safety in the persona of an imaginary character and when they mess up their own ego is not at risk. Some teachers encourage their students to take fake names in class or even put on hats. Communicative activities can focus on role-plays and dramas in which students stop being themselves and get a chance to be someone else. When teachers try this for the first time they never believe that their inhibited students will participate, but they are almost always to find that the inhibited students actually do. Everybody needs a chance to play around and be goofy with a target language. Role-playing and drama provides such an opportunity. Role-playing and drama are not the only time students escape their ego. Any fun or interesting activity can provide such an opportunity. When students are wrapped up in some really compelling topic they often forget about protecting their ego. When students are having a really good time playing some game they also leave their ego behind. Teachers are often surprised to find how goofy their uptight adult students can get when given the chance. In conclusion, it is a mistake to think that inhibited students need to be coddled. Controlled practice and grammar translation teaching does very little to help. Students can do these for eternity and still feel overwhelmed when faced with a situation in which they must engage in unplanned language use. Praise is often just a waste of time for people with low self-esteem because it can never actually fill the hole in their fragile ego. Learners with a weak ego simply have to learn how to cope with it. They need many opportunities to face their fears. Of course praise and controlled activities can help build learners up to eventually face their fears, but ultimately, learners must actually DO what they fear. Teachers must use communicative activities from day one. Teachers need provide these opportunities delicately and help the students to do what they fear. Not only do teachers have to know when to push and when not to push, but they also have to know HOW to push.
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