Scientology terminology

Scientology terminology consists of a complex assortment of jargon used by Scientologists in conjunction with the practice of Scientology and in their everyday lives. It is difficult if not impossible to understand Scientology without understanding its terminology the way Hubbard defines it.

L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Church of Scientology, created a large number of jargon terms or Scientologese to refer to various concepts in Scientology and the related practice of Dianetics. By the time he died in 1986, he had devised a thicket of language or nomenclature by means of which one and all are indoctrinated in Scientology religious lore.

Hubbard's Scientology terminology consists of two types of terms:

Scientology terminology is defined in the Dianetics and Scientology Technical Dictionary (ISBN ) and Modern Management Technology Defined (ISBN ). The latter is known colloquially within Scientology as the "Admin Dictionary". Between them, the two volumes reportedly define over 3,000 Scientology terms in over 1,100 pages of definitions.

Hubbard explained the purpose of creating new terms in the foreword to the Dianetics and Scientology Technical Dictionary:

The early approach is apparent in Hubbard's use of the suffix "-ness" to turn arbitrary concepts into qualities: "havingness," "livingness," "reelingness," "as-is-ness."

Hubbard's terminology is used so thoroughly in Scientology as to render many church materials incomprehensible under a standard English reading using only an English dictionary as reference. Scientologists will study hard to learn all this terminology, since one of Hubbard's teachings is that "...the only reason a person gives up a study or becomes confused or unable to learn is because he or she has gone past a word that was not understood." It is also used extensively in offshoots of Scientology, such as the Narconon drug rehabilitation program or the Applied Scholastics education program. Scientologists often use Scientology terminology in non-Scientology contexts as well, such as in social or office situations. This can actually wreak havoc for a member of the public hears the word "communication" coming from a Scientologist and he thinks he understands what "communication" means but the word "communication" in Scientology is a highly "technical" term which has very little to do with what is generally considered communication. "Communication" is not the only word that has a special meaning in Scientology but it is the most important one. There are other words such as "technology", "administration", "logic", "ethics", "control", etc. that have a specially unique meaning in Scientology.

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