“The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice, there is little we can do to change; until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds.” – R.D. Laing – Scottish psychiatrist
The quote is among the most incisive observations made by R. D. Laing, a Scottish psychiatrist whose work fundamentally reshaped how the world understands mental health, perception, and consciousness.
This reflection appears in Daniel Goleman’s Vital Lies, Simple Truths, a seminal work on the psychology of self-deception and the mechanisms by which individuals and institutions hide painful truths from themselves. Goleman’s book explores how the human mind deploys subtle avoidance strategies, not merely to escape uncomfortable realities, but to shield entire frameworks of thought from scrutiny. Laing’s insight captures the paradox that the greatest limitations on our freedom and awareness stem from that which remains invisible to us—not out of malice or ignorance, but precisely because the act of not noticing is itself unnoticed.
Laing’s statement addresses a core theme in Vital Lies, Simple Truths: the mental blind spots that arise from habitual thinking, cultural conditioning, and social pressures. Only by cultivating awareness of these patterns can individuals or organizations begin to expand their potential for change and adaptation.
R. D. Laing: The Person Behind the Quote
Ronald David Laing (1927–1989) was a British psychiatrist whose career challenged the mainstream conventions of psychiatry, particularly in the treatment and understanding of schizophrenia. He emerged as a leading voice in what was labeled the “anti-psychiatry” movement (though Laing himself rejected this term). Rather than viewing psychosis as a biological flaw to be chemically or physically corrected, Laing argued that “madness” was often a meaningful—if deeply troubled—response to untenable situations, usually within the structure of the family or society.
Laing was deeply influenced by existentialist and phenomenologist philosophers such as Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Jaspers, and Merleau-Ponty. He believed that the lived experience of the patient—what they perceived, thought, and felt—was central, and should be taken seriously as an expression of existential reality. In his explorations, Laing even traveled to Asia to study Buddhist meditation, seeking insights into the nature of consciousness and the boundaries of perception.
Laing’s clinical innovations included his willingness to simply sit with deeply disturbed patients, listening without preconceptions and attempting to understand the “existential truth” behind their symptoms. He rejected the prevailing emphasis on physical treatments such as electroshock and lobotomy, advocating for a more humane, attentive, and socially aware psychiatry.
Theoretical Foundations and Leading Thinkers
Laing’s work was at the intersection of multiple influential currents:
- Harry Stack Sullivan: Emphasized interpersonal relationships in shaping mental health, influencing Laing to seek real (not merely imagined) sources of psychological distress.
- Gregory Bateson: Developed the “double bind” theory, positing that schizophrenia can arise from chronic exposure to contradictory messages, particularly in families. Laing built on this by suggesting that psychotic speech and behavior are attempts to communicate otherwise unutterable distress.
- Karl Jaspers: While Jaspers deemed many symptoms “un-understandable,” Laing countered by insisting that even the most bizarre expressions of mental illness had personal and social meaning.
- Michel Foucault and David Cooper: Fellow critics of mainstream psychiatry, these thinkers argued that the construction of “madness” is shaped by historical, social, and political forces.
Together, these theorists challenged the reduction of mental suffering to mere biochemical imbalance, insisting on the complex interplay between individual perception, family structure, social context, and culture.
The Subject’s Lasting Impact
Laing’s approach—and the insight captured in the quote—remains vital today, not just in psychiatry but in any domain where awareness, self-limitation, and the unseen forces shaping behaviour are of concern. His work underscores the necessity of noticing our own blind spots, because only from that awareness can meaningful change originate. The journey toward transformation, personally or collectively, begins with “noticing what we fail to notice”—and recognizing how our unnoticed frames of reference define what we believe is possible.
