This glossary contains the Dianetics and Scientology terms appearing in What Is Scientology?
aberration: a departure from rational thought or behavior. It means basically to err, to make mistakes, or more specifically to have fixed ideas which are not true. The word is also used in its scientific sense. It means departure from a straight line. If a line should go from A to B, then if it is aberrated it would go from A to some other point, to some other point, to some other point, to some other point, to some other point, and finally arrive at B. Taken in this sense, it would also mean the lack of straightness or to see crookedly as, for example, a man sees a horse but thinks he sees an elephant. Aberrated conduct would be wrong conduct, or conduct not supported by reason. When a person has engrams, these tend to deflect what would be his normal ability to perceive truth and bring about an aberrated view of situations which then would cause an aberrated reaction to them. Aberration is opposed to sanity, which would be its opposite. From the Latin, aberrare, to wander from; Latin, ab, away, errare, to wander.
ABLE: an acronym for Association for Better Living and Education International. See Chapter 31.
action phrases: word phrases contained as part of the content of engrams which dictate some type of action in the mind.
affinity: the degree of liking or affection or lack of it. It is the feeling of love or liking for something or someone.
affinity-reality-communication (ARC) triangle: a triangle which is a symbol of the fact that affinity, reality and communication act together to bring about understanding. No point of the triangle can be raised without also raising the other two points, and no point of it can be lowered without also lowering the other two points. See Chapter 4.
analytical mind: that part of the mind which one consciously uses and is aware of. It is the portion of the mind which thinks, observes data, remembers it and resolves problems. See Chapter 4.
antisocial personality: a person who possesses a distinct set of characteristics and mental attitudes that cause him to suppress other people in his vicinity. This is the person whose behavior is calculated to be disastrous. Also called suppressive person. See Chapter 17.
apparency: something that seems to be, that appears to be a certain way; something that appears to be but is different from the way it looks. In Dianetics and Scientology apparency is used to mean something that looks one way but is, in actual fact, something else. For example, a person gives an apparency of health, whereas he is actually sick. From the Latin, apparere, to appear.
ARC: a word coined from the initial letters of affinity, reality and communication. See Chapter 4.
ARC break: a sudden drop or cutting of affinity, reality or communication with someone or something. Upsets with people or things (ARC breaks) come about because of a lessening or sundering of affinity, reality or communication or understanding. Scientologists usually use the term ARC break instead of upset, because if one discovers which of the three points of understanding have been cut, one can bring about a rapid recovery in the persons state of mind.
assessment: an auditing technique which helps to isolate specific areas or subjects on which a preclear has charge so that they can be addressed in auditing.
auditing: Scientology counseling, taken from the Latin word audire which means to hear or listen. Auditing is a very unique form of personal counseling which helps an individual look at his own existence and improves his ability to confront what he is and where he is. See Chapter 5.
Auditing by List: a technique used in certain auditing procedures.
auditor: a minister or minister-in-training of the Church of Scientology. Auditor means one who listens, from the Latin audire meaning to hear or listen. An auditor is a person trained and qualified in applying auditing to individuals for their betterment. An auditor does not do anything to a preclear, he works together with the preclear to help the preclear defeat his reactive mind. See Chapter 5.