Study Tips

Why Hubbard Created His Own Terminology

When L. Ron Hubbard began mapping the mind and spirit, he discovered phenomena that had no adequate names in the existing English lexicon. Everyday words like “memory,” “soul,” and “unconscious” were already loaded with centuries of conflicting definitions from philosophy, psychology, and religion. Using them would inevitably import confusion into a subject that demanded exactness.

Consider the word “engram.” In Dianetics, an engram is a precise recording of a moment of pain and unconsciousness, stored at the cellular level, which can later be restimulated to produce irrational behavior and psychosomatic illness. Calling it a “bad memory” would be inaccurate — memories are recorded by the conscious mind and can be recalled at will. An engram operates below the level of consciousness entirely. The specific term maps to a specific phenomenon.

Similarly, “thetan” refers to the spiritual being itself — the awareness of being aware, the “I” behind the mind and body. Hubbard deliberately chose a new word rather than borrowing “soul” or “spirit,” because those terms carry assumptions from other traditions that do not apply in Scientology. A thetan is not inherently tied to any religious cosmology; it is an observed phenomenon that can be addressed with precise techniques.

“The reason for special Dianetics and Scientology terminology is to prevent the confusion of old meanings with new discoveries.” — L. Ron Hubbard

This precision is not academic pedantry. It is essential to application. When a practitioner reads an instruction containing the word “engram,” they know exactly what to look for and exactly how to address it. Vague language would produce vague results. Exact terminology enables exact application.

The Importance of Definitions

Of all the discoveries L. Ron Hubbard made about education, the most far-reaching is this: the single greatest barrier to learning any subject is the misunderstood word. A student who reads past a word they do not fully understand will experience a distinctly blank feeling about the passage that follows. The information seems to “go in one ear and out the other.” The student may read the same paragraph multiple times without retaining it.

If left uncorrected, the effect compounds. The student begins to feel frustrated, then bored, then hostile toward the subject. They may decide they are “not good at” the material or that it is too difficult. Eventually, they abandon the study altogether. This pattern is observable in classrooms around the world, and Hubbard traced its root cause to a single factor: misunderstood words.

“The misunderstood word is the basis of all stupidity and the basis of all illiteracy.” — L. Ron Hubbard

The solution is straightforward: whenever you encounter a word you do not fully understand, stop and look it up. Find the definition that applies in the context you are reading. Use the word in sentences of your own until you have a clear conceptual understanding of it. Then, and only then, continue reading. This simple discipline transforms the quality of study and the depth of comprehension.

How to Study Effectively

LRH Study Technology provides a set of practical principles that, when applied, make any subject learnable. These are not abstract theories — they are observable, testable techniques that produce consistent results.

• Look up every word you don't fully understand. This is the single most important study habit. Even common words can have specialized meanings in a given field. If you feel slightly uncertain about a word, look it up.
• Use the word in sentences until you own the concept. A definition read from a dictionary is not yet yours. Compose several sentences using the word until you can feel that you truly grasp its meaning and could explain it to someone else.
• Don't skip past confusion — go back and find the misunderstood word. When a passage suddenly seems unclear or blank, the misunderstood word is not in the sentence you are reading. It is earlier in the text. Go back to where you last understood clearly and look for the word you missed.
• Study with the intention to USE the material, not just to pass a test. Learning for application engages a different quality of attention than memorizing for an exam. When you read with the purpose of actually doing what you are studying, retention and understanding increase dramatically.
• Have the mass of what you are studying when possible. “Mass” means the physical objects or demonstrations related to the subject. Studying engine repair is far easier with an engine in front of you. When the actual object is not available, sketches, photographs, clay demonstrations, or even small objects used to represent components can serve as substitutes.
• Don't go past a gradient you haven't mastered. Every subject has a natural sequence of steps, each building on the last. Attempting an advanced concept before mastering the basics produces confusion that no amount of review can resolve. Go back to the earlier gradient, master it, then proceed.

These principles apply to any subject — not only Scientology. Students of mathematics, medicine, law, music, and every other field have found that applying Study Technology transforms their ability to learn and retain material.

The Three Barriers to Study

L. Ron Hubbard identified three distinct barriers that can prevent a student from learning. Each produces its own set of recognizable symptoms. Understanding these barriers allows a student to quickly identify what is blocking their progress and apply the correct remedy. You can read about each barrier in depth on the Barriers to Study page.

1. Lack of Mass

Studying a subject without having the physical thing present produces a distinct set of reactions: the student may feel squashed, bent, dizzy, or physically uncomfortable. A person studying tractors needs a tractor (or at least pictures and models of one) to study effectively. Attempting to learn entirely from abstract descriptions, with no connection to the real object, taxes the mind in a way that blocks comprehension. The remedy is to provide the mass — or a reasonable substitute such as sketches, clay models, or demonstrations. Learn more about this barrier →

2. Too Steep a Gradient

When a student is asked to perform at a level for which they have not built the prerequisite skills, they experience a kind of overwhelm — a feeling that the material is impossibly complicated. The remedy is not to push harder, but to step back and find the earlier, simpler step that was not fully mastered. Once that step is solid, the “impossible” material often becomes straightforward. Learn more about this barrier →

3. The Misunderstood Word

This is the most important of the three barriers. A word that is not understood or is wrongly understood blocks all comprehension from that point forward. The student goes blank, feels foggy, or becomes unable to grasp what they are reading — even though the material may be straightforward. The remedy is to find the misunderstood word, look it up in a good dictionary, clear each of its definitions, and use it in sentences until it is fully understood. Learn more about this barrier →

Word Clearing at AOGP

At the Advanced Organization of the Great Plains, we provide a free digital Word Clearing tool based on L. Ron Hubbard's Method 3 Word Clearing. This method involves reading a text aloud and identifying any word that causes hesitation, uncertainty, or a blank feeling — then looking it up, clearing all its definitions, and using it in sentences until it is fully understood.

Our online tool guides you through this process step by step. You can use it with any Scientology text to ensure you have a solid, word-perfect understanding of the material before moving forward. There is no charge and no obligation — it is provided as a service to students everywhere who want to apply LRH Study Technology to their studies.