Genetics may be fixed, but conditioning is not: We can desensitize ourselves to the fear of stuttering or negative reactions. We can reinterpret how we perceive stuttering, and so, reshape our responses. Direct your energy toward what you CAN influence, not what you cannot

Genetics may be fixed, but conditioning is not: We can desensitize ourselves to the fear of stuttering or negative reactions. We can reinterpret how we perceive stuttering, and so, reshape our responses. Direct your energy toward what you CAN influence, not what you cannot I created this image, and here’s the [PDF version ](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NBRaOSwZc698hXGZAnzYXhmkQ5gteToS/view?usp=sharing)(via Google Drive)—please you enjoy it! A few speech-language pathologists and researchers[¹](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stutter/comments/1jmiinr/megacollection_personal_views_on_what_causes/) believe that genetics may play a role in setting the stage for stuttering; but genetics alone don’t determine whether stuttering will actually develop. Personally I think it’s fair to say that *stuttering anticipation* can, over repeated attempts, be linked to a conditioned response. Important: But it's not just stuttering anticipation—many other different stimuli, over time, can become associated with this conditioned response as well, which ultimately results in the outcome stuttering as the visible manifestations. So I think we should stop emphasizing: *stuttering anticipation >approach-avoidance conflict*. And instead view it as: *anticipation of conditioned stimuli > "perceived" conflict*. This broader framing also accounts for all the other forms of stuttering where there's no anticipation or felt pressure, yet stuttering still occurs.  But enough about my thoughts—I’d really love to hear yours! Your thoughts?