[Neurons] 2015 "Neurons" Meta Reflections #11

[L. Michael Hall]

From: L. Michael Hall

Meta Reflections 2015  #11

March 2, 2015

 

THE THEORY OF NLP

 

NLP has models, but does it have a theory?  I described the models of NLP
when I wrote Meta Reflection #7 for Neurons, The Five Models of NLP,
(February 7, 2015).  But does NLP operate from a theoretical explanation
about human functioning or psychology?  If there is a theory, what is it?

 

The term "theory" in these questions refers to an explanatory framework
which presents a plausible principle or set of principles about the
phenomenon that it seeks to understand and explain.  A theory presents a
systematic view of a subject, one from which we can generate hypotheses and
test those educated guesses to see if we can confirm or disconfirm them.
The dictionary defines "theory" in the following ways:

1) Coherent group of tested general propositions, commonly regarded as
correct, that can be used as principles of explanation and prediction for a
class of phenomena.  2) The branch of a science or art that deals with its
principles or methods, as distinguished from its practice.  3) A proposed
explanation whose status is still conjectural and subject to
experimentation, in contrast to well-established propositions that are
regarded as reporting matters of actual fact. 

 

Now the original founders and developers of NLP in the critical early years
(1972-1980) avoided this subject and focus.  In fact, the founders claimed
that modeling was so different from theory and research that NLP could not
be researched.  Arguing mostly against statistical analysis regarding any
single person's experience, they pooh-poohed the idea that any statistics
could offer any useful information.  The developers who then followed, for
the most part, continued the original idea that we are modelers, not
scientific researchers.

 

This had the unfortunate result that the early "research" on NLP was
performed by people unfamiliar with the NLP models, untrained in the
required skills, and who did not understand the distinctions.  As a result,
their "research" was deeply flawed.  Yet because that was the only so-called
"research" available at that time, the word went around the academic circles
that NLP had been dis-confirmed.  Those who disliked NLP said it was a
pseudo-science.  This continued until about 10 to 15 years ago when
researchers from within the field began testing things.  Now we have
significant research, a Research Conference, a Research Journal, a Research
and Promotion Project, and much more (see  <http://www.neurosemantics.com/>
www.neurosemantics.com / writings / research for links).

 

In spite of all of the research that has been done and is being done in the
field of NLP, I still have not answered the above questions.  Does NLP have
a theory?  The answer from almost all of us in the field is a definitive
yes.  So, what is it?

 

Theoretical Principle #1: Human psychology operates as a construct of
reality.  The metaphor that vividly describes this comes from Korzybski, The
map is not the territory.  Phenomenonologically it seems to us that what we
think, see, hear, feel, smell, taste, etc. is "real" and the way things are
"out there" beyond our nervous system.  But that is a phenomenological
appearance, not the actual "thing" itself.  We operate in the world through
our mental maps of it, a construction that our nervous system makes of the
world- the electromagnetic spectrum that impacts our sense receptors is
formatted in terms of sights, sounds, sensations, smells, etc.  This is the
theory that backs up the Cognitive Sciences, Cognitive Psychology, Gestalt
Psychology, General Semantics, etc.  Being embodied with multiple nervous
systems, we experience ourselves, others, and the world through our
neuro-filters- our senses, then our language constructs.

 

To test this principle, Korzybski said that given that language is a symbol
of something, it is a representation of something else, the word is not the
thing itself.  To dis-confirm this simply produce a word that is the thing
itself.

"As words are not the objects which they represent, structure, and structure
alone, becomes the only link which connects our verbal processes with the
empirical data.   ... The empirical search for world-structure and the
building of new languages (theories)... is what science does."  (1933, p.
59, 60)

 

This theoretical understanding leads us to be able to influence and change
our experience by changing our constructs (mental maps, i.e., beliefs,
understandings, etc.).  That then leads to all of the map or frame-changing
techniques that have developed in NLP.

 

Theoretical Principle #2: Human psychology operates as a system of multiple
elements and processes.  The NLP presupposition that refers to this says,
"Mind and body are part of the same system."  And quoting the law of
requisite variety, "The element in a system with the most flexibility
exercises the most influence in the system."  This systems theory of NLP
comes from the Non-Aristotelian System of Korzybski, the Family System of
Satir, the Gestalt System of Perls, the Bateson's cybernetic systems,
Miller's TOTE model, etc.  Human functioning is not linear, it is systemic.
The so-called "parts" of a person do not operate separately, but are always
within the context of the fuller human mind-body-emotion system which is
within family, language, ethnic, cultural, religious, business, national
systems.

 

This theoretical understanding leads us to identifying and using the system
principles and guidelines in facilitating change.  For example, even an
observer in a system affects (influences) the system, so we are careful to
enter with respect, rapport, and care.

 

Theoretical Principle #3: Human psychology operates hierarchically.  The
theory of NLP includes a principle of levels.  This came from Chomsky's
linguistic levels, Korzybski's levels, Bateson's levels, etc.  Human
functioning occurs at the primary state level of content and simultaneously
at the meta-level of form, structure, and organization.  At the meta-level
is language to the senses, beliefs to thought, meta-programs to thinking,
meta-states to primary states, etc.  The complexity of human experience
occurs due to the fact that we experience multiple levels at the same time.

 

This theoretical understanding leads us to recognize the meta-function
(Bateson's term) and so we "step back" to "run an ecology check," we step up
to set new frames, and we move to a meta-level to change the structure or
form of an experience.

 

Theoretical Principle #4: Human psychology involves organized
mental-emotional-behavioral responses that show up as patterns.  To
understand a person and his/her "experience" we look not only for
"behavior," but for behavior that is sequenced, ordered, and regular.  We
recognize such as patterns-of-behavior or strategies that are systemically
ordered to generate the expertise or pathology.  This is also what we model.
With an expert who can do something wonderful, we look to identify the
internal mental-emotional-behavioral responses and how that pattern works.

 

This theoretical understanding leads us to use the cues to representational
systems (eye-accessing, predicates, etc.) to identify the sequence of a
patterned-behavior that we want to model.  

 

>From these theoretic premises and principles have arisen hundreds of
applications, patterns, and processes in NLP as well as multiple
applications-applications for therapy, coaching, education, learning,
leadership, management, parenting, etc.  In the past 10 to 15 years,
researchers have been testing these theories via both quantitative and
qualitative research methodologies.  Richard Gray, Franke Bourke, Steve
Andreas, Richard Liotta, Lisa Wake, Richard Church, Susie Linder-Pelz, Peter
Schuetz, Bruce Grimley, many other people have been working in this area.

 

 

 

 




 

 

L. Michael Hall, Ph.D.

                Neuro-Semantics Executive Director 

                Neuro-Semantics International

P.O. Box 8

Clifton, CO. 81520 USA                             

                1 970-523-7877 

                Dr. Hall's email:
<mailto:meta at acsol.net\hich\af31506\dbch\af31505\loch\f31506> meta at acsol.net


    

    

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