[Neurons] 2019 Neurons #31 FORGETTING TO GIVE CREDIT

Sun Jul 7 23:31:39 EDT 2019

From: L. Michael Hall

2019 Neurons #31

July 8 , 2019

FORGETTING TO GIVE CREDIT

I read two excellent books this past week by the same author.  The first
book by Marilee Goldberg is titled, The Art of the Question: A Guide to
short-term Question-Centered Therapy (1998) and the second book by Marilee
Adams (she got married!) is Change Your Questions- Change Your Life.  My
interest in both books was the author's focus on questioning which is the
heart of thinking.  Having seen these books recommended in other works, I
wanted to discover if there was anything new about questioning that might
add to my own understanding.

Then I was surprised.  In reading the first book I found out that she was
trained in NLP as a Master Practitioner and had studied with Leslie
Cameron-Bandler, had corresponded with David Gordon, and had read some of
Robert Dilts' books.  I was also delightfully surprised to find that she
boldly presented NLP in the book as a rich source for learning how to ask
questions.  Here's what I found in the book:

"Information-Gathering Questions and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)" is
a section that begins on page 37, giving some background on NLP

She then listed a great many of the questions which she learned from NLP
including "the Outcome frame," the Virtual Question from Leslie and M.
Singleton (pp. 41-42), and even included "the Miracle Question" of Steve de
Shazer.

Insightfully she presented "questions as interventions" (p. 43).

She explored Questions and Presuppositions (pp. 44-46).

She wrote a series of Neuro Logical Level Questions (pp. 52-53).  

Then from all of that she developed her own version of "Question-Centered
Therapy" and spent the rest of the book illustrating how she used
question-centered therapy in therapeutic contexts and even in couple
therapy.

All good stuff!  Now while the first book is long and redundant (345 pages),
the second book is much shorter and much more to the point.  She wrote it as
a story of a man who was "The Answer Man" but struggling in being a leader
because he told and lectured and did not listen very well.  When he could
not lead his team because of that, he was ready to resign, he was sent to an
inquiring coach where he learned the power of questioning.  Change your
Questions- Change Your Life (2015) presents a story that is easy to read,
compelling, and that presents a question-centered approach to living and
leading.

But ... the second book, in contrast to the first book, offers not the
slightest hint of NLP or its influence.  And whereas Marilee Goldberg gave
plenty of credit and recognition to her sources in 1998, as Marilee Adams,
the implication in 2015 is that she invented the entire question-centered
approach entirely on her own with no ideas from Cameron-Bandler, Dilts, or
Gordon or the rest of the NLP tradition.

After I read the second book and searched through the back pages and
appendices for any reference to her sources- I came up empty.  There were
none.  It is as if the whole idea of questioning and the power of
questioning was given birth in her mind and her mind only.  She stands on
the shoulders of no giants who went before her.  She gives credit to no one.
At least that is the impression that's given.

Similarly, Marshall Goldsmith who wrote the Foreword gives no indication of
the actual sources for the book.  She puts quotes at the top of chapter
headings from several people-famous people (David Rock, Linda Page, Daniel
Goleman, Joseph Campbell, Viktor Frankl, Margaret J. Wheatley, Carol S.
Dweck, Peter Senge, Rumi, Martin Seligman), but not a single NLP person.
And in her "End Notes and References" (p. 225) not a single NLP reference,
so unlike the first book.

Reflections

This is one of the ways that NLP keeps getting "lost" in various fields-
whether psychotherapy (her first book) or business (the second book).  NLP
is there, but un-accredited.  Neuro-Linguistic Programming serves as a
significant part of the scientific foundation, but the typical reader would
never know it.  The author could not have consciously hid it better.

Why do people do this kind of thing?  Now I have to just guess- maybe they
want to take all the credit.  Maybe they are fearful of criticism if they
acknowledge their sources.  Maybe they are just forgetful.  Maybe they are
insecure and want to have others think that they have invented it all by
themselves.  Maybe the publishing company told them to get rid of all
references to NLP.  I don't know why any single person leaves out their
sources.  Anyone who has written University Papers or papers for a Graduate
Degree know that it is part and parcel of scholarship to quote sources.

Maybe it is due to the scarcity frame of mind.  Of course, by not quoting
NLP, tens of thousands of NLP trainers, coaches, consultants, therapists,
etc. will not quote the book and reference it.  And by not quoting sources,
Marilee does not hloep to promote NLP as a legitimate field and model. So in
this, all lose out- which is the legacy of scarcity.  Herein lies a lesson
for all, does it not?

L. Michael Hall, Ph.D.

Executive Director, Neuro-Semantics

P.O. Box 8

Clifton CO. 81520 USA

www.neurosemantics.com   look for the special offer

Author of the stunning new history of NLP--- NLP Secrets.  

Investigative Journalism which has exposed what has been kept secrets for
decades. 

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