[Neurons] 2022 Neurons #48 A VALUE HIERARCHY

[Michael Hall]

From: L. Michael Hall

2022 Neurons #48

November 21, 2022

Values Series #6

              

A VALUE HIERARCHY

 

Some years ago it became evident to me that asking the Well-Formed Outcome
questions presupposed eliciting from the person seeking to create a really
smart goal that was well-designed, you simultaneously had to elicit that
person's value hierarchy about that goal.  So that's what we did.  And over
the years, teaching Meta-Coaching scores and scores of times, and
demonstrating it perhaps a hundred times, and supervising coaches doing it
another hundred or two times, the idea of a value hierarchy crystalized in
my mind.  To elicit it is simple.

"Is this goal important to you?"  Yes.  "Okay, good, and why is it important
to you?"

 

At that point most people say lots of words.  But the skill is not in
repeating all of those words, but it catching the value that's presupposed.
And often, that is not easy.  Ask the value question and some people tell
stories, others give an extensive background of context, others stumble for
words, using synonyms and metaphors trying to identify the value.  But
values tend to be single words.  At best they are comprised of a short
phrase of two to four words.  Values also tend to be coded in
nominalizations: truth, unity, tranquility, relationship, contribution,
success, progress, responsibility, love, health, well-being, etc.  Now as
nominalizations, values are pretty abstract and conceptual
summaries-summaries of what we think important enough and significant enough
for what we live for.

 

Now in the process of generating a value hierarchy, once you get a value
term-hold it.  Then use that term as your next reference point.  "So X is
important to you?"  Yes.  "And why is X important to you?"  It's the same
question and you iterate it over and over as you go up the levels of values.
Ultimately this generates a value hierarchy.

 

But don't be fooled.  It is harder than it sounds.  Not only do many people
not know their values ad/or cannot articulate them, but many people jump
levels.  Some jump from writing a paper or exercising to an ultimate
value-leaving a legacy.  When you hear that, obviously, the person skipped a
whole bunch of intermediate steps. So you have to back down.  "And before
'legacy' what is important, but a little bit less important?"  Others go
round and round, giving you synonyms of the same value.  What they give is
not the next highest level, but another word for the same value.

 

Here's something else both fascinating and wonderful about value
hierarchies-they are all different.  Start with anything that you know is
important but doesn't feel important, and the first level values will be
instrumental values.  Getting a job done is important to "complete things."
But jogging three times a week isn't important for "completing things," it's
important to "take care of my health."  Every hierarchy for every activity
and experience will differ.  Well, at the lowest levels.  But as you get
close to the highest values, a person will tend to end up at the same
places.  A person's being-values will tend to be the same regardless of
where it starts.

 

Lower values tend to be instrumental values; higher values tend to be being
values.  This also means that our values are relative.  They are relative to
the event, object, or experience that we refer to.  It means we have
different values-things we consider important about different activities.
That's why asking for a person's values or eliciting them will not generate
a general set of values that transfer to every context. 

 

There's another elicitation process we use in Neuro-Semantics.  By using the
Pleasure Pattern, which is a pattern in the APG training (or Secrets of
Personal Mastery), you can again elicit a person's value hierarchy.  At the
primary level, a person identifies a pleasure-a sensory-based activity or
experience that the person enjoys and has fun with.  It could be talking a
walk, watching a sunrise, eating ice cream, baking, swimming, rock climbing,
playing chess, watching movies, etc.   Start there and elicit all of the
see-hear-feel sensations that make up the sensory pleasures.  These are
physical, tangible pleasures that satisfy the senses.

 

Now move to the meta-pleasures which are psychological, intangible and that
satisfy the mind.  "What is pleasurable about this pleasure?"  People will
say it gives them relaxation, time alone, rejuvenation, creativity,
playfulness, etc.  Holding that meta-pleasure in place, ask it again, "What
is pleasurable about that pleasure?"  The result again will be a value
hierarchy for that context.  And the highest values that emerge will tend to
be that person's highest values-that person's way of being in the world.

 

 

 

 

L. Michael Hall, Ph.D.

ISNS Executive Director

P.O. Box 8

Clifton Colorado 81520 USA

(970) 523-7877

drhall at acsol.net  



 

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