On Mon, 26 Jun 1995, Michael McMaster wrote:
> The problem with the terminology is that it implies something far too
> fixed and static compared for what is going on in an intelligent
> being. There is no single mental model. There is no mental model
> that is unchanging. There isn't even a coherent set of mental models
> that are reliable. It is far more like there are stacked assumptions
> (or presuppositions) that are endlessly connected. _Any_ particular
> idea, statement or mental construct emerges from a much larger
> complex of thoughts, experiences, beliefs, etc. More simply put, it
> emerges from the linguistic background that is triggered by the
> environment of the moment and the intentions of the being.
Mike, thanks, and there is much more here than I can respond to at this
sitting.
I'll relate little thought experiment I use in some of my programs. I
ask, "How big does an organization have to be in order to be complex?"
The intial answers are always hundreds or thousands of people. Someone
will usually offer the idea that even small groups can be complex. I then
suggest that just what goes on in one mind deserves to be called complex.
I like your picture. It reminds me that not all thinking and not all
actions are rational.
What then are the probes that one uses to bring this out? If we approach
this as a complex, dynamic structure, how would this change our methods
for gaining insight, both when working with groups and when being
introspective ourselves.
I'll share one that I've found very useful, personally. Ira Progoff has
the "Intensive Journal Method" which relies on a number of personal
journal exercises, some done over time. The overall aim is to help a
person understand their own thought web which guides the path their life
takes. I don't feel current enough or competent enough to describe the
exercises, but there is a surface and a depth dimension to these. His book
carries the unlikely title, "At a Journal Workshop."
--
Richard Karash ("Rick") | <http://world.std.com/~rkarash>
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