'Development' is not out there in the observed system — it is a perspective, a worldview, a way of punctuating experience. We have become convinced of the value of maintaining a developmental perspective because it helps us make sense of the changes our clients do and do not make. (Not to mention ourselves.)

"Becoming familiar with the characteristics of organisational levels of Metaphor Landscapes means you will be able to distinguish between them, to shift your attention from one to another and to recognise how each level influences the Landscape as a whole. This in turn will enhance your ability to cleanly invite clients to switch their attention within and between the four levels (symbols, relationships, patterns and pattern of organisation)." Metaphors in Mind, p. 31

Ken Wilber has said that the first two "important truths of postmodernism [that we construct reality and that meaning is context-dependent] means a multiperspective approach to reality is called for." We maintain that all of us naturally make use of multiple perceptions, multiple perspectives and multiple perceivers, but how do we do that?

"Everything is determined by context. All messages in the real world that really are messages happen within a context.  The context may be evolutionary, chemical, biological, neurological, linguistic, or technological, but it transforms the question of information content beyond measure." Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart, The Collapse of Chaos.

Extended quotations about Experiential Constructivism from Fritjof Capra, John Grinder & Richard Bandler, and George Lakoff & Mark Johnson. Plus recommended reading.

As this is the last Developing Group of the current series, the last one of the year, the last one at our home, and the last one in the current format, we thought we'd finish with 'endings'. Then it occurred to us that an ending makes no sense without a beginning, hence the topic: modelling 'Endings and Beginnings'.

How do people make use of their metaphors and symbols once they’ve identified them? This is such a natural thing for us to do that we had not appreciated the extent to which some people can develop a new metaphor but then do not know what to do with it.  They do not naturally link their metaphors to changing behaviour or perception in their everyday life. We decided to find out what was happening. We have begun investigating how people who ARE aware of utilising their metaphors do this.  And this topic will be the focus of the October 5th Developing Group day.

Apart from metaphor, there is another, less well known process that seems to be equally fundamental to language and cognition — metonymy.  Metonymy enables us to use one part or aspect of an experience to stand for some other part (or the whole) of that experience. Unlike metaphor which involves two domains of experience, metonymy only requires one. 

First of all, what is dynamic equilibrium?
Second, why make it a topic for the next Developing Group day (1 June 2002)
Third, how do you make use of the idea of dynamic equilibrium to improve your Symbolic Modelling skills?