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 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. Phenomenologically 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.