A Critical IntroductionNeuro-linguistic Programming is an
approach to communication, personal development, and psychotherapy.
Its also a bunch of lies and a bag of horseshit.PseudoscienceThat
which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without
evidence.NLP is a bunch of claims, claims piled on top of even more
claims. The core principles have poor to no support at all. And if
the core is poorly supported then you can safely ignore everything
based on them.It exhibitspseudoscientifictitle,concepts and
terminology. Neuro" in NLP is fraudulent since it offers no
explanation at a neuronal level. They misuse formal logic and
mathematics, redefine and/or misunderstand terms from linguistics,
create a scientific faade by needlessly complicating concepts. They
rename already existing terms and methodologies from other
disciplines just so they can patent them. Their jargon is intended
to impress, obfuscate and give the false impression that NLP is a
scientific discipline. A field that studies good communicationuses
confusingjargon.NLP is not really a cohesive approach to anything
but a mixture of different techniques without a clear theoretical
basis.The founders, Bandler and Grinder, have stated on various
occasions: we aren't interested in the truth but only in what
works. Unfortunately for them, it has yet to be empirically
demonstrated that their approach works. They postulate that there
is no veridical relationship between reality and perception yet on
the other hand they offer only personal testimonysomething which
according to their own theoretical position is unreliablein support
of their theory.The way to settle the matter is by appeal to
objective, scientific evidence and on that front the conclusion is
clear. Far from cynical, the scientific community is happy to
listen to evidence that is more than mere anecdotethe plural of
anecdote is NOT data.Flawed beginningsBandler and Grinder had me
down to a nutshell unfortunately they only had the shell and not
the nut. Milton EricksonThe founders set out to study geniuses to
discover the structure behind their ingenuity. Few know that the
people they cite as influences DID NOT collaborate with them.
Bandler and Grinder's reference to such experts is namedropping,
they were John Does taking advantage of someone else's success. The
books that laid the foundations for NLP are poorly written works
that were an overambitious, pretentious effort to reduce mastery in
different fields to magic words.When you look at NLP, you see a
bunch of sneaky tricks. The techniques themselves might not be
flawed, but they are lacking a crucial element. What really made
the genius therapists techniques work was the sheer emotional power
behind everything they did. The intense, powerful energy with which
he/she was determined to help his clients unleashed the full power
of his unconscious resources, and was expressed in the techniques
that they later ripped off. NLP invented nothing (or maybe they did
invent a whole bunch of things but from their contents the only
ones worth learning are the ones not introduced by
them).OutdatedThe most telling commentary on NLP may be that in
almost any book that has to do, at least tangentially, with
enhancing human performance, all reference to Neuro-linguistic
Programming is omitted.It starts from insights that have been
rendered obsolete decades ago. The nice thing about real science,
as opposed to pseudoscience, is that the former eventually corrects
its mistakes as new discoveries emerge. NLP remains mired in the
past.PresuppositionsThe most therapeutic of NLP maxims there is no
failure, only feedback" is also the most questioned. The denial of
the existence of failure diminishes its instructive value.
Unambiguous acknowledged personal failure serves as a motivation to
great success. It is the crash-and-burn type of failurenot the
sanitized NLP Failure, i.e. the failure-that-isn't really-failure
sort of failurethat propels us to success. Adherence to the maxim
leads to self-deprecation. Personal endeavor is a product of
invested values and aspirations and the dismissal of personally
significant failure as mere feedback effectively denigrates what
one values. Sometimes we need to accept and mourn the death of our
dreams, not just casually dismiss them as inconsequential. NLP's
reframe casts us into the role of a widower avoiding the pain of
grief by leap-frogging into a rebound relationship with a younger
woman, never pausing to say a proper goodbye to his dead wife. This
maxim is narcissistic, self-centered and divorced from notions of
moral responsibility.The aphorism "you create your own reality"
promotes an epistemologically relativistic perspective, the purpose
of which is to gain immunity from scientific testing.The
InstitutionAfter 150 students paid $1,000 each for a ten-day
workshop in Santa Cruz, California, Bandler and Grinder gave up
academic writing and produced popular books from seminar
transcripts. This is how NLP went from being a serving of crap and
became a mass-marketed serving of crap. Ironically, Bandler and
Grinder feuded in the 1980s over trademark and theory disputes. Not
one of their myriad of NLP models, pillars, and principles helped
these founders to resolve their personal and professional
conflicts. As a result of the dissolution there is no central
regulating authority for NLP instruction and certification. There
is no restriction on who can describe themselves as an NLP Master
Practitioner or NLP Master Trainer and there are a multitude of
certifying associations.A cross between Scientology and a Pyramid
Scheme, it gained popularity because it was promoted, like other
pseudoscience, using a set of social influence tactics. These
include making extraordinary claims (e.g. a one-session cure for
anything), creating arationalization trapby obtaining incremental
commitments from students (e.g. first lesson is free and subsequent
courses increase in price), manufacturingcredibilityby creating a
guru that is supposed to be the most qualified, creating a
self-regulated body composed of those that have completed a course,
and defining an enemy to facilitate in-group/out-group thinking and
behavior.The founders graduate NLP trainers and practitioners, who
simply go on to churn out more practitionersgenerally watered down
versions of themselveswith exactly the same skillset and subset of
NLP knowledge, along with the trainers own limitations and
prejudices. New ideas and practices go from inception to
application without taking a detour through the trials of
experiment and review. It is not uncommon for a practitioner to get
a new idea about how to approach counseling, they then start doing
it in their practice, then write a book, teach seminars, create an
institute, and before you know it there is a thriving
infrastructure dedicated to this new method. At some point after
this process is already underway someone may bother to do some
scientific studies, but by then its too late. There is already too
much invested in the technique, and too many practitioners who know
that it works because they have seen in work with their clients.
This is the story of NLP.If you still want to take a workshop of
NLP, keep in mind that: Its been largely argued that the self-help
industry is the new religion of this century, albeit disguised.
Beware of those who say that NLP changed their life and it is the
only thing that works, they havent done a critical examinationthey
dont want to see the other side of the coin. Courses in personal
development would make no sense without an unconscious that
contains hidden resources and hidden knowledge of the self. The
unconscious is the new God. God within us. If the law of gravity
can be subject of scrutiny, why not the unconscious too?What is
NLP?NLP is a model for effective communication, personal
development, and psychotherapy based on the relationship of
neurological processes, language and behavioral patterns. It is,
the art of changing another by changing yourself, in other words,
to shift your map so it articulates better with someone elses
map.Whatever helps you communicate better with other people, will
help you communicate better with yourself. Internal and external
dialogues affect our emotions similarly. The quality of your
internal dialogue is essential to your wellbeing, so it follows
that its important not just to talk beautifully but to think
beautifully.Is NLP manipulation? Yes. It is manipulation, whether
that manipulation is with or without integrity its up to you, but
the outcome is effective communication.Neuro: NLP is based on the
idea that you experience the world through your senses and
translate sensory information into thought processes, both
conscious and unconscious. Thought processes activate the
neurological system, which affects physiology, emotions, and
behavior.Linguistic: It refers to the way you use language to make
sense of the world, capture and conceptualize experience, and
communicate that experience to others.Programming: It tackles the
persistent patterns of behavior that you learn and then repeat. It
addresses how you code or mentally represent your experiences. Your
personal programming consists of your internal processes and
strategies that you use to make decisions, solve problems, learn,
evaluate, and get results.Main componentsNLP can be understood in
terms of three broad components:Subjectivity: We experience the
world subjectively thus we create subjective representations of our
experience. These subjective representation of experience are
constituted in terms of five senses and language. These subjective
representations of experience have a discernible structure, a
pattern. It is in this sense that NLP is sometimes defined as the
study of the structure of subjective experience.These sense-based
subjective representations derive in behaviors. Behavior includes
verbal and non-verbal communication, incompetent, maladaptive or
"pathological" behavior as well as effective or skillful behavior.
Behavior (in self and others) can be modified by manipulating these
sense-based subjective representations.Consciousness: Consciousness
is bifurcated into a conscious component and an unconscious
component. Those subjective representations that occur outside of
an individual's awareness comprise what is referred to as the
"unconscious mind".Without the unconscious mind wed have to rethink
every action before attempting to perform it, just as if it was the
first time, even everyday actions such as walking or tying our
shoes. Anything that becomes a habit it goes to the unconscious.
Know the workings of your unconscious and youll control your
destiny. The unconscious is quick it will give you the answers
right away. Only the conscious mind that takes its time. The
unconscious is listening at all times. Change, real change, happens
in the unconscious. As much as 92% of our brain activity is
unconscious and only an 18% corresponds to the conscious mind. The
unconscious does not process negative statements (e.g., dont say,
Dont imagine a donkey wearing a tie, if thats what you intend.
Rather, say Imagine the president playing chess with a polar
bear)Learning: NLP utilizes an imitative method of learningtermed
modelingto codify and reproduce an exemplar's expertise in any
domain. An important part of the codification process is a
description of the sequence of the sensory/linguistic
representations of the subjective experience of the exemplar during
execution of the expertise.PresuppositionsThese principles are not
to be taken as irrefutable absolute truths but rather as useful
guidelines.1. The map is not the territory2. You cannot not
communicate3. There is no failure, only feedback4. The meaning of
your communication is the response you get5. Behind every behavior
there is a positive intention6. People work perfectly7. People make
the best choice available to them with the resources they have at
the time8. A person is not his or her behavior9. You cant not think
about what you dont want to think about without thinking about
it10. The unconscious mind cant tellrealityfrom imagination11.
Every behavior is useful in some context12. If what youre doing is
not working, try something else13. The element in a system with the
most flexibility has the most control14. There are no resistant
listeners, only inflexible communicators15. People have all the
resources they need to succeed and to achieve their desired
outcomes16. If a problem has a solution why do you worry? And if it
doesnt why do you worry?17. Whether you think you can or you cant
youre always right18. Living is learning. We cant stop learning19.
Mind and body are different expressions of the same one system20.
Always do what worksThey are generalizations and not strictly
trueat least, not all the time.It's not that there is no such thing
as failure, it's that it's almost always more useful to think of it
as feedback rather than failure. And it's not that the meaning of
communication really is the response you get, it's that it's more
useful to take responsibility for being understood than disavow the
responsibility and blame others for not understanding you.The apt
word is 'attitude'.So, these statements are not facts or true
beliefs as they are sometimes presented. They represent a suggested
attitude to be taken an attitude modelled from success and a
provocation to think in a new way.The one 'presupposition' that I
think stands apart from the rest is the foundational one"the map is
not the territory". This is the one that does hold up as
true.Subjective RealityTo avoid being overwhelmed by the amount of
information available in the objective reality, we filter that
information by means of generalization, deletion and distortion.
Our senses constitute the biological filter, our beliefs and values
are our social and cultural filter and our personality corresponds
to our psychological filter.
Representational SystemsRepresentational Systems refer to all
distinctions human beings are able to make concerning our
environment and our behavior that can be represented through the
visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory, and gustatory
senses.Sensory PredicatesPredicates are words (verbs, adverbs, and
adjectives) or expressions that refer to a certain representational
system. To the listener, words dont just describe reality, they
create it.AnalogueAuditory Digital
VisualAuditoryKinesthetic
SeeHearFeelSense
LookListenTouchExperience
ViewSoundGraspUnderstand
AppearMake musicGet a hold ofThink
ShowHarmonizeSlip throughLearn
DawnTune in/outCatch onProcess
RevealBe all earsTap intoDecide
EnvisionRings a bellMake contactMotivate
IlluminateSilenceThrow outConsider
ImagineBe heardTurn aroundChange
ClearResonateHardPerceive
FoggyDeafHang in thereSensitive
FocusedMellifluousConcreteDistinct
HazyDissonanceScrapeConceive
CrystalQuestionGet a handleKnow
PictureVoice an opinionSolidSense
BrightScreechStressExperience
A digital predicate has no in-betweens, it admits only one of
two polarities (1 or 0). An analogue submodality is one that exists
on a sliding scale, it varies between two limits.Examples:Visual: I
see what you mean, Im looking forward to thatAuditory: I hear what
you say, That really resonates with meKinesthetic: I feel you, I
have a gut feeling about thisDigital: It makes sense to me, Give me
time to process and analyze the factsSubmodalitiesSubmodalities are
the fine distinctions we make within each representational system.
They characterize our experiences.Changing a submodality can give
us control over our internal experience. By changing a
characteristic, the whole changes, the meaning changes. When the
meaning changes our state changes. When our state changes our
response/behavior changes hence the results that we get change
too.Words dont change people, experience does. So, when talking,
dont just talk; create an experience. You don't want people to
imagine, visualize or picture what you're saying. You want them to
hallucinate! Make sounds. Shout. Describe the feelings thoroughly.
Mark the space with your gestures. Dramatize it, break the role and
provoke other people to break the role themselves. Don't just
explain, express.Some submodality distinctions:Visual: Brightness,
size, color/black and white, shape, location, distance, contrast,
focus, clarity, movement, speed, three-dimensional/flat,
perspective, associated/disassociated, framed/panoramic,
orientation, density, transparency.Auditory: Pitch, tempo, volume,
rhythm, duration, clarity, location, distance.Kinesthetic:
Pressure, location, frequency, texture, temperature, intensity,
vibration.ReframingEvery event has both content and context.
Reframing is changing the meaning of an event by changing either
its context or contentthus also changing our response to it.Context
reframingEvery behavior is useful in some situation. By thinking of
a useful context, you can change your response to that behavior.
Sometimes theres nothing wrong with the stimuluswhat actually
happensits the meaning that weve attributed to it thats the
problem. Ask yourself: In what context could this be
useful?Examples:Karate is a form of martial arts in which people
who have had years and years of training can, using only their
hands and feet, make some of the worst movies in the history of the
world. For humor purposes the author of this quote took something
useful and answered the question: In what context could this be
useless?PARTNER: Why are you so tired?PRACTITIONER: Do I look
tired? Thats wonderful! It means that today was a productive day,
that I pushed beyond my limits and that Im going to have a good
nights sleep.PARTNER: I cant stand disorder and uncleanliness. It
drives me mad!PRACTITIONER: I see. Imagine your house for a moment.
You go through the door, everything is clean and in its place: the
windows are impeccable, the dishes have been washed, there are no
TVs on in the other rooms, the lights are on only where theyre
needed, theres no underwear on the sofa, the floor has been swept
thoroughly and youre completely and absolutely alone.Content
reframingAll behavior has a positive intention. Whether we are
aware or not, we dont do anything without some underlying purpose.
Our brains functioning is always to benefit us. Ask yourself: In
what way could this be positive?Examples:I'm not a vegetarian
because I love animals. I'm a vegetarian because I hate plants. For
humor purposes the author of this quote took something seemingly
positive and answered the question: In what way could this be
negative?The Milton ModelDowntime: I get inside of my map. I dream
awake in my internal world, Im focused on my imagination and my
memories. My attention is either on the past or in the
future.Uptime: I get out of my map. I think and act vigilantly and
Im focused on the external world, on my surroundings, Im focused on
the here and now.The Milton Model is the skillful and artful usage
of vague or inaccurate language. The more inaccurate the more
effort is required from the listener (he/she has to fill in the
gaps), and therefore the more we elicit a downtime state. By using
these patterns our message is skipped by the conscious mind and its
objections and we appeal to the unconscious and emotions, one could
say that we work with the heart rather than with the brain. The use
of confusion makes these patterns difficult to respond to or
resist.I say nothing, yet you understand everything and you do what
I suggested. The imprecise language can thrive in situations where
the precise and correct language could fail. If I use accurate
language I speak from my map. If I use inaccurate language I enter
into the other persons map.Milton PatternsTrans-derivational
SearchThis is the process of searching back through one's stored
memories and mental representations to find the reference
experience from which a current meaning was derived. Vague
suggestions are used to ensure that the practitioner does not
intrude his own beliefs into the listeners inner world. By making
the listeners mind work, as they enter inside themselves, we enter
too at the same time. A Trans-derivational Search is a compelling,
automatic and unconscious state of internal focus and processing
triggered by languagehumans will try to make sense out of
sentences, even if they dont really make sense.Examples:Recall a
time when you felt you had no worriesThis is like the first time
you rode a bikeOrdinal NumbersWhenever a sequence or order is
assumed.Examples:There are 3 things I have to tell you: First,
Second and in the third placeFalse DilemmaGiving the illusion of
control over the decision to the listener (Undercover
order)Examples:You can wash the dishes now or later.Do you want to
hear it now or within one hour?I dont want to tell you what to do,
so you can either internalize these words now or when youre
ready.You can do it now or when you want to turn your life
around.Do you want me to wrap it as a present or are you going to
take it as it is?Polar OppositesWhen contrasting with the negative,
the positive seems more appealing. Furthermore, phrases like, I
dont care, its your choice, it doesnt matter, its up to you, etc.
make the other person stop looking for sympathy, pity and
compassion and start using the resources they already have to solve
their own problems.Examples:I dont care. Listen, you can choose a
happy or an unhappy life.Its up to you and no one else to choose
between life and death.You can keep fighting until you get your
revenge, and surely end up destroying yourself in the process or
you could choose to fly away from this confrontation and live a
good life.Negative CommandSuggesting what you want to occur by
stating what you dont want to occur. This takes advantage of the
fact that negatives are skipped by the unconscious.Examples:Dont
think about me too much while youre away.Dont buy my product until
youre sure its suited to your needs.Dont decide right
away.Mind-readingThe truth is attributed to me with no mention
whatsoever as to how I learned that truth.Examples:I know youre
thinkingI know this is not what you wantUniversal QuantifiersThese
can be either explicit, as with using specific words such as:
Never, always, no one, everyone, nothing, everything, etc. or they
can also be implicit in which case they are harder to
detect.Examples:Youll never be able to accomplish it.No one can
come out of this institution as a good person.Everybody liesEvery
breath takes you deeper into tranceMen are stubborn (all men is
implicit)Ecuadorians are so submissive and mediocre (all
Ecuadorians)Modal OperatorsWords that refer to possibility or
necessity or that reflect our morals/rules in life.Examples:You
have to show up.You cant drop out of school.You should be polite
and respectful.You could, and probably should, remember this bit of
information Im about to say, because I cant remember a time in
which I couldnt find this to be useful.NominalizationsVerbs that
have been turned into nouns. We assume we all know and agree on the
meaning, when in actuality our experience is often very different
from that of others; hence we work with the listeners definition
and we dont even have to know it.Examples:Communication is the
foundation of a long-lasting relationship. (Communication from
communicate) (Relationship from relate)You may have noticed that
hypnosis is easy. And all the insights you are having now can open
your mind to great new understandings. These understandings may
lead you to remarkable demonstration of all your new learning.Tag
QuestionsShort question added after an affirmation to lower
resistanceExamples:Youre in complete control of your actions right?
ok? understood? ready?Unspecified VerbsVerbs that dont fully
describe the action. Are you able to make a movie of the events
inside your head? If not, youre dealing with an unspecified
verb.Examples:My friend hurt me vs. My friend forgot our meeting /
my friend punched me on the face / my friend stole my
girlfriendUnspecified NounsWhen you dont know who or what is
performing the action.Examples:They said it was easy.No one listens
to me.People are scary and dangerous.Its got to be done.Just know
that people do it all the time.Comparative DeletionsComparison made
without reference to what it is comparing to.Examples:Sooner or
later youll understand.You might understand more than what you once
thought.Pacing Current ExperienceDescribing everything you notice
about everything someone else does and perceive.Examples:As you sit
next to me, breathing in and out, looking at me and listening to
every word I say, you may notice that youre progressively relaxing
deeper and deeperAs you hear the cars honking, the people talking
in the background and your heart pumping blood slowlyLost
PerformativesA personal belief, but presented as though its a
universal truth applicable to all circumstances. Its not questioned
as it would be the case with a personal
opinion.Examples:Carbohydrates are an essential part of the human
diet.If you want to lose weight dont eat fats.You reap what you
sow.Goblins live in attics.Colloquial PostulatesPhrases welded with
actions. While the logical answer would be yes or no, we tend to
respond by doing what is asked and its not seen as
authoritarianism.Examples:May I see your book?Can you move a little
to the right?Can you pay attention?Cause and EffectThe first thing
I say causes the second one. Rarely do we stop to think about the
logical relationship between the parts mentioned.Examples:If you
rehearse 5 minutes per day, then youll be ready for the big
day.Complex EquivalenceAttributing the same value to two
things.Examples:Reading every morning is peace and
tranquility.Youre here and understood everything, youre the right
person for the job.Youve been working for hours, you must be
tired.Youre old, you dont know how to deal with little
kids.*Differentiating the Cause and Effect pattern and the Complex
Equivalence pattern can seem difficult at first. However, the
difference becomes obvious when we stop to consider the dimension
of time, the cause is followed by the effect, whereas the
equivalence occurs simultaneously.PresuppositionsThis is the
linguistic equivalent of assumptions. Almost everything presupposes
something else. Practically, maintaining a normal conversation,
without assuming something, is close to impossible. However, when
used intentionally they can be very powerful. Rather than being a
technique in itself, the use of presuppositions is a characteristic
contained in other patterns.Examples:You are learning many things,
I now invite you to take the theory and apply it with a real-life
example. (I assume that you have learned something)At least, you
did your best. (You didnt accomplish your goal)Mikaela fluttered
her wings. (Mikaela is a being that has wings)Analog MarkingUsing a
verbal or non-verbal cue to mark outhighlightwords in a sentence or
mark out space. This marking can be a body language gesture or
using voice tone, volume, speed, rhythm. This pattern works best
when used at least three times.Examples:There is no need torelax
and go into a trancejust yet. Relax and go into a trance could be
marked with a hand gesture.My friend knows how tofeel goodabout
herself. We can emphasize feel good by speaking slightly louder,
slower or faster.Yes-SetThe idea of the Yes-Set is to ask the
prospect several questions that are easy to answer with a yes. As
you ask each question, you encourage the prospect to answer yes by
nodding your head gently. It is recommended to ask at least 3 or 4
questions before delivering our suggestion. The last statement is
recognized as true for the unconscious mind as it was preceded by a
series of truths, a prediction is made.Examples:PRACTITIONER: You
came here early, didnt you?PARTNER: Yes.PRACTITIONER: Did you bring
your equipment?PARTNER: Yes.PRACTITIONER: Do you think you have
what it takes to go the extra mile today?PARTNER:
Yes.AnaphoraRepetition of a specific sequence of words to give them
emphasis, they can also be accomplished by repeating a
sound.Examples:Your feet, your feet are now covered by socks. Your
feet are in your shoes. And, its very important that you relax your
feet now.Ericksonian MetaphorsMetaphors help us understand
something in terms of something that belongs to another universe.
They help us comprehend the unknown in terms of something familiar.
And they also give us a fresh perspective over a familiar situation
or behavior.In NLP, a metaphor encompasses similes, analogies,
jokes, parables and stories. A story is arguably the most effective
tool when it comes to inducing a downtime state by distracting the
conscious mind.Metaphors allow us to depersonalize, the storyteller
stays out of the issue and easily bypasses the instinctive
mechanisms of defense of the listenerresistance to foreign ideas
(especially if the goal of those ideas is to change someone else).
We avoid coming across as annoying unsolicited advisors, metaphors
dont argue, they dont try to convince; thats why they dont raise
objections. Metaphors entertain. Metaphors are powerful in
stimulating creativity inasmuch as they sow the seed of an idea,
sometimes they help a latent idea to flourish, and sometimes they
even give birth to innovations. Metaphors reveal our values and
they teach us how to follow those values. Neither the narrator, nor
the story itself receive the credit for solving a problem, the
person that had the problem attributes to himself or herself the
whole idea, it was his or her own the whole time. One metaphor is
susceptible to multiple interpretations, hence it means something
different for different peoplesolving many problems at once.There
are also instances in which trying to personalize can be our goal,
when talking about an institution or an enterprise they might come
across as abstract and without face. Since metaphors use images,
sounds and sensations they will materialize more effectively than
abstract words such as: excellent, the best, truthful and
sensitive. Ask yourself, if this institution, for instance, was a
car, what kind of car would it be? Which animal? Which brand? Which
book? Which actor? Which movie or food?People relate to stories,
and metaphors, with extraordinary ease and from a very early age,
because they require a sensorial, emotional processing rather than
an abstract, intellectual. We see, hear and feel metaphors, they
appeal to emotion thats why we recall them with no effort.
Metaphors attract attention. One could argue that we as human
beings, naturally, have a sweet tooth for stories. How many times
have you gone to a conference, and later realized that you cant
even remember the main topic, let alone the secondary ideas but a
story told by the speaker is almost as vivid as it was the day of
the conference?A quick way to stimulate our creativity and generate
a story or a metaphor is by using Metaphoric Cards of association.
Creativity manifests when bounded by limits. Establish guidelines
and respect them: Use only one word and one image, use only three
images, use only three objects, etc.*Everyday metaphors, trite, of
well-known content and message will not appeal to the unconscious,
they wont bring any of the advantages above mentioned, and they
will be no different than any other phrase in digital
language.Violation of RestrictionsThe Listener puts the meaning.
Its illogical and unreal and it makes no sense thats why the
conscious mind skips it.Examples:Youre as deaf as a chair.A closed
eye can see deeper than an open one.Whether their young or old,
trees always do the right thing.Embedded QuoteThe truth attributed
to someone elsewith no reference or very vague reference. Besides
being very effective in de-personalizing the communication, it is
also unquestionable.As you knowIts been demonstrated thatAs you
might recallAs you already knowIts been largely accepted thatIts
been confirmed thatScientific evidence suggests thatPhysiologically
its been proven thatStatistics say thatWith other groups this has
worked wondersExamples:Once I was talking to a man much like you,
he told me about a good friend of his named Simon. Simon was the
kind of guy who was always reading and debating complex ideas with
great thinkers. Unlike many people you and I know, Simon would
refuse to state anything unless he was absolutely certain that it
reflected his experience. He told this man that*You can embed a
quote within a quote as many times as you want in order to induce a
deeper downtime.A friend of mine told me once that he was in a
seminar of Richard Bandler. In this seminar Bandler explained how
Erickson used to say that one of his patients once told him that
the best time for hypnosis is when you're willing to let go.Change
of Referential IndexThe referential index is the subject of a
sentence. Switching the agent I'm referring to; for instance, going
from first person to second person; engages the public so they
invest emotionally in the story, moreover they start to make their
own associations in their heads.A Change of Referential Index has a
profound effect in your internal dialogue, when you change from one
to I, you take responsibility for what you are going to say, and
you feel empowered, confident. Compare, one has to always tell the
truth, in order to live with no regrets, with I have to always tell
the truth to live with no regrets.In a metaphor we use this to
refer to someone else indirectly, bringing the focus to the
character of a story. Then, we pace the client's problem by
establishing behaviors and events between the characters in the
story that are similar to those in the client's situation. We
access resources for the client within the context of the story.
And we lead by finishing the story in such a way that a sequence of
events occurs in which the characters in the story resolve the
conflict and achieve the desired outcome.Real-life Examples of The
Milton Model PatternsI know weve all heard at least once how
dangerous it can be to cross the street without looking at both
sides; but I also know that more than once youve done it. The
decision is yours; you can have the control of your life or let
someone else control it.I know youll find more success than what
you expect. I see more in you than what you see in yourself. I
wonder what would happen if you knew that I care about you. How Id
love to have more time to share with you and show you how I feel
every time I look at you.As you know, theres no one person that has
the truth, or is there? I know youve asked this question to
yourselves several times but thats not the most important thing.
The most important thing is what you do with this subjective
conclusion youve inferred for yourselves. You can reflect on this
idea now as you listen to me or when you feel ready.Just lay back,
relax, and let your unconscious listen. And you can relax more and
more as you listen, can you not? You can just breathe deeply,
letting each breath take you deeper and deeper down into complete
relaxation. Or, If you like, you can just breathe in and as you
exhale, let your body relax completely now. Now, you may, or may
not have already noticed that your eyes are becoming heavier with
each breath you take. So will they just close, now? Or will they
just remain open long enough to flutter a few times first?You know
that at the end of our conversation, you will feel wide awake, wide
aware, with your eyes open, smiling and feeling good for apparently
no good reason.The Meta ModelThe processes which allow us to
accomplish the most extraordinary and unique human activities are
the same processes which block our further growth if we mistake the
model for the reality. We can identify three general mechanisms by
which we do this: Generalization, Deletion, and Distortionthree
ways in which the model which we create will differ from the thing
it models.When we process a stimulus for a certain time we get into
an internal dialogue and the more we talk to ourselves the further
away we are from the explicit stimulus itself. Our senses give us
perceptions and then our mind turns them into conceptions.We as
human beings use our language in two ways. We use it first of all
to represent our experiencewe call this activity reasoning,
thinking, fantasying, rehearsing, etc. Secondly, we use our
language to communicate our model or representation of the world to
each otherwe call this talking, discussing, writing, lecturing,
singing, etc.Since language is a model of our world, a formal model
of our language would be a model of our model of our world, or,
simply, a Meta-model. In the same way we create the Deep Structure
of Language from the information filtered through our senses, we
create the Surface Structure by generalizing, deleting and
distorting the Deep Structure. We use the Meta-Model to recover
information from the Deep Structure, in other words, we attempt to
determine where the Generalization-Deletion-Distortion process has
occurred. We go from ambiguous to clear, from imprecise to precise.
This is effectively the polar opposite of the Milton Model.The
Meta-model has universal applicabilityno matter what the subject or
the content, the exchange between the client and the therapist will
involve Surface Structures, and these Surface Structures are the
material in which the Meta-model is designed to operate.The way a
person represents reality internally, in terms of modalities and
sub-modalities reflects his/her identity and personality. The
quality of our internal dialogue directly affects our emotional
states. Picture a moment when you felt happy, relaxed, in peace,
connected to the moment, without internal conflicts, and the
physiology of your body will follow. What you tell yourself and how
you tell it can trigger different emotions e.g., Goddamn it! This
son of a bitch did it again! vs. This good person that has 1, 2, 3
positive qualities has made a mistake.By using the Meta-Model you
might find that when discussing someone elses problem, the problem
solves itself, apparently. Actually, the other person solves the
problem by himself or herself. In fact, whats happening is that the
client creates new neuronal networks, stimulated by the questions
of the therapist, which, in turn, contribute new meanings. The
Meta-Model is a problem solving model.*Always ask questions that
reveal the deep structure, rather than obtaining answers that add
up to the surface structure. Also, beware of saying something that
presupposes that you bought into one idea in their surface
structure.SoftenersThe Meta-Model is a double-edged source.
Meta-Model questions without softeners can come across as
offensive. Softeners are short phrases that you can put at the
beginning of a question that make it more gentle and palatable. It
sounds obvious but we forget it all the time: No one likes to lose
face.Socratic irony is an excellent resource to use as a softener,
it is a means by which a questioner pretends to know less than a
respondent, when actually he knows more. The dissimulation of
ignorance as a means of confuting an adversary.You can ask any
question you like as long you meet these two requirements: Have a
deep rapport and use softeners. This makes the difference between a
ruthless, invasive interrogation and a positive inquiry.Examples:I
am wonderingId like to ask youIm curious to knowId really like to
understand this. What do you mean exactly by?What Im wondering now
is how you deduced thatThis is new to me. Is it always like
that?Can you imagine for a moment what would happen ifMeta-Model
Questions*We never use Why? It adds more information from the
surface structure rather than helping us retrieve specific details
from the deep structure, it raises defensiveness, and it pressures
the receiver to come up with justifications. Always rephrase it.
For instance, instead of saying, Why are you doing this? try, How
do you feel about this that youre doing and how do you think I feel
about it?Mind ReadingBelieving one knows the thoughts,feelings,
intentions, meanings, motivations, or other internal processes of
another person with no basis in reasonable, logical grounds for
interpretation or direct, sensory observation.Examples:PARTNER: You
are just trying to make me look foolish.PRACTITIONER: How do you
know what I'm trying to do?PARTNER: You dont appreciate
me.PRACTITIONER: How do you know I dont appreciate you?PARTNER:
Man, you look sad.PRACTITIONER: What makes you think that? I think
theres something in you that makes you think that way, because I
see myself normal. The real question is: what do you tell yourself
and what do you think about yourself that makes you see me in that
way? Do you need to see everyone else sad to feel happy about
yourself? Even you having lived all those years as you in your body
cant always be right about what you feel. Why venture to assume
whats wrong with someone else?Crystal Ball GazingBelieving one
knows an unknowable future for oneself or others.Examples:PARTNER:
I'll never find a man who loves me.PRACTITIONER: Will you be
surprised when he shows up?PARTNER: He'll always be an
addict.PRACTITIONER: How can you be sure?PARTNER: My future is dark
and full of pain.PRACTITIONER: How can you tell so far ahead of
time?Lost PerformativesValue judgments made without specifying
whois making the judgment.Examples:PARTNER: Its not good to
criticize.PRACTITIONER: Says who? How do you know its not good?
According to whom?Cause and EffectThe implication or direct claim
that one thing causes, or is caused by, another when there is no
well-formed logical support or demonstrable, sensory-based evidence
to support a causal connection.Examples:PARTNER: Look what you made
me do!PRACTITIONER: How exactly did I make you do that?PARTNER:
Whenever you come along, our team loses!PRACTITIONER: So your team
always wins when Im absent?Complex EquivalenceStatements where
complex situations, ideas, objects or their meanings are equated as
synonymous.Examples:PARTNER: The boss has his door closed. He's
planning to fire me.PRACTITIONER: You mean every time your boss
closes his door somebody gets fired?PARTNER: They're succeeding and
I'm not. I just don't have what it takes.PRACTITIONER: They're
succeeding and I'm not. What specifically are they doing
differently?PARTNER: Time is money and life sucks.PRACTITIONER:
What else is time? And is that all that life does?PARTNER: Youre
always shouting, you care about nothing!PRACTITIONER: In which ways
does the way I shout mean that I dont care about
anything?PresuppositionsStatements in which some unstated element
must be assumed (pre-supposed) to be true in order for the
statement to make sense (to be true or false). That is, the surface
structure of the statements (the specific words and their meanings)
omit or obscure the deep structure of the statements (their
underlying message or presupposed truths).Examples:PARTNER: If my
boss knew how hard I work, he wouldnt make me work extra
hours.PRACTITIONER: How do you know he doesnt know? How do you know
you work hard?Universal QuantifiersWords that are absolute
generalizations without a referential index.Examples:PARTNER: You
always wear that shirt.PRACTITIONER: Always? So I never wear
anything else?PARTNER: None of my efforts have ever
succeeded.PRACTITIONER: Can you think of one that has?Modal
OperatorsWords which dictate or imply what is possible, right
and/or necessary.Examples:PARTNER: You have to get your act
together.PRACTITIONER: What would happen if I wouldnt?PARTNER: You
should be a better cook.PRACTITIONER: According to
whom?NominalizationsA process (verb) which has been converted to a
thing or event (noun). A common nominalization is adding "-ing" to
a verb to make it a noun.Examples:PARTNER: I have a hard time with
decisions.PRACTITIONER: So that's what you've decided.PARTNER:
Thats just the way life is.PRACTITIONER: Life? What do you mean?
All life? Which part of life? For whom? When?PARTNER: Theres no
communication in here.PRACTITIONER: Whos not communicating with
whom?PARTNER: Money cant buy you happiness.PRACTITIONER: What kind
of happiness are talking about?PARTNER: Im not being
productive.PRACTITIONER: What do you want to produce?Unspecified
VerbsProcess words which are missing a complete description and
verbs that are, to a greater or lesser degree, unspecified. Also,
omitting the verb, or the object of the verb, or
both.Examples:PARTNER: Don't force me to get angry with you
again.PRACTITIONER: Force you how?Unspecified NounsVague nouns (or
pronouns) which create confusion and ambiguity.Examples:PARTNER:
Its time for you to face reality.PRACTITIONER: Whose
reality?Unspecified AdjectivesAdjectives the meanings of which are
unspecified. Unspecified adjectives are a frequent indicator of
interpretation rather than observation.Examples:PARTNER: I attract
bad behavior.PRACTITIONER: Bad in what way?Unspecified Referential
IndexA phrase which deletes who is doing the action. Using a
general subject that doesn't refer to a specific person. Frequent
words: a person, someone, people, they, one, we. Also,
generalizations which apply to classes or groups of individuals:
"Americans, Catholics, Jews, managers, workers, men, women,
etc."Examples:PARTNER: A wife should at least fix a man
dinner.PRACTITIONER: Which wife are you talking about?PARTNER:
People dont like you.PRACTITIONER: Which people?Comparative
DeletionsPhrases and sentences which imply a comparison but delete
the object on which the comparison is based, or which do not
specify the basis of comparison.Examples:PARTNER: Even you can
understand what I'm about to tell you.PRACTITIONER: Even? Compared
to whom?PARTNER: Do you think you could talk less and think
more?PRACTITIONER: Talk less and think more than whom?PARTNER: Hes
the worst friend.PRACTITIONER: Worse than whom?False
DilemmaStatements or questions which engage one's attention on a
consequence which presupposes something else. It creates an
illusion of choice and directs attention to consider only the two
possibilities mentioned.Examples:PARTNER: Either we win or
lose.PRACTITIONER: Could we win in one sense and lose in another?
What would have to be true if we did neither?PARTNER: Are you doing
that on purpose or you cant help it?PRACTITIONER: Are those my only
two choices?Tag QuestionsA question added at the end of a
statement, which changes the focus of the listener's attention to
answering the tag question, away from the preceding
statement.Examples:PARTNER: You always manage to turn the tables on
me, don't you?PRACTITIONER: Is that what you believe?PARTNER:
You'll never learn, will you?PRACTITIONER: Is that todays
lesson?Persuasion EngineeringWe say our language is a language of
influence if we install in such a way that the other person thinks
he/she came up with the idea. I dont convince you, you convince
yourself.The more you talk, the more you expose yourself to be
attacked with your own words. Anything and everything you say can
and will be used against you. It works the other way too. The more
the other person talks the more material you have to
counter-attack. Let the other person do the talking for as long it
takes them to expose their ideas. Listen
attentively.Examples:PARTNER: So you come here to help us with our
drinking problem?PRACTITIONER: YesPARTNER: Do you
drink?PRACTITIONER: YesPARTNER: Then, what do you plan to teach
us?PRACTITIONER: Do you know psychotherapy?PARTNER: NoPRACTITIONER:
That's what I'm here to teach you.PARTNER: I heard youre dating a
veterinarian. Thats great because they like dogs.PRACTITIONER:
Exactly how do you want me to respond to what you just said? What
is the effect that you wanted it to have on me?PARTNER: Stop being
so negative!PRACTITIONER: What do you think about yourself that
makes you think that way?PARTNER: You look worried. Whats
wrong?PRACTITIONER: What do you tell yourself and what do you think
about yourself that makes you see me in that way? Tell me from
where you are saying what you're saying to understand what you're
saying.PARTNER: Hey you! What's your name?!PRACTITIONER: What do
you think my name is?PARTNER: A chip off the old
block!PRACTITIONER: Agreed. Although, life has taught me that chips
can play an essential role in big projects.PARTNER: Ive got a
professional camera. This is the real deal the other ones are just
toys.PRACTITIONER: Sure that is a nice gadget, but we all learned a
lot just playing with toys, didnt we?PARTNER: Did you manage to get
a girlfriend after all these year?PRACTITIONER: No, but I have a
boyfriend.PARTNER: Im depressed.PRACTITIONER: Do they pay you for
that?PARTNER: I feel like Im in an abyssPRACTITIONER: Nice! It
means that you have your eyes more open nowPARTNER: I cant stand
people gossiping!PRACTITIONER: It is great that you can discover
your own weaknesses and how they lead you.PARTNER: Is there any
side-effect to this?PRACTITIONER: Im afraid there is one
side-effect. Your orgasms will be 4 times more intense and will
last longer. Its also very contagious.PARTNER: Love does not
exist.PRACTITIONER: Youre right. Love does not exist, so lets build
it together.PARTNER: Grown and single, homosexual for
sure.PRACTITIONER: Actually gay men marry quicker than straight men
to dissimulate.PARTNER: Oh my god, youre not going to believe this.
Erika just got divorced and shes filing for a restraint order. What
do you think theyre going to do with the kids?PRACTITIONER: Is that
persons life is so important to you? Tell me more about that.*Dont
condemn, install. Dont say, You dont understand me, this is
perceived as offensive. Instead, say, Id like you to understand me,
this makes the other person work because no one likes to lose face.
Rather than saying, What the heck are you doing?! Try, What do you
expect to achieve with what youre doing?Persuasion
PatternsGratitude Debt GeneratorMaking people feel grateful to you
for something that you didnt do. Hence, theyll feel compelled to
return the favor by following your suggestion.Examples:We wake up
grateful every day. We say thanks! Indeed, we say thanks for the
sun, for the sky. But we dont stop to consider that this job allows
us to have a worthy productive life with good health.Truth of
ProcessOverloading your speech with obvious, irrelevant truths.
Notice that these are not lies, instead these are qualities
inherent to the idea/thing were selling, but theyre presented as
very special characteristics.Examples:This is the best pencil. This
pencil has no plutonium. A friend of mine used regular pencils for
years and ended up dying of cancer. Its up to you to take up the
reins of your life and be responsible for your health.If you buy
this horse, which is not black, nor white either it can be used to
play polo, to compete in races or to explore the world.I promise
you that when you buy the house thats in the peace of the suburbs,
your money will never again be used to pay the rent.Sell your
Obligation as a FavorWe start by eliciting a positive state, then
we continue by stating the reason why we would normally refrain
from doing something, we explain the impediment. However, we assert
very clearly that we choose to do otherwise because we appreciate
the other person, or its a special occasion.Examples:You know the
passion of my life is connecting with people. And Im just
recovering from a cold and my voice is not the best, however, I
will make an exception just for you.Wildcard TerminologyThese are
pseudo-sophisticated words or phrases that say nothing but seem to
encompass everything.Examples:I think what you have is an energetic
block.Its clear that you find yourself in a bubble of doubt.But its
also important to understand that this speculative bleeding does
not have to last forever.Facts InterpretationWe attempt to distort
reality by adding events that didnt happen. The first half is true,
but not the second one. We start by eliciting a positive state.
Using positive levering words we tell the first half of the story
with true facts. For the second half, we maintain the same positive
levering words used in the previous half but this time we make up
the facts.Examples:You know I appreciate you guys. You know I
wouldnt lie to you. Yesterday, I was watching the football game,
people were angry because of the penalty kick, and so was I; but
what I found shocking was that the mother of one of the players was
in tears, remember?AdulationWe associate someone else with a
positive state by contrasting with a negative state. If youre going
to compliment and dont want it to sound like flattering, accompany
it by a gradient of particularities, specificities.Examples:You are
the best client Ive had. Unlike other people who just make you
waste your time. You know what you want, you know how to get it,
and you see investments where others see expense.Nested Loops1. We
start by telling a story (every story implies morality and
didacticism, i.e. good/bad and learning), its recommended that we
seek to provoke curiosity in the listener.2. We stop the story
halfway3. We nest the orderwe install.4. Then we close with the
other half of the story.Its a good rule of thumb to use at least
three storiesopen three stories, nest the order and close them
accordingly. The purpose of the story is to overload the conscious
mind so that the listener goes into trance, they no longer are
aware of time, this is a gap in their conscious life and this is
also the perfect time to introduce the command. Its of supreme
importance to ease the transitions between stories, especially at
the heart of the intervention before and after the nested
message.When you dont finish the story you elicit doubt and
uncertainty in the listener, you create a need to have the story
finished. It is processed as a threatening, stressful situation and
so it calls for the listeners attention. This is a window of
opportunity where influence can happen.The effect of this technique
resembles magic. The person on the other side just changes. You
wont get the sort of verbal feedback youd get if you fixed their
leaking faucet, they will just act accordingly with what you
suggested. What you might hear from them is something along the
lines of I dont know how but just talking to you solved my problem
We call this phenomenon sublimationgoing from one state to another
without going through the in-between states (from A to C without
going through B). They go from unconscious incompetence to
unconscious competence.You can further reduce resistance by
introducing a topic that has nothing to do with the story,
preferably a taboo topic, right after finishing the nested loop.
Now the audiences attention is on the taboo, the message has
already been installed and they didn't have time to stop and
question it.Semantic DensityUnless youve never heard it, a word
will always mean something to you. The more meanings you can
associate in the Deep Structure for a given word the denser it is
considereddenser in meaning. The greater the semantic density, the
deeper the trans-derivational search. As soon as you hear any word
a trans-derivational search is initiated and no one is free from
this automatic process. The listeners personal history will
determine the associations made.Words such as father, mother,
brother, family, friend are semantically denser than chair, spoon,
meter, etc.OxymoronCreating a new concept through two opposed
concepts.Examples:You are understanding and you're not
understandingYou're living and dyingOf course notFight for peaceA
little too complicatedHalf fullLiving deadVirtual
realityTruismsSpeaking obvious truths such as walk with your feet,
feel with your body, see with your eyes.Examples:Time only moves
forward. Time is in a perpetual state of dynamism. Time never comes
back. If, in the world, every 60 seconds a minute passes why try to
get ahead of life?Confusion PatternThis is a word play that breaks
conscious patterns of the listener. Come up with two pairs of words
of opposite meaning. Then, combine and interlace those four words
in any way you want. Spoken to attentive listeners, a burden of
constructing a meaning is placed upon them, and before they can
reject it, another statement can be made to hold their
attention.Examples:How important it is to realize that we can be
wrong while we work because resting in error is no wrong
right.Interruption PatternBreaks the pattern and draws attention
using a taboo word, followed by a prolonged pause. And finally you
install a message relating it to the taboo word.Examples:I know two
things for sure about your lives: I know youve all done drugs and I
know you used to wet the bed what I do not know is in which order,
but that is not important.Affirmative Meta ModelMake yourself the
Meta-model questions and then communicate the answers. This makes
the message more credible.Examples:What does doing a correct
interpretation implies? To what end should we be interested in a
correct data interpretation? When would it be not so important to
have correct interpretation? How do I know that theres only one
correct interpretation? How does it feel to derive an incorrect
interpretation? Specifically, what are we referring to when we say
correct interpretation? Correct compared with what? Is it really
necessary to interpret data after it has been collected? What would
happen if I made an incorrect interpretation?Zooming in1.
Introducing globally2. Zooming in on the topic: Everyone-me-you.3.
Install the core messageExamples:You see it on TV, you see it on
the news, theres a ton of books about it. Everyone wants to gain
fulfillment by working at what they love. I too once believed that
idea. You might have thought about it as well. But what they dont
tell you is that it needs to add value to someone else in order to
thrive. Dont believe me, process it and come up with your own
answers.ClosingWe make decisions based mostly on emotions, not
logic. We make decisions based on our gut feeling and use facts to
substantiate our choice. So, rather than closing by asking: What do
you think? ask a question about their emotions.Examples:How do you
feel about this?At this point, how do you feel about where were
headed?Now that weve gotten to this point, whats on your mind?How
comfortable are you with what weve discussed here?Prescribing the
symptomThis is a paradoxical intervention that involves prescribing
the very symptom the client wants to resolvereverse psychology. By
choosing to manifest the symptom, they may recognize they can
create it, and therefore have the power to stop or change it. If
the client fears failure, the therapist will ask him to fail at
something. If the client has a problem with procrastination they
will be told to schedule their procrastination time every day on
purpose. This technique is most effective for resistant clients. As
clients always resist the prescription, by switching the
prescription for the symptom, they end up resisting the symptom and
overcoming it. People who by nature react against anything they
perceive as a threat to their freedom are the best candidates for
the technique of prescribing the symptom. Defiance becomes a
tool.Examples:Go ahead keep suffering for the next 20 years!Dump
him! Its your life!(MBTI) Myers-Briggs Type IndicatorAll of us
develop preferences at an early age. The more we exercise these
preferencesconsciously or unconsciouslythe more we rely on them
with strength and confidence. In the end, these processes translate
to functions in terms of: How we get energy, how we gather
information, how we make decisions, and how we organize our world
and life. Take it as a tool not as a life philosophy. None of the
personality types are better or worse. MBTI does not measure
aptitude; it simply indicates for one preference over another. In
the same way that writing with the left hand is hard work for a
right-hander, so people tend to find using their opposite
psychological preferences more difficult, however, they can become
more proficient (and therefore behaviorally flexible) with practice
and development. MBTI measures ONLY preferences. Someone reporting
a high score for extraversion over introversion cannot be correctly
described as more extraverted: they simply have a clear preference.
The dichotomies are not absolute, they exist in a continuum.
Personality preferences are not permanentthey are a process. We'd
rather use the term Tendency of personality traits or Typological
preference rather than personality, which might convey a static
meaning.In this context, a genius is someone capable of adaptation
and evolution. If I can turn on or off a personality trait, I
adapt; if that gives me good results and I try to improve it, I
evolve. In order to develop traits from the opposite personality
type it is advisable to surround yourself by people who naturally
possess it. Although generally, it could be better to strengthen
what we are than trying to specialize in what we are not.
Regardless of the approach, we can agree that the only detrimental
zones are the extremes.
Energy
Introversion (I)Extraversion (E)Information
Sensing (S)Intuition (N)
Decisions
Thinking (T)Feeling (F)Lifestyle
Judging (J)Perceiving (P)
EnergyIntroversion Recover energy by being alone Intense and
passionate Reflexive, first they think then they act Deep and
persistent They prefer to know more about what happens in their
inner world than outside of it Reserved, not easy to know They
struggle to meet new people, and the less, the better They are
considered good listeners They might think the E are
shallowExtraversion Recover energy by being among people Expansive
and uncaring Active, first they act then they think Enthusiasts
They prefer to know more about what happens in the outer world than
in the inner world Open, easy to know They like to meet new people,
and the more, the better They are considered good speakers They
might think the I are cold and unfriendlyInformationSensing
Practical and realist Facts They look for satisfaction and
experience They live in the real world They focus on tangible
problems Literal speech Detail focused They focus either in the
present or the past They might think the N are not practical enough
Intuition Imaginative and dreamers Theory and abstraction They look
for inspiration and insight They live in the world of possibilities
and multiple meanings They focus on abstract, complex problems
Elaborated speech Big Picture focused They focus in the future They
might think the S have no vision DecisionsThinking Logic-based
decisions True or false They like words such as: norm, principle,
and analysis Objective and analytic Precise They evaluate logic
consequences They decide in terms of the task at hand Justice over
kindness They might unwarily hurt or bother others They desire to
be recognized when the task has been completed and especially if
the goals were surpassed They might think that the F take
everything too personallyFeeling Values-based decisions A continuum
between two extremes They like words such as: good, bad, harmony,
empathy, compassion Subjective Persuasive They evaluate the impact
of human decisions They decide in terms of people Kindness over
justice They think in terms of the necessities of other people They
desire to be recognized during the process They might think that
the T are insensitiveLifestyleJudging Planners and organizers
Self-disciplined and resolved They define limits and work inside of
those limits They struggle to be tolerant Arrive to conclusions
They finish tasks Make decisions quickly with little information
Foresee future scenarios They focus on what needs to be done
ignoring surprises Hate to interrupt and ongoing project to focus
in a more urgent one They think the P dont planPerceiving Flexible
and spontaneous Curious and adaptable They ignore limits and work
challenging them Tolerant, they leave an error margin Receive
information They begin tasks They delay decisions Adapt
spontaneously They prefer ever-changing situations Multitask They
think the J are too rigid16 Personality Types
ISTJISFJINFJINTJ
ISTPISFPINFPINTP
ESTPESFPENFPENTP
ESTJESFJENFJENTJ
Usage In career choice, it help us to get a better understanding
of ourselves and our preferences. In personal development, it
allows us to have a clear view of our personality bias, so we can
deduce our strengths and weaknesses. Thus, we can determine what
breaks us and therefore what we should be wary about. It work
environment, it aids us to improve our communication with bosses
and co-workers. It can be used to build high performance groups
with broad profiles. Groups of people of the same personality get
results faster. However, mixed groups produce richer results. In
relationships, it can serve to make a conscious decision to choose
a partner. Knowing that being different wears out and being the
same limits. In conflict resolution, it helps us to recognize the
value in others and use individual differences in a constructive
way. It teach us that tackling a problem from different standpoints
is healthy and productive. In planning speeches or lectures, it
broadens our perspective so our message caters to different types
of people with different strengths, weaknesses, and needs.