As a Coach and a NLP Practitioner, I am asked about the key benefits of learning NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming).
NLP has a few principles also referred to as presuppositions. The presuppositions are the foundation for understanding NLP that help us live our lives in a positive way, improve how we can think and communicate and increase the choices available to us in leading a fulfilling life.
In this article, I will explain one of the presuppositions – ‘The Map is not the Territory’. This phrase was coined by Alfred Korzybski (Polish -American Independent Scholar).
Let me try and simplify the phrase:
- What is a Map? – Map or our perception of the World represents how we see and perceive things; what we see, hear, feel for; how we make memories that can recall later. Our map portrays the way the world seems to us and no one else. There are useful and limiting maps or perceptions. ‘My English teacher was friendly; thus, all English teachers are friendly is an example of a useful map whereas ‘My Mathematics teacher was strict, thus all Mathematics teachers are strict’ is an example of a limiting map.
- What is a territory? – The word ‘territory’ in this context refers to the perceived reality. In the sentence ‘My Mathematics teacher was strict; thus, all Mathematics teachers are strict’ – the latter part of the sentence’ all teachers are strict’ is an example of ‘territory’.
- The MAP is not the Territory – To put it in simple terms, the way we see the world isn’t reality itself. We don’t respond to reality. We respond to our internalized map of reality. How we represent things are our interpretations. Interpretations may or may not be accurate. ‘My Mathematics teacher was strict thus; all Mathematics teacher are strict’ is my interpretation based on my experience.
The story ‘The Blind Men and the Elephant’ is one of the examples of this NLP Presupposition( http://www.his.com/~pshapiro/elephant.story.html)
Applicability of the Presupposition:
- Improving confidence and relationship:
- One of my clients was demotivated as he felt that his boss didn’t like him. He said ‘I just don’t have what it takes. I am useless’. He wanted to feel confident and work on ability to create a better relationship with his Boss.
- He also mentioned that he had quit his earlier job due to the same perception. He was operating with a map ‘I am not good enough because my boss doesn’t like me’.
- During our sessions, we discussed about his reasons for forming the perceptions, and whether he or anyone else in the team had an ability to control his Boss’s emotions.
- I also asked him to recall few benevolent trends in his Boss’s behavior like when his Boss listened to his problem or advised him on few professional issues.
- After couple of session I helped my client create a new perspective/ useful map that ‘I will do my best in all aspects of my professional life. My boss’s reaction is not in my control’.
How to create a useful map?
- Asking questions is one of the ways of creating a more useful map – questions that would help us understand other’s beliefs and experiences. Also, separating our interpretations vs. reality and facts helps us in changing our current perspective.
What are the different maps that have you observed? And have they been useful/limiting maps?
