How to Coach Yourself and Others Essential Knowledge For Coaching | Page 278
working tools of our mental map are known as 'Constructs'. A
construct is simply a way of differentiating between objects.
Each construct can be equated to a line connecting two points.
These two points, or poles, each have a (different) label
identifying the opposite extremes of the construct. Based on our
perceptions of other people's behaviour we can then place them
somewhere on the scale between the two poles and hence build
our mental map of the world. We also place ourselves along
these same dimensions and use them as a guide to choosing not
only our behaviours but also our friends etc. As a result of our
experimenting we are constantly assessing our constructs for
their level of 'fit' in our world. This results in either a validation
of the construct or an invalidation of (and hence potential change
to) our constructs. Problems occur when we consistently try to
use invalidated constructs in our interactions.
For example we might define people by the way they act in
company and decide that some people are 'extravert' and others
'introvert', other constructs may be physical, e.g. tall or small, fat
or thin. Objects can fall into more than one category so we can
have small, thin extroverted people. Within Klienian psychology
one example of a construct would be 'Good Breast/Bad Breast'.
One point here, the opposite of 'introvert' may not be extravert
for some people; it could be loud or aggressive. Hence just
because we associate one with another doesn't mean everybody
does. This is why we need some understanding of other people's
construct system to be able to effectively communicate with
them.
To be able to interact with each other we need to have some
understanding of how the other person perceives their world.
What do they mean when they call someone 'extroverted'?, are
they the life and soul of the party? or are they loud and over
bearing? How we, and they, treat the extrovert depends on
whether it is viewed it as a positive or negative character trait.
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