Which level you are at?

Language is not just a mode of communication. It is a way that expresses the internal state of an individual. We have modelled our use of language from others and so may not be skilled in the use of language to communicate precisely who we are.

Being aware of the Robert Dilts Neurological Levels in NLP helps us to identify exactly from which level we are communicating and whether it is that level that we want to communicate from. It also helps us to respond appropriately to others. It will help us to see from which level the other is communicating and respond accordingly thus facilitating communication, making the other feel understood and helped and maintaining / establishing rapport.

For example if you say that you are not able to do something (skills level) but in fact what you mean is that you are not confident enough at it (belief level). Like – if I say I am not able to do something, I may read and try to learn more how to do it. But if, however, the statement is at belief level – meaning that I am not confident is using such skill – what I need to target is more the building of confidence, elimination of fears and insecurities, rather than skill-based knowledge.

 The model begins with environment (which focuses on where), then behaviour (which focuses on what a person does), then capabilities (which focuses on skills and qualities), then beliefs and values ( the views we hold emotionally or things which are important to us); then identity (which focuses on how a person sees himself); and finally mission (which relates to a person’s purpose in the world).

Few days ago, I was in a session with Amit, 34 years old sales guy, who was struggling in his work. I used my skills to elicit the subjective experience of Amit.

Logical levels can be detected by the language patterns of the person. So, for example, if a person is complaining about his or her selling or marketing strategies, it would look like the following depending upon which level the person was focusing.

Logical Level Statement

Spiritual/Greater System “This world is cruel. This is not meant for me”

Identity “I am dumb, useless.”

Beliefs/Values “Learning selling is stupid. Either it is in your blood or not”

Capability “I don’t know how to improve my marketing skills.”

Behavior “Should I enroll myself for a sales training or go for MBA?”

Environment “The office is too noisy.”

So, as Amit was describing his office struggles, I was listening through the logical levels to discern at which levels the issues are. Once I figured out that, then I used my skills to determine more specifically what the subjective experience is that needs to be addressed.

What I found is, all this starts at very early stage in our lives. Many school students who struggle at the capability level. This is there because most schools and teachers presuppose that students know how to learn academic subjects. The students are left on their own to figure out HOW TO LEARN. A large number come up with learning strategies that don’t work or they are inefficient and ineffective. Since we presuppose that they know how to learn we do not offer alternative ways and they keep doing what they have always done and keep getting the same bad results. Many take this personally and assume something is wrong with themselves. They start to devalue learning and school. Or, they move it to the identity level and start to believe that they are dumb or a bad student. And similar case was with Amit, as he had identity issues.

Logical Levels of Learning and Change

The first books formally mentioning this formulation of Logical Levels were Changing Beliefs with NLP and Beliefs: Pathways to Health and Well-Being, both published in 1990.

The Logical Levels model has continued to be developed, and has become the basis of many recent NLP processes and techniques. Book from Coach to Awakener (2003) applies the model as a primary roadmap for the process of personal coaching. NLP II: The Next Generation provides description of the Neurological Levels model and its relation to Set Theory, Mathematical Group Theory, hierarchical levels, Korzybski's levels of abstraction.

The concept of logical levels of learning and change was initially formulated as a mechanism in the behavioral sciences by anthropologist Gregory Bateson, based on the work of Bertrand Russell in logic and mathematics. Bateson identified basic levels of learning and change- each level encompassing and organizing elements from the level below it, and each having a greater degree of impact on the individual, organism or system.

NeuroLogical Levels and How does it work?

The level of neurology that is mobilized when a person is challenged at the level of identity, for instance, is much deeper than the level of neurology that is required to move his or her hand. To experience the environment, a person can passively adjust his or her sense organs. To take action in a particular environment, a person needs to mobilize more of his or her nervous system. Forming and manifesting beliefs and values about capabilities, behaviors and the environment, requires an even deeper commitment of neurology.

 In general, higher levels of process mobilize a deeper commitment of the nervous system.

 Neurologically, our perceptions of the environment relate to information coming from our sense organs and peripheral nervous system. To perceive a particular environment the person makes many subtle and unconscious adjustments to maintain balance, respond to changes in the intensity of light and sound, acclimate to temperature changes, etc. Thus, the peripheral nervous system essentially relays information related to the environment to and from the brain. It is responsible for producing sensations and purely reflex reactions.

Behavior relates to the specific physical actions and reactions through which we interact with the people and environment around us. Neurologically, our external behavior is a result of activity in our motor systems (the pyramidal system and cerebellum). Non-reflexive behaviors involve the psychomotor system, a deeper level of neurology than the sense organs. The psychomotor system coordinates our physical actions and conscious movements.

At the level of capability we are able to select, alter and adapt a class of behaviors to a wider set of external situations. Thus, "capability" involves mastery over an entire class of behavior- i.e., knowing how to do something within a variety of conditions. Neurologically, developing cognitive capabilities is a function of higher level processing in the cortex of the brain.

Values and beliefs relate to fundamental judgments and evaluations about ourselves, others and the world around us. They determine how events are given meaning, and are at the core of culture. Our beliefs and values provide the reinforcement ( permission) that supports or inhibits particular capabilities and behaviors. Beliefs and values relate to the question, "Why?"

In fact, one of the ways that we know that we really believe something is because it triggers physiological reactions; it makes our "heart pound," or our "skin tingle" (all effects that we cannot typically produce voluntarily). This is how a polygraph functions to detect whether or not a person is "lying." People show a different physical reaction when they believe what they are saying than when they are being untruthful or incongruent.

It is the intimate connection between beliefs and deeper physiological functions. This is illustrated by the example of the woman who adopted a baby, and because she believed that "mothers" were supposed to provide milk for their babies, actually began to lactate and produced enough milk to breast feed her adopted child!

The level of identity relates to our sense of who we are. It is our perception of our identity that organizes our beliefs, capabilities and behaviors into a single system. Our sense of identity also relates to our perception of ourselves in relation to the larger systems of which we are a part, determining our sense of "role," "purpose" and "mission." In our neurology, our identity can be associated with our nervous system as a whole, and probably involves deep brain structures.

Change of identity can have a tremendous and almost instantaneous effect on one's physiology. Medical research on individual's with multiple personalities (Putnam 1984) shows that dramatic changes can occur when an individual switches from one identity to another.

Spiritual level is related to our sense of purpose and mission in life. It comes from asking the questions: "For whom?" and "For what?"

Neurological Level concept is also very important in organisations – both in training as well as in managing and motivating people. The importance of being aware not to label people from an identity level – saying for example, this person is resistant or this person is destructive. Instead of doing so one has to analyse the language the person is using and see at what level is the difficulty – maybe the person does not feel valued or the person feels excluded in decision making thus rendering them to become critical and demotivated.

It helps me also in working with clients and in training. It is interesting to note that in order to introduce change in a person and / or organisation you need to start from a higher level. As we generally start training /helping form the level of skill / competence but we need to explore whether we need to start from the level of belief first; or else form the level of identity or mission.

When people speak, you are able to identify the structure and where it is being formed i.e.- identity, beliefs & values, capabilities, behavior, environment. Once you have recognised where it is coming from, you can then construct the language in which your reply to focus in on that very element that it preventing them from moving forward. If you concentrate on the structure of what is being said as opposed to the problems, then you can focus your attention on the way you should response in line with the way it is being shaped.

Help is available at all logical levels. We know how to teach them learning strategies that really work at the capability level. We know how to positively affect attitude at the value level. We also know how to change beliefs at the top three logical levels. The changes are transforming.

“Give a man a fish and you have fed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you have fed him for the rest of his life.”

Disclaimer : Any of the opinions expressed here are my own and are a result of the way in which my mind interprets a particular concept and/or situation. I would like to convey that if I defame or hurt someone's feelings as a result of them reading upon any of the information found here, it is entirely unintentional of me to do so.