Replying to LO24280 --
Dear Nick:
That's a good distinction you've made between two types of learning. I
guess I'm referring more to what you call Type 2. This is the type of
learning that gets in the way of further learning and must be unlearned
first.
My experience, however, is that more than "support, love and attention" is
required. If you'll read my previous posts, I explain one approach I've
developed that facilitates unlearning. I'm sure there are others. But we
have worked with hundreds of people who have had "support, love and
attention" in their adult life and still have the early "negative" beliefs
and feelings.
I totally agree with half of your last point:
> Perhaps a crucial role of change facilitators, such as the people on the
> list, is to provide the support, love and attention to enable people to
> release their feelings and thus unlearn their rigid patterns of behaviour.
A crucial role of change facilitators is to assist people to "unlearn
their rigid patterns of behaviour."
Morty
> The problem with thinking about "Unlearning" is there are two quite
> distinct types of learning.
>
> If you learn a new skill, such as how to make bread, you have it available
> and can use it or modify what you do. If you acquire new knowledge or have
> a new experience you might change what you do to make it better. You might
> drop an old method that did not work very well, perhaps someone suggested
> that using yeast makes bread tastier, so you stopped using soda. I think
> this "dropping" would be "unlearning" something perhaps and might be easy.
> I can't think of a good name for this sort of learning so I'll call it
> "Type 1" for convenience.
>
> However, you might have a painful experience and "learn" something as a
> result. Someone I know had an accident shortly after she passed her test
> and started driving. As a result of this she has "learned" that she hates
> driving and can't drive. She will avoid even trying to drive now. In this
> case the experience she had, driving, is associated with the painful
> experience (fear and embarrassment) of the accident. When she thinks about
> driving herself these old feelings say "It's not for me!" This "learning"
> (Type 2) is rigid and irrational. The fact that she had an accident ten
> years ago does not mean she can never learn to drive and enjoy it! She
> could "unlearn" her driving block by releasing the painful feelings that
> hold it in place. This is easier to do with someone who listens without
> judging and accepting the feelings.
>
> Much of what happens in organisations and keeps them rigid and prevents
> real "Type 1" learning are the effects of the painful experiences of the
> organisations members that have never been fully released. Only, yesterday
> someone said to me that he would not talk to his boss about his concerns
> because he has tried it before and he got rejected. He felt hurt and angry
> and did not want it to happen again. He had "learned" "Type 2" to avoid
> his boss. He did not want to think about another way of approaching him.
>
> Perhaps a crucial role of change facilitators, such as the people on the
> list, is to provide the support, love and attention to enable people to
> release their feelings and thus unlearn their rigid patterns of behaviour.
--"Morty Lefkoe" <morty@decisionmaker.com>
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