All PH-L3s involve Change-RL3

Colour-coding in this Topic: Orange refers to THEE terminology. Blue refers to THEE-names for specific cells or frameworks. Maroon refers to the Root Level phenomena and pressures which are presumed to be intrinsic to their function.

Proposition

The function of every PH•Level-3 element has Change-RL3 as an intrinsic necessary, but often implicit, feature.

As proposed in the Review, each entity is therefore subject to an acceptability pressure.

What about the other Root Levels?   Any of the other RLs may occur but they are not necessary, and by themselves they would not be enough to enable the function. Further explanations will be offered where there might be confusion.

Note: The elements examined below are not equally well understood.

In Willingness-PH7

Element	Function: Provisional Formulation
L3-Enabling Seeing	To perceive relevant realities accurately regardless of their personal congeniality.

PH7-L3: Seeing is paradoxically about penetrating superficialities and grasping what is unseen: like an underlying pattern or trends indicating the future. It involves perceiving something (called 'the reality') unequivocally, regardless of whether it is liked it or not. There is none so blind as those that won't see, which is why seeing must be enabled or switched on. Such seeing is about change: it necessarily represents a state of affairs, and may stabilize or reform a position that has a general effect on a person.

Example: A client in psychotherapy for marital difficulties spends much time describing an idealized relationship with his mother. However, the therapist may rapidly become aware of an exploitative and manipulative streak in the mother. When the patient is ready to see that pattern, there is typically a crisis in the therapy which leads to personal growth, and then marital re-adjustment.

Alternatives

A person must be prepared for identity engagement if willing seeing is to take place. Such seeing will activate other PH7-willingness functions. However, there is no intrinsic necessity to take action-RL1, make inquiries-RL2, use experience-RL4, communicate-RL5, or have purposes-RL6—apart from these functions necessarily operating within the change process or subsequently.

In Purpose-PH6

Element	Function: Adjusted Formulation
L3-Installing an Internal Priority	To differentially emphasize valid values or actions for immediate use.

PH6-L3: Internal priorities relate to criteria for choice or specific action-emphases within a project or organization. Installing them is about changing a mental state (in a person) or cultural state (in an organization) so that objectives, both strategic and tactical can be adjusted. The consequence will be an altered allocation of resources like time, money, space, and attention. Unless the inner state is firmly altered, then priorities are more abstract hopes than actual values.

Example: The manager of a medical practice may want greater priority for self-care and prevention. To make this occur, clinics will need to be rearranged, existing staff re-trained, new experts recruited, one room re-modelled for patient groups, and creation of a new system for communicating with patients. However, none of this will occur or work properly unless and until the medical and nursing staff have altered their mindsets.

Alternatives

Installation of priorities activates other forms of purpose-PH6. However, there is no intrinsic need to take action-RL1, make inquiries-RL2, use experience-RL4, communicate-RL5, or be willing-RL7—apart from these functions necessarily operating within the management of change.

In Communication-PH5

Element	Function: Adjusted Formulation
L3-Interpreting a Significance	To identify something as indicating or suggesting something else within a single domain of discourse; or regard it as so doing.

PH5-L3: Signifying involves placing a stimulus or pattern of stimuli within a particular larger state of affairs, that typically includes a particular perspective. Meaning is then assigned in that context. The sign refers to, specifies and may affect the state of the domain in question.

Example: A person shakes their fist at you and smiles. You recognize the gesture signifies encouragement and it has an effect on your state—but that is because of the way those gestures fit within your relationship and the current circumstances.

Signifying will activate other aspects of communication-PH5, which can cause confusion: e.g. the meaning will indicate the purpose of the sign. However, as in the example, there is no purpose in the sign-L3 itself

Alternatives

So signifying does not intrinsically involve taking action-RL1, making inquiries-RL2, using experiences-RL4, having purposes-RL6 or being willing-RL7. It may seem from the example as if you might have to use experience (e.g. intuition or emotion) however the sign speaks directly and any experiences are ancillary.

In Experience-PH4

Element	Function: Provisional Formulation
L3-Valuing an Emotion	To provide a sense of self that has value and meaning, and is embodied.

PH4-L3: Emotions are mental and bodily states. Giving them value means a change of a complex state. That is why emotions are often equated to 'bombs'. Emotions always signal some change in a relevant situation, or spontaneous efforts to prevent or neutralize such change. When released, emotions immediately alter the state of affairs for better or worse.

Example: An arrangement with a customer starts going awry and emotions mount as a result. The emotion cannot be restricted to just two people. The customer's family and friends may become involved, and on the supplier side, a variety of employees become sensitized, develop views and possibly take action.

Alternatives

Emotions may activate other forms of experience-PH4. However, they do not intrinsically involve taking action-RL2, making inquiry-RL2, communicating-RL5, having purposes-RL6, or being willing-RL7.

In Change-PH3

Element	Function: Provisional Formulation
L3-Determining an Improvement	To determine a way that an entity's current state could be better.

PH3-L3: Improving involves change because it represents a replacement of one or more aspects of the current state based on the notion that what exists is unsatisfactory. The improvement or reform is a new practical replacement of an existing form with a new form that is better.

Example: For a long time, voting was restricted to adult men. If women were to get the vote, this meant electoral reform. This did not simply alter the voting process, but rather it affected the whole political situation including campaigning and legislating.

Alternatives

Improving may activate other elements of change-PH3: these are certainly essential as the reform is put into practice. However, it does not intrinsically involve taking action-RL1 (reforms often die a death), making inquiry-RL2 (reforms may be knee-jerk responses), using experience-RL4, communicating-RL5, having purposes-RL6, or being willing-RL7.

In Inquiry-PH2

Element	Function: Provisional Formulation
L3-Arranging a Comparison	To apportion value systematically to related things.

PH2-L3: Comparing involves change because in the absence of some difference in state, which may have a variety of causes, no comparison is possible. You cannot identify something (or, at the extreme, even know it is there) without comparing it to something else. When you arrange a comparison you accept the significance of context and the potential for different states with which you interact with the object or process. Being systematic requires you to be a stable component of the valuing situation, because alteration of your position affects the comparison. The main issue in comparing is variation due to subjective elements, and hence repeatability (reliability) is a concern. Reliability is commonly taken to mean validity.

Example: Comparison of the quality of two works of art requires that you are in a similar stable state physiologically (in regard to alertness, hunger, mood), with similar appropriate lighting, and in a similar environment (in regard to noise, other viewers etc).

Alternatives

Comparing activates other elements in inquiry. However, it does not intrinsically involve taking action-RL1, using experience-RL4, communicating-RL5, having purposes-RL6, or being willing-RL7. So the other Root Levels are only supportive or contextual.

In Action-PH1

Element	Function: Provisional Formulation
L3-Using a Technique	To enable the systematic execution of a particular activity efficiently and to a desired quality.

PH1-L3: Using a technique institutes change in a situation because techniques are always applied in order to deal with a particular state of affairs—either to create it, to improve it or to stabilize and persist within it. The technique adapts action to the individual as the activity is performed in the particular environment.

Example: Singers have to project and protect their voice and adapt how they sing to the particular setting. They use their technique to create a particular delivery that works for themselves and for the audience.

Alternatives

Using techniques activates other elements of action-PH1. However, the function does not intrinsically involve making inquiries-RL2, using experiences-RL4, communicating-RL5, having purposes-RL6, or being willing-RL7. So the other Root Levels are only contextual. For example, any technique has purposes set prior to or during its discovery and development. Although the professional may be able to explain them, execution occurs without having them in mind.

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• Continue to explore all PH-L4's.

Initially posted: 26-Jul-2013.