IDM Module B

"Introduction to Dialectical Thinking"

This module is unique to IDM, no other instruction in dialectical thinking being found elsewhere in the world. It is here that the developmental tire hits the road since *thinking* or cognition informs every emotion humans have and every action they take.

While there is “social cognition” in meaning making, this type of cognition is vastly less broad and deep than thinking taken in more general terms, as addressed by philosophers for thousands of years, in all cultures. It is something that Cicero taught separates humans from animals.

While thinking has been thought about for more than 3000 years, it was only at the beginning of the 20th century that Piaget showed empirically how logical thinking emerges in people between ages 10 and 25. In work with children and adolescents, Piaget convincingly showed that thinking does not emerge in full force suddenly but rather matures in steps over the human life span. In Module B, we take Piaget’s findings for granted and, going beyond formal logical thinking ask: “Is there any thinking life after formal logical thinking?”

You learn in Module B what the answer to this question is. We distinguish between four eras of cognitive development, called Common Sense, Understanding, Reason, and Practical Wisdom, and focus on the transition from Understanding – based on formal logic – to Reason, which is grounded in dialectical thought.

Dialectical is a Greek term and means “splitting off” (one concept from another). The idea of Dialectic stems from Plato and developed in Western philosophy until Hegel, Marx, and the Frankfurt School. Then, in the 1980’s, M. Basseches took a pioneering step: he designed empirical methods to assess a client’s development of thinking in terms of Dialectic. At IDM, this empirical approach has been nurtured in returning to Frankfurt School teaching, due to which Dialectic has gained increased depth. Dialectical thinking is taught in all IDM programs and courses, either directly, as in Module B, or indirectly.

When Module B is absorbed by self study, as in the Dialectics in Coaching Program, only the most basic notions of dialectical thinking can be expected to be learned. However, this incipient knowledge is then rehearsed in live sessions focused on coaching cases. Such rehearsal entails practicing dialectical thought forms as “mind openers” in coaching conversations (not primarily for the sake of evaluation fragments of cognitive interviews).

In Module B you will learn:

• How reality is structured, and can be understood, in terms of the Quadrants of Dialectic
• How humans use four classes of thought forms to understand and act upon reality as an organized whole
• How, specifically, conceptual construction of the world of life and work shows up in your client’s present thinking
• How to use dialectical thought forms as “mind openers” in conversations with clients
• How to use dialectical thought form classes and thought forms as a tool in evaluating cognitive interviews
• How to link, in giving feedback, a client’s cognitive profile (in terms of fluidity of dialectical thinking) to his or her social-emotional meaning making.

As this description implies, at IDM we make a fundamental distinction between social-emotional “meaning making” and cognitive “sense making”. These two lines of adult development have their own trajectory and may indeed diverge in a person. The possibility of divergence raises the question whether a client is more developed in meaning making or sense making (social-emotionally or cognitively), or whether there is a good balance between the two.

Thus, as in Module A, in Module B we are inquiring into the existence of a balance, not of stages around a center of gravity, but of classes of thought forms by which the world is understood by individuals.

Outcomes

After studying Module B whether live or by self study, you should have acquired:

• An understanding of cognitive development over the human life span
• An understanding of Dialectic as a way of thinking (stance), specifically, as a way of transitioning from formal logic to holistic and systemic, “transformational” thinking
• The ability to “listen between the lines” as to how a client presently constructs his or her world of life and/or work
• An incipient ability to gather evidence about a client’s thinking through a structured cognitive interview
• An incipient ability to evaluate selected fragments of a cognitive interview in order to evaluate phase of dialectical thinking.

Course Materials

The following materials are used in Module B:

• Volume 2 of Measuring Hidden Dimensions by O. Laske (2008), which includes a Manual of Dialectical Thought Forms
• A set of slides detailing dialectics and cognitive interviewing

When module B is learned by self study you also have access to recordings of previous live B classes.

Registration

Tuition payments are accepted in form of check, money order or major credit card using our secure online system.

Register for IDM Program One, Module B