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Decoding Human Dynamics
Sandra Seagal and David Horne
Human Dynamics International
Janine, from Israel, didn't read until she was 10 years old, when
suddenly, with no special help along the way, she began to read
at a sixth grade level. How can this be explained?
Berit, a 7-year-old Swedish student, went to the optometrist for
a routine eye examination. The doctor told her mother that he
thought something was wrong with her eyes, as she was able to
see three-dimensionally. Was this really a problem or a gift?
In a Canadian classroom, dozens of 7- and 8-year-old immigrant
children were climbing the walls - noisy, screaming, angry, out
of control. The young teacher couldn't gather them, much less
teach them anything. Every child in that class could have been
diagnosed as having attention deficit disorder. Three months later,
the "diagnosis" no longer fit. The teacher learned to use relaxation,
a focusing exercise, a specific piece of music, and a langnage
for feelings - and the class changed. What does this anecdote
add to our understanding of this common "disorder"?
Human Dynamics offers a new paradigm for understanding both individual
and collective human functioning. It involves identifying fundamental
distinctions in the way people function as whole systems - distinctions
in how people innately process information, learn, communicate,
problem-solve, contribute to teams, become stressed, maintain
health, and advance along their path of development.
Human Dynamics findings are the result of an ongoing investigation
launched in 1979 that has so far involved more than 40,000 people
from over 25 cultures. We've focused on exploring how three universal
principles - the mental, the emotional or relational, and the
physical or practical - combine in a dynamic interplay to form
each person's distinct way of functioning, which we term "personality
dynamics."
We have found that some people function as "mentally centered"
systems, some are "emotionally centered," and others are "physically
centered." There are three variations on each of these major themes,
making nine personality dynamics in all, which we term "mental-mental,"
"mental-emotional," and "mental-physical," "emotional-mental,"
"emotional-emotional". . .and so on.
Of these nine possible combinations, we have found that five predominate
in Western cultures, and two of these five predominate in the
Far East.
These are the five major groups, with the proportions that we
have found to be consistent in Western cultures:
Global Reach
We have found that these distinct systems of functioning are not
determined by culture, race, age, or gender. We observe that they
exist globally; they characterize males and females equally; and
we can identify them at every age level - even in infancy!
Tracking babies on videotape from 2 1/2 weeks of age for more
than 12 years, and we've seen in each case that the personality
dynamic that we identified at the beginning constituted a fundamental
system of functioning that remained consistent over time.
These are discoveries of the utmost significance for parents and
educators, since invaluable information can be gleaned almost
from the beginning of life regarding the specific educational
and developmental needs of any child and the specific approaches
that will best foster learning and development.
Human Dynamics is a developmental system. Each of the five personality
dynamics has a unique path of development. Therefore, we can prescribe
tools and practices to assist adults and children in their personal
growth.
A further distinctive feature of the Human Dynamics approach is
that it isn't necessary to administer a test to identify someone's
personality dynamic. In our training programs, people identify
their own personality dynamic through a process of self-discovery,
and they learn to recognize the personality dynamics of others
through training in sensitive observation and participation, not
through tests.
It's also important to note that each personality dynamic is of
equal value. No way of being is "better" than another. Anyone
of any personality dynamic may be more or less intelligent, compassionate,
skilled, or gifted. It's the way in which each personality dynamic
functions that's entirely distinct.
Indeed, not only is no personality dynamic "better" than another,
but each can be said to "need" the others. Each offers gifts and
processes that complement the others, bringing an important set
of perceptions, ways of thinking and functioning, and natural
capabilities that are of value to the whole.
Implications for Learning
To show how Human Dynamics and understandings can be applied to
classroom situations, we've chosen to look at the physical-emotional
learner.
In schools in the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Israel where
we've worked, we've found 50 to 60 percent of the children identified
as having learning problems to be physical-emotional, though they
represent only 5 to 10 percent of the population. Often they're
labeled "slow learners." To date, we've found few of these children
to be actually learning disabled.
Rather, the problem is that their natural process of learning
has simply not been understood. (Similarly, we find a preponderance
of students labeled A.D.D. to be emotional-subjective. Understanding
this personality dynamic also permits us in many cases to abandon
a label that implies dysfunction in favor of an approach that's
based on understanding the natural attributes and processes of
the emotional-subjective personality dynamic.)
Generally speaking, physical-emotional individuals need two crucial
elements - physical involvement in the learning process and time
for individual exploration, absorption, and digestion. To help
the physical-emotional learner, educators need to present extremely
clear instructions, preferably presented as a series of steps.
These learners must understand the practical purpose and utility
of the material and how they will be expected to use it.
If possible, educators should provide an initial learning experience
that allows students to be immersed in a total informational and
experiential learning environment, with time to move organically
from item to item and opportunities for hands-on experiences.
For example, if the subject was Japan, a room could be set up
with photographs of the Japanese environment, books on the Japanese
culture and history, examples of Japanese art, audio tapes of
Japanese music, and samples of traditional and modern artifacts
of Japanese life. Origami, brushes and inks, bonsai trees, and
other materials that can be handled could fill another corner
of the room.
For physical-emotional learners, the process of assimilation seems
to have a distinctively somatic element, as if the cells of the
whole body are engaged in absorbing information.
Sometimes it appears that the interior processes of learning or
problem-solving for a physical-emotional person take place independent
of the individual's will or conscious effort. We've seen this
phenomenon in some physical-emotional children with regard to
learning to read. Janine, as related in the beginning of this
article, was such a child. Clearly, an organic learning process
had been taking place over time, but did not result in an expressed
skill until suddenly everything seemed to "come together" when
she hit age 10.
Doing Nothing?
Sometimes physical-emotional children are interpreted as not learning
because they appear to be "doing nothing." Often, we have found,
much is happening internally. Many physical-emotional adults have
described to us their experiences of this process and its misinterpretation
by spouses, colleagues, and teachers. It's as if the body of the
physically centered individual needs time to absorb, process,
and digest - and then knows exactly what to do.
Time is the crucial factor for the physical-emotional learner.
Educators must allow sufficient time for these students to collect,
absorb, sort, and organize material. These students also need
time to link old and new data into a new, whole system.
Educators must also allow time in the flow of a lesson for oral
responses to be formulated and expressed. Too often, the process
of physical-emotional individuals is interrupted by instructors
or classmates who, unaware of the methodical internal process
that is underway, don't wait long enough for an answer.
It's helpful for these learners to have advance notice of questions
or assignments requiring considered responses so they can begin
to prepare ahead of time. This group requires a pacing that encompasses
their natural timing and a rhythm that provides space and silence.
Physical-emotional learners experience words as real things or
real events and tend to be understood literally. Presentations
need to be factual, well-organized, concrete, and detailed-with
as little verbal redundancy or superfluous emotion as possible.
Real-life examples, visual illustrations, and practical demonstrations
help these learners move from the concrete to the abstract. In
addition, this group learns well from the written word, so (if
the learner is able to read) clear printed materials and time
for absorbing them should be provided.
Generally speaking, this group has a mechanical and technological
aptitude. For most, computer-based learning will
work well, if students are allowed to work at their own pace.
Educators can take advantage of another typical attribute of the
physical-emotional - their appreciation of nature and its processes
and their view of themselves as part of the greater, natural whole.
Learning Cycles
Because physical-emotional people experience themselves as organically
connected to whatever they're engaged in, change can be difficult
for them. This is especially true for children. It's better for
physical-emotional students to be allowed to complete a few tasks
than to be required to move quickly from one activity to another.
This accommodates their natural rhythm and allows the learning
cycle to be completed.
Contributing to both their strengths and difficulties in school,
the physical-emotional group seem to be both blessed and burdened
with the special gift of spatial intelligence, including a capacity
to see three-dimensionally. While this gift is not exclusive to
physical-emotional people, in our experience it seems to be a
common characteristic of this group as a whole.
As with many special or unusual skills, the gift of three-dimensional
perception is not always an advantage. For example, when some
physical-emotional children are first shown a two-dimensional
letter of the alphabet on the chalkboard, they often perceive
the written letter from a three-dimensional perspective.
As a result, they can confuse letters of a similar configuration,
but different spatial orientation, such as b, d, p and q. This
confusion can contribute to problems in learning to read and write.
Gaining a kinesthetic experience of three-dimensional letters
and numbers can be helpful.
Physical-emotional people have a natural identification with the
collective - with the group or team. Their primary identity is
usually as a group member. Parents and teachers can facilitate
the child's process of self-awareness and individuation by helping
bring to light the link between what the child has done or produced
and who the child is.
For example, such observations as: "You are clearly a methodical
worker," "You seem very interested in collecting lots of information,"
and "You really pay attention to details" can be helpful. Parents
and teachers need to encourage the child's use of "I" and "my"
to balance the identification with the group.
If they are provided with an appropriate learning environment
and a teaching approach
that matches their gifts and learning process, physical-emotional
children can thrive and succeed as well as any others. Indeed,
unlike some other learners, whatever they absorb is likely to
be retained forever.
The End Result
As our work becomes more broadly disseminated, we hope the learning
environment for these children in Western cultures will improve,
and the numbers of students inappropriately evaluated and labeled
will decrease.
One of the most sadly neglected aspects of the curriculum is probably
the most important of all - a student's sense of self. Students
customarily leave school with a certain amount of academic information
but lack the kind of understanding of themselves and others that
can truly be life-enhancing.
Our deepest aspiration is to enable students to have a language
for themselves. Teachers who have been trained can help children
of any age level to know and articulate their own learning processes,
to know their own needs for maintaining health and balance, to
be able to perceive others with more understanding and less judgment,
to have information that would help them to create more successful
relationships and foster their own development.
Education that includes these elements constitutes true empowerment,
with applications in every area of an individual's life.
In short, our purpose is to offer a basic tool not only to enable
teachers and students to be more successful in terms of teaching
and learning, but also for the development of more conscious,
loving, and cooperative generations across all cultures.
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