CONTEXT
It is the context of action, not the action itself, that gives it meaning. Context determines other people’s interpretations, their actions and communication. How often have you misinterpreted someone else’s intentions, until you have first tried to understand and empathise with the context that gave rise to their ‘way of being’ at a particular point in time?
Such misunderstandings can often be a cause of anger, fear, anxiety, surprise, embarrassment or laughter. Context can influence how we think and feel. This can affect our body and mood state. Body language alone can reveal all you need to know. This is reinforced by the moods and words we use. This would suggest that all behaviour is appropriate in some context, but not in all contexts. For example, when people give way to authority (the top-down dynamic of change) they can be brainwashed to behave in mysterious, even violent ways. When the bottom-up dynamic is at work we follow the collective will. Context is the outside-in change dynamic that influences our ‘way of seeing’ the world. Because we have to give the context gives meaning, the reality is just our perception.
How we perceive it is reflected in our language, mood and body states. As a result, inappropriate behaviour may simply be a misinterpretation of the data. One person’s good choice might be seen as a poor choice by someone else. People usually choose what they believe is in their best interests. Even the road to hell can be paved with good intentions. The current world recession was created by people simply doing what they thought was in their best interests.
The economic environment encouraged risk (outside-in), every financial system in a relationship (bottom-up) as they benefitted leading authorities (top-down) around the world. The result was a way of seeing (inside-out) that created a new world view. The same is true of individuals. Context has a big influence on our ’way of seeing’. Even in a network of relationships, some are ’nodes’ exerting more authority than others. Multiple perspectives give rise to trends that become new ways of seeing and new ways of relating. People will see the same things in different ways because they have different maps of the world.
Some maps work well in a certain context whilst others don’t. We create our view of context from the inside-out and so create our perception of it from the way we interact with the world. We also draw on our own experience as well as those in authority whose views we share. Sometimes it is helpful to “chunk” a context to get at the bigger picture or understand things in more detail.
To give meaning to the behaviour we have to understand it’s context first. This requires us to be curious, to ask questions, to listen and notice which sensory system is being used most, what values and beliefs are important and what goals or intentions are being played out.
