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structural Differntial

The document discusses the concept of the Structural Differential, highlighting the operational differences in abstracting between humans and animals. It emphasizes that humans possess a limitless capacity for abstraction, allowing for complex responses to stimuli rather than conditioned reactions. Additionally, it introduces the Ladder of Abstraction, illustrating how language and thought evolve from concrete to abstract levels, affecting our understanding and interpretation of experiences.

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6 views

structural Differntial

The document discusses the concept of the Structural Differential, highlighting the operational differences in abstracting between humans and animals. It emphasizes that humans possess a limitless capacity for abstraction, allowing for complex responses to stimuli rather than conditioned reactions. Additionally, it introduces the Ladder of Abstraction, illustrating how language and thought evolve from concrete to abstract levels, affecting our understanding and interpretation of experiences.

Uploaded by

Ishita
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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STRUCTURAL

DIFFERENTIAL A.K.
 The "differential" in Structural refers to an operational difference
between what humans do and what animals do.

 The difference between what humans do and what animals do is that,


an animal's ability to abstract is limited; a human's ability to abstract is
virtually limitless.

 Abstracting, in the context of Korzybski's model, refers to


physiological-neurological activities, or processes, that occur on non-
verbal levels.

 One of the powerful lessons of general semantics - illustrated by the


Structural Differential and evidenced by a consciousness of this
abstracting process - is that we can better train ourselves to respond
conditionally to what happens to us.

 We humans don't have to react with a conditioned respond like


Pavlov's dog, reacting to a substitute stimulus as if it were 'real' - but
we often do. Our language helps confuse us, because we tend to say
things like, "Ooh, it made me so mad!" We allow the 'it' - the event, the
what happens, the stimulus - to determine our response.
 The parabola represents an environment (the world around us)
consisting of innumerable characteristics or events, depicted by the
holes, or dots (activities, people, things, etc., including what occurs on
microscopic and sub-microscopic levels (Event level).
 Only some of these characteristics (the hanging strings) can be
detected by human senses. Those which connect to the circle
(Object level) represent a specific object sensed by a specific nervous
system, which has abstracted a particular set of characteristics (those
connective strings) from all possible characteristics occurring in the
parabola.
 These initial sensory data are further abstracted and transformed as
the nervous system/brain recognizes and associates the data with a
word or label. The tag below the circle represents
the Descriptive level of abstracting, the first level of verbal
awareness.
 From the descriptive level, the verbal abstracting process proceeds
with the Inference levels that can continue indefinitely (implied by
the ragged bottom tag). In other words, from our descriptions of
events we form inferences, assumptions, opinions, beliefs, etc., by
generalizing this experience with our past experiences.
 we continue to form different inferences (MEANING)
from one experience, which may then be subsequently
recalled in future experiences, noted by the arrow and
“
dotted line to the right.
 As we become aware of these sensory experiences, we
can talk about them, describe them, express how we
feel, what they mean, etc.
 Throughout this abstracting process, we need to
remember that what we talk about is not the same thing
that our brain registers as an experience, which is also
not the same as our initial sensing, which is in turn not the
same as the actual stimulus or event.
 Abstracting is something that your body-brain-nervous-
system does continually without being our aware of it.
Korz

“Those who copy Fido must be


dogmatists, categorists, absolutists,
“know-alls”;
they must be fanatics, intolerant; when they
meet others of their kind, a fight must follow,
etc. They do not want to think, they are not
LOWER & HIGHER LEVEL OF ABSTRACTION

“
 Fido” represents the animal level of perception. The needs of animals, infants and primitives are direct
such as food, water, shelter, and safety. Nature provided much that was required—or not. This is life at
the lowest levels of abstraction, in other words at the level of Fido.

 Fido is incapable of consciousness of abstracting and has no choice. To Fido the object is all. For
humans to behave like Fido is a tragedy yet the habit is deeply ingrained into us. It takes hard work to
break the habit. The Structural Differential represents a visual reminder that “This is not this.”

 From the dawn of civilization to today the conditions of human life have become incredibly more
complex. They are dependent upon higher orders of abstract thinking. The difference this makes is
that: “…a future Ā society may differ as greatly from present A society as the later differs from the
primitive society.”

 “Man” has the power of discrimination. We use both perception and thinking to test and to gain an
understanding of reality. Fido does not. The distinction is all-important. It is “the solution of practically
all human troubles.”
o E — The parabola represents the Event level, the “what is going on”
(WIGO) in the world around us. Each dot, figure, and line stands for an
aspect or characteristic of the sub-microscopic process level that
comprises WIGO.

o O — The circle labeled for Object represents a human nervous system


interacting with WIGO. Through sensing organs and brain, human
being construct the sights, sounds, smells, etc., that result in
experiences. The experiences are unique to that particular nervous
system.

o D — The first verbal level in the abstracting process is labeled


as Descriptive. What one says, thinks, etc., at this level about the
experience should be limited to just the facts.

o I — The I tags represent the multiple levels of Inferences one might


construct from the experience. These inferences will determine what
meaning or significance one draw from this experience.

o One can generate as many inferences, beliefs, theories, judgments,


conclusions, etc.. It’s important to remember how time, order, or
sequence plays into this model. Each level of the abstracting process
occurs in a given order
 We need to remember that between the stimulus and your response.
there's a YOU.

 There's a lot of merit to be gained by practicing your ability to


consciously - conditionally - delay your responses.

 Abstracting refers to ongoing physiological-neurological processes


that occur on non-verbal levels • We can verbally differentiate certain
phases, or levels or orders, of the abstracting process to analyze our
behaviors and reactions: EVENT is not OBJECT is not DESCRIPTION
is not INFERENCE, etc.

 We can acknowledge that our abstracting occurs at different 'times' ...


we should expect different results, reactions, responses, etc., from
different experiences at different 'times’ We have human limitations
that constrain our experiences - we never experience 'all' of What Is
Going On . Similarly, we can never 'say all' or describe 'all' about our
experiences - more could always be said.
The American linguist S. I. Hayakawa is the creator of the Ladder of
Abstraction. He explains how it works in ‘Language in Thought and Action’,
published in 1939.
The basic principle is that humans have the ability to reason at four language
levels. These language levels range from concrete words at the base of the
ladder to abstract words at the top.

1. Process level
The cow, at its most fundamental level, is made up of atoms, electrons, and
other scientific components. This level is ever-changing and represents the
scientific reality of the object.
2. Name
This is the second rung on the Ladder of Abstraction: the atoms form
‘something’ that can be described as a four legged mammal , and
black and white mottled colour and a tail . Based on sensory
experiences, it becomes clear that this is a cow.
3. Bessie
This is no longer just about the cow, but about the specific recognition
of Bessie. She has characteristics by which she can be recognised, such
as the colour of her coat, her sleeping/waking rhythms and, for
example, her temperament. Hereby, Bessie can be distinguished from
the rest of the cows.
4. Cow
The higher the rung on the Ladder of Abstraction, the more abstract
the description of Bessie becomes. This means that, at this level, she
loses her identity and specific characteristics and becomes just one
of the cows found on a farm.
5. Livestock
We are even higher on the Ladder of Abstraction, where Bessie is
only referred to as ‘livestock’. There are no more specific
characteristics, and there are only characteristics that are the same
as those of pigs, sheep, goats and the like.
6. Corporate assets
Here, we go one step further, where Bessie is part of the farm’s
assets, and has been translated into milk, beef or sales proceeds.
7. Assets
On this penultimate rung, Bessie has lost almost all of her
characteristics. She is part of everything that has value on the farm.
8. Wealth
This is the highest rung on the Ladder of Abstraction, and thereby
also the most abstract description: wealth. Wealth is a rather
subjective description, and is hard to grasp or pin down. The fact is,
however, that the more cattle the farmer has, the wealthier he is.
Thinking Difference

 At the base of the Ladder of Abstraction is concrete thought. When they


are approximately eight years old, children are able to concretize and
name things around them. This means that they are perfectly able to
differentiate a cow from a bull.

 As children become older, they become increasingly good at abstract


thinking. The higher one climbs on the Ladder of Abstraction, the
better one is able to think in abstract or even philosophical terms.

 In this way, ‘war’ can be described in concrete terms on the lower rungs
of the Ladder of Abstraction, while on the highest rungs the question
‘what causes war’ is probably addressed.

 We should therefore expect not only to 'see' things differently, we


should expect to evaluate and react to 'things' differently

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