5/19/2018 The Map is Not the Territory
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NLP First Principles
The Map is not The Territory
One of the first concepts to be introduced in an NLP
practitioner course is the idea that
people are like mapmakers. We create internal representations of
the world. We absorb
information through our senses and code it so that it can be
stored as part of our mentalmap. Then it is available to us when we
need to interpret new experiences.
For example we ma! need to go to a building we have never been
to before. When we get
there we know from our internal map "This is a door it indicates
where to enter the
building." We ma! never have seen that particular door before
but we know from our
mental map what the purpose of a door is and how to use it.
#aps are essential. $ut for maps to be useful we must distort
delete and generali%e. &f we
did not delete parts of our experience the mental map would be
too cumbersome. &magine
if a map of 'laska were the actual si%e of 'laska without an!
distortion deletion or
generali%ation. &t would be too big to be useful. (imilarl!
we cannot include all the details
of our experience in our maps.
NLP is interested in how we distort our experience to make our
maps. )ow we feel our
state of mind our knowledge and memories are shaped b! our
habits of distortion deletion
and generali%ation.
One of the NLP presuppositions is that "The #ap is Not the
Territor!". This presupposition
reminds us that all of our experience is sub*ective. +ver!
internal map we have of an event
or person or situation is distorted. Our map of the event is not
the event. &t is not a perfect
representation of ob*ective realit!.
This seems simple enough to grasp but it is human to forget and
to think that our map isrealit!. For this reason we are more often
limited b! our mental maps than b! the
constraints of external realit!. We don,t -uestion the map.
One form of limiting map is what & like to call
"-uestionable prere-uisites". These take the
form "& have to do or have or be/ this before & can do
have be/ this." ' beginning coach
might assume "& have to be certified or have a brochure or
have more experience/ before &
can approach business clients." 'n emplo!ee might assume "&
have to be invited to work
on this pro*ect." 'n individual might assume "& have resolve
all m! own issues before &
can have a meaningful relationship." O0 The coach could *ust
start talking to people about
coaching. The emplo!ee could contact the pro*ect leader and sa!
the! are interested in
working on the pro*ect. The individual could enter a
relationship as an imperfect human1
With NLP the coach can begin to call attention to how clients
distort delete and generali%e
to create a map of whatever situation is being described. NLP
focuses more on the )ow of
a person,s thinking the patterns/ than the What. 's habits of
thinking are changed the
world transforms. The client becomes aware of territor! be!ond
their current map. 2hoice
Flexibilit! #ovement. . . .
