NLP Logical Levels

The set of distinctions known as NLP Logical Levels can help us identify underlying structures and patterns in our thinking about ideas, events, relationships or organisations. We owe them to the pioneering work of Robert Dilts.

Categorizing information according to different levels is a way of making important distinctions in our experience. The influence is generally effected from top to bottom. In other words, changes made at any one level, affects all the levels beneath it.

Environment: WHERE? and WHEN?

The level of environment includes obvious things like your surroundings, the external context, the where and the when. But it also embraces more nebulous elements like your social environment. There is also your internal environment, which you create through your thoughts, feelings and sense of well-being.

Behaviour: WHAT?

Behaviour is what you do - or don't do. It involves both deliberate and 'accidental' actions, occurring at both conscious and unconscious levels. Issues on this level relate to what is happening or being done.

Capability: HOW?

Capability is about the how and the how-tos of life - the knowledge, skills and processes that make it possible for one person who has them to find doing something easy, and for another who lacks them to find the same thing really difficult. These abilities may be inherent or learnt.

Beliefs and values: WHY?

Beliefs and values provide the criteria for judgment and action - the why - for both individuals and organizations. Our beliefs and our values shape our understanding of why things are possible or impossible for us. They provide us with a rationale and drive our actions.

Identity: WHO?

Identity is to do with sense of self. This could be our personal identity or a relationship identity - in either case, who we are. Psychologically, this area is felt to be most significant and will be most well defended. If someone feels criticized at this level, they will tend to react very strongly!

Beyond identity: FOR WHOM/FOR WHAT?

This is the level that relates to a bigger picture or larger system where questions about some larger purpose come into play. For us as individuals, this often means the spiritual. It takes us into questions about our mission/vision. The dimension of mission and vision can also apply to groups. Because it gives meaning to our life by answering questions about for whom or for what larger vision are we working, it can be emotionally supercharged and - as with certain religious groups - heavily defended or aggressively promoted.

Applications of logical levels

The Logical Levels framework gives you a way of understanding:

• What kind of information you are dealing with.

• Where a problem originates.

• On what level the problem is being experienced or manifested - these may not be the same.

• What the appropriate level is for intervention.

Credits:
- Robert Dilts
- The Coaching Bible, Ian McDermott & Wendy Jago