Sandra Seagal & David Horne on "Educational Question of the Year"
"It is our belief that to be effective citizens of a global society, individuals need to have in the first place as deep an understanding of themselves and their specific ways of functioning as possible."
A brief context for the following remarks in response to the question: “What knowledge or skills will students need to be effective citizens of our world in the future?
Through 26 years of investigation involving more than 80,000 people from more than 25 cultures, we have discovered that hard-wired into everyone from birth onwards is a very specific pattern of mental-emotional-physical interplay which determines how each individual naturally “experiences experience,” thinks, learns, plans, communicates, relates to others, experiences stress and maintains well-being, as a whole system of functioning. Your specific pattern also determines your particular path of development. We have found that five such specific human systems (we term them “personality dynamics”) seem to predominate (numerically speaking) in the world, and that they exist regardless of age, race, culture and gender. In other words, these distinct “ways of being,” with their very different inherent processes, gifts and needs are present in every family, every classroom, every organization, wherever people come together, anywhere in the world.
We should add that that the mental, emotional and physical capacities that we identify are expanded along a continuum of development, ranging from the personal to the transpersonal. i.e. mental functioning can be expressed as simply thinking, or as formulating high vision; emotional functioning as simply having feelings, or as expressing deep compassion; physical functioning as doing anything, or as undertaking actions that express vision and compassion in service to humanity.
We term this new body of knowledge concerning human functioning and distinctions in human functioning: “Human Dynamics.” Programs based upon it are in use internationally, primarily in the fields of organizational development, teacher training, parenting, health care, and cross-cultural bridge building.
It is our belief that to be effective citizens of a global society, individuals need to have in the first place as deep an understanding of themselves and their specific ways of functioning as possible. By “functioning” we mean awareness of their individual inherent processes and needs with regard to such aspects of themselves as the ways in which they naturally learn, undertake tasks, communicate, relate to stress and, most importantly, develop - personally, interpersonally and transpersonally. Since these processes are inherently different for different people, effective citizens also need to be able to understand others and their particular processes and needs, in order to be able to make positive connections with others and foster harmonious and productive relationships. Especially in the context of a global society, the development of such awarenesses and skills constitutes at least as important an educational objective as the acquisition of knowledge in an academic discipline or skills in a profession or craft.
Moreover, in times of rapid change and increasing complexity, the most reliable and sustaining asset one can have is a strong sense of self, not in the sense of blind self-confidence, but in having a deep understanding of the “instrument” one has to use in life. It is also reassuring to know that one has insights that help make sense of others’ behavior, and tools and practices available to help maintain the health and well-being of the instrument and achieve one’s personal, interpersonal and transpersonal potential.
A related issue that we suggest needs to be recognized and addressed is: “How does the technological revolution impact the human system?”
Human Dynamics has identified 3 frequencies (or 3 principles) as the elemental threads from which the complexity of human functioning is woven. We have identified these frequencies as being related respectively to mental, emotional, and physical functions.
• The mental functioning in people is on a high, fast frequency.
• The emotional functioning is in a middle range.
• The physical functioning of people is, by comparison, on a much slower frequency.
From our experience the fast mental function is probably the most able to accommodate the speed at which new information is being offered and change is taking place. The emotional function will have varied responses- from frustration to elation, and everything in between. However, the physical function is likely to be in great trouble because it operates, as we have mentioned, at a slower rate.
If the physical body is stressed, the mental and emotional systems will also become stressed. The end results can range from less then optimal functioning as a whole system, to complete breakdown. Since the speed and complexity of outer events and incoming information are unlikely to change, we as educators need to provide training that builds inner capacities to handle them. We need to provide balancing practices that become part of the everyday educational curriculum.
For example, each day can begin quietly with a meditative exercise, relaxation, self-reflection or listening to peaceful music. This quiet activity can be repeated at other natural break times, such as after lunch or at the end of the day. Incorporating such practices has now become common in Swedish schools, where over 20,000 teachers have now received Human Dynamics training. Some schools in Singapore, where we are now conducting training, are now introducing similar practices into their classrooms. Such practices not only contribute to the overall development and inner stability of students, they also increase the individual’s availability and capacity for learning. At one exceptional school in China, which we recently visited, the students are given a ten minute break outdoors every forty minutes, during which they engage in some form of organized physical activity. This may not promote inner reflection, but it does provide relief and exercise for the body, re-vitalizes the brain and allows a space in which new learning can be assimilated.
In short, we believe that educational practice should be based on informed recognition and accommodation of the diversity of human functioning, and have as its goal facilitation of the development of each individual as a whole being- mentally, emotionally, physically; personally, inter-personally and transpersonally.
Sandra Seagal is founder and president of Human Dynamics International and executive director of the Human Dynamics foundation. David Horne is a partner in Human Dynamics International and co-director of Human Dynamics Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to educational and scientific research. They are co-authors of Human Dynamics: A New Framework for Understanding People and Realizing the Potential in Our Organizations (Pegasus Communications, 1997)