Neuro-Linguistic Programming: History, Conception, Fundamentals and Objectives

Abstract

A way of opening new perspectives that has attracted the interest of researchers in counseling and psychotherapy at the beginning of the 1980s is Neuro-linguistic programming (international acronym: NLP). Created in the 70's by Bandler R.W. and Grinder J.T. for the purpose of discovering human excellence, NLP is still considered today one of the "roads" to success, providing the necessary tools to achieve goals. Although the mid-80s' surveys lowered the importance of the NLP basic ideas, decreasing the interest of Psychology Specialists in the field of Psychology to further research this area, a group of well-known colleagues and students in that period - among which we mention Cameron-Bandler, L., DeLozier, J., Dilts, R.B., Gordon, D., Pucelik, F., Byron, A.L., Eicher, J., Myers-Anderson, M., Gilligan, S.G., Andreas, S. and Andreas, C., Epstein, T.A., Hallbom, Т., Smith, S., Reese, E.J., and Reese, M., James, Т., Woodsmall, W., Jacobson S., Lankton, S.R., or Epstein, Т. (and the list may continue) - have made a significant contribution to the development and expansion of NLP since then until the present day.

Headnote

Abstract

A way of opening new perspectives that has attracted the interest of researchers in counseling and psychotherapy at the beginning of the 1980s is Neuro-linguistic programming (international acronym: NLP). Created in the 70's by Bandler R.W. and Grinder J.T. for the purpose of discovering human excellence, NLP is still considered today one of the "roads" to success, providing the necessary tools to achieve goals. Although the mid-80s' surveys lowered the importance of the NLP basic ideas, decreasing the interest of Psychology Specialists in the field of Psychology to further research this area, a group of well-known colleagues and students in that period - among which we mention Cameron-Bandler, L., DeLozier, J., Dilts, R.B., Gordon, D., Pucelik, F., Byron, A.L., Eicher, J., Myers-Anderson, M., Gilligan, S.G., Andreas, S. and Andreas, C., Epstein, T.A., Hallbom, Т., Smith, S., Reese, E.J., and Reese, M., James, Т., Woodsmall, W., Jacobson S., Lankton, S.R., or Epstein, Т. (and the list may continue) - have made a significant contribution to the development and expansion of NLP since then until the present day.

Keywords: motivation, NLP, goals, staff, purpose

JEL Classification: O15

Introduction

The material presented in this article was developed under a research on implementation and usage of both methods, techniques, tools and NLP motivation processes, as well as theories and models used in NLP for motivation in the Romanian organizational environment. The methods have focused mostly on literature review and results achieved in various research profile. And methods were also used to correlate data.

1.What is NLP? History and conception

NLP was launched by two professors from the University of Santa Cruz, California - Bandler, R.W., and Grinder, J.T., - in the 70's of the 20th century. The term derives from the triumvirate of the primary sciences that constitutes its supporting pillars: (computer) programming, neurology and linguistics [Craciun, C., 2009: 26-27].

Programming = how we order actions to achieve goals [O'Connor, J., 2012: 12]. In our existence, we program our way of thinking, feeling and behaving in the multiple situations of life. An analogy with computer science can also be established: the matter (the physical parts that are seen and can be touched) is the hardware system, and the software system refers to the programs we have to make use of the matter. The term refers to the unique way by which we conduct our neurological systems and is borrowed from the computer science, being chosen to emphasize that our own brain is "programmable", and we can modify programs (the strategies, paths, techniques, and methods by which we perform various tasks, more or less complex) that we already have with others, more performant, which will turn us in the chosen direction [Andreas, S. & Faulkner, C., 2008: 251].

Neuro = the mind and how we think [O'Connor, J., 2012: 12]. Neural networks are responsible for our ability to program: the nervous system (the brain) with which we are able to perceive the environment, to think and feel, to select the appropriate behavior for a situation [Andreas, S. & Faulkner, C., 200:8 252]. The neuron is the basic morphological and physiological element of the nervous system, being an excitable cell with a high degree of specialization, which ensures the reception, coding, transmission and processing of information contained in the stimuli. The interneuronal connections are made by synaptic contacts, the specificity of the neural networks being determined, in essence, not only by the number and nature of constituent neurons, but also by the extremely large number of interconnections and the three-dimensional nature of the network. The NLP working procedures are directly related to the interneuronal connections, how the environment is perceived, and what are the parts retained or neglected in it, which are the representations of ourselves and of the others, how the information is stored in memory and how it is accessed when needed.

Linguistics = how we use language and how it affects us [O'Connor, J., 2012: 12]. The structure of language reflects our way of thinking (a person's speech about how he/she built his/her life experience is rich in information). The term "linguistic" refers to verbal communication systems (oral language) and non-verbal communication (body language) by which we map the reality around us. Also, this term refers to both conscious communication, and unconscious communication [Andreas, S. & Faulkner, C., 2008: 252].

Bandler, R.W., (who is a mathematician) is considered the true initiator of neurolinguistic programming, because he developed the philosophy and logic of NLP. In 1972 he organized a research seminar at the Department of Computer Science of the University of Santa Cruz, and later underwent psychology studies that did not exist until that time. In the same year, he became the supervisor of Grinder, J.T. Ph.D. thesis, whom he involved in his research works.

Grinder, J.T., (who is linguist) is known through the significant publications on the "Generative Grammar" of Chomsky, N.A. (Professor Emeritus in Linguistics). They initiated the study of human excellence on successful people, and discovered that they had some basic similar traits at behavioral level and a set of identical mentalities and beliefs, also engaging Perls, F.S., (the rightful father of Gestalt psychotherapy), the psychotherapist Satir, V., (family relationship specialist), the hypnotherapist Erickson, M.H., the anthropologist Bateson, G., etc., in this ample research process.

Although initially "it was created to model excellence" [Molden, D. & Hutchinson, Р., 2008: 141], NLP being defined as a guideline in psychotherapy, this was not the intent of its founders. It seems that their starting point was the idea of using modeling in order to achieve continuity between the vision, practical methods and results of the great therapists of the time and those of the new generations of therapists, the idea that these new generations could benefit - in their formation - from the already validated experience of the "elders". In order to be able to know and model efficient behaviors, it was necessary to know their structure, the way of functioning, it was necessary to explain them and understand the internal joints and to analyze them in comparison with the inefficient or pathological ones. The attainment of this objective implied the modeling of behavioral structures of numerous remarkable individuals in various fields of activity as well as of less remarkable individuals.

The Meta Model, built by Bandler, R.W., and Grinder, J.T., after the analysis and modeling of the types of questions used in psychotherapeutic work by Perls, F.S., and Satir, V., is an excellent example in this respect. As a definition, it is an aggressive way to have a discussion, to have an air of superiority in the way of speaking, in order to exert influence.

In another train of thoughts, there were quite many people who showed interest in the first books of Bandler, R.W., and Grinder, J.T., and some of them, such as Dilts, R.B. (psychologist), or DeLozier, J. (anthropologist), joined them in their work so that in 1980 the two volumes entitled "Neuro-Linguistic Programming" appeared, the first of them having the subtitle "The study of the structure of the subjective experience". Thus, on the one hand, by modeling effective behaviors of successful people in increasingly various fields - education, sales, management, negotiations, etc. - and, on the other hand, by increasing the number of those involved in the "growth", in the structuring and development of NLP starting from the basic models developed by Bandler, R.W., and Grinder, J.T., it gradually became a science of subjective experience and then a science of human efficiency.

Bandler, R.W., and Grinder, J.T., have developed most of the NLP-specific initial models and techniques with a group of well-known colleagues and students: CameronBandler, L., DeLozier, J., Dilts, R.B., Gordon, D., Pucelik, F., Byron, A.L., Eicher, J., Myers-Anderson, M., Gilligan, S.G. Other authors, namely Andreas, S., and Andreas, C., Epstein, T.A., Hallbom, Т., Smith, S., Reese, E.J., and Reese, M., James, Т., Woodsmall, W., and Jacobson, S., have made a significant contribution to the development of NLP.

After termination of the cooperation between Bander, R.W., and Grinder, J.T., in 1981 (after publishing the first volume of "Neuro-Linguistic Programming"), the work that had begun together has been continued separately, by each of them, in various formulas. Other important contributions were subsequently brought by James, Т., Lankton, S.R. and Epstein, T.A., each of them developing an interesting direction from theoretical and applicative point of view, directions of great impact on the date of drawing up this paper. The name of Dilts, R.B., is associated with the idea of "NLPU" (NLP University), being the coordinator of the Santa Cruz group, that included DeLozier, J., Epstein, Т., and James, Т., where time-based therapy as well as an exciting direction combining NLP ideas with Huna, an ancient System of Hawaiian Shamanic wisdom of power recovery (as a vital force), were developed. At the time of preparation of this paper, Bandler, R.W., was the manager of The First Institute of NLP, being the promoter of the new direction called Design Human Engineering - DHE. Its underlying sciences have been numerous, the American researchers seeming to try to find a balance of the universe by harmonizing the multiple fields of knowledge and art.

At first, the problem of defining NLP seemed relatively simple:

* it "is an attitude and methodology that leaves behind a trail of techniques" and it "is the influence of language on our mind and on our subsequent behavior" (Bandler, R.W.);

* "it deals with the study of subjective experience", "is an accelerated learning strategy for the detection and utilization of patterns in the world" and "is actually the epistemology of returning to what we have lost - a state of grace" (Grinder, J.T.);

* "is a way of enriching the choices that you have and perceive as valuable in the world around you" and "is anything that has functionality" (Dilts, R.B.);

* "is a method for modeling excellence in any field so it can be duplicated anywhere" and "is the systematic study of human communication" (Uhde, A.L.).

Later, when NPL's sphere of interest and applicability included ever more diverse areas of activity - education, sales, negotiations, and organizational behavior - such definitions were no longer possible, and there was a need for redefining it. The definition according to which "NLP deals with the study of subjective experience" may lose sight of the applicative purpose, the possibility of differentiating between effective and mediocre, and that other people can benefit from the results of this study, in order to increase personal efficiency. Thus, the idea of defining NLP as follows has emerged: "it is the science and art of personal efficiency", the classic term "science" entailing the idea of regularity, formulas, precise frames, and since human personality bears the attribute of uniqueness, the term "art" was added. Both definitions are valid, being complementary to each other. To make the difference between mediocre and efficient it is necessary to know what is hidden beyond the two types of behavior, how the two persons think and feel, which is the structure of the internal experience that determines them to be effective and, respectively, mediocre in a certain activity. It is difficult to state that we have two different definitions of NLP or that one of them better captures its essence and specificity, believing rather that it can be viewed as the two sides of the same coin.

It is worthy of consideration the fact that NLP recognizes by definition its membership in the humanistic experiential trend in Psychology. In the most general terms, this trend is based on two fundamental principles: in the first place, on the importance of a relationship through the stubborn attempt by two persons to satisfy each other in an authentic manner with the purpose of helping each other, and, in the second place, on the consistent promotion and moderate deepening of one person's experience [Greenberg, L.S. et al 2003: 310].

NLP is concerned with the way in which people's thoughts, emotions, internal experiences and behaviors are organized, articulated, determined, and in other words, it is concerned with investigating and discovering the profound structure of psychic life, as well as the joints existing between its various components. It is also important to mention that in structuring its conception of the way the psychic works, NLP attaches the utmost importance and attention to sensory processes and representations, sometimes at the expense of other types of mental processes, their importance deriving precisely from their above-mentioned quality of first gates of knowledge, as well as from finding a large proportion of the operation with representations (in the process of thinking), of reminding (in the production of emotions), of learning.

Also, NLP "studies the way people communicate with themselves to program, most often unconsciously, the states that, just to be clear, for neuro-linguistics, they are at the same time more than mental state and body condition taken separately and it is actually made up of the system made up by both of them" [Bandler, R.W. & Grinder, J.T., 2007: 63] starting from the belief system (preliminary, a priori filters of perception) of a person through which we interpret everything that happens and that structures communication with ourselves. A person can do everything he/she thinks possible and cannot do what he/she thinks it is impossible, as in the predictions that happen, such as those of the American industrialist Ford, H.: "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right". When we constantly send messages to the brain that we cannot do something, the ability to do that is inhibited or blocked, and when we constantly send messages that we can do that, the brain is stimulated to obtain that result, providing all the support for obtaining it. It is not only reality that counts, but conviction, communication without skepticism, doubt and anxiety, directly with the nervous system. Due to a close relationship with verbal and paraverbal language (oral communication), the brain does what it is transmitted to do. Therefore, when we believe that something is true, we enter precisely the desired mental state, thus consciously building our own convictions.

Last but not least, NLP is also taking into consideration mental syntax ( the way people organize their thoughts) that allows access to that part of the brain and nervous system that is most helpful in obtaining the desired result.

Since the 1990s, NLP has been successfully used in schools, universities, training centers, organizations and institutions in the United States of America (US), finding its place in any field of activity. At the beginning of the 21st century, NLP also reaches several EU Member States (Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Portugal, The Netherlands, Latvia, and Romania) and countries of the former Soviet Socialist Republic (Ukraine, Belarus, and The Russian Federation). In Romania, excluding the numerous vocational training courses, NLP is a subject taught in the faculties of Psychology and Education Sciences, Sociology and Social Assistance, Communication Sciences and / or Economic Sciences at State and Particular Universities Centers, also seeing an explosive development in the business environment.

2.Fundamentals of NLP

One of the NLP goals [De Lassus, R., 2005: 224] is to combine different abilities from these theories, sciences and models into a single coherent and very efficient structure together with its implementation. Most of the techniques and models embedded in NLP have been created through the process called modeling, which implies:

* deciphering the way in which the nervous system (neuro) operates by analyzing language (linguistic) patterns and non-verbal communication (body language) [Engleberg, I.N., 2006: 133];

* step by step integration (programming) of the results of this analysis into a strategy that can be used to transfer the ability to other persons.

Modeling is a method of researching systems or processes, called originals, by studying other systems, simpler in terms of structure and properties, which are in some relationship with the originals. Models are homomorphic images of original systems that retain their essential properties in the sense of specific applications. In essence, the parameters of a given pattern can be modified during modeling, thus increasing its efficiency. Changing models can be done externally (adopting a different axiomatic structure) or internally (by highlighting new relationships within the existing model). Modeling can be:

* concurrent (competitive) - in this case a measure of relative efficiency and accuracy is required;

* supplementary - in this case a criterion of the overall quality of the model is required.

NLP is a multi-dimensional process that involves the development of behavioral competence and flexibility. This process includes a strategic thinking and an understanding of the mental and cognitive mechanisms behind behavior.

NLP is based on the following fundamental principles:

* The map is not the territory [Korzybski, A., 1995: 58] - as human beings, we can never know reality; we can only know our perceptions of reality and respond to environmental stimuli, basically based on the information provided by the five senses - visual (sight), auditory (hearing), olfactory (smell), gustatory (taste) and tactile (touch) - for which the central nervous system has a dedicated sensory system, collectively referred to as "representational systems". Thus, not reality itself is what limits us, but the "map" in our minds - a representation of reality - is the one that can misinform us. By filtering the information provided by the five senses or depending on the language used, our beliefs, values and personal experience, we can create our own "Map". Beyond these senses, in the relationship with the surrounding world, we bring the sets of subjective constructions (ideas, assumptions, memories, past experience, educational, social, family inheritance and physiology of the body), which represent filters that mediate our relationship with the world we live in and our image of reality, the world being influenced / filtered by / through senses, physiology, previous experience [Pertea, G., 2008: 10]. Also, the development of the state of effective curiosity helps us to build a relationship with others, to communicate effectively, enabling us to gain information about their "perceptual maps" and to influence them [Molden, D. & Hutchinson, P., 2008: 142].

* The processes that take place within a human being and between human beings and their environment are systemic - our mind and body, our already secularized society, the Universe itself, all form complex systems and subsystems that interact and influence each other, making it impossible to completely isolate part of a system from the rest of the system. Since mankind cannot influence itself, all these systems (our mind and body, society and Universe) are self-adapting permanently and tend to stability, to a state of equilibrium.

The other presuppositions, beliefs of NLP based on these fundamental principles are:

* The purpose of our communication is the answer we receive - if we want to have control over success, we must assume responsibility for the way in which we communicate [Molden, D. & Hutchinson, P., 2008: 143].

* If one person can do something, then anyone can do it - we already have all the tools to change everything we want to change [Molden, D. & Hutchinson, P., 2008: 143].

* There is no failure, only feedback - using feedback, we can realize the value of all things that happen around us, even if the outcome is different from the one we have imagined [Watson, A., 2011: 49].

* Mind and body are part of the same cybernetic system - depending on the nature, extent, intensity of the changes and the place where they appear, they may have a minor, transitory effect, on the other components of the system, or on the contrary, they may initiate radical changes in the entire system [Pertea, G., 2008: 11]; it is, to a certain extent, the principle underlying the construction of the polygraph [Pertea, G., 2008: 12].

* Behind every behaviour there is a positive intention - no matter how good we are from a professional point of view, we need to be a person who is a cohesive part of the team [Watson, A., 2011: 189].

* The person with the most flexibility of behavior will control the system - flexibility does not mean to agree with any idea but rather to follow and harmonize with our way of thinking and behaving [Molden, D. & Hutchinson, P., 2008: 146].

* If you keep doing what you have always done, you will always get what you have always gotten - until we reprogram our way of thinking, it is very unlikely that the results we get will be acquired [Molden, D. & Hutchinson, P., 2008: 146].

* People are not their behavior - people give their best with the resources they have at their disposal [Watson, A., 2011: 213-214].

* Your own perception is the reality - based on the fact that two people cannot have exactly the same experiences, so they cannot have the same "perceptual map", there are very few universal truths [Molden, D. & Hutchinson, P., 2008: 148].

* We are in charge of our mind, and therefore our results - if we control our thoughts, we control our behavior and, therefore, the results we get [Watson, A., 2011: 213-214].

* Any pattern of behavior is the most adaptive formula - symptomatic behavior must be understood as the best adaptive solution in the moment in which it occurred, in the light of the idea that it occurs when a person is deficient in resources, and the symptom is an attempt to overcome the internal impasse, its presence being the best solution found by the person's unconscious mind to avoid a major internal conflict, exhaustion or ego dissolution [Pertea, G., 2008: 12].

* Any problem can be defined in terms of desired outcomes - to think "in [...] desired results" means to learn, to become aware of our motivations, desires and to discover the resources that we have to do this, then to use them in order to achieve our goals [Molden, D. & Hutchinson, P., 2008: 148].

* Resistance is a sign of a lack of rapport - when there is no connection, we see the signs of resistance (for example: when we talk, he or she continues to work or we notice mismatched body postures) [Molden, D. & Hutchinson, P., 2008: 149].

* We cannot not communicate - whatever we do, someone will give a certain meaning to our behavior [Molden, D. & Hutchinson, P., 2008: 150].

* It is more useful to ask questions such as "how?" than "why?" - the "how?" type questions give us the opportunity to understand the structure of the problem, and the "why?" type questions offer us only justifications and reasons, doing nothing to change something [Pertea, G., 2008: 12].

* We must consider possibilities rather than needs - because possibilities allow us to move from the constraints of a situation to the available solutions [Pertea, G., 2008: 12].

* We have to take an attitude of curiosity rather than making assumptions - because they are curious about anything, children learn amazingly quickly; they know they do not know and do not think they will look stupid if they ask. If, for example, we suppose no one likes us, as long as we do not ask to find out we will live with the belief that no one likes us [Pertea, G., 2008: 12].

* We already have all the resources we need to be able to change - if we believe this, we will be able to help ourselves and the others to find the resources for the implementation of the changes which will make us feel better [Molden, D. & Hutchinson, P., 2008: 150].

"Specialists in the field declare that all neuro-linguistic programming techniques are organized in such a way as to define and identify present states and desired states of different levels and then to access and implement those resources to produce the desired effect: changing the individual" [Hall, L.M., 2007: 405].

With the goal of both getting performance and influencing the partner to make him/her proceed in the manner in which we want, the NLP addresses two significant areas: self-influencing and self-suggestion.

The application of NLP techniques require particular attention in reading nonverbal means (mimicry, facial expression, gestures, body posture), which together with non-verbal means (a plurality of messages which are not expressed by words and which express feelings, emotions and attitudes that can be decoded, creating meanings that complement the messages transmitted by words) are priorities for NLP, the information resulting thanks to them having an immediate impact, whether or not the means have been made aware, have been done intentionally or unintentionally.

Nonverbal means [Dilts, R.B., 2008: 87] are more complicated and expressive than verbal means (messages with extremely complex content, transmitted in oral or written form), constituting the considerable part of the expressive repertoire of the individual and contributing to the creation of his image for the human environment. Their significance is particularly important because the individual - mostly focused on the verbal message - does not control nonverbal means. Thus, they naturally bring certain testimonies about the emotional state of the individual, his attitude towards the topic of the discussion and his partners. Mimicry and facial expression accentuate verbal message, assigns it an emotional color, regulating - to a great extent - the relationship of the partners, and the gestures concentrate and complement it, enabling the person involved in the communication process to personalize his/her speech, to build a different image from that of the others.

The language of gestures allows the receiver to give a concrete interpretation to the message sent by the transmitter, the psychologists stating that gestures show the spontaneous reaction of the individual and is difficult to control.

Mimicry is the easiest signal to decode, which significantly illustrates the emotional states of the individual, namely joy (happiness, satisfaction), wonder (amazement, surprise), fury (wrath, jealousy, envy, spite), fear (suspicion, distrust), anger (sorrow, grief, displeasure, sadness), disgust (repulsion, repugnance, contempt), interest (curiosity, enthusiasm, involvement, compassion).

The experiments conducted to give each area of the face a special significance ended with the general conclusion that people are oriented to conclude the psychological state of the partner on the basis of the summary perception of face expression. Thus, a harmonious psychological state is reflected by a mimicry that successfully combines all the features of the face: smile or grin not only changes the facial expression, but stimulates the brain to produce the endorphin, which in turn reduces both emotional and physical pain, giving a feeling of good mood. And vice versa: the psychological state reflected by a tense mimic, a rough look, deprives communication of warmth and goodwill, and a static expression of the face, an inappropriate glance towards the interlocutor, disorientates even the most communicable person. The lack of harmony of physical features confers a psychological discomfort.

"Numerous researches on body language have allowed the structuring and deciphering of subconscious signals. It has been found that people carry out simultaneously two dialogues - a verbal one and thus conscious and a non-verbal, unconscious one [...]" [Charvet, S.R., 2006: 71]. These dialogues may be in harmony or in disagreement when the non-verbal dialogue transmits entirely other signals than the verbal one. Thus, since final impression is always determined by non-verbal dialogue, it has become obvious that the message that harmonizes verbal and non-verbal language has the ability to direct people to the desired direction, while unclear language disorient.

The foundation of NLP comes from the assumption (resulting from a modeling process of the works of Perls, F.S., Satir, V., and Erickson, M.H.) that there would be functional and independent parts (containing elements of conscious and unconscious processing) of the individual's identity also from the following collection of traditional theories:

* The social-cognitive theory of learning - developed in 1985 by the American psychologist Bandura, A., emphasizes the importance of observing and modeling behaviors, attitudes and emotional responses of others, which - along with the concept of modeling - has been improved in practice by Bandler, R.W., and Grinder, J.T..

* The theory of mind - the cybernetics of the anthropologist Bateson G. especially from the logical levels of learning, but also from the unified field theory, developed at the beginning of the third millennium by Dilts, R.B., in the so-called "logical levels" or "neurological levels".

* The Theories of Pribram, K.H., Miller, G.A., and Galanter, E., (1960) on the orientation of human actions towards goals, the transformational grammar of Chomsky, N.A., (1965), the concept of "time binding" created by Korzybski, A., in 1933, as well as the radical constructivism of Glasersfeld, E., von (1996), which laid the foundations and influenced the linguistic models developed by Bandler, R.W., and Grinder, J.T..

* The presupposition of the fundamental orientation of human actions towards goals - the TOTE model of Pribram K. H., Miller, G.A., and Galanter, E., (1960).

* James' theory, W., (1950), an important American psychologist and philosopher, about the systems of sensory representations as fundamentals for information processing and for subjective knowledge experiences. James, W., described as the father of American psychology, considered mind as a process, a function of the organism, arguing that since it is useful, consciousness must have evolved. He suggests that if we want to understand the origin and purpose of a psychological phenomenon, we should first ask ourselves why it useful to know these things, in his works is highlighting the inherent sensory-representational systems as basic elements of information processing and of subjective experience.

The areas of application of NLP coincide with the three major application areas of psychology (clinical, educational and organizational), in which it developed a wide range of specific techniques and applications, i.e.:

* in the clinical field, NLP is a vision of the change in Psychotherapy and the therapeutic process, a model of the therapist-client relationship, a set of specific therapeutic models and techniques, and a model of therapeutic questions (The Meta Model);

* in the educational field the emphasis is placed on the design of the learning as a modeling process, NLP being used in two main twinning directions: a direction for the stimulation of creativity (DISNEY model of Dilts, R.B.) and the other one for the improvement of the teaching-learning-evaluation process as a communication process (memory strategies and optimization of memory, of learning music, optimization of the teacher-student communication).

* in the organizational field, NLP techniques can be applied in recruiting staff, motivation, sales, negotiations, consultancy, for which "specific models and techniques have been developed: of conducting successful negotiations, sales trainings, for communication within the organization and with clients, stress management, presentation and advertising strategies, strategies for organizing business meetings, models for staff selection and motivation, etc." [Hall, L.M., 2007: 215]. For example, using the anchoring techniques (that help us access any state we want), the management of our own state can be an extremely useful tool both for the manager and the leader, as well as for the simple employee of an organization. Also, this area will include NLP-specific theoretical aspects, such as systems theory [Ashby, W.R., 1956: 106] (that has many in common with NLP in terms of holistic interpretation of the learning process), where there is a principle called "the law of the requisite variety" that says that "in order to successfully adapt and survive, a member of a system needs a certain amount of flexibility, and that flexibility has to be proportional to the potential variation or uncertainty of the system". For a manager and a leader, this means that he should never be satisfied with a single solution, to cast doubt on the assumptions, to analyze the influences throughout the system of the organization and to generate as many impulses as possible to create new, effective opportunities. Whenever there is a difficulty, we generally have four types of responses: defeat, reaction, complexity and curiosity; a flexible manager will always start with the last option [Molden, D., 2008: 141].

The field of interpersonal communication (the most important characteristic of human being used to build interpersonal relationships) shall be added to these three areas, where NLP with the transactional analysis - a form of social psychology, developed in the middle of the 20th century by Berne, E., (a psychiatrist), which contains both psychoanalysis elements and humanistic and cognitive psychology elements, used as a model with applications in psychotherapy, psychological counseling, organizational education and development are basic pillars, both from the theoretical perspective, and from the applicative perspective.

3.Objectives of NLP

Defining NLP objectives is the precursory step, without which any programming process becomes practically impossible. As I have said before, NLP "deals with the study of subjective experience", the intervention of Bandler, R.W., and Grinder, J.T., aiming at the helicity of the structures (programs) arising from the interaction between the brain and the nervous system (neuro) and language (linguistic).

NLP objectives are different from other purposes and targets because, being analyzed very carefully, they fulfill certain conditions that make them realistic, accessible and motivating [O'Connor, J., 2012: 27]. Beyond the capacity to generate a rapid and sustainable internal change through the systematic application of determinant psychological techniques, which is the main objective of NLP, the general objectives are to help the person interested in evolving to his/her full self-realization by developing efficiency in all areas and at all levels of his/her personal and professional life.

There are three types of general objectives [Szekely, A., 2003: 95]:

* current objective - it is the element in the list of goals that we have and which we would like to achieve but which do not have a well-defined order of priorities;

* major objective - it is the most important medium-term goal with the greatest impact on our immediate performance, that can help us achieve our current objective;

* ultimate objective - it is more important than the current objective and the major objective and is long-term and very long-term; it is the one with which we can contribute to the society we live in, turning it into the heritage we leave to future generations (the proof that we have identified it is the fact that we are willing to make much effort and put passion to achieve it).

However, even if they have been well established, it can be difficult to achieve them in the absence of a proper belief system to support them, Bandler, R.W., stating that beliefs are a "command for the nervous system" [Bandler, R.W. et al, 1985: -175]. Furthermore, guiding attention in the positive and long term direction strengthens the determination with which the objectives are pursued. All NPL objectives become concrete when we reach them, and the first step towards their achievement is to think carefully about them [O'Connor, J., 2012: 27]

Conclusion

In conclusion, NLP "means the study of the patterns of thinking, behavior and language in order to build a set of strategies to work in decision-making, building relationships, starting a business, guiding a team, in inspiring and motivating others, in creating a balance in our lives, in choosing the daily path and, above all, in learning how to learn." [Knight, S., 2004: 19]. Like anything else in NLP, the better you know how change works and the more you calibrate yourself for the behavioral reactions of those around you, the more you can inspire and learn not just to do new things, which are interesting and overturn many theories, but you can also make more friends.

References

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