Critical reflexivity

7/12/2012

Critical reflexivity…hmm…what’s that? Sounds complicated. It's something about noticing and paying attention to our own role in a story; how I influence what I perceive in any relationship, issue or situation. I was re-reading one of my favourite books, An Invitation to Social Construction (2009) by Kenneth Gergen this morning which introduces this concept with the following explanation:

‘Critical reflectivity is the attempt to place one’s premises into question, to suspend the ‘obvious’, to listen to alternative framings of reality and to grapple with the comparative outcomes of multiple standpoints…this means an unrelenting concern with the blinding potential of the ‘taken for granted’…we must be prepared to doubt everything we have accepted as real, true, right, necessary or essential’.

I find this interesting, stimulating and exciting. It’s about journeying into not-knowing, entertaining the possibility that there could be very different ways of perceiving, framing and experiencing issues or phenomena. It’s about a radical openness to fresh possibilities, new horizons, hitherto unimaginable ideas. It’s a recognition that all my assumptions and preconceptions about reality could be limiting or flawed.

I’ve found this critical reflexivity principle invaluable in my coaching and OD practice. How often people and organisations get stuck, trapped, by their own fixed ways of seeing and approaching things. The same cultural influences that provide stability can blind us to alternative possibilities. The gift of the coach or consultant is to loosen the ground, release energy and insight, create fresh options for being and action.

It resonates with my reading of the gospels. Jesus Christ had a way of confronting the worldviews, traditions and apparent ‘common sense’ outlook of those he encountered in such a way that often evoked confusion, anger or frustration. It’s as if he could perceive things others couldn’t see. He had a way of reframing things that it left people feeling disorientated. He operated in a very different paradigm.

I will close with words from Fook & Askeland (2006): ‘Reflexivity can simply be defined as an ability to recognise our own influence – and the influence of our social and cultural contexts on research, the type of knowledge we create and the way we create it. In this sense, then, it is about factoring ourselves into the situations we practice in.' How can I help you develop critical reflexivity in your practice? Get in touch! info@nick-wright.com

13 Comments

Erika link

8/12/2012 03:53:38 am

Dear Nick,
Refreshing and tickles the senses is how I would describe this post.
Thank you very much for sharing this!

Regards,
Erika

Nick Wright

8/12/2012 05:49:45 am

Thanks for your kind and encouraging feedback, Erika. I would be very interested to hear of any insights it may have evoked for you. With best wishes. Nick

Swadesh Chakrabarty

8/12/2012 05:41:15 am

Indeed! It sounds complicated. At the same time, it is most interesting and is the truth about this universe in relation to us. Whereas the affairs of this universe is comparatively limited, within the human awareness it becomes multiplied manifold. Things remaining the same outside us, we perceive it differently by different individuals as well as by the same individual at different settings. look at the same thing from different perspectives, different attitude, different motivation, you will find different realities zooming on the surface. Our world is within us and not anywhere else.
Thanks for bringing in such a good topics for discussion. I appreciate.

8/12/2012 05:54:02 am

Hi Swadesh. Thanks for the note and for your encouraging feedback. I think you express well the complex, intriguing nature of the relationship between reality and experience. With best wishes. Nick

Luis Cochofel

8/12/2012 05:42:26 am

Interesting article, Nick, and what a perspective on Jesus, his behaviour and words!

I do not know the book you refer but I'm surely interested in its reading, now. You see, I do defend the principle that one should always make an effort to 'turn critical entropy into creative energy', and all readings addressing the subject may offer different new ways we can help others with.

Thanks for sharing!

8/12/2012 06:01:13 am

Thanks for your encouraging feedback, Luis. Yes, I think the social constructionist perspective can provide some interesting and stimulating reflections on the life, perspective and actions of Jesus Christ. On the topic of social constructionism, another of my favourites is Vivien Burr's 'Social Constructionism' (2003), well worth glancing at. With best wishes. Nick

Puneet Trehan

8/12/2012 05:43:12 am

Nick- Thanks for sharing something so wonderful-

We often tend to get tied in our own patterns of thinking despite knowing that we have to reflect on whatever we attempt to learn.

8/12/2012 06:04:34 am

Hi Puneet and thanks for such kind feedback. Yes, it's quite a challenge to develop and sustain critical thinking and reflective thought. In my experience, this is where skilful coaching can prove invaluable. If you have found any helpful ways to develop reflective insight and practice, I would be very interested to hear more. With best wishes. Nick

8/12/2012 09:51:31 pm

Thanks Nick.Incidentally, this becomes an indirect example of the importance of critical reflexivity. Everything remaining the same, you or me, with a little interaction and reflection of thoughts, you could discover me differently. Most of the time we ignore it.Do not misunderstand me. I am not trying to become complex. Rather, I am sharing my joy of realizing the reality of your topics, "Critical reflexivity".

8/12/2012 10:40:44 pm

Thanks for the note, Swadesh. I find your insights and your way of expressing them profound and inspiring, for example, 'you could discover me differently'. According to social constructionism, how we perceive and experience ourselves and each other is culturally influenced. Any slight variation in our cultural environment and experience as well as our own personal experience would result in the kind of changes you have described.

The influence of culture is important in social constructionism because it holds that how we perceive, experience and understand what we consider to be 'reality' is partly inherited and partly co-created with others we encounter directly and indirectly. This challenges the notion of a fixed 'objective' reality, or at least the ability to know it definitively. Some have coined the phrase to express this phenomenon: 'reality is perception'.

Your reflections reminded me of the expression attributed to Heraclitus, 'You cannot step twice into the same river; for other waters are continually flowing in.' It also reminded me of the notion of dynamic complexity in McDermott and O'Connor's 'Art of Systems Thinking'. They comment that human beings, relationships and systems are inherently complex and fluid because of so many dynamic variables at individual and systemic levels.

I agree with you that most of the time we ignore it, or that it lies outside of our consciousness. Perhaps most people most of the time are unaware of how subjective and culturally-conditioned their perception and experience of the world is. It reminds me of the notion in Gestalt psychology of a 'fixed Gestalt'; an apparently clear and self-evident perspective on reality that can be, thereby, very resistant to challenge and difficult to shift.

I think part of the reason why people ignore such questions is that they can feel confusing and anxiety-provoking. Our personal and shared constructs provide us with a sense of security and being in the world. They locate us existentially in a particular culture and community. When our constructs are challenged, it can feel alarming, bewildering or even dangerous. It can also threaten vested interests, e.g. economics or power relationships.

I liked how you used the words 'joy' and 'realizing'. I too have found these ideas exciting and liberating as a way of being and approaching the world. I have also found them incredibly valuable when working in organisations as a way of surfacing core assumptions and exploring radically different possibities. I would be very interested to hear more of your insights and experiences too. With best wishes. Nick

Funmi Johnson link

11/12/2012 12:53:11 am

Hi Nick,

I always look forward to your posts, because I know that I am invariably going to learn something new.

My own experience mirrors much of what has been said. Having recently moved back to Lagos, Nigeria, after living in the UK for 23 years, I am constantly challenged by the different ways of doing things. The things i take for granted are not so obvious here and so require me to re-think how i do and say things. On the upside, I am taking the view that i've got nothing to lose, starting all over again here and so am trying out all kinds of new things, which i wouldn't have done in the UK.

Thanks for a brilliant post.

11/12/2012 01:14:20 am

Hi Funmi and thanks for your note. I always find your comments encouraging and insightful. :) Thanks for sharing such an excellent personal example of the kind of phenomena and experience that critical reflexivity points towards.

Moving between cultures is a great way of raising our awareness of our own assumptions as well as those of others. It can feel disorientating at first, much like moving to a new school, circle of friends, family situation, job, team, organisation etc.

As you say, it also opens up fresh possibilities. I wish you well as you embark on this new adventure. It will be interesting to hear if and how your own perspectives change over time as a result of immersion in a different culture. With best wishes. Nick

aashima galhotra

19/9/2019 02:24:36 pm

How can I learn more about reflexivity