The Structure of Magic is a two-volume book series (1975, 1976) by John Grinder and Richard Bandler, co-founders of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), which is considered a pseudoscience.[1][2][3] The series explores how humans construct internal models of the world through language and nonverbal communication. They introduce a process of modeling, through which the authors sought to identify the replicable patterns of thought, language, and behavior modeled from "outstanding psychotherapists",[4] namely Fritz Perls (Gestalt therapy) and Virginia Satir, a family systems therapist. The foreword to the first volume was written by Virginia Satir and the introduction by Gregory Bateson.
| The Structure of Magic I: A Book About Language and Therapy The Structure of Magic II: A Book About Communication and Change | |
| Author | Richard Bandler; John Grinder |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Discipline | Communication |
| Publisher | Science and Behavior Books |
| Published | 1975–1976 |
| No. of books | 2 |
According to psychiatrist[5] Robert S. Spitzer, after months of careful listening and transcribing Fritz Perls and Virginia Satir working with clients, Bandler began to incorporate the speech patterns and mannerisms of these therapists into his own communication.[6][7] The Structure of Magic presents a formal model of linguistic patterns intended to make those patterns explicit and learnable.[8]
References
edit- ^ Thyer, Bruce A.; Pignotti, Monica G. (2015). Science and Pseudoscience in Social Work Practice. Springer Publishing Company. pp. 56–57, 165–167. ISBN 978-0-8261-7769-8.
As NLP became more popular, some research was conducted and reviews of such research have concluded that there is no scientific basis for its theories about representational systems and eye movements.
- ^ Sharpley, Christopher F. (1987). "Research findings on neurolinguistic programming: Nonsupportive data or an untestable theory?". Journal of Counseling Psychology. 34 (1): 103–107. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.34.1.103. ISSN 1939-2168.
- ^ Witkowski, Tomasz (1 January 2010). "Thirty-Five Years of Research on Neuro-Linguistic Programming. NLP Research Data Base. State of the Art or Pseudoscientific Decoration?". Polish Psychological Bulletin. 41 (2). doi:10.2478/v10059-010-0008-0.
All of this leaves me with an overwhelming impression that the analyzed base of scientific articles is treated just as theater decoration, being the background for the pseudoscientific farce which NLP appears to be. Using "scientific" attributes, which is so characteristic of pseudoscience, is manifested also in other aspects of NLP activities... My analysis leads undeniably to the statement that NLP represents pseudoscientific rubbish
- ^ Passmore, J.; Rowson, T. S. (2019). "Neuro-linguistic-programming: a critical review of NLP research and the application of NLP in coaching". International Coaching Psychology Review. 14 (1): 57–69. doi:10.53841/bpsicpr.2019.14.1.57.
- ^ "Certification and Status Verification". The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
Psychiatry; Certified Awarded: 30/04/1964, Certificate Number: 8166
- ^ Spitzer, Robert S. (July 1992). "Virginia Satir & Origins of NLP" (PDF). Anchor Point Magazine. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-09-20.
- ^ Fialkoff, Y.; Pinchevski, A. (2022). "From System to Skill: Palo Alto Group's Contested Legacy of Communication". International Journal of Communication. 17 (19): 541–559.
- ^ Lee Schiff, Jacqui (January 28, 1978). "Book Review: The Structure of Magic". Transactional Analysis Bulletin. 8 (1): 44. doi:10.1177/036215377800800113 – via CrossRef.
Further reading
editCritical analyses
edit- Tobin, Bruce Arthur (1983). The Roles of Modeling Theory and Transformational Grammar in the Development of a Theory of Verbal Intervention in Psychotherapy: A Critical Analysis of Bandler and Grinder's "the Structure of Magic" (Dissertation). University of Washington. OCLC 1602497.
Book reviews
edit- Barth, Joan C. (1980). "Book Review: Grinder, John and Bandler, Richard. The structure of magic II". Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. 6 (1): 96. doi:10.1111/j.1752-0606.1980.tb01711.x. ISSN 0194-472X.
- Clair, R. N. S. (1977). "The Structure of Magic by Richard Bandler and John Grinder". Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic (book review). 41 (4): 405.
- Kadis, Leslie B. (1977). "The Structure of Magic, II: A Book about Communication and Change". Family Process. 16 (1): 131–133. doi:10.1111/j.1545-5300.1977.129_4.x. ISSN 0014-7370.
- Stewart, John; Bliese, John R. E.; Enos, Richard Leo; Measell, James S.; Conley, T.M.; Lyne, John; Bytwerk, Randall; Smith, Eugene; Simons, Herbert W.; Applegate, James L.; Parks, Malcolm R.; Shedletsky, Leonard J.; Weitz, Shirley; Fogel, Daniel; Davis, Leslie K. (1979). "Book reviews". Quarterly Journal of Speech. 65 (4): 445–457. doi:10.1080/00335637909383495. ISSN 0033-5630.
Other
edit- Taler, Izabella (1991-04-01). "Neurolinguistic Programming: A selective bibliography". Reference Services Review. 19 (4): 49–62. doi:10.1108/eb049138. ISSN 0090-7324.
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