THE NATURAL SYSTEMS INSTITUTE
THE
STRUCTURE OF THE ENCOMPASSING GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT
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LESSONS:
Conceptualization of the Dynamics of Structure and Systems
It is necessary and difficult to communicate the total, novel idea of Structuralism that is behind the Stars and Stripes program. It is, typically, so very hard for even the most highly educated to make their minds accommodate to a different paradigm of the world. The natural tendency is to try to fit the new into familiar concepts, or assimilate. But, here, you have to step back and decommission the familiar and look as though you are seeing and learning for the first time. It seems to be very hard for people to do that. When their paradigm or conception of the world changes radically, it can shake them up mentally and even physically. Every thing in the brain related to the new concept has to be re-organized. Many things that were thought to be true and valuable now become seen as useless, a waste, or even counter-productive. People hold their beliefs dearly and take them personally, of course. So, letting go is mentally hard but even more emotionally hard. Accommodating to a new paradigm requires intense mental labor. People do not go down that road without great trepidation, frustration, and even resentment. Before the journey, it just looks full of uncertainty and potential danger. When they 'do' go down that road they reach the pinnacle and look down to a vast new view that is so clear, refreshing, and rewarding. One gets that great 'Aha' feeling that comes so rarely. Now, they can take pleasure in the fact that those who come after need do nothing more than simply experience the joy of working and succeeding, not even aware of how the benevolent environment came about. Now, here is the next and critical thought: the key concept to look 'for' and 'at' here, is the concept of structure. We all are programmed to think of treatment in terms of the 'individual' and in terms of 'a' professional delivering 'a' service to 'a' client or 'a group of' clients. The professional does 'to', 'with', or 'for' the client[s]. The building merely contains and constrains the clients. The institution merely houses, or provides, the place for this professional treatment to go on. With the Stars and Stripes program, on the other hand, which is based on the Natural Systems Approach, it is the "structure" that you look at. It is very difficult, but extremely rewarding to train oneself to think in terms of structures. 'Structures' predetermine 'systems' and systems consist of patterns that are shaped and constrained by structures. Structures determine the kinds of 'situations' that develop and the kinds of "interactions between people" that take place - //the individual personalities are not the cause\\ - the structure is the cause. Individual personalities, like genetics, contribute only a small percentage as a cause of behavior. Looking through the lens of structuralism versus individualism is like going from using our natural eyesight or glasses and looking at the immediate, close at hand, environment to mapping terrain from high in the atmosphere with satellites. You see relations and understand patterns and causes as never before and are astounded. Now you know what to do as never before. Learning to analyze and change structures requires a new way of thinking, but gives you a very powerful tool for good. The result at the Village, with its Stars and Stripes program is that staff and residents, all together, have a sense of empowerment, have a positive vision for themselves and the group, change their own behavior with relative ease, and feel a deep sense of ownership and profound sense of satisfaction with their individual, the local group, and the total institution's achievements. The clients even begin to identify with the larger society rather than feel alienated from it. For this new approach of Structuralism to succeed one must keep, perpetually, explaining to staff and visitors: it is the structure and how it is integrated that makes the Village, with its Stars and Stripes program, such an outstanding institution. This is what generates the positive process that you can trust. TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR STRUCTURE 1. Cognitive Maps Representing the Totality of the Organization as Duplex Pyramids 2. Applying the Duplex Pyramid Concept to Juvenile Institutions 3. Using a Cognitive Map as a Duplex Pyramid to Conceptualize
Long Term Organizational 4. Understanding the Differential Effects of Degrees of Structure of an Institution on Its Residents 5. Determining What Factors Need to Be Addressed in Structuring an Institution 6. The Structure of Polarized Roles in Parenting and Institutions - Effects and Remedies 7. Some Aspects Involved in Designing Structures That Positively Shape Character and Maturity 8. Building Into a Structure, for an Agency,
Department, or Institution, Specific Objectives
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