What is Change?

The  Nature of Change

Change is about something becoming different as part of an endeavour. So change that occurs independent of human will, like physiological maturation or the seasons, is not of direct concern.

If change is part of an endeavour, the before and after conditions must be pictured, and there must be sufficient precision in discrimination to assert the change that will or has occurred.

At a deeper level, when something becomes different, reality is altered. This reality may be psychosocial and/or socio-physical. Even though, as repeatedly pointed out, no one can claim to know what reality is, we are aware of change through its effects. If we notice no effects, then we doubt change has occurred.

Change raises many big questions:

• why is change so hard?
• what role does power play?
• why are unintended consequences so common?
• how do action and thinking contribute?
• is deliberate change part of evolution?
• can change be objectively evaluated?
• how do people vary in regard to change?

In what follows, these and other questions will be addressed.

The Challenge Ahead

The starting point is to clarify what discrete human functions are categorized as change. We must penetrate Change-RL3 to reveal Change-PH3, then use that differentiation into levels to characterize the triplet of Change fundamentals, and then investigate the extensive Change control complex.

It is difficult to have a high degree of confidence in the names and formulations developed for the Primary Hierarchy (PH3) because there have been so many versions over so many decades.

The positive side of this is that the practical value in this Satellite is expected to reside mostly in the Principal Typology (PH'3), and that framework has been less obscure.

The greater practical benefit arising from clarifying Domain controls rather than Domain fundamentals applies generally, with Purpose-RL6/PH6 the main exception to date.

In early investigations, we found that a Principal Typology gets its ordering from the Primary Hierarchy to which it belongs. However, in more recent times, the ordering can now also be determined from the TET and Spiral. Comparison of the two influences will be used in the Change Domain to provide some helpful structural corroboration.

Theoretical Analyses dependent on Change Formulations

Work carried out in the Architecture Room over some years in relation to framework naming, the Root projection and forced reversal of oscillating dualities drew on early partially incorrect versions of the Primary Hierarchy. In reviewing and updating this material in 2024, there were fortunately no substantive upsets to the original theoretical conclusions.

Naming

There are a large number of synonyms for «change» in everyday language. A THEE formal name will be proposed for each level. While there are numerous synonyms for change, each comes with baggage, and it was not possible to identify appropriate alternate names.

Naming will be provided initially with nouns rather than verbs e.g. L2 is alteration, not alter. This is because the goal is to clarify the abstract quality of that level. The use of verbs will be discussed in the Review.

Schema for Exposition

To ensure comparability, each of the 7 Levels will be presented with the following schema of properties:

• Function: The distinctive contribution to the state of the entity.
• Essence:  One word that captures the function.
• Result: The desired effect of the function.
• Use: What activates the function.
• Pre-occupation: The major concern in relation to the function.
• Fear: What generates fear when this function is called for.
• Hope: What is hoped for in relation to the outcome.
• Failure:  What are the consequences.
• Responses: Positive and negative related to level operation.

A matrix table summary is provided in the Review.

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• Start with the levels that directly produce change.

Originally posted: 31-May-2024.