All PH-L5s involve Communication-RL5

Colour-coding in this Topic: Orange refers to THEE terminology. Blue refers to THEE-names for specific cells or frameworks. Maroon refers to the Root Level phenomena and pressures which are presumed to be intrinsic to their function.

Proposition

The function of every PH•Level-5 element has Communication-RL5 as an intrinsic necessary, but often implicit, feature.

As proposed in the Review, each entity is therefore subject to a understanding pressure.

What about the other Root Levels?  Closed Any of the other RLs may occur but they are not necessary, and by themselves they would not be enough to enable the function. Further explanations will be offered where there might be confusion.

Note: The elements examined below are not equally well understood.

In Willingness-PH7

Element Function: Provisional Formulation
L5-Tolerating a Risk To be ready to enter into an undertaking despite awareness of a potential for significant harm and loss, or fears of the unknown.

PH7-L5: Risking is about entering endeavours where uncertainties mean that losses or harms are possible. Perhaps others will be put in danger. Even in the absence of external dangers, any new course is liable to generate anxiety about where it may lead. The awareness intrinsic to risking flows from talking about the issue. You must talk to yourself and often discuss with friends or advisors. You may have to explain to others who may be affected.

Example: Investing in a new public company is fraught with danger for investors. So lengthy prospectuses are mandatory to present the case, indicating the positives and identifying the potential for loss. Because the prospectus constructs a reality and those who write them have a bias, complex rules are laid down to safeguard the reader. Each potential investor has to weigh up the risks for themselves personally.

ClosedAlternatives:

Risking activates other willingness-PH7 functions. However, it does not intrinsically involve taking action-RL1, making inquiries-RL2, instituting change-RL3, using experience-RL4, or having purposes-RL6. These other Root Levels naturally come into play prior to risking and subsequently.

People constantly put themselves at risk through ignorance or blindness, but going into something without awareness of the potential dangers does not entail willingly risking.

In Purpose-PH6

Element Function: Adjusted Formulation
L5-Sharing a Social Value To freely share perceptions of needs within a specific community.

PH6-L5: Social values are only social because they are talked about. Sharing a need depends on communication. Communities engage in discussion and debate in order to clarify and affirm what their shared values are. Universal language, in particular, provides the possibility for a general understanding of values held in common.

Example: Children play in the road and are exposed to danger from traffic. Mothers in the road start talking about the danger and the importance of a playground. The next step is to talk more widely about the need to get the basis for action (i.e. lower level purposes).

ClosedAlternatives:

In Communication-PH5

Element Function: Adjusted Formulation
L5-Agreeing a Name To choose something to make a specific reference to an object or process for use in a particular social context: or regard it as so doing.

PH5-L5: Naming provides the discrimination necessary to portray any relevant reality for those dealing with it. Any term comes into existence by communicating about it so as to get agreement.The process typically involves an assertion and clarification of the connection. If a person lacks the relevant vocabulary (verbal and non-verbal), then communication about that aspect of reality becomes impossible, and the group rejects or ignores the person.

Example: Journalists and politicians commonly seek to discriminate social events by creating a name: e.g. flower-power, obamacare, Reaganomics, Arab Spring.

ClosedAlternatives:

In Experience-PH4

Element Function: Provisional Formulations
L5-Developing an Intuition To provide an unpremeditated appreciation of a situation involving the self.

PH4-L5: Intuiting involves communicating to yourself about how things are overall. Because it is impractical to inquire into everything, or even into most things, endeavours necessarily depend on a holistic perception that only intuitions can provide. Intuitions effortlessly integrate factors like atmosphere, social attitudes, hidden agendas and other intangibles with what is self-evident as well as current knowledge.

Example: You are at work and sense a subtle change in the atmosphere. Asking directly leads nowhere. However, by observing and allowing ideas to emerge, you find you can create a coherent narrative that makes sense of the situation.

ClosedAlternatives:

In Change-PH3 (amended April 2024)

Element Function: Provisional Formulation
L5-Organising Adaptation Fitting to uncontrollable events within or without to enable the entity to coexist while continuing as it is.

PH3-L5: Adapting involves communicating about change issues, because it deals with understanding what is happening to force the change. It is necessary to clarify the stressor and articulate the response to it that will enable coexistence. The effectiveness of efforts to adapt will be a function of how well any reality is determined and shared.

Example: Government regulations affecting the operation of a business are uncontrollable. Adapting to any new unavoidable government regulation is essential and the adaptation must be designed carefully to suit the regulation.

ClosedAlternatives:

In Inquiry-PH2

Element Function: Provisional Formulation
L5-Recognizing a Relation To postulate an association or influence between two or more entities.

PH2-L5: Relating involves an imposition of our human perspective on some particular situation. Entities in that situation are selected, extracted as it were, and viewed as connected in some fashion. This entails communication because it depends on telling a story about the situation.

Example: Having a hypothesis about a relation before a study is essential. A post-hoc conclusion based on finding a relationship is not regarded as a test of that conclusion. Data-mining may generate patterns but the initial human imposition is absent.

ClosedAlternatives:

In Action-PH1

Element Function: Provisional Formulation
L5-Devising an Intervention To meet a need to produce a particular result within a given situation.

PH1-L5: Intervening depends on a continuous grasp of the evolving situation in order to communicate to others and act appropriately. These actions must be coherent and effectively lead to a specific conclusion. Having a continuous grasp involves constructing what you are willing to take as the reality at every moment, and this is about communicating to yourself as well as those involved.

Example: Removing an employee who is creating havoc is the goal. Intervening to allow that to occur without further disruption, legal issues, unfairness or harm to anyone is a minefield. Effectiveness depends on skilfully communicating both to the employee and to others in the situation during implementation of the decision to terminate.

ClosedAlternatives:


Initially posted: 19-Jul-2013