Perspectives on Mezirow's Transformative Learning Theory

CHANGING MINDS Perspectives on Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory TERRY DEFOE … the more reflective and open to the perspectives of others we are, the richer our imagination of alternative contexts for understanding will be. Jack Mezirow, Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning INTRODUCTION This paper1 discusses transformative change in the context of insights provided by Mezirow.2 A transformative learning experience is characterized by major changes in a meaning perspective – that is, the way individuals experience and interpret their world. Imagine, if you will, a gathering of friends and family, excited to pass along a gift — a small box containing an expensive pair of sunglasses. The gift box is opened – the sunglasses are donned. The recipient has never seen colors. Until now. Their world has been transformed. Their visual perception has been enriched. Transformative change, as Mezirow describes it, is related to substantial, positive change in intellectual perception and knowledge of self. It is an intensely personal experience. It’s uncommon -- many never experience it. Mezirow explains the term “meaning perspective” as follows -1. A set of habitual expectations that govern perception, comprehension, and remembering.3 2. A template which an individual maps onto reality4 whereby past experience assimilates and transforms new experiences.5 3. A guide [to] the way we experience, feel, understand, judge, and act upon particular situations.6 4. Mental scaffolding which … form[s], limit[s], and distort[s] how we think, believe, and feel.7 Mezirow uses the term perspective transformation for the overarching process, which he defines as • A critical awareness of the process by which assumptions that initially constrain our perceptions, understandings, and feelings about our world are modified and become more inclusive, discriminating, and integrative of experience.8 Meaning perspectives have a powerful Impact on perception. They inform our self-image, and perceived social status.9 Individuals may experience transformative learning … through an eye-opening discussion, a book, a poem, or encountering people from a different culture.10 A meaning perspective may be an asset or a liability.11 Should it become distorted, it can … limit reality, impede differentiation, lack openness to that which is new or different, and not facilitate integration of experience.12 A distorted meaning perspective may close the door to important new information. In terms of social interaction, it may foster groupthink, acceding to a false group consensus rather than rock the boat. Changing Minds -- Terry Defoe Ttransformative learning is a multi-stage process13 whereby meaning is clarified.14 The stages typically include 1. A disorienting dilemma. 2. A time of self-examination, often accompanied by guilt and shame. 3. A critical assessment of distorted assumptions – epistemic, sociolinguistic, and psychological. 4. A recognition that others have gone through similar transformations. 5. Seeking new roles, relationships, and actions. 6. Formulating an action plan. 7. Acquiring new skills. 8. Trying out new roles. 9. Becoming comfortable in those new roles. 10. Reintegrating life on the basis of the new perspective. DISORIENTING DILEMMA Significant learning experiences are often preceded by some sort of disorienting dilemma which temporarily overwhelms coping skills. This dilemma may be economic, relationshipbased, or health-related issues. It may by accompanied by physiological symptoms such insomnia, panic attacks, depression, and the like. A disorienting dilemma is an existential crisis negatively impacting the self.15 The disorientation, according to Mezirow, can typically be traced back to sources he characterizes as epistemic, sociolinguistic, or psychological. Epistemic Distortions • Are drawn from perspectives held over from earlier developmental stages. • Are … prescribed norms and roles… expectations, anticipated scenarios of interaction, philosophies and theories that serve to frame the experience selectively.16 • Are marked by …a narrow scope of awareness, resulting in distorted cognitive learning.17 Sociolinguistic Distortions • Are supported by philosophies and theories that are unquestioned and often institutionalized18 such as being a member of a church that embraces young earth creationism.(YEC) • May include warnings that a departure from the party line will result in sanctions being applied.19 Psychological distortions • May include the belief that one never truly measures up to standards set by others. • Feelings of inadequacy and guilt are turned inward against the self.20 • Limit an individual’s knowledge about self and environment, such as a lack of understanding of the body’s stress responses. COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (CBT) page 2 Changing Minds -- Terry Defoe A disorienting dilemma typically brings an opportunity to initiate positive change. Many become threshold learners participating in an educational process which enables them to share their dilemma with others and discover strategies to deal with it.21 Mezirow argues that there can be no perspective transformation without reflection on basic life premises.22 Counseling can be compared to a welcome rest stop on a long journey – a chance to pause and reflect. CBT, of course, is only one of several therapeutic options. It is helpful in identifying coping skills that are distorted, inauthentic, and invalid.23 CBT assists clients in understanding the connection between cognition and accompanying physiological reactions. Anxiety, for example, can lead to seriously dysfunctional thoughts which cognitive behavioral therapy identifies, analyzes, and hopefully disarms. CBT, to use a colloquialism, is quite efficient in its ability to put a bell on the cat. In other words, it has the ability to identify some hidden reality that is having a significant negative impact on a person’s quality of life. CBT enables an individual to test the validity of past thoughts and actions. It involves the patient in their own transformation. CBT encourages clients to dispute their thinking errors and to replace them with better alternatives. For most clients, homework assignments designed to track cognitions help them grasp how their distorted thinking patterns have contributed to their problems. Seeing these thoughts written down makes them more manageable. An individual’s desire to understand the source of their malaise kindles an emancipatory interest.24 CBT reveals cognitions that are normally hidden and analyzes them in the bright light of day. The client begins to understand the link between their assessment of the situation and the resulting feelings and physiological responses. And, most importantly, clients learn how to challenge those dysfunctional thoughts, and not just challenge them, but change them. Reflective action is the process of acting upon that which reflection has discovered.25 According to Kitchener, reflective action is characterized by the following presuppositions:26 1. 2. 3. 4. There is a reality against which ideas and assumptions must ultimately be tested. The process of inquiry is subject to error. Knowledge claims rest on the process of rational inquiry. Justification is based on rational evaluation of evidence and interpretation. A new meaning perspective is not fully in place until an individual makes choices or otherwise acts upon this new knowledge.27 Typical changes include – 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. A renewed appreciation for the value of therapeutic intervention. Observing how cognitive distortions can lead to distressing physiological symptoms. Affirmation that self understanding brings with it psychological health. Viewing challenging situations as opportunities for growth. Appreciating the benefits of being more relaxed, more confident, and more assertive. Understanding that what’s real to the mind is real to the body. CRITIQUE Mezirow’s theory is an important contribution to understanding transformative change. My criticisms deal with the need for further study and refinement rather than in pointing out page 3 Changing Minds -- Terry Defoe fundamental weaknesses in the theory itself. A few random thoughts -First, more could be said about varying predispositions to change. Robert McRae and Paul Costa for instance, claim that there are important, underlying dimensions upon which individual differences in adult personality can be understood. They advocate a five-factor model of dispositional personality:28 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Neuroticism / stability Extraversion / introversion Openness Agreeableness / antagonism Conscientiousness The factor of interest in the present context is openness. Liebert and Spiegler offer the following definition -• Individuals high on openness tend to be original, imaginative, and daring. Their interests tend to be quite broad. Openness may manifest itself in a wide range of fantasy experiences, in creative or unusual ideas or products, or in a high degree of tolerance for what others do, say, and think.29 McRae adds -• We conceive of the open individual as being interested in the experience for its own sake, eager for variety, tolerant of uncertainty, living a richer, more complex, less conventional life. By contrast, the closed person is seen as being impoverished in fantasy, insensitive to art and beauty, restricted in affect, behaviorally rigid, bored by ideas, and ideologically dogmatic.30 It may very well be that those who could benefit most from transformative learning are least likely to experience it. A substantial proportion of the population, rather than welcoming change assiduously avoid it. Most ideologies (including religion) are averse to change unless it happens on their terms. In many tribal or ethnic cultures transformation is frowned upon as being disloyal to the group. Critical reflection is threatening to authoritarian leaders. Many reigemes throughout history have discouraged reflective thinking and have made it very costly for those who dared to indulge in it. Many individuals are … opinionated, selfcentered… not averse to distorting reality for their own personal gain.31 As Beck and Emery32 note, people sometimes learn their assumptions so well that it is virtually impossible to change them. Transformative learning is faciliated by what Mezirow calls a dialogic community — a group of trusted individuals within which reflection takes place. A dialogic community may be just one or two people, perhaps therapist and client. Thankfully, that is sufficient. Much of human history has been characterized by groupthink, a term originally coined by Irving Janis in some ways the polar opposite of a dialogic community, characterized by Mezirow as: • … a mode of thought that he found to be characteristic of deep involvement in a cohesive group in which the desire for unanimity precludes a realistic assessment of alternative page 4 Changing Minds -- Terry Defoe courses of action.33 Winston Churchill said that many people stumble over the truth. But they pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and carry on as if nothing happened.34 Until true dialogic communities flourish, transformative learning will languish. CONCLUSION Mezirow’s theory is enabling, empowering and illuminating. Transformative change is certainly a worthwhile goal, requiring much energy and dedication. It often involves questioning, and sometimes rejecting, the norms and values of one’s culture (or subculture) and its dominant ideology. A transformed meaning perspective provides functional strategies and resources for dealing with future challenges. Therapeutic interventions, including CBT, challenge the premises upon which meaning perspectives are built. Counseling can turn surviving to thriving. It can enable the client to experience a transformed perspective -- with vibrant colors replacing drab black and white. It can initiate a process whereby a person moves from doing to being, from anxiety to peace, from weakness to strength, and from self- blame to self-understanding. +++ NOTES 1 This paper is an adaptation of an assignment submitted for an Athabasca University course titled Learning Through Life in the fall of 2000. It provides an overview of scholarly discussion taking place at that time on the topic of Transformative Learning as proposed by Dr. Jack Mezirow. 2 Mezirow, J. Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1991. 3 Mezirow, p. 4. 4 Mezirow, p. 52. 5 Mezirow, p. 42. 6 Mezirow, p. 48. 7 Mezirow, p. 34. 8 Mezirow, p. 167. 9 Mezirow, p. 48. 10 Mezirow, p. 168. 11 Mezirow, p. 144. 12 Mezirow, pp. 118-119. 13 Mezirow, pp. 168-169. 14 Mezirow, p. 193. 15 Mezirow, p. 26. 16 Mezirow, p. 144. 17 Mezirow, p. 43. 18 Mezirow, p. 209. 19 Mezirow, p. 138. 20 A defense mechanism characterized by Anna Freud as turning-against-self. See Freud, page 5 Changing Minds -- Terry Defoe Anna. The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense (Rev. ed.). 1936. Vol 2 of The Writings of Anna Freud. New York: International Universities Press, 1966. See also Monte, C.F. Beneath the Mask: An Introduction to Theories of Personality. Fourth Edition. San Francisco: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1991. p. 198. 21 Mezirow, p. 206. 22 Mezirow, p. 197. 23 Mezirow, p. 6. 24 Mezirow, p. 87. 25 Mezirow, pp. 33, 109 26 Kitchener, K.S. “Educational Goals and Reflective Thinking.” The Educational Forum, Fall, 1983. See also Kitchener, K.S. and King, P. “The Reflective Judgment Model: Transforming Assumptions About Knowing.” In J. Mezirow and Associates (eds.), Fostering Critical Reflection in Adulthood: A Guide to Transformative and Emancipatory Learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1990.Kitchener. In Mezirow, Transformative Dimensions, p. 124. 27 Mezirow, p. 167. 28 McCrae, R.R. and Costa, P.T., Jr. Validation of the five-factor model of personality across instruments and observers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 81-90, 1987. In Liebert, R. and Spiegler, M. Personality: Strategies and Issues. Seventh Edition. Belmont, California: Brooks/Cole, 1994, p. 212. 29 Liebert, R. and Spiegler, M. Personality: Strategies and Issues. Seventh Edition. Belmont, California: Brooks/Cole, 1994. p. 214. 30 McCrae and Costa, 1990 pg. 123 31 Fiske, S. and Taylor, S. Social Cognition. New York: Random House, 1984. (Fisk and Taylor, 1934, in Mezirow, Transformative Dimensions, p. 122. 32 Beck, A. and Emery, G. Anxiety Disorders and Phobias. New York: Basic Books, 1985. p. 311. 33 Janis, I.L. Groupthink: Psychological Studies of Policy Decisions and Fiascoes. (2nd ed., rev.) Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1983. In Mezirow, Transformitive Dimensions, p. 190. 34 A good deal of checking confirms that this quote is indeed from Winston Churchill. BIBLIOGAPHY Basseches, M. Dialectical Thinking and Adult Development. Norwood, N.J.: Ablex, 1984. Beck, A. and Emery, G. Anxiety Disorders and Phobias. New York: Basic Books, 1985. Burns, D. Feeling Good. New York: William Morrow, 1980. Ellis, A. and Harper, R. A New Guide to Rational Living. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall, 1975. Fiske, S. and Taylor, S. Social Cognition. New York: Random House, 1984. Freud, Anna. The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense (Rev. ed.). 1936. Vol 2 of The Writings of Anna Freud. New York: International Universities Press, 1966. Janis, I. Groupthink: Psychological Studies of Policy Decisions and Fiascoes. (2nd ed., rev.) page 6 Changing Minds -- Terry Defoe Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1983. Keane, R. “The Experience of Doubt and Associated Learning in Religious Men.” Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Toronto, 1985. Kitchener, K. “Educational Goals and Reflective Thinking.” The Educational Forum, Fall, 1983. Kitchener, K. and King, P. “The Reflective Judgment Model: Transforming Assumptions About Knowing.” In J. Mezirow and Associates (eds.), Fostering Critical Reflection in Adulthood: A Guide to Transformative and Emancipatory Learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1990. Liebert, R. and Spiegler, M. Personality: Strategies and Issues. Seventh Edition. Belmont, California: Brooks/Cole, 1994. McCrae, R. Traits and trait names: How well is Openness represented in natural languages? European Journal of Personality, 4, 119-129, 1990. McCrae, R. and Costa, P. Validation of the five-factor model of personality across instruments and observers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 81-90, 1987. Mezirow, J. Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1991. Monte, C. Beneath the Mask: An Introduction to Theories of Personality. Fourth Edition. San Francisco: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1991. page 7