Abstracting

Module 3

Theory


In this module we will examine briefly the process of abstracting, by which information reaches our nervous systems and then our minds and how it gets edited along the way.

The Structural Differential

The Structural Differential is a physical tool which was devised by Korzybski and used to help understand the process of abstracting.  Please click the link to read an explanation excerpted from Susan and Bruce Kodish’s book, Drive Yourself Sane.

illustration of the structural differential
E = Event
O = Object Level
D = Descriptive Level
In = Inference Level (One, Two, Etc.)
Fido = Dog’s (Animal’s) Abstracting Process

The illustration provided is a diagram of the Structural Differential

(Diagram Courtesy of the Institute of General Semantics, www.general-semantics.org )
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