(Print this table if you wish.)
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Aspect: to do with .. | Questions you might ask | Notes and examples | This calls for | Personal notes |
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Quantitative aspect: Discrete amount | How many people are you trying to influence? | Can be exact number or 'few', 'many'; Directly? Indirectly? | ||
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Spatial aspect: Simultaneous extended existence | How are they placed with respect to you? | Can be proximal or distal. | ||
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Kinematic aspect: Flowing movement | Are their beliefs etc. moving? | |||
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Physical aspect: Forces, energy, mass | Ask no questions in this aspect. | Force, energy, intertia, etc. in influencing are only metaphors for other aspects below, and are better dealt with directly in those aspects. | ||
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Biotic/organic aspect: Life, organism | Should you influence someone who is ill? | Health in all. | ||
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Sensitive/psychic aspect: Sensing and responding Feeling, emotion |
Can they see and hear you well? How are they feeling? Mental state? | Sensitivity to their mental state. | ||
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Analytical aspect: Distinction, concepts Abstraction, logic |
Have your ideas clear, separating important from less important. Ensure that any arguments you use are sound. | Clear thinking in influencer | ||
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Formative aspect: Deliberate shaping Planning, techniques History |
You are trying to shape people. Have you planned well? Are your techniques of influencing effective? Have you understood their history: how they came to be what they are. | e.g. their beliefs, commitments, thoughts, decisions, actions | Flexibility and skill in influencer. | |
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Lingual aspect
Expressing in words and other symbols Language |
How articulate are you? Are you using more than words? What language are you using? |
e.g. diagrams, gestures, pictures, demonstrations Not just national language, but level of language within it, and register of words and phrases. | Articulate, adaptable influencers | |
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Social aspect: Relationships Roles, status |
How is your relationship with them? What respective roles do you each have? What difference in status? |
e.g. friendly, hostile. e.g. take account of their and your organisational roles. Influencing higher, equal and lower status people requires different approaches. | Respect for the other. | |
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Economic aspect: Frugality, resources; Management |
How much time do you have? What other resources might you draw upon? | Careful management by the influencer. | ||
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Aesthetic aspect: Harmony Interest Style |
Is your influence in orchestral harmony with all else? Are they bored or interested? Can you lighten the situation, e.g. with humour? |
Take everything into account, though not slavishly. If they find it interesting, they are more likely to listen. Lighten with humour, play, laughter, leisure | A pleasant sense of the whole in the influencer. | |
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Juridical aspect: 'Due', appropriateness; Rights, responsibilities |
Is the influence you want to bring onto them appropriate? What rights and responsibilities do you and they have? Also: Apply appropriateness to all the aspects above |
Appropriate to them, yourself, the situation in which you both live. Don't do injustice. Apply to, e.g. appropriate plans, language, relationships, roles, resources, style, humour | A commitment to justice and appropriateness for all. | |
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Ethical aspect: Attitude, Self-giving love | Why are you trying to influence them: for your own selfish ends or for the real good of them and others? | This is important. If they feel that you are trying to influence them for your own selfish ends, they will tend to resist, and even if they succumb, it will be with mere lip service. Bad, selfish attitude breeds bad, selfish attitudes, like the plague. | Gentleness and generosity in the influencer. | |
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Pistic/Faith aspect: Faith, commitment, belief; Vision of who we are Meaningfulness |
The most effective influencing is when they come to fully believe in what you believe in, and commit themselves to it. Have you a sound, healthy vision of who you and they are, and of the context you both share? Is the influence you are trying to bring upon them truly meaningful, especially in the eyes of (the True) God? |
Mere slavish obedience to you is not really effective, especially in the long run. Never underestimate the importance of internalised and long-term influence. "Ultimate Reality" if you don't like the idea of God. | Humility in the influencer. |
This page is part of a collection that discusses application of Herman Dooyeweerd's ideas, within The Dooyeweerd Pages, which explain, explore and discuss Dooyeweerd's interesting philosophy. Email questions or comments would be welcome.
Written on the Amiga and Protext.
Copyright (c) 2012 Andrew Basden. You may use this material as long as you acknowledge the author and provide the web page URL with every use.
Created: 11 July 2012 Last updated: