The Leader on the Couch by Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries

Author:Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2011-01-24T16:00:00+00:00

CHANGE AND THE TRIANGLE OF MENTAL LIFE

In our effort to understand the complex process of change, it helps to look at human behavior as being made up of a triangle of forces: cognition, emotion, and behavior. This triangular force field determines the script that’s acted out in our inner theater. That script involves all three elements of the triangle of mental life and, as was discussed in Chapter 1, is written in response to the motivational need systems on which choice is grounded.

Taking this basic triangle of mental life—with its linking of cognition, emotion, and behavior—as our point of departure, we can see that for any change effort to be successful, the individual seeking change has to be swayed both cognitively and emotionally; in other words, a person has to be affected in both the head and the heart if behavior is to change. Affect and cognition go hand in hand; they’re inseparable in all things, including the determination of behavior. Although someone seeking change needs to see intellectually the advantages that a change effort will bring, cognition alone isn’t enough; that person also needs to be touched emotionally. The three legs of this triangle of mental life are closely interwoven. Architects of leadership change programs, take note!

Figure 8.1 Triangle of mental life

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