NLP Master Trainer James Leong and Jak Kahn

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While in Singapore, I had the privilege of studying Neuro Linguistic Programming and the Enneagram Personality Profiling System under James Leong, an NLP Master Trainer and the first and only (as of this date) NLP practitioner to make a statistical study on the positive impact of NLP practices.

During our discussion on the Enneagram Profiling System, I asked James why he chose the Enneagram over other profiling systems such as DISC and MBTI. He explained that although other profiling systems are accurate and help a lot in determining behaviors, they lack one crucial item, which is providing a framework on how to “move on” to another type.

I thought about that for a while until the light bulb went off in my head.

I remember back in the day when DISC was introduced to the company I was working in. I was a very high “S”, which means I prefer a safe and stable environment, and am generally supportive rather than forceful. Now at the time my boss wanted to coach me to improve myself, and would use words from the DISC concept. He would tell me things like, “You have to be more like a D”, or “I’m trying to develop the C in you”.  Now I understood what he wanted to achieve, and he would do this by putting me in situations/projects that would “increase” my D or C characteristic.

Thing was, it was almost always a struggle for me whenever I was put in those situations.  Don’t get me wrong, there was always a lot of support and positive coaching to help me, but it would still be hard for me, and I couldn’t understand what was “wrong” with me. Until I encountered the Enneagram anyway.

The beauty of the Enneagram is that in addition to profiling (which includes your likely behaviors, tendencies, preferences, etc) it provided a framework on WHY you were that way, and HOW you can move to a different profile.  So for example, I’m a type 9 Enneagram, meaning Peacemaker, and through the Enneagram, I am now in a better place to understand why I behave like a 9, and what I need to do in order to grow or develop myself.  And I can use NLP techniques to achieve that growth. Perfect combination!

So right now I’m excited to use the Enneagram and NLP together to strengthen my coaching skills, not only on an individual basis, but also for teams and organizations.

Oh, did I forget to mention?  The Enneagram types can also be applied to teams and organizations as well!

So many thanks to my mentor James Leong for putting together such a powerful combination.  And I’m looking forward to applying them myself.

WOOOOOSH! :)

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To find out more about our 4-in-1 Certification Program on becoming a Certified Business NLP Practitioner, Enneagram Coach and Administrator, and Executive NLP Coach, please click here.

Our Enneagram Teacher James Leong was on Raise Your Game, BFM recently to talk about the Enneagram Types 4, 5 and 6 at work. . James elaborates on how to identify each of the Enneagram Types (aka Enneatypes), what each Enneatype looks for in a career, the characteristics they exhibit under stress as well as when they feel secure, and how help each Enneatype perform better at work. . Interviewing James Leong, on December 6th 2011, is the beautiful Ms Azura Rahman, Producer/BFM Radio host. . For MORE information on Raising Your Game for The Enneagram Types at Work, please subscribe to our Newsletter. . Please scroll down for the audios…

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For Part 1 of Raise Your Game, please click the picture above		For Part 2 of Raise Your Game, please click the picture above

To find out more about our 4-in-1 Certification Program on becoming a Certified Business NLP Practitioner, Enneagram Coach and Administrator, and Executive NLP Coach, please click here.

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Well, seeing and hearing is believing!  I can only say once you have watched the following video, you’ll be able to see for yourself the numerous Trigger Words that he has embedded into his presentation at the Apple Keynote on January 27th 2010.

Besides Steve Jobs, another famous celebrity who uses NLP is Oprah Winfrey (the No. 1 talk show host in the world).  This is what she says about NLP: “NLP helps me to manage audiences and motivate them.  It is just amazing.”

Interested to learn how to embed these NLP Trigger Words and other Powerful Presentation and Influencing Skills?  To find out more about our Comprehensive 15-Day Business NLP Practitioner Program – The Gold Standard in Business NLP Singapore — please click here

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Before we answer the above question, we must first ask, What does NLP Singapore stand for?  For this is a common phase in the Personal Development and NLP Executive Coaching scene in Singapore.

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Here’s a hint… Is it

Well if you choose (5) as your answer, you are right.  However, it our context here, NLP Singapore is Neuro-Linguistic Programming in Singapore (Or more precisely, it’s referring to the NLP scene in Singapore).

Now, probably the next question on your mind would be, “What is Neuro-Linguistic Programming?”

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) started as a form of Psychotherapy developed by Richard Bandler and Dr John Grinder at the University of California at Santa Cruz around 1972.  Back then, Bandler and Grinder spent many months studying some of the most gifted therapists such as Dr. Milton H. Erickson with his indirect form of hypnotherapy, Dr. Virginia Satir with her style of counseling called “Con-Joint Family Therapy”, and Dr. Fritz Perls with his Gestalt Therapy.   Rather than focusing their attention on the formal theory from which their practice drew, Bandler and Grinder were more curious about what was the difference that made a difference between these excellent therapists and others.  The focus was on what these gifted therapists did in practice, especially their patterns of communication and interaction.

Even today, the majority of NLP Practitioner Programs taught in Singapore and Asia are very therapeutic in nature and steep in hypnosis because of Dr Milton Erickson’s influence.   This didn’t help especially when NLP is often sold in combination with Shamanic Methods of Magick (a form of Occultism) and Huna (a system of magic practice from Hawaii) by local trainers who were trained by Richard Bandler and Tad James.   Of course, all these shamanic therapeutic and hypnosis aspects of NLP has led many in the business community to shy away from NLP.

Although NLP is now a buzzword in Singapore — especially the business community — many still only have a vague idea what NLP is.  So here’s a short video clip on “What NLP really is” by my teacher NLP Master Trainer and Innovator of NLP Robert Dilts…

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(Please scroll down for the next video on Authentic Leadership by Robert Dilts)

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Albeit the fact that many Practitioners of NLP in Singapore has tried to re-brand NLP as a Science of Building Rapport and Modeling Excellence, most business executives and professionals were skeptical.  Also, many psychologists have added that, unlike other forms of therapy like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, NLP has only anecdotal evidence in terms of testimonials and no objective experimental research that supports its effectiveness.

However in 2011, James Leong (a Singaporean who is personally trained by Co-Developers of the NLP Robert Dilts and Judith DeLozier) became the First in the World to complete a landmark MBA Dissertation on Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and the Enneagram Personality Profiling System.   In his MBA Dissertation are the results (from Objective Controlled Experiments) and statistics to scientifically validate the efficacy of the latest Third Generation NLP technology in Alleviating Executive Stress!

James Leong with Astronaut Dr Sheikh

To his fellow NLP Master Trainers in the USA and UK, because of his dedication in making the latest Third Generation NLP technology relevant to Business, Leadership and Executive Coaching, James Leong is affectionately know as the “The NLP Singapore Guy” as well as “Innovator of NLP.”

Outside UK and USA, to ensure that NLP is relevant to the Business Community, James Leong is also the First to conduct the “Business NLP Practitioner Program” in Singapore and Asia.

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So Just what exactly does a “Business Practitioner of NLP” do?

The Business Practitioner of NLP is trained to Produce Results and coaches his/her clients in the following areas:

Here’s a short video by Robert Dilts on Authentic Leadership…

And to add even more value to his students and clients, Excellerated Excellence’s James Leong has made his Business NLP Practitioner Programs and Corporate Training Courses even more effective by seamlessly integrating the “Enneagram Personality Profiling System” used by the C.I.A.

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To his fellow NLP Master Trainers in the USA and UK, because of his dedication in making the latest Third Generation NLP technology relevant to Business, Leadership and Executive Coaching, James Leong is affectionately know as the “The NLP Singapore Guy” as well as “Innovator of NLP.”

In his dissertation are the results (from objective Controlled Experiments) and statistics to scientifically validate the efficacy of Third Generation NLP’s “Logical Levels Alignment” technique in alleviating stress.

The controlled experiments in this MBA Dissertation meets the minimum standards of ethical approval in research (July 2004) according to Section 3 of the British Psychological Society Guidelines.

MBA Dissertation Title:

A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF TECHNIQUES IN FIRST GENERATION NEURO-LINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING AND THIRD GENERATION NEURO-LINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING IN REDUCING STRESS

James Leong with Malaysian Astronaut Dr Sheikh

By James Leong Founder of Excellerated Excellence (NLP Singapore) Master Trainer in NLP (Systemic, NLP New Coding and Third Generation NLP) NLP University, USA Co-Developer of The Excellerated Life Coaching Program Certified Transformational Entrepreneur Accredited IEA Enneagram Teacher (Professional Member & Teacher with the International Enneagram Association, IEA)

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I am indebted to my dissertation supervisor Mr. Anthony Heng and advisors Drs Aaron K. McMahon and Easwaramoorthy Rangaswamy for their generous assistance, guidance and for sending the students in their Bachelor of Business and Master of Business Administration classes to be part of this comparative study.

I am grateful for the Neuro-Linguistic Programming expertise and other valuable help provided by Ms Judith DeLozier and Mr. Robert Dilts, both Co-Developers of Third Generation NLP.  Their invaluable assistance and encouragement were essential to me in this study.  I would also like to thank them for creating the tools and skills necessary for “creating a world to which people want to belong.”

With regard to the Enneagram, my heartfelt thanks goes to Oscar Ichazo, Dr. Claudio Naranjo, Helen Palmer, Don Riso and Russ Hudson who have inspired me with their teaching of the Enneagram and their valuable insights.  I am also grateful for the many, many hundreds of students who have, by participating in my programs and workshops, taught me about their world through the lens of the Enneagram.

James Leong with his Teacher Dr Claudio Naranjo, the Key Source and Authority of the Enneagram

My sincere thanks also goes to my Associate Trainers Mr Raj Revindran and Mr Lance Ong for their encouragements and steadfast friendship over last twelve years, the two of you are amongst the most respected NLP Trainers in Singapore.  I am proud to have you both in my NLP Singapore Team.

Here’s an interesting video by my Enneagram Teacher, the eminent medical doctor and psychiatrist Dr Claudio Naranjo on the Personality and Essence…

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ABSTRACT

Albeit the fact Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is hugely popular all over the world and with many proponents claiming massive anecdotal evidence that it works, and indeed it is a recognized form of psychotherapy in the UK, NLP has still not been accompanied by knowledge of the empirical underpinnings of the concept nor has the academic community shown much interest in its developments.

The first objective was to explore how traditional First Generation NLP and its latest development, the Third Generation NLP, help to ameliorate stress.  The researcher compared the effectiveness of the popular “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP” and the newer technique known as “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP” in the reduction of stress.  By doing so, the researcher was able to provide a fair amount of empirical evidence in support of NLP’s workability.

The second objective was to establish the effectiveness of NLP on the different Enneagram Personality Types in ameliorating stress.  The Enneagram is an ancient method of personality classification that originated around 2500 B.C.  Enneagram theory put forward that humans could be categorized into nine main personality types.  The researcher noted that the Enneagram theory has identified the different internal motivations of each personality type and pointed out that individuals respond differently to NLP.

The third objective of this study is to determine how the different Enneagram Personality Types actually rate the perceived severity of the different types of stress based on a 7-point scale questionnaire.

This experimental research involved two test groups with a total of sixty test subjects, and another two control groups a total of sixty control group subjects.  Results of T-Tests determined that with the two test groups, there was noticeable reduction of stress levels after experiencing the processes compared with before.

1.0.  INTRODUCTION

This dissertation is mainly a comparative study on how to ameliorate stress using the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP”, and the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP”.

The concept of stress came about in the 1930’s when Hans Selye discovered that a set of bodily and actually took place when an organism is exposed to stressors such as extreme heat, cold, toxics etc.  He came to refer to this as stress, where stress was the consequence of any demand upon the body (Selye, 1946).  Since then stress has developed into a widely used concept within both the medical and social sciences.

In today’s workplace, stress is a widespread and costly problem.  The Northwestern National Life Insurance Company (1991) reported one-quarter of employees view their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives.  According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, their finding suggests that stress is the major cause of turnover in organizations (NIOSH, 1999).  According to Sauter, Hurrell, Murphy and Levi (1997), there are numerous studies to suggest that psychologically demanding jobs that employees have little control over the work process can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.  Therefore if NLP can be proven effective in alleviating stress, it may be another arsenal in preventing stress-related diseases.

Chapter 2 of this dissertation will  (1) review the latest studies and findings in the causes of stress, (2) review a numerous literature in the field of NLP and the Enneagram as well as the latest development of these fields of study.  The essential principles of NLP and the Enneagram are presented in brief with some indication of the extensiveness of applications of these two rapidly expanding fields of knowledge.

Chapter 3 gives an in-depth breakdown of the Research Methodology

Chapter 4 provides an analysis and interpretation of the data collected during this comparative study.

Chapter 5 includes a summary, lessons learned and recommendations for further research.

1.1.  Objectives

Although there are limited, sporadic literature in the utilization of NLP in the field of management (e.g. Ashok and Santhakumar, 2002; Georges, 1996), there is no such experimental research that investigated the effectiveness of the two forms of NLP (First and Second Generations) as a means of reducing stress.

The main objective of this research is to examine the relative effectiveness of the selected techniques in these two forms of NLP in the reduction of stress.  The two techniques and forms of NLP are namely the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP” and the newer technique known as “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP”.  By doing so, the researcher was able to provide a fair amount of empirical evidence in support of NLP’s workability.

The results of the test groups were compared with their respective control groups.  The next objective of this study is to address the matter raised in Einspruch & Forman (1985) – That there is a lack of qualified and experienced NLP-trained researchers conducting experiments.

Although Einspruch & Forman (1985) defended NLP, neither these two researchers nor anyone else has conducted experiments to show the contrary.  The researcher in the current study is not only a Master Practitioner and Trainer but also a Certified Master Trainer in NLP certified by the Co-Developers of Third Generation NLP Mr. Robert Dilts and Ms. Judith DeLozier.  The researcher has over a decade of related experience in applying NLP in the areas of Corporate Trainings, Sales and Team Development, and he is the first person in the Singapore to train the first group of School Counselors in NLP and the Enneagram Personality Profiling System.  The researcher has also trained numerous Singapore Army Officers in NLP, Enneagram and Leadership.

Long before the Co-Developers of Third Generation NLP, Dilts and DeLozier started to place emphasis on “Identity Coaching” in their form of NLP, the researcher has already incorporated Enneagram Personality Profiling System in his Certified Business NLP Practitioner and NLP Master Practitioner Programs.  According to Dilts and Dilts (n.d.), “The process of coaching at the identity level helps people to identify these fundamental fears in the form of what might be called “demons” and “shadows” – feelings and parts of ourselves that we have become disconnected from and do not want to face.  It then supports people to find the resources necessary for them to change their relationship to these fears, reopen the “channel” and live from a place of deeper connection, faith and trust.”  The Enneagram compliments the Third Generation NLP’s Identity Coaching in that “the cognitive/emotional structure of the Enneagram can be a useful guide for understanding and transforming our personalities…” (Palmer 1991, p. xv).  The Enneagram also outlines the core (and often hidden) motivation driving of each personality type, and provides a map for transforming personality traits that are not in line with such higher values as honesty, compassion, and courage.  The researcher’s positive intension is to help his students understand their own Enneagram Personality Types and then proceed to adapting and customizing NLP according to their own unique personality types.

The second objective of this research is to find out how well NLP works in helping the different Enneagram types to alleviate stress.

The third objective of this study is to determine how the different Enneagram Personality Types actually rate the perceived severity of the different types of stress based on a 7-point scale questionnaire.

2.0.  LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1.  Definition Of Stress

Stress is defined as “a complex pattern of emotional states, physiological reactions and related thoughts in response to external demands.”  Examples of such demands are demands of work assignments and interpersonal relations between co-workers, spouse and children.  Strain is the accumulated effects of stress expressed as deviations from normal patterns of behavior or activity i.e. a consequence to prolonged exposure to stressful events (Greenberg and Baron 2000).

Therefore, it is understandable that most literature on stress investigates the causes, symptoms, perceptions, and consequences of work-related stress (Munro, Rodwell, & Harding, 1998; Tyson, Pongruengphant & Aggarwal, 2001).

2.1.1.  Causes Of Stress At Work

Stress at work is an ever-present and multifaceted phenomenon (Lazarus, 1993) that is costly for organizations because it contributes to expensive voluntary turnover (Parasuraman & Alutto, 1984).  It is the second most commonly reported work-related health problem across Europe, according to the Third European Survey on Working Conditions (Paoli and Merllie, 2001) and research has pointed out that work related stress could lead to coronary heart disease (Breslow and Buell, 1980).  Examples of causes of work related stress are longer working hours and loss of lifelong career paths (Cooper and Locke, 2000).

According to Treven & Potocan (2005), apart from loss of health, “Mistakes and/or false decisions, which employees make under the effect of stress, are even more costly than loss of health.”  Gilboa, Shirom, Fried & Cooper (2008) found work-related stressors such as work-family conflict, role ambiguity, role conflict, role overload, job insecurity, environmental uncertainty, and situational constraints have negative correlation with job performance.  Specifically situational constraints and role ambiguity had the utmost negative correlation with work related performance.  Stress, in turn, has a negative impact on various organizational outcomes such as job satisfaction, production, absenteeism, turnover, and organizational commitment (Fairbrother & Warn, 2003; Snelgrove, 1998).

Earlier research has revealed that work stress not only results in increased blood pressure at work, however these physiological reactions continue after the employees have left work for home, and these potentially health-impairing responses to jobs are carried over to home settings and this in turn posed a high long-term risk of health impairment (Fox, Dwyer, & Ganster, 1993).  In addition the cost to employers’ health care expenditures, the societal cost is another critical issue to be resolved.

2.2.  Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)

This section of the chapter will provide a historic perspective to the advancement of Neuro-Linguistic Programming from its early developmental stages at the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC) in the early 1970′s until its current extensive developments.  This chapter also includes the major concepts of NLP.

The following is a definition of Negro-Linguistic Programming and its applications.

“Neuro” stands for the fundamental tenet that all behavior is the result of neurological processes.  “Linguistic“ indicates that neural processes are represented, ordered, and sequenced into models and strategies through language and communication systems.  “Programming“ refers to the process of organizing the components of a system to achieve a specific outcome. (Dilts, 1983, p 3)

Today NLP has achieved much popularity as a method for psychotherapy, management, education, sales and communications.  According to Tosey and Mathison (2003), “NLP has burgeoned into one of the world’s most popular forms of inter-personal skill and communication training.  The UK Association for NLP, for example, lists over 50 training organizations and estimates that around 150,000 people (in the UK, we assume) had had some training in NLP by the end of the year 2000.¹ NLP is used, whether explicitly or otherwise, by professional practitioners of many kinds – educators, managers, trainers, sales people, market researchers, counselors, consultants, medics, lawyers and more.  There are a number of competing NLP accrediting bodies or professional associations worldwide.  In the UK, NLP is a recognized psychotherapy (assigned to the Experiential Constructivist Therapies section) accredited by the UK Council for Psychotherapy²… There is interest too from associations such as the Society for Effective Affective Learning (SEAL).³”

2.2.1.  History Of NLP

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) was co-founded by Richard Bandler and John Grinder at the University of California at Santa Cruz around 1972 (Jacobson, 1994; McLendon, 1989).  Prior to NLP’s development, Richard Bandler had first been a student of Mathematics, Computer Programming and later Gestalt Psychology. John Grinder was an Assistant Professor of Linguistics at UCSC.  Their spouses, Leslie Cameron-Bandler and Judith DeLozier, also contributed significantly, as did other early developers such as Frank Pucelik, Robert Dilts and David Gordon.

According to Daniel Goleman (1979), in his article in Psychology Today, “The People who Read People”, Bandler had been trying to build models of effective therapy and involved Grinder to join him in the effort.  Besides being a linguist, Grinder was a former “Green Beret” (known officially as the United States Army Special Forces, they are trained in languages, culture, diplomacy, psychological warfare, disinformation – generating and spreading false information – and politics).  He was seconded to the Central Intelligence Agency for undercover assignments during the 1960’s in the Middle East; and he was required to cultivate the ability to imitate the physiology as well as the speaking patterns of individuals from different regions.  Bandler and Grinder spent many months studying some of the most gifted therapists such as Dr. Milton H. Erickson with his indirect form of conversational hypnotherapy, Dr. Virginia Satir with her style of counseling called “Con-Joint Family Therapy”, and Dr. Fritz Perls with his Gestalt Therapy.  Rather than focusing their attention on the formal theory from which their practice drew, Bandler and Grinder was more curious about what was the difference that made a difference between these excellent therapists and others.  The focus was on what these gifted therapists did in practice, especially their patterns of communication and interaction.

There is without a doubt NLP is eclectic and it draws from a wide diversity of sources.  Several of the basic foundations for NLP were the more humanistic psychological concepts along with the work transformational grammar (Grinder and Elgin, 1973), behavioral psychology and cybernetics (Ashby, 1965).  The cybernetic aspect is reflected, for instance, in NLP’s adoption of the TOTE (test-operate-test-exit) mode of functioning (Miller, Galanter, & Pribram, 1960), which depends on the dynamics of calibration and feedback (Bateson, 1972; Wiener, 1965).  Other sources include Alfred Korzybski’s 1933 classic “Science and Sanity” and his seminal concepts such as “The Map is not the Territory”.  “Important characteristics of maps should be noted.  A map is not the territory it represents, but, if correct, it has a similar structure to the territory, which accounts for its usefulness.”  The Territory in this case is reality or the universe or world, the map is your internal model of reality or the universe or the world, and the actual territory is not in your mind, only your map of it.  This means that no two individuals can have exactly the same map.  Problems in communication often arise when we try to impose our map upon another individual.  It is by being able to distinguish the structure of another individual’s map that will allow us to “see the world though their eyes” and hence comprehend and relate to others respectfully and precisely.

Dilts & DeLozier (2000), in their “Encyclopedia of Systemic Neuro-Linguistic Programming and NLP New Coding” suggest that “NLP is both a way of being (an ‘ontology’) and a way of knowing (an ‘epistemology’).  At the core of NLP (as an ontology) is a set of fundamental presuppositions about communication, choice, change, and the intentions behind our behaviors.  At the heart of NLP (as an epistemology) is modeling – an ongoing process for expanding and enriching your map of the world through awareness, flexibility, multiple perspectives and personal congruence.”

2.2.2.  Distinction Between the First, Second and Third Generation of NLP

(Source: http://www.nlpu.com/ThirdGenerationNLP.html)

First generation NLP was the original model of NLP derived by Bandler and Grinder from their study of effective therapists. These early applications of NLP were all applied one-on-one, with the focus almost entirely on the individual.

First generation NLP presupposed a therapeutic relationship in which the therapist knew what was best for his or her client. NLP was considered something which one “did to other people.” This led to some NLP applications as seeming to be manipulative when used in non-therapeutic contexts.

Most of the first generation tools and techniques (such as the meta model, anchoring, eye accessing cues, predicates, 6-step reframing, etc.) were focused on problem solving at level of behavior and capabilities.

Second generation NLP began to emerge in the mid to late 1980s. At this time, NLP was expanding to embrace other issues beyond the therapeutic context. While still focused on individuals, second generation NLP emphasized the relationship between oneself and others and widened to include such areas of application as negotiation, sales, education and health.

The tools of NLP also expanded to include higher level issues, such as those related to beliefs, values and “meta programs.” Second generation NLP techniques integrated the use of new distinctions such as time lines, submodalities and perceptual positions into formats like reimprinting, conflict integration, the Disney strategy and the Swish Pattern.

Third generation NLP has been developing since the 1990s. The applications of third generation NLP are generative, systemic and focused at even higher levels of learning, interaction and development – including those relating to identity, vision and mission.

Third generation NLP emphasizes whole system change and can be applied to organizational and cultural development as well as to individuals and teams.  The techniques of third generation NLP are “field based,” incorporating principles of self-organization, archetypes and what is known as “fourth position” – a whole system perspective.

The tools of third generation NLP are founded upon alignment, a multi-level perspective and the skills of sponsorship. The assumption of third generation NLP is that the wisdom needed for change is already in the system and can be discovered and released by creating the appropriate context.

2.3.  History Of The Enneagram

According to Riso and Hudson (1999, p 20-22), the Enneagram symbol originated around 2500 B.C. in Babylon.  It was first brought to the attention of the modern world by George Ivanovich Gurdjieff, the originator of an institute of spiritual development near Paris in the 1930s.  Gurdjieff stated that a person did not understand anything completely until he or she understood it in terms of the Enneagram, that is, until he or she could correctly place the elements of a process at the correct points on the Enneagram, thereby seeing the interdependent and mutually sustaining parts of the whole.  However, Gurdjieff did not teach the Enneagram of personality types.  The origins of that Enneagram are more recent and are based on two principal modern sources.

The first is Oscar Ichazo.  Ichazo admitted he came in contact with the Gurdjieff’s ideas of the Enneagram in the early 1950s (Source: Letter To The Transpersonal Community, 2011).

Ichazo then further assigned descriptions to each of the nine positions on the Enneagram diagram he called the Enneagram of Ego Fixations, which was the origination of the “Enneagram of Personality” as we know it today.  The second source of the Enneagram of personality types was noted psychiatrist Claudio Naranjo, a former 1962 Fulbright Scholar at Harvard University.  He studied with Ichazo in Chile in 1970 and further developed it, articulating the nine types in Western psychological terms.  In the early 1970s, Naranjo then taught his interpretation of the Enneagram to his students in Berkeley, California (Riso and Hudson, 1999, p 22-24).  He then set up panels for gathering empirical information on each personality type in the course of his psychiatric work (Enneagram History and Origins: The Traditional Enneagram, n.d.).

Enneagram Teachers Don Riso and Russ Hudson went on to add new features to the Enneagram system such as elaborate systematic descriptions of each type and within-type levels of development (Riso and Hudson, 1999, p 24-25).

The Enneagram symbol is a circle, enclosing nine equidistant points connected by nine intersecting lines (see Figure 2.1).  The nine points represent the different ways in which the nine underlying personalities constituting the Enneagram perceive and defend their “mental models” or realities.  The mental model that each person possesses determines not only how individuals make sense of the world, but also how they take action (Palmer, 1995, p 21).

Figure 2.1. The Enneagram Symbol

*The nine personality types are often described by names which characterize the way persons of that type commonly approach life” (Wiltse (2001,p.8). Different Enneagram schools use variations of these names.  According to Nathans (2003,p.72), the ‘focus of attention’ means that to which the mind goes automatically, not to that which a person consciously directs his attention.

James Leong sharing the Enneagram with Assistant Professor (Dr) Lana Khong of The National Institute of Education

2.3.1.  Principles Of The Enneagram

The Enneagram opens the doors of communication in many ways. Communication begins with the self. The better one knows oneself, the easier it is to communicate effectively with others. Figure 2.7 highlights the internal structure of lines connecting the personality points, which define instinctive paths taken towards happiness or stress.  One line connects with a type that represents how a person of the first type behaves when they are moving toward health and growth. This is called the Direction of Integration or Growth. The other line goes to another type that represents how the person is likely to act out if they are under increased stress and pressure—when they feel they are not in control of the situation (How the Enneagram Personality System Works, n.d.).

Although there are valuable spiritual and philosophical aspects to the Enneagram, this dissertation will focus on the personality traits, drives and motives of each of the nine personality types. Each of the nine types has its own world-view, possesses its own gift, and is propelled by an unconscious drive (Palmer, 1995, p 21).

3.0.  RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1.  Introduction

According to the Founders of NLP, Bandler and Grinder (1979), NLP can be used to cure phobias and other unpleasant feeling and/or responses in less than an hour.  However, Sharpley (1984) reports that the amount of published data supporting NLP as a viable model for therapeutic change is minimal.  This is true until today. Nevertheless, many skilled NLP trainers have a wealth of clinical data indicating that this model is highly effective. “Clearly these practitioners would provide a service to the field by presenting their data in the literature so they may be critically evaluated” Einspruch and Forman (1985).

According to Dilts and DeLozier (2000), from the NLP perspective, stress is a natural by-product of change.  The issue in not so much about avoiding stressful situations as it is about how to cope effectively with stress.  In the NLP view, even though we often cannot choose what happens in the environment around us, however we can choose how we respond to environmental stimuli and situations.  The same event can produce negative health consequences or not, depending on how we respond in relationship to it.  NLP provides a variety of tools, techniques and skills that extend traditional methods of stress management in order to help people to respond more resourcefully and ecologically to stressful situations.  Also, although the researcher has for many years included the Enneagram Personality Profiling System in his “Business NLP Practitioner Programs”, there is till now no empirical study on how well NLP works in helping the different Enneagram Personality Types to alleviate stress.  This study will be the first in the world to do so.

3.2.  Research Design

As cited by Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2009), research design is “the general plan of how you will go about answering your research question(s)”.  The plan has in it clear objectives and research question(s), specifies the sources from which researcher intends to collect data, and considers the limitations and constraints that the researcher will unavoidably have.  It also explains and elaborates how the data will be analyzed.

3.3.  Aims And Objectives Of The Study

Einspruch and Forman (1985) have cited many researches that have attempted to query the applicability of NLP.  However, they have defended NLP stated that “NLP is far more complex than presumed by researchers, and thus, the data are not true evaluations of NLP” and they have also added that NLP is difficult to assess under the traditional counseling psychology framework.

Einspruch and Forman claimed that those “failed” researches were flawed as their researchers were not properly certified as trainers, master practitioners or even practitioners in NLP.  As such, Einspruch and Forman criticized research and experiments that had resulted in the outcomes of the test groups being no different from the control groups.

They both revealed that all of the 39 empirical studies reviewed by Sharpley (1987) have failed to offer adequate investigator training.  For instance, in Dowd and Hingst’s (1983) study, students who had no knowledge of therapy were trained for only a total of 6 hours, in comparison to a standard Practitioner Certification course that is 120 hours!  One of the objectives of this study is to provide empirical support for Einspruch & Forman.

The second objective of this research is to find out how well NLP works in helping the different Enneagram Personality Types to alleviate stress.  Thus far, no one has conducted any controlled experiments to ascertain the efficacy of the different generations of NLP on the different Enneagram Personality Types for the alleviation of stress.

The third objective of this study is to determine how the different Enneagram Personality Types actually rate the perceived severity of the different types of stress based on a 7-point scale questionnaire.  From the researcher’s knowledge and literature search, there were no such studies done so far.

3.4.  Research Questions

This study raises two basic issues to be questioned from which the research and its findings will be simulated.  Those questions are as follows:

Major Research Questions:

• Does Neuro-Linguistic Programming work for the alleviation of stress?

• Between the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP” and “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP”, which process is more effective for the alleviation of stress?

Minor Research Questions:

• Between the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP” and “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP”, which process is more effective for the alleviation of stress for each of the nine Enneagram Personality Types?

• Are there differences in how each of the nine Enneagram Personality Types rank the severity of the seven causes of stress listed in the questionnaire?

3.5.  Research Approach

There are two main approaches to a research design:

• Quantitative Research
• Qualitative Research

In a nutshell, quantitative research produces numerical data or information that can be converted into numbers. Conversely, qualitative research generates non-numerical data. It is centered on gathering of mainly verbal data rather than measurements.  The information collected is then analyzed in an interpretative manner, subjective, impressionistic or even diagnostic.

The primary goal of a Qualitative Research is to provide a comprehensive and detailed description of the research topic.  Quantitative Research, in contrast, focuses more on counting and classifying features and constructing statistical models and figures to explain what is observed.
The presentation of data in a Qualitative Research is mostly based on the researcher’s own description, emotions and reactions.  ‘Qualitative researchers make considerable use of inductive reasoning: They make many specific observations and then draw inferences about larger and more general phenomena’. (Leedy & Ormrod, 2005, p 96).  It seeks to comprehend human behavior and reasons that direct such behavior.

In Quantitative Research, the methods utilized can demonstrate, by before and after tests, what change has occurred; and, by surveys, how generally and frequently it occurred.  This is because Quantitative Research is based on numbers and statistics that are presented in figures.  According to Leedy & Ormrod (2005, p 96), quantitative researchers tend to rely heavily on deductive reasoning, beginning with certain premises (e.g., hypotheses, theories) and then by making logical deductions from them.

3.6.  Data Collection

There are two main approaches to data collection namely, primary and the secondary data.

3.6.1.  Primary Data

Malhotra and Birks (2007, p 94) state that primary data is originated by the researcher specifically to address the research problem.  Primary data are original information gotten for a research (Burns, 2000).  This could be in the form of interviews, direct observation, practical observation documentation, archival records and physical artifacts (Yin, 2003).

For the purpose of this dissertation, the researcher is employing a four-part questionnaire as his primary data source.

3.6.2.  Secondary Data

Saunders et al. (2009) recognize three forms of secondary data used in research; they are documentary, survey, and multiple sources.  It is very common that researchers collect existing published data from a variety of sources.  Examples of documentary sources are: organization websites, journals, newspapers, diaries, administrative and public records.  Survey-based secondary data include government surveys, academic surveys, and organization surveys.  Multiple sources are mainly collected through government publications, industry statistics and reports.

One of the advantages of using secondary data is the relatively low cost of acquiring it.  Secondly, the researcher is able to analyze far and larger data sets.  Secondary data may be external or internal sources.

3.7.  Research Strategy

The research strategy can be explained as the overall plan of how the researcher carries out the necessary research in a trial to answer the outlined questions.  Saunders et al. (2009) believe that any strategy must have clear objectives and specified sources of data.  In addition, it must highlight the constraints that the researcher might encounter.  These constraints include the availability of data, time, location, finance, and ethical issues.

Yin (2003) describes that, in social sciences, five main strategies are used to conduct research:

• Archival analysis: used upon lack of control over behavioral events. It is also beneficial in description of incidence or prevalence of a phenomenon or in prediction of certain outcomes.

• Case Studies: empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real life context using multiple sources of evidence.

• Experiments: a classic form of research related to natural sciences used extensively in social science research, especially, psychology.

• Histories: chronological events and narratives related to a research topic.

• Surveys: associated with deductive approach used in business and management researches.

Yin (2003) advocates that selecting appropriate strategy should be based on the form of the research questions, the control of the actual behavioral and contemporary events.  These concepts and strategies are illustrated in Table 3.1.

Table 3.1 Summary of relevant situations of different research strategies (Yin, 2003)

This study attempts to measure the effects of Neuro-Linguistic Programming represented in “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP” and “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP” on stress.  As such, an experimental strategy is employed to gain a more profound under standing of the research topic. For all of this, it is both a deductive and quantitative research.

3.8.  Questionnaire

The questionnaire used in this researched has four parts.

Part one was a set of personal information questions such as gender, educational level, age, monthly income, and a question that ranks the severity of seven causes of stress based on a 7-point scale (Of the 7-point scale, “1” means least severe – “7’ means very severe).

The second part of the questionnaire was the Riso-Hudson Enneagram Type Indicator (RHETI) Sampler; this is a free Enneagram test consisting of 36 questions of the full, independently scientifically validated 144-question RHETI personality inventory  (RHETI Sampler, n.d.).  Specifically, the RHETI Sampler is a questionnaire of 36 pairs of statements in a forced-choice format that yields a rich cache of information not only about the user’s main personality type but also about other major personality structures.

The third part of the questionnaire was a 10-point scale that ranked the intensity of stress (Of the 10-point scale, ‘1’ means no stress – ‘10’ means very stress and tensed).

The fourth part of the questionnaire which ranked the intensity of stress based on a 10-point scale. (Of this 10-point scale, ‘1’ means no stress – ‘10’ means very stress and tensed).

3.9.  Research Method

One hundred and twenty students from Amity Business School participated in this study in 2011.  Sixty students were doing their Bachelors in Business Administration (BBA), while the other sixty were doing their Masters in Business Administration (MBA).

On the 11^th March 2011, the researcher conducted the controlled experiment on the sixty BBA students to establish the efficacy of the “Dissociative Technique of the First Generation NLP” to relieve stress.  Of the sixty BBA students who participated in this research, thirty students were selected as part of the first test group to undergo the Dissociative Technique of the First Generation NLP while the remaining thirty BBA students were part of the control group.

There are a total of four parts to the questionnaire to be completed in this research.  Forty-five minutes, prior to the experiment, both the test and control groups were given the questionnaire and instructed to only complete part one and two of the questionnaire.

The third part of the questionnaire was to be completed after the researcher has gotten the members of both the test and control groups to remember an unresolved event that they still felt stressed about.  They are to remember it vividly and associate themselves into the memory i.e. see through the first person view.

Right after completing the third part of the questionnaire, those members who belonged to the control group were ushered outside the classroom, and they were only instructed to continue holding the unresolved stressful event in their minds.  Those belonging to the test group were then guided through the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP” that took twenty-five minutes.

This technique involved seeing the event from the third person‘s perspective and is followed by changing the “submodalities” of the mental picture or representation, that is by changing mental picture from color to black and white, reduce the clarity and size and gradually pushing the picture further and further away from them.

Right after this, the control group was brought back into the classroom and both the test and control groups were then instructed to complete the fourth part of the questionnaire.

Then on the 25^th April 2011, the researcher conducted the second controlled experiment on the sixty MBA students to establish the efficacy of the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP” to relieve stress.  The aforesaid steps were carried out for both the test and control groups, however in place of the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP” is the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP”.

In order to maintain consistency and to minimize variables that might affect the final results, the researcher has continued use the same air-conditioned classroom at the Amity Business School for both the controlled experiments; the same amount of lighting was provided for the two test groups.  The temperature was also maintained at twenty-three degrees Celsius for both test groups.  As Mehrabian, Albert; Wiener, Morton (1967) states that 38% of the impact of communication is determined by our tone of voice or vocal tonality, the researcher was also mindful to use the same soothing and calming tonality for both the test groups.

On analyzing all the above-mentioned research methods, it was clear that the Quantitative approach would best serve the purpose of this research.

3.10.  Ethical Considerations

According to Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2009), ethics has important implications for the negotiation of access to people and organizations and the collection of data.  The general ethical issue is that the research design should not subject those the researcher is researching (the research population) to embarrassment harm or any other material disadvantage.  The research questions were aimed to be as general as possible and require ranking the intensity of stress (for example a 10-point scale).  It was left on the respondent to answer questions as confidentially as he/she wants them to be disclosed.

3.11.  Data Analysis

The empirical study was completed by means of a mainly quantitative research design.  Data was collected before and after the experiments via the questionnaire used.  One hundred and twenty completed questionnaires were received and the software, Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 16.0, was used to analyze the questionnaire data in this empirical study.

The findings of the empirical study are described below.

4.0.  THE RESULTS (Only selected sections of the MBA Dissertation is shown here)

Education Level of the Respondents

Education is one of the predominant aspects to consider when it comes to the origin of stress and to some extent the management of stress.  It has a very significant relation to the overcoming of the stress as well.  The table below shows the Education level of the Respondents.

Table 4.1: Education Level of the Respondents

The above table shows that 50% of the respondents have Advanced Level qualifications, almost 11% of the respondents have at least a Diploma and nearly 35% of the respondents have a degree. Overall almost all the respondents are educated adequately to handle stress, if at all education plays a role in the stress management.  Also the table highlights that none of respondents are non-educated or less educated.  All the sixty Bachelors of Business students are pursing their degree on a full-time basis, while the remaining sixty are working executives pursuing their Masters of Business Administrations.

All the Bachelors of Business students took part as respondents for the test and control groups of the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP”.  The working executives pursuing their Masters of Business Administrations took part as respondents for the test and control groups of the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP”.

Gender of Participants in the Test and Control Groups

Below is the total number of people including the percentages of females and males in the test and control groups.

Table 4.2: Gender Of Respondents Who Participated In The Test and Control Groups

The above table shows that a total of 120 people participated in the two experiments.  40% of the respondents were females and 60% were males.

Table 4.3: Gender of Test Group for First Generation NLP Experiment

Table 4.4: Gender of Control Group for First Generation NLP

Table 4.5: Gender of Test Group for Third Generation NLP

Table 4.6: Gender of Control Group for Third Generation NLP

Age of Respondents in the Test and Control Groups

Table 4.7: Age of Respondents for the Test Group

For the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP”

Table 4.8: Mean Age of Respondents for the Test Group

For the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP”

Table 4.9: Age of Respondents for the Control Group

For the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP”

Table 4.10: Mean Age of Respondents for the Control Group

For the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP”

The mean age of the participants in the test group for First Generation NLP was 19.67 years, i.e. ranging from 17 to 22.  The mean age of the participants in the control group for First Generation NLP was 20.00 years, i.e. ranging from 18 to 27.  The width of the age range was slightly larger in the control group, but the mean age was similar to the test group.

Table 4.11: Age of Respondents for the Test Group

For the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP”

Table 4.12: Mean Age of Respondents for the Test Group

For the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP”

Table 4.13: Age of Respondents for the Control Group

For the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP”

Table 4.14: Mean Age of Respondents for the Control Group

For the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP”

The mean age of the participants in the test group for Third Generation NLP was 31.33 years, i.e. ranging from 26 to 47.  The mean age of the participants in the control group for Third Generation NLP was 30.97 years, i.e. ranging from 25 to 43.  The width of the age range was smaller in the control group, but the mean age was similar to the test group.

Paired Sample T-Tests

For the test groups, paired sample t-tests were performed using IBM’s Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software to assess the changes in intensity levels of stress before and after the participating in the techniques in First Generation NLP and Third Generation NLP.

Table 4.15: Paired Samples Statistics for the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP”

Table 4.16: Paired Samples for the

Correlations “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP”

Table 4.17: Paired Samples Test for the

“Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP”

A paired-sample t-test was conducted to evaluate the impact of the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP” on the test group’s scores in the stress test.  There was a statistically significant decrease in the test scores before the intervention (Mean = 6.57, Standard Deviation = 1.478) to after the intervention (Mean = 3.87, Standard Deviation = 1.655), t (29) = 11.704, p < 0.0005 (two-tailed).  The mean decrease in the stress test scores was 2.70 with a confidence interval ranging from 2.228 to 3.172.  The Eta squared statistic (0.825) indicated a large effect size.

Table 4.18: Paired Samples Statistics for the

“Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP”

Table 4.19: Paired Samples Correlations for the

“Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP”

Table 4.20: Paired Samples Test for the

“Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP”

Similarly, a paired-sample t-test was conducted to evaluate the impact of “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP” on the second test group’s scores in the stress test.  There was a statistically significant decrease in the test scores before the intervention (Mean = 6.63, Standard Deviation = 1.189) to after the intervention (Mean = 1.73, Standard Deviation = 0.785), t (29) = 18.551, p < 0.0005 (two-tailed).  The mean decrease in the stress test scores was 4.900 with a confidence interval ranging from 4.360 to 5.440.  The Eta squared statistic (0.922) indicated a large effect size.

There were significant reductions in intensity levels for the two techniques.  As expected no such change was recorded among the control group.  The average score for the participants in the test group before being taught the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP” was 6.57.  The average score after the researcher brought them through the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP” was 3.87.  T-test showed that the differences were significant at the 0.0005 level.  Although the level of stress was not completely eliminated, the participants reported feeling more relaxed after “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP”.

The average score for the participants in the test group before being brought thought the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP” was 6.63.  The possible reasons why this score was slightly higher was probably because: (a) the participants were guided to be fully associated into the memory by physically stepping unto a space on the floor and giving a score for the intensity of the stress experienced, and (b) the respondents are all working executives who may have more responsibilities compared to the Bachelors of Business full-time students in the First Generation Controlled Experiment.  After the participants were guided through the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP”, the average score in terms of intensity of stress plummeted to 1.73.  T-tests showed that the differences were significant at the 0.0005 level.  With the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP”, fourteen out of the thirty participants managed to completely remove all of their stress within twenty-five minutes.  The rest of the participants were able to experience significant reduction in their levels of stress.

Table 4.21: Test Group Mean Scores

Comparing the different techniques, it can be seen that the average score of the participants after the procedures (at 1.73), were lower for Third Generation NLP compared with First Generation NLP (at 3.87).  Many of the participants were able to remove their stress completely.  As for the rest, the level of stress went down significantly.  The mean decrease in the stress test scores for the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP” was 4.90 while the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP” was 2.70.  This may suggest that the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP” is a more effective technique to alleviate stress.

With regard to the control group, there were no changes in the scores when the second measurement was taken twenty-five minutes later.  The average scores for the control group are as follows:

Table 4.22: Control Group scores

Effects of the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP” on the stress levels of the Nine Enneagram Types

Table 4.23: Enneagram Types of the Respondents

From Table 4.23, we can infer that the Enneagram Type Two (Helper) topped the number of respondents in this research at 34, and this is followed by the Enneagram Type Three (Achiever) with 25 respondents.  This may also be indicative that Amity Business School is popular amongst the Helper and Achiever Types as a choice for quality business education.

Table 4.25: Effects of the First Generation NLP and

Third Generation NLP on the stress level of Enneagram Type 1

Table 4.26: Effects of the First Generation NLP and

Third Generation NLP on the stress level of Enneagram Type 2

Table 4.27: Effects of the First Generation NLP and

Third Generation NLP on the stress level of Enneagram Type 3

Table 4.28: Effects of the First Generation and

Third Generation NLP on the stress level of Enneagram Type 4

Table 4.29: Effects of the First Generation NLP and

Third Generation NLP on the stress level of Enneagram Type 5

Table 4.30: Effects of the First Generation NLP and

Third Generation NLP on the stress level of Enneagram Type 6

Table 4.31: Effects of the First Generation NLP and

Third Generation NLP on the stress level of Enneagram Type 7

Table 4.32: Effects of the First Generation and

Third Generation NLP on the stress level of Enneagram Type 8

Table 4.33: Effects of the First Generation NLP and

Third Generation NLP on the stress level of Enneagram Type 9

Comparing the two different techniques, for Enneagram Types One to Eight, it can be observed that the mean decrease in the stress test scores were much higher for the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP” compared with the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP”.  This may indicate both the two processes of the First Generation NLP and Third Generation NLP work in alleviating stress in the Enneagram Types One to Eight.  At the same time, the results may also suggest that the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP” is a more effective process, in alleviating stress, over the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP”.

For the Enneagram Type 9, the mean decrease in the stress test scores was lower for the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP” compared with the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP”.  This could partially be due to the fact that the SPSS software has limited the analysis to first 100 cases when the researcher used the “Case Summaries” function in it.

According to Thornton (1996), he observed that Australian Primary School Principals who are Type Threes and Type Twos on the Enneagram are generally more susceptible to stress than others.  With reference to Tables 4.25 to 4.33 mentioned above, it seems that all the Enneagram Personality Types are susceptible to stress.   The reason could be, compared to Thornton’s past study, the researcher’s study here did not include any structured close-quarters observation, and so was unable to observe the susceptible to stress when it happened.

Table 4.34: Causes of Stress and Their Perceived Severity On Each Enneagram Type

(Note: Limited to first 100 cases by SPSS)

Table 4.34: Causes of Stress and Their Perceived Severity On Each Enneagram Type

(Note: Limited to first 100 cases)

Before the experiment, the nine Enneagram Types were requested to answer a questionnaire with a 7-point scale that ranked the severity of seven causes of stress (Of the 7-point scale, “1” means least severe – “7’ means very severe).  From Table 4.34 above, the seven causes of stress that the Enneagram Types have been listed according to what they perceived as the level of severity.

• Most of the Type Ones (Perfectionist) have perceived “Death Of A Family Member” and “Relationship Or Marital Problems” as both having equally degree of severity (The Mean is both at 6.20), while “Illness” is perceived as being slightly less severely stressful (The Mean is 3.80)

• Most of the Type Twos (Helpers) have perceived “Death Of A Family Member” as most severe stressful (The Mean is at 5.63) while “Relationship Or Marital Problems” (The Mean is 5.11) is perceived as being slightly less severely stressful.  “Unemployment” (The Mean is 4.22) is right after “Relationship Or Marital Problems”.

• Most of the Type Threes (Achievers) have perceived “Relationship Or Marital Problems” (The Mean is 5.48) as being most severely stressful, while ”Death Of A Family Member” (The Mean is 5.38) is perceived as being slightly less severely stressful.  “Unemployment” and “Raising a Family” (Both Means are the same at 3.86) is right after “Relationship Or Marital Problems”.

• Most of the Type Fours (Individualist), like the Type Twos, have perceived “Death Of A Family Member” as being most severely stressful (The Mean is 5.86), while “Relationship Or Marital Problems” is perceived as being slightly less severely stressful (The Mean is 5.71).  “Unemployment” (The Mean is 4.14) is right after “Relationship Or Marital Problems”.

• Most of the Type Fives (Investigators) have perceived “Death Of A Family Member”, “Relationship Or Marital Problems” and “Illness” as being all equally severely stressful (All the three respective Means are the same at 5.25).

• Most of the Type Sixs (Loyalist) have perceived “Unemployment” and “Relationship Or Marital Problems” as being equally severe (Both Means are the same at 5.00).  This is followed closely by “Death Of A Family Member” which they perceived to be less severe (The Mean is 4.50).

• Most of the Type Sevens (Enthusiast) have listed “Death Of A Family Member” as being most severely stressful (The Mean is 6.00), this is followed by “Illness” which is perceived as being slightly less severely stressful (The Mean is 5.20).  “Relationship Or Marital Problems” is perceived as below “Illness” in terms of stressfulness (The Mean is 4.40).

• Most of the Type Eights (Challenger) have perceived “Death Of A Family Member” (The Mean is 5.75) as being most severely stressful.  “Raising a Family” and “Relationship Or Marital Problems” are perceived as being all equally severely stressful (All the two respective Means are the same at 5.00).

• Most of the Type Nines (Peacemaker) have perceived “Death Of A Family Member” as being most severe stressful (The Mean is 7.00).  This is followed closely by “Unemployment” which they perceived as less severely stressful (The Mean is 4.50).  “Illness” and “Relationship Or Marital Problems” (All the two respective Means are the same at 4.40) is perceived as below “Unemployment” in terms of severity of stress.

4.6.  CONCLUSION

This study compared the relative effectiveness of First Generation NLP with Third Generation NLP.  The two test groups each had thirty individuals and another thirty individuals in each of the two control groups.

Measurements were taken before and after each of the procedure. The absence of changes in the control group in this study and the fact that there were significant reduction in stress levels in the test groups suggest that it was the techniques in the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP” and “Logical Level Alignment process Third Generation NLP” that are effective and are responsible for these changes.

Referring to Table 4.21, overall it is reasonable to suggest that the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP” – when compared with the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP” – is more effective for the alleviation of stress of the respondents.

5.0.  ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

5.1.  Introduction

In just about forty years, NLP has developed from the first attempt at the modeling of Dr Virginia Satir, Dr Fritz Perls and Dr Milton Erickson into an approach to psychotherapy that is now spreading rapidly throughout the United States, Europe and Asia, especially in China.  It is rooted in the principles of neuroscience, psychophysiology, linguistics, cybernetics and communication theory.  According to Bredo (1989, p 36), Anthropologist Gregory Bateson’s “Levels of Learning”, Bateson postulated five levels (L0, L1, L2, L3 and L4 – definitions in Table 5.1).  From the researcher’s perspective, NLP accentuates the conditioning at the level of Learning II (L2), that is, “learning to learn”.

Table 5.1: The Levels Of Learning adapted from Bredo (1989)

The practitioners of NLP have incorporated the NLP techniques into their own realm of interest and expertise and they have further developed these tools by adapting them for use in their area of interest.  This has created and added to the growing richness in the fields to which NLP has been applied and found to be beneficial to the masses outside of the psychotherapeutic community.  At present, not for profit incorporations such as “The NLP Research and Recognition Project”⁴ has promoted the vivacity of the cross-fertilization of knowledge, ideas and interdisciplinary studies.  The researcher hopes this and other similar entities will continue to generate new perspectives and prospective to the more established fields of study.

The “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP” is effective because it is a technique that helps an individual align him/herself so that every part of him/her is galvanized in the same direction to reduce stress.  By answering the logical level alignment questions, the individual soon gained a better knowledge and understanding of how he/she can make changes to alleviate stress and achieve his/her goals – It is highly possible these questions has helped the respondents of this test group to make changes at the different levels of belief and values, identity, mission and spirituality.

On the other hand, the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP” is valuable in reducing the physiological impact or stress caused by negative memories from the past.  This is carried out by changing the submodality qualities of the mental representations or pictures that represent the stress-producing stimuli.  As a result, even though these two NLP techniques can be used to reduce stress in general, the approach in which each of these techniques operates is distinctively different.

One interesting matter raised in this research is that after the session, five respondents from the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP” test group have reported to the researcher that they prefer to have private one-to-one coaching sessions rather than to be part of large group sessions.  With regard to both test groups, some respondents have expressed the need for longer duration while others have commented the duration of twenty-five minutes was too lengthy and they start to lose focus of the instructions given by the researcher.  From these valuable feedbacks, the researcher gathered that group sessions could not accommodate the different preferences of the respondents in the respective test groups.

In addition, there are nine respondents from the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP” test group reported that by going through the process, they found solutions to the challenges that were giving them stress.  According to Thomson and Khan (2008), “A growing body of research suggests that health is a product of dynamic equilibrium – the ability to respond to challenge – rather than an absence of imbalance”.  This corresponds with Richard Bandler’s assertion that effectively applied NLP should increase the choice available to the subject, rather than simply remove the problem-response.”  In this context, the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP” was beneficial in helping these nine respondents in increasing choice and finding solutions to their challenges.

“A growing body of research suggests that health is a product of dynamic equilibrium – the ability to respond to challenge – rather than an absence of imbalance”.

5.2.  Research Questions

Major Research Questions:

• Does Neuro-Linguistic Programming work for the alleviation of stress?

From the controlled experiments, there are significant results to suggest that Neuro-Linguistic Programming works for the alleviation of stress.

• Between the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP” and “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP”, which process is more effective for the alleviation of stress?

Overall, there are significant results to suggest that the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP” is more effective than the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP” for the alleviation of stress.

Minor Research Questions:

• Between the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP” and “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP”, which process is more effective for the alleviation of stress for each of the nine Enneagram Personality Types?

According to the results gathered in this comparative study, the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP” seems to work better than the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP” in alleviating stress in the Enneagram Personality Types One to Eight.

As for the Enneagram Personality Type Nine, the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP” seems to fare better than the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP” in alleviating stress.

• Are there differences in how each of the nine Enneagram Personality Types rank the severity of the seven causes of stress listed in the questionnaire?

Table 4.34 has listed out in detail how differently each of the nine Enneagram Personality Types ranked the severity of the seven causes of stress listed in the questionnaire.  It is important to note that there are several respondents making up each of the Enneagram Personality Type in Table 4.34.  And when it comes to ranking the top 3 causes of stress according to its severity, each group representing the different Enneagram Personality Type has a different preference.

5.3.  Recommendations For Further Research

The limitation of this research is that this research is cross-sectional, and it is not possible to determine whether the reductions in the levels of stress were permanent or temporary using both the “Logical Level Alignment process of Third Generation NLP” and the “Dissociative Technique of First Generation NLP”.  Future research should therefore be taken in the form of a longitudinal study to look into the sustainability of the behavioral change.  Measurements for both processes can be collected in one, three, six months, nine and twelve months into the future.

There is still plenty of room for development in the theory, techniques, and field of applicability of Third Generation NLP and the Enneagram.  The researcher feels that there is some interesting work to be done in modifying these NLP techniques to cater for the unique “mental models” and motivations of the nine Enneagram Personality Types, instead of the two generic “one-size-fits-all” scripts used in this research.  Obviously, this would involve a whole new and elaborate controlled experiment with a larger sample population.

Also another whole new study can be conducted by researching how each Enneagram Personality Type rates the perceived severity of the different types of stress in the business environment.  With the results gathered then, the researcher hopes to be able to find a correlation between the personalities of each type and the different types of stress.  As well as how the different generations of NLP could be used to alleviate stress in the nine Enneagram Personality Types and how it will relate to job satisfaction.

All this would be a much larger undertaking than a Master’s Dissertation but worth thinking about as we gain more knowledge about learning how to learn and how we actually process our thoughts.

NOTES

¹ http://www.anlp.org/  [Accessed: 11 April 2011].

² http://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/  [Accessed: 11 April 2011].

³ http://www.seal.org.uk/  [Accessed: 11 April 2011].

⁴ http://nlprandr.org/  [Accessed: 11 April 2011].

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Appendix A: Questionnaire

Part 1:

In your opinion, please rank from 1 to 7 of the following levels for stress.

Note:

Rank 1 for LEAST severe

Rank 7 for VERY severe

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Over the years, I have many well-meaning individuals coming up to me and asking why I do not conduct the SHORT 7-day NLP “accelerated” practitioner certification courses like so many other training organizations that are springing up in Singapore and Asia.

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Myth 1: “Accelerated learning technology” is used so that you can be certified in a 7-day course!

According to Judith DeLozier (Co-Developer of NLP and one of my teachers at NLP University), “NLP is an Accelerated Learning Strategy for the detection and utilization of patterns in the world”.  These promoters of short 7-day programs are implying that NLP Trainers of the longer hours Practitioner trainings don’t utilize NLP to teach NLP!

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Over the years, NLP Developer Robert Dilts has innovated an advanced model of NLP Timelining called the “S.C.O.R.E. Model”, but he still acknowledged that this new advancement is part of the field of NLP and did not promote it as a separate certification – Such is the hallmark of integrity.

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Sadly, students of short courses do not know what they missing out.

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Who really benefits from the short 7-day NLP practitioner course?

Running shorter courses, such NLP trainers has a lot more time to conduct more NLP Courses in a year!

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Three years ago, I received a call from the Singapore Armed Forces.  They wanted to know if we would like to train a group of their Officers and Specialists in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Leadership.   To my surprise, when I met with one of their senior officers for a preliminary discussion, I found out he is already a Certified Practitioner in NLP!

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Since the 1980′s, thanks to Dr John Grinder (the Co-Creator of NLP and a former Commando Officer), the US Army has been using NLP to train their military sharp-shooter and soldiers.  From what I know, the SAF is not that far behind in utilizing NLP.

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Every behavior is useful in some context
 

Everyone is always doing what they believe is right
  

Everyone makes the best choice available to them at a given time, given the information or resources they have

The key is to appreciate the positive intention of the other person’’s behavior. Chain smoking to relieve stress.  Slashing other kids with choppers to feel significant. Yelling in order to be heard.

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This does not mean that the behavior is the best possible choice (from an objective point of view).  Nor does it mean that the behavior will have positive benefits for anyone else.

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Take for example, the recent gang members who go about slashing innocent individuals will certainly be jailed, however merely by locking them up may make them even more disgruntled.  To many reading this, justice is served, right?

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Not quite, from the perspective of humanistic psychology and NLP… Rather than just condemning these actions, we need to separate them from the person’s positive intent so that new, more positive and empowering choices can be added that meet the same intent.

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Likewise, to prevent such terrible crimes from perpetuating in future, school children needs to be taught how to generate more positive and empowering choices in handling their frustrations and teenage angst.

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Any one who aspires to become a Tennis Champions like Andy Murray could just copy his

1. Training diet
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Having a balance of both psychological and physical training is key in the success of a tennis champion.

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