ABSTRACT
Continuing with the platform metaphor, two preconditions to inducing change are identified: the individual must be standing on a reality platform that supports a reasonable view of the location to which movement is desired; and there must exist a means of getting the individual to look in the ‘right’ direction. The bridge may be a plan or procedure, or metaphorically speaking, a series of incrementally elevated platforms upon which to climb, one-at-a-time, and readjust one’s sights. At each successive platform, the view ahead becomes clearer, while the view behind is not so far behind that it is lost, or the elements in it beyond control. The platform that exists in one situation provides a supporting social reality from which an individual can envision a range of possible futures that are different from those that can be envisioned from the vantage point of another.
