ABSTRACT

Whilst Chapter 5 associated NLP with embodiment, transformational grammar, cognitive linguistics and humanistic psychology, this chapter looks at NLP through the lens of the NLP presuppositions and in particular constructivism, Systems thinking, and a solution-focused orientation. With the specific example of constructivism in the context of psychotherapy, the chapter examines how both NLP practitioners and academic psychologists are correct when they respectively say NLP is based upon academic psychology and NLP is not based on academic psychology. However, the chapter also suggests the NLP basis is quite loose, not profound or tested and is rather designed to attract delegates to workshops with its array of shiny patterns. The academic perspective of no basis is upheld in the sense that the expert disciplinary knowledge, which is highly developed and boundaried as well as published and referenced within a peer-reviewed context, is almost totally shunned by NLP.