Talents & Careers

We all experience different “levels of reality”, most of which operate outside of our conscious awareness. These levels coexist within us and in the living systems we navigate and can become sources of inner resistance and dysfunctions.

Reality is a “construction” not only because it reflects our personal view of the world, but also because its different facets are processed by distinct internal systems. Each system supports different aspects of who we are and how we respond to experience.

When different levels of reality conflict or pull in opposing directions, the milder version of the resulting tensions can be mental or emotional strain. Not listening to these early signs increases the likelihood that they turn into physical health problems over time. Burnout is an example.

Common levels of “Reality”:

• The Factual, which is the most objective, but still influenced by the “filters” we automatically apply to sort out the myriads of signals and information we perceive through our senses
• The Cognitive, which is how we interpret the data we take in from the world around us, as well as the stories we tell ourselves to create order
• The Representation, which functions primarily based on our mental models, how we make sense of situations and environments, and build personal meaning
• The Virtual, which stems from our hopes and dreams, is another lens inherently motivational, but which can also cloud our judgement or contribute to inner tensions
• The Emotional, which is how what we experience makes us feel, that influences our interpretation and representation, and impacts decisions and actions
• The Biological, which primarily aims at preserving our physical integrity, and is also how our body reacts to the outcomes from the other levels.

Lets take a simple example to illustrate the process:

• Factual: “I work as a Lawyer in a reputable firm”
• Cognitive: “My job provides security and stability; it gets me to live a comfortable life”
• Representation: “I enjoy a Senior status that favorably shapes other people’s perceptions”
• Virtual: “I would love to become an artist”
• Emotional: “Although it ticks many boxes, I am not happy with my job”
• Biological: Deep feelings and thoughts trigger the brain's limbic system. The biological response overrides the aspirations and keeps the focus on the current, safe and comfortable job.

If we run this exercise across every area of life and typical concerns, we begin to see how difficult it is to align these levels of reality. This helps explain why change can be challenging. It is not simply a matter of resistance or mental rigidity, but a natural response to the ongoing effort to maintain our inner balance.

Our biological reality generally wins, as it is geared toward keeping us safe and sound. Our physiological “operating model“ has the power to inhibit cognition out of stress and fear, but there is more.

The Laws of Life

These laws apply to all living systems and operate without conscious choice. The systemic principles are “activated” out of love and to restore balance when disrupted.

The Core ones are:

• The Law of Belonging: Every member born or integrated into a system has an equal and absolute right to belong; excluding or forgetting any part creates system-wide tension
• The Law of Order: Hierarchy exists within systems based on time or precedence, those who came before (parents or older peers), have priority over those who come after
• The Law of Balance: Relationships require an equilibrium of give-and-take; chronic imbalance breaks harmony within the network

Loyalty, which is linked to the Law of Belonging, may lead people to repeat family patterns or an ancestor’s fate. A talented person might systematically avoid advancement because, unconsciously, he does not want to surpass his father or other men in his family line. Another person may feel driven to pursue a project that does not particularly suit her personality or abilities because it embodies a grandfather’s unfulfilled dream.

This Loyalty principle could be at play in the example we took earlier. The individual may pursue his career in legal for reasons beyond comfort and security. Or the desire to become an artist may reflect an unresolved issue within the family system.

Workplaces are living systems, and these Laws apply, although they operate differently in organizations than in families. Ignoring them can create friction and dysfunction. Precedence, a principle of the Law of Order, may be disregarded when an external manager is hired instead of a long-serving employee without acknowledging that employee’s structural seniority. This is a simplified example, since organizational hierarchy must balance tenure, responsibility, and competence, but it gives a sense of how easy it is to overlook these systemic principles.

The Human Experience

There is more about our Human multidimensionality, but starting by understanding these different levels of reality helps us recognize that:

• Finding alignment is complex as our human experience has many layers and ties to people and living systems
• What we perceive as a problem at one level, is probably a solution at another level
• What could be described as a trivial change can still be very disruptive
• The internal blocks we may feel are real, beyond logic and facts

In times of widespread reorganizations and workforce reductions, it is more important than ever to acknowledge the hidden dynamics affecting people and living systems. Respect goes a long way, and systemic consulting can help preserve or restore order and balance during important changes.

At personal level, we should never underestimate the power of internal blockages. Phenomenological approaches such as systemic constellations are powerful techniques to resolve systemic entanglements and somatic feedback. In our practice we also use these approaches to surface deep mental models, beliefs and conditioning, that shape our choices and behaviors.

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