The Map Is Not the Territory: Why?
Hello, friends. Today, let’s talk about one of the basic presuppositions of NLP: “The map is not the territory.”
“The map is not the territory, the model of the world is not the world itself, but the map is structurally similar to the territory, and that’s where its usefulness lies.”
By “map,” the author of this phrase—Alfred Korzybski—meant all possible descriptions of the world, reality, and existence. By “territory,” he meant the world itself—unfathomable and unknowable.
There are no absolutely correct maps (except maybe mine), just as there are no absolutely incorrect maps. The truth is, all maps are equally valid! Any map that describes the world and helps you interact (or manipulate) with it works somewhere and is true in some way.
“Everyone sees, hears, feels, and thinks in their own way.”
If you accept the idea that everyone has their own “quirks” in their head—and that theirs are the best and most correct—life becomes easier. If you can accept your conversation partner’s perspective without abandoning your own, your communication becomes much more productive.
Over time, the truths you once defended so passionately may also change. And that’s a sign that you’re growing. After all, there aren’t many people who stay locked into their beliefs for their entire lives.
Your Own Experience Feels Most Right
Here’s an example: Ancient Slavs believed that if a person felt feverish and had chills, it meant they were attacked by thirteen sisters called Likhomanki, who lived in a swamp. Modern medicine says that when someone feels feverish and has chills, their body is being attacked by microbes or viruses.
Both cultures have their own ways of dealing with the situation. Both approaches are aimed at healing.
Problems Arise When We Force the World to Fit Our Map
Most problems occur when a person tries to force the world (the territory) to fit their map, instead of “redrawing” their map to make it more useful for the territory at hand. You wouldn’t use a map of Tyumen when traveling to Paris, because you know you wouldn’t get anywhere in Paris with that map. So why are people often so rigid in life situations?
A Simple Exercise
- Recall 2-3 instances from your life when certain truths you considered unshakable changed over time—and quite drastically.
- When trying to convince someone of your point of view, try to imagine for a moment that, in the future, you might think very differently.
- During a debate, remember that your conversation partner has their own experiences. So, from their perspective, they have convincing reasons to think the way they do.
If the NLP presupposition “The map is not the territory” becomes one of your life rules, you’ll save a ton of energy and time. And you’ll always find a good use for those resources!
Yes, one of the goals of NLP is to help a person learn to “navigate the terrain,” to change their map, to be more flexible. Many NLP change techniques are about finding a broader perspective on a situation—if we have a problem, the solution is somewhere outside our current map of the world. To find the solution, we need to go beyond our map, that is, “expand the map” so that the solution fits into it.