I explore the history, theory, tools and benefits of dialectical thinking, a way of thinking adults grow into to different degrees after mastering formal logic (Basseches, 1984, Laske, 2009). My goal is to show that dialectical thinking is a natural outcome of adult cognitive development and that, pragmatically speaking, it is learnable. In order to give the broadest possible introduction to dialectical thinking, I detail the reverberations of the dialectical tradition in developmental psychology and introduce a set of hypotheses as to the nature of dialecticism. My outline is based on the notion of Four Quadrants of Dialectic (Laske, 2009) each of which is associated in human thinking with a particular “class of thought forms”, or ways of making sense (rather than meaning) of the world. With regard to Wilber’s work, the Four Quadrants of Dialectic are seen as inhering each of the four integral quadrants. In a short Appendix, I briefly detail how dialectical thinking can be learned today, extrapolating from my work at the Interdevelopmental Institute (IDM). Download: Laske_2010_On_the_Autonomy_and_Influence_of_the_Cognitive_Developmental_Line Read More...
Author: Otto Laske
I am the founder and director of IDM, the Interdevelopmental Institute. My background is in philosophy, psychology, consulting, and coaching based on developmental theory to which I have mightily contributed myself. See the blogs at www.interdevelopmentals.org.
An evidence based approach to measuring, managing, and supporting work in organizations
This text is the English translation of my introduction to articles about CDF in the monograph entitled Contributions to an Adult Developmentally Renewed Social Science, published by Pabst Science Publisher in Zeitschrift fűr Wirtschaftspsychologie in 2010. The introduction briefly characterizes each of the individual contributions to the monograph. Download: Laske_2010_An_Evidence-Based_approach_to_Measuring_Managing_and_Supporting_Work_in_Organizations Read More...
Work Capability and Adult Development – Wirtschaftspsychologie Themenheft
A collection of articles [mostly in English] on the Constructive Developmental Framework (CDF) by IDM Researchers, published on April 1, 2010, in Wirtschaftspsychologie, by Pabst Science Publisher. Download: Laske_ed_2010_Work_Capability_and_Adult_Development Read More...
How Much Do You Care to Know About Your Client?
Dr. Otto Laske's Keynote Address to the International Coaching Community Congress, Lisbon, Portugal, October 2009. The keynote introduces behavioral coaches to developmental theory and thinking. The 2-hr keynote comprises exercises for the audience and puts the emphasis on the cognitive development of coaches and clients. Download presentation Read More...