What is the Source of Reframing?

To gain a full appreciation of the mental gymnastics involved in reframing, we need to first draw a distinction between what Gregory Bateson (1979) and those following him have labeled First-Order and Second-Order thinking (and the accompanying concepts of first and second order change). The distinction to be drawn might best be understood by offering a brief dialogue between two people (Fred and Alan), with Fred serving as Alan’s boss:

Fred: “Why don’t you just try harder.”

Alan: “Would you get off my back! I’m already working as hard as I can! It just won’t work.”

Fred: “O.K., maybe we should add one or two more people to your crew.”

Alan: “No! That would only make things worse.  I would have to devote all of my time to training these new guys.”

Fred: “Well, I give up . . . what do you think could be done?”

Alan: “I don’t know . . . but I’m getting desperate . . . I guess like you must feel. Maybe we need to change the goal . . . be a little less ambitious. Or maybe we’ve taken on the wrong job . . . maybe our division is simply unable to meet this goal. Or even more basically, maybe we’ve approached this problem in an entirely wrong way.”

This interaction between Fred and Alan is typical of those that occur in many organizations from time to time. A problem resists solution. More (or less) of the same thing is tried with no results. People try harder or they ease off a bit. No difference. More money is thrown in or a significant amount of money is pulled out of the project — still no appreciable effect.Someone like Alan comes along to suggest the unthinkable — maybe the problem itself should be reviewed and even redefined.

Maybe a goal was set too high or too low, or a person or department is conceived as a barrier when actually  resource (or vice versa). This reconceptualization of a problem requires a “second order” change in the way the situation is being addressed, instead of the “first order” way of thinking that usually is initiated when a problem is encountered.

The notion of first and second order thinking finds its origins in two unlikely fields of study: linguistics and experimental psychology. We will briefly detour to these two fields in order to better explain the nature and use of the powerful. techniques associated with second-order thinking—and the related strategy of re-framing.