The Part and the Whole

I participated in a study group hosted by the Hokuriku District of the Japan Career Development Association (JCDA) Kansai-Hokuriku Branch. It is a study group where participants learn by discussing the monthly 'Chairman's Letter'.

Although it was my first time participating, many familiar faces were there, which gave me a sense of security as if I were on my home turf.

Now, today, I would like to write down what remains in my heart 'now', a night later.

The theme this time was [Regarding the 60th 'The Part and the Whole'].

The phrase that stayed with me was this one.

This is a passage from a description regarding Gestalt psychology, referring to wholeness.

Since I observe students at school, I interpreted this phrase as: 'While there is an aspect where individual students gather to form a "class," there is also meaning in the existence of the "class" as a single entity.'

I have a sense of the atmosphere as a 'class,' or rather, of grasping it as a whole.

Of course, it is the individual students who compose it, and it should not be a class if someone is missing, but one could also think that it functions as a class even if someone is absent... because there is wholeness.

I feel this also represents the relationship between 'employees and a corporation' and 'workers and an organization.'

The term 'corporation' (hojin) is based on the idea of a 'person under the law,' but I feel it possesses an aspect where 'the wholeness as a company can be replaced by a person,' not just in legal treatment.

Words that describe an atmosphere, such as corporate culture or climate, are perhaps more strongly inherent to the organization itself rather than being created by each individual employee. And if we consider that employees become imbued with the atmosphere possessed by the wholeness... it makes sense that corporate culture and climate are passed down for a long time.

Then, what happens if we replace this wholeness with a single client?

One could think that the 'experiences' a client talks about represent the parts, and that those parts gather to form the 'person'... but can we really say that a collection of individual experiences is a person?

Rather, it feels more natural to think that there is first a whole as a "person," and that parts constituting that whole are spoken of as "experiences."

It is more appropriate to perceive that the client's narrative does not represent their entire being; rather, there is first an overall atmosphere—the client's character and personality—and they are merely speaking of a portion of their experiences contained within that.

In other words, I understood you to be saying, "Do not focus too much on the 'experiences' being told (to the point where recreating the experience becomes the goal) and overlook the person's character and personality."

This passage expresses that idea.

Perhaps you are saying, "Instead of perceiving the client's way of speaking, facial expressions, the content of the consultation, events, and the environment surrounding the client that emerge from the narrative as individual pieces of information, please first direct your consciousness toward the 'person' who is consulting."

If we are not careful, we might focus only on the method of listening to experiences or the problems being discussed, and miss the client's personality. Since the Chairman is recording his own objective observations of that situation, this is just my speculation, but...

Suddenly, I felt a connection here to the difference between jigsaw puzzle-type and Rubik's cube-type problems, which I have been learning about in 'Theory U.'

Human relationship problems are often 'Rubik's cube-type problems, where moving one piece affects others (or many others), making it complex,' rather than 'jigsaw puzzle-type problems, where solving them one by one solves the whole.'

If we apply this to the current topic of [Parts and the Whole], I think we can interpret it as:
・A collection of parts is the whole = Jigsaw puzzle type
・The whole has a meaning of its own = Rubik's cube type

By perceiving the client like a Rubik's cube, we realize that the first step to understanding others is not just solving the worry currently being discussed, but viewing things from a broader perspective—including the matters that are the root of the worry, the people and things involved, past events, and even the person's values and what they hold dear.

At the same time, I believe that by viewing the client themselves from a broader perspective, they can also notice their own 'way of living' and move forward.

The 'Rubik's cube' analogy resonated with me strangely well. Perhaps seeing the whole includes things like this as well.

This kind of learning opportunity may be unique to CDAs and career counselors.

As someone who provides a place for learning, I also feel like I have gained a new perspective.

I would like to express my gratitude once again to everyone in the Hokuriku regional chapter who took care of me, the CDA members who joined me, and the chairperson who was also in attendance.

Thank you very much!

May tomorrow be a wonderful day as well.