John Grinder facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Grinder
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John Grinder
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| Born | January 10, 1940 (age 85) United States
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| Spouse(s) | Carmen Bostic St Clair |
| School | Neuro-linguistic programming |
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Main interests
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Transformational grammar, NLP modeling, Cybernetic epistemology |
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Notable ideas
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Neuro-linguistic programming, New Code of NLP |
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Influences
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Influenced
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John Thomas Grinder Jr. (born January 10, 1940) is an American linguist, writer, and consultant. He is known for helping to create neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) with Richard Bandler. John Grinder also runs workshops and seminars on NLP around the world with his partner, Carmen Bostic St. Clair.
Contents
John Grinder's Early Life and Studies
John Grinder studied psychology at the University of San Francisco in the early 1960s. After college, he joined the United States Army. He served as a captain in the US Special Forces in Europe during the Cold War. Later, he worked for a US intelligence agency.
In the late 1960s, Grinder went back to school to study linguistics. He earned his Ph.D. degree from the University of California, San Diego in 1971. His main research focused on how sentences are put together in language, especially how parts of sentences can be left out.
After getting his doctorate, Grinder became a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). He taught students and continued his research on language. He also wrote a textbook about grammar with Suzette Elgin.
How Neuro-Linguistic Programming Began
In 1972, while Grinder was teaching at UCSC, a psychology student named Richard Bandler asked for his help. Bandler was studying Gestalt therapy, a type of therapy that helps people understand their experiences. Bandler and his friend Frank Pucelik had been recording and studying the work of Fritz Perls, who founded Gestalt therapy.
Grinder joined their discussions. He noticed important patterns in how successful therapists like Perls worked. He then teamed up with Bandler and Pucelik. Together, they started to figure out the specific ways these therapists used language and behavior to help people. This process of understanding and copying successful patterns is called modeling.
Modeling Great Therapists
Grinder and Bandler carefully studied the methods of several famous therapists. They looked at how Fritz Perls (Gestalt therapy), Virginia Satir (family therapy), and Milton Erickson (hypnosis) worked.
Their research led to several books, including The Structure of Magic (Volumes I & II) and Patterns of the Hypnotic Techniques of Milton H. Erickson (Volumes I & II). These books explained the methods they discovered. This work became the foundation of what is now known as neuro-linguistic programming.
Sharing the Discoveries
Grinder, Bandler, and Pucelik started holding seminars and practice groups. Here, they could test their new ideas and teach these skills to others. Many of their seminars were written down and published as books, like Frogs into Princes.
During this time, other students and therapists joined their group. These included Robert Dilts, Leslie Cameron-Bandler, Judith DeLozier, Stephen Gilligan, and David Gordon. They are often seen as the next generation of NLP developers.
Later, Bandler and Grinder stopped working together. Despite some disagreements, their foundational books were republished. The term "neuro-linguistic programming" was eventually decided to be a general term that anyone could use. In 2001, Grinder and Bandler worked out their differences, which helped NLP continue to grow.
The New Code of NLP
Between 1982 and 1987, John Grinder worked with Judith DeLozier to create the "New Code of NLP". This new approach was greatly influenced by Gregory Bateson, a thinker who focused on how different parts of a system work together.
The New Code of NLP emphasizes "ecology" and the unconscious mind. "Ecology" in NLP means making sure that any change a person makes is good for their whole life and doesn't cause unexpected problems. It's like asking: "Will this change truly help me, and will it fit well with everything else in my life?"
Grinder and Carmen Bostic St. Clair have continued to develop the New Code of NLP. They still teach seminars around the world. In 2001, Grinder and Bostic St. Clair published Whispering in the Wind. In this book, they suggested ways for NLP to become more scientific and focus on modeling excellent human behavior. Grinder strongly encourages the field to return to its core activity: understanding and copying what makes high-performing people successful.
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