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This website will introduce you to events and services which support the use of the Beliefs Chart as a resource for being a more responsible self. (For contact information, click here.)
What is a Beliefs Chart?Grounded in the family systems theory pioneered by Dr. Murray Bowen, the Beliefs Chart is a tool which can help people become more objective about the influence of relationship pressures on the shaping of their beliefs and goals. The Beliefs Chart was developed by Bob Williamson as a tool in his work with clergy and others who were interested not just in the content of their beliefs, but in how it is that they have found certain beliefs attractive when they did. Beliefs which have been adopted primarily in support of comfort in relationships are a less dependable basis for one's life course. The Beliefs Chart helps one to assess which beliefs are more apt to be shaped by relationship pressures (pseudo-self beliefs) and which have been chosen out of a more free experience of and reflection upon reality (solid self). For a sample Beliefs Chart, and how to read it, click here. The booklet Charting Self: The Beliefs Chart as a Tool for Change provides an introduction to the theory and use of the Beliefs Chart. For information on ordering a copy, click here.
Why is this Important?I’ve been involved in a lot of workshops, training events, and consultations. It’s not unusual that someone has asked, “How can we deal with such-and-such an issue without splitting the group?” I think there’s a more useful question. I invite people to find some time for themselves and to work on the question: “What do I think about this issue?” Most of us are so anxious about the group — and our place in it — that we have trouble even thinking this question, much less answering it. But I believe, however paradoxical it may seem, that it’s as each of us does our own best thinking about what we individually believe about important questions that the group — the family, the church, the species — can make the most headway. We all depend on relationships to make it through life. Yet that very dependence poses a challenge to our capacity to think, to choose a course in life, and to stay on the course we’ve chosen. Relationship pressures can influence our thinking. When that happens, the resulting ideas, principles, beliefs, or goals may make us comfortable for a time. But they don’t provide a dependable basis for maintaining a steady course when anxiety goes up within those relationships. On the other hand, when we think through a few beliefs or principles in a way which is independent of the pushes and pulls of relationships, we have a basis for making choices and taking actions in anxious times — while still staying in relationship with those who may disagree. When a member of a family or group can become clear in and for themselves about something that’s important, and act on that basis, they do more than steady themselves. They help to steady the group. And they can trigger a process of change in which others pick up the effort to become more clear and sure of themselves. The Beliefs Chart is a tool for those engaged in such an effort. It’s designed to help us see more objectively how relationship pressures may have influenced the shaping of our beliefs. And it can also help us identify any beliefs, principles, or goals which are genuinely our own. Developing your own Beliefs Chart takes time. The work can be fun, scary, and difficult. But it’s one way to work at greater responsibility for self, for one’s own thoughts, and for one’s own life course. Robert Williamson
Over the past decade, Bob has developed the Here I Stand process as an approach to individual and organizational change. The Beliefs Chart (above) serves as the primary focus of reflection throughout this process. Bob wrote the Here I Stand manual for those leading others in the Here I Stand process, and the booklet Charting Self: The Beliefs Chart as a Tool for Change.
Contact Information
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Copyright © 2008 Bob Williamson
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