Associations

The PD is used in Associations mode when the goal is to learn more about how people perceive and feel about a topic or group of topics. In addition to collecting the responses to uncover attitude towards and identification with the topics, degree of consensus and INcongruity, additional activities are used to develop a deeper appreciation made available by the PD responses.

A PD session will generate epitomizing and antithetical pictures for the topics being assessed – PD pictures, abstract and evocative as they are, act as an alogical amplifier – amplifying the sometimes ineffable perceptions that transcend logical thought and evaluation processes.

Typical questions for opening up exploration and discussion include:

• How is the epitomizing picture like the topic?
• How is the antithetical picture not like the topic?
• What are the consequences of a high level of INcongruence, or a low level of consensus on these topics?
• In what ways is the antithetical picture like the topic?

In larger group sessions it is also often quite useful to have participants break into smaller groups based on their epitomizing picture choices for a topic in order to allow for some deeper discussion before taking it on as one large group. This can be done by grouping people by same epitomizing pictures or different epitomizing pictures, depending upon whether you’re wanting to emphasize similarities or dissimilarities.

All of these associations between the topics and the images can greatly enhance understanding of the deep feelings towards and perceptions of the topics. There are usually several unexpected ways, easily surfacing into awareness, in which the picture deeply relates to the Topic. These associations are often rich, and their discovery is another unique and useful feature of the PD.