Element

Basics | ProxPatterns | Growth Model

• Basics
  • Terms
    • Situation
    • Element
      • Loosely, an element can be anything. Any person, place, thing, idea, feeling, time, group, relationship, situation, proximity, etc. It’s whatever you are considering for the moment as a separate thing. (Complete version below.)
    • Relationship
    • Proximity

Key Points

Quick
Loosely, an element can be anything. Any person, place, thing, idea, feeling, time, group, relationship, situation, proximity, etc. More accurately, an element relates to other elements.

E = Element
R = Relationship

Complete
Loosely, an element can be anything. More accurately, an element relates to other elements. An element is whatever you are considering for the moment to be both separate from, and in relation to, other elements. Examples: Just a few examples of elements are objects (like a chair, car or building), a person, people, ideas, concepts, information, feelings, moods, locations, situations, times, processes, descriptions, groups, relationships, and the proximity, as well as both groupings of, and parts or aspects of, the preceding examples. Note: An element may be described with one or more words.

Elements as Sets of Relationships
In a sense, an element is a set of relationships (remember the Underlying Concept, that being is about relating). However, you may need many words to describe a set of relationships. In contrast, it’s often more quick and useful to call something by an element name, like cup or earth, for example.

Each Defined by Other Two
Elements, relationships and proximities are woven together. In a sense, each is defined by the other two, and all three relate to situations. More details here.

Advanced Points
A few advanced points about elements follow on this page.

Tip
Since anything you consider separately in relationship to other things can be an element, the concept of an element is very general and broad. This helps give ProxThink some of its usefulness.

Questions

• What things in your proximity seem distinct or different, and could be considered as elements?
• How could you form one element from several elements? Or the reverse – would it help to create some elements from one existing element?
• What aspects of an element are created by how it relates to other elements?

Examples

You
Elements might include you, your body, feelings, hunger, sleep, your day, your relationships, your situation, your plans.

People
People elements might include friends, family, social groups, communities, interest groups, countries, businesses.

Objects
Object elements might be clothes, food, cars, computers, tools, furniture, mountains, oxygen, the earth.

Ideas
Idea elements might include concepts, improvements, plans, theories, patterns, possibilities.

Processes
Process elements might include feelings, experiences, performances, techniques, routines.

Time
Time elements might include clock time, perceptual time, music time, moon time, harvest time, play time, past, future, present.