A

Cognitive Styles 33

For instance, this theory of the mind was developed through
cooperation between two simple styles, myself a Perceiver person, and my
brother Lane a Teacher person. If either of us had been one of the
composite styles, you can be sure that we would have stopped our research
long ago and used our theory of the mind to start some highly profitable
business or organization.
I hope that it is becoming clear by now that the mind really is based
upon connection, flow and interaction. We tend to think of the brain as a
static glob of protoplasm that just sits there and cogitates. I suggest a better
illustration is that of a modern economy, with factories producing material,
trucks and trains hauling goods from here to there, telephone lines strung
from one location to another, research centers working out new gadgets,
and crowds of people all simultaneously doing their own thing—talking,
buying, phoning, working, and so on. Or, if you want to compare the mind
to a house, do not think of a bachelor‟s suite with one lonely individual
going through his daily routine. Instead, imagine a huge rambling
residence with dozens of people trying to get things done while continually
bumping into one another. Conscious thought is by no means the only
person living within the home of the mind. Rather, it is more like a harried
landlord attempting to bring order to his hotel, or like a government trying
to steer the course of the economy.
We have talked about the mind. I have suggested that each mode of
thought is associated with a specific region of the brain. For those of you
who know something about neurology, I will point out—later on, when we
look at each cognitive style in more detail—which mental strategy
corresponds to which part of the brain. I suggest that the simple styles are
associated with the part of the brain called the cortex (remember that
whenever I suggest something, I am telling you that the idea is original
with me). This is the wrinkled sheet of gray matter that you see when you
look at the surface of a brain.A Neurology tells us that the cortex is where
the memories are stored and where thought occurs. This is shown in the
behavior of the simple styles. As I have mentioned, these styles—Teacher,
Mercy, Perceiver, and Server—are usually more concerned with the
content of thought and action than with using that content to do something.
As the diagram on the next page indicates, neurology tells us that the
cortex of the brain can be divided into four parts—the top and bottom
halves of each hemisphere.B Teacher mode uses the bottom half of the left
hemisphere; Mercy thought uses the bottom of the right hemisphere.

A There is a simple difference between gray and white matter. Brain

regions where neurons are located will appear gray, while those areas
which contain mainly connections between neurons will appear white.
B In a few pages, we will look at the neurology in more detail.