Check in, Exteriorize, Check out: A Guide to Knowing (or Cognizing)

An often-heard question in today’s complex world is “But how do I know what to believe?”, often in response to online (for example: video, audio, text) – including the social media – and hard copy (for example: newspapers, journals, among others) media pieces. This short blog post proposes an easy-to-follow method for knowing with the greatest possibility of correct understanding and hence decision making.

The Mode State Stage (MSS) cognizing model comprises two main steps and an intermediate step, as follows: Check in (subjectivize) – Exteriorize (Externalize) – Check out (objectivize)

Step 1: Check in (with yourself)

This step involves two sub-steps, as follows:

Ask yourself (subjectivize):

1. What do I feel about this (whatever I have read, seen, heard, experienced, or other stimuli)?
2. What do I intuit (imagine or hypothesize) about this (whatever I have read, seen, heard, experienced, or other stimuli)?

Step 2: Intermediate step (by myself or with others)

• Get it out. Get some distance in order to gain perspective (exteriorize, externalize): express my feelings and thoughts in a safe place and non-judgemental space; also write it out (or down), act it out, draw it out (use art) – use whatever means suits you best to externalize (and process) your emotions and your intuitions.

Step 3: Check out (by myself or with others)

This step also involves two sub-steps, as follows:

1. What accurate or plausible information and knowledge (sensory data) is available on this issue, topic or matter? After you have searched for a variety of relevant data (knowledge and information) showing different views, review them. When doing this, note the different reasons given, and assess their provability or plausibility.
2. What is the thinking of reliable others (known for their coherence*) on this issue, topic or matter; more importantly, what is their reasoning, or rationale? Is this reasoning provable; if not, is it plausible (coherent*), at minimum? Now, having gone through this cognizing process, ask yourself, Is my own reasoning on this issue, topic or matter coherent? If so, I am now in a position to act on it or to publicize it; for example, by posting it, or by otherwise publishing it.

In summary, the cognizing process entails four stages (identifying, envisaging, establishing, confirming), which correspond with the four functional modes (feeling, intuiting, sensing, and thinking) – see previous posts: ‘Mode State Stage, an Overview’ and ‘Discover your Mode of Knowing and Being (your Functional Stack or Personality Type)’. Essential in this process is being complemented by others (directly or indirectly through their knowledge and opinions). Additionally, supplementary skills (especially in the areas relating to our underdeveloped modes) would add to our holistic cognitive competence. Also, essential is to ensure that each of the four cognitive elements (feeling, intuiting, sensing, thinking) have been brought into consideration, because this will ensure a holistic view, which will enable sustainable decisions and actions.

*coherence - 1. logical or natural connection or consistency; 2. another word for cohesion (https://www.thefreedictionary.com/coherence)