Pragmatic Experience - How Pragmatic Experience Can Affect Your Interpersonal Relationships
Pragmatism is a desirable characteristic for many professional pursuits. However, when it comes to interpersonal relationships, people who are pragmatic are often difficult for their family members and friends to handle.
The case studies presented in this article illustrate a strong synergy of pragmatism with patient-oriented research. Three fundamental principles of research are discussed, which highlight the innate connection between these two paradigms.
1. Keep your eyes on the facts
Instead of being a strict adherence to rules and procedures the practical experience is about how things work in the real world. For example, if a craftsman hammers into a nail and it is removed from his hand, he doesn't go back down the ladder to retrieve it; instead the worker simply moves to the next nail and continues to work. This is not only an efficient method but is also sensible in terms of development. In the end it's much more efficient to focus on another task rather than trying to go back to where you lost your grip.
For researchers who are patient-focused the pragmatic approach is particularly beneficial as it enables an easier approach to research design and data collection. This flexibility allows for a more comprehensive and individual approach to the research, as well the ability to adapt to the research questions that evolve during the study.
Additionally, pragmatism is an ideal framework for patient-oriented research because it is a perfect fit for the main principles of this kind of research: collaborative problem-solving, and democratic values.
The pragmatist philosophy also offers an excellent fit with the pragmatic method of inquiry. The pragmatic method is a scientific approach that combines quantitative and qualitative methods to gain greater understanding of the subject matter being studied. This method also facilitates an open and accountable research process that can be used to guide future decisions.
The pragmatic method is an excellent tool to examine the efficacy of patient-oriented (POR). However, there are some fundamental flaws with this method. The first is that it prioritizes practical results and their consequences over moral considerations, which can create ethical dilemmas. A pragmatic approach could result in ethical dilemmas if it ignores long-term sustainability. This could have serious implications in certain circumstances.
A third potential pitfall of pragmatism is the fact that it doesn't take into account the nature of reality itself. While this isn't a problem with regard to empirical issues, such as analyzing physical measurements, it can be a danger when applied to philosophical issues like morality and ethics.
2. Take the plunge
According to the saying, "no one can swim until they have tried." If you're looking to become more pragmatic you should begin by assessing your abilities in the water. Try to incorporate pragmatism into your daily life by making decisions that align with your goals and your priorities. You can gradually increase your confidence by taking on increasingly complex challenges.
You will establish an excellent record that will demonstrate your ability to act with confidence even in the face of uncertainty. You will eventually discover it easier to embrace the pragmatism that you have been accustomed to throughout your life.
In pragmatist thinking experiences serve three purposes: critical, preventative and edifying. Let's take each in turn:
The primary function of the experience is to prove that a philosophical view has no value or importance. For instance children may believe that there are invisible gremlins living in electrical outlets and bite them if they are touched. The gremlin theory could appear to be true due to the fact that it's consistent with the child's limited knowledge and gets results. It's not a valid reason to discredit the existence of gremlins.
Pragmatism can also play an important role in preventing harm because it prevents us from making common mistakes in philosophy, such as beginning with dualisms, reducing the world to what we can understand without considering context, intellectualism, and making the real a part of what we know. It is evident that the gremlin theory fail in all of these ways when viewed from a pragmatic perspective.
In the end, pragmatism can provide an excellent approach to conducting research in the real world. It encourages researchers to be flexible in their research methods. For instance two of our doctoral projects required interaction with respondents to understand how they engage in processes of organization that could be undocumented and informal. The pragmatism of our approach led us to employ qualitative methods like participant observation and interviews to study these nuances.
When you are able to embrace pragmatism, you will be able to make better decisions that will improve your day-to-day life and help create an environment that is more positive. It's not easy, but with some practice you can learn how to trust your intuition and make decisions based on real consequences.
3. Strengthen your self-confidence
The trait of pragmatism can be beneficial in a variety of areas of life. It helps people overcome hesitancy, achieve their goals and make good decisions in professional situations. It's a quality that comes with its own set of disadvantages. This is especially the case in the realm of interpersonal relationships. For instance, it is not uncommon for pragmatically inclined people to be unable to comprehend the hesitancy of their hesitant friends or co-workers.
People who are pragmatic tend to make decisions and concentrate on what works and not what is best. As a result, they are often link home difficulties recognizing the risks of their choices. When the craftsman is drilling a nail into scaffolding and the hammer slips from his hands, he might not realize that he may lose his balance. He will continue to work, assuming the tool will stay in position when the craftsman moves.
While there is a certain level of pragmatism that is inherent however, it is not impossible for anyone, even the most thoughtful of people, to develop the ability to be more pragmatic. To achieve this it is necessary to break free from the urge to think too much about their decisions and concentrate on the most important aspects. To do this, they have to learn to trust their gut and not require reassurance from others. It is also important to practice and develop the habit of taking action immediately when a decision has to be taken.
It is important to remember, at the end of the day, that the pragmatic approach might not be the best for certain kinds of choices. In addition to practical consequences, pragmatism should never be used as a measure for truth or morality. This is because pragmatism fails when it comes to ethical questions, as it fails to provide a foundation for determining the truth and what is not.
If a person wishes to pursue a higher degree, they should consider their financial situation, time constraints, and the balance between work and family. This will help them decide whether pursuing a degree would be the best choice for them.
4. Be confident in your gut
Pragmatists are renowned for their innate and risk-taking ways of living. This can be a positive trait but can also be a problem in the interpersonal area. Pragmatists have a hard time understanding the hesitation of others which can cause them to be confused and lead to conflict, particularly if they are working on the same project. Fortunately, there are a few ways you can ensure that your pragmatic tendencies don't get in the way of working effectively with other people.
Pragmatists concentrate more on results rather than on logic or theoretic arguments. In the sense that when something is successful in a way, it's valid regardless of the method by which it was arrived at. John Dewey called this radical empiricism. It is a method which aims to give meaning and values a place in the experience along with the whirling sensations of sensory data.
This method of inquiry encourages pragmatists to be flexible and creative when examining organizational processes. For example some researchers have found that pragmatism is a suitable paradigm for qualitative research into organizational change since it acknowledges the interconnectedness of the experience, knowledge and actions.
It also focuses on the limits of knowledge as well as the importance of social context which includes language, culture and institutions. As a result, it is a proponent of political and social liberation projects such as ecofeminism, feminism and Native American philosophy (Alexander 2013).
Communication is another area where pragmatism's approach can be helpful. Pragmatism emphasizes the connection between thought and action. This has led to the creation of discourse ethics, which is designed to scaffold a genuine communicative process free from distortions due to ideologies and power. This is something that Dewey would surely have appreciated.
Despite its limitations, pragmatism has become a major influence on philosophical debates and has been used by scholars in a range of disciplines. For instance, pragmatism been the basis for the theory of language developed by Chomsky and the practice of argumentative analysis formulated by Stephen Toulmin. It has also influenced other areas such as leadership, organizational behavior, and research methodology.