The 4 Stages of Learning

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What is underlying structure behind learning? Is there is a common process we go through when learning a new behavior?  And if so, can we use knowledge of this structure to accelerate our learning and increase the joy of the process.

In NLP, there is a simple model of learning that characterizes four stages we go through as we internalize a new behavior: unconscious incompetence, conscious incompetence, conscious competence, and unconscious competence.  Since learning to drive is a universal experience, I will use it to illustrate the different stages.

1. Unconscious Incompetence

You don't know that you don't know.  You are ignorant of your ignorance.  You have no familiarity with the subject matter so you don't even understand that you lack the knowledge.  Imagine you never saw the color blue nor did anyone every mention you to it.  Even though it exists, you would have absolutely no idea about it.

We are at this level with respect to the vast majority of human knowledge.  In the every field of human knowledge, there are countless specializations that we are not aware of and likely, will never be aware of.

When you were a small child, there was a point where your parents took you out in the car yet the idea of driving never came across your mind.  You were unconsciously incompetent about driving.

2. Conscious Incompetence

You know that you don't know. You have knowledge of your ignorance. You know about a subject but you have no meaningful knowledge or ability about it.  These are the subjects that you have only a low level of awareness about.

Consider for example, a man who wants to start lifting weights.  He may have a surface level familiarity about weightlifting but lacks useful information.  He doesn't know the form of the exercises or how to create a workout plan.

In the driving example, you were consciously incompetent when you realized that to drive the car, you had to manipulate the steering wheel, accelerator and brakes.  However, at this level, it's only intellectual knowledge. You can't actually do anything useful - like drive the car without crashing. 

3. Conscious Competence

You know that you know. You have learned at a conscious level.  Through conscious effort, you can consistently get a desired result.  You have to guide yourself through the process so that you don't miss any steps.

When learning to drive, you are consciously competent when you can drive the car but it requires your complete focus.  You have to have both hands on the wheel, your eyes are locked on the road and your body is likely very tense.

4. Unconscious Competence

You don't know that you know.  Your body produces the behavior automatically.  You don't need to think about it.  You have engaged in the behavior enough times that it has become a part of your autopilot system.

Most of the things you do day-to-day operate at this level: brushing your teeth, writing, walking, tying your shoes.  You do perform most of these activities outside of your awareness. 

At the level of unconscious incompetence, you essentially drive on autopilot.  Have you ever driven somewhere and not remembered how you got there? Who was driving? Your unconscious mind.

The Sticking Points

Each level of learning has a corresponding sticking point that can block your growth.

1. At the level of unconscious incompetence, the biggest obstacles are a closed mind and a monotonous routine. Thinking you already know something will prevent you from learning more. Why? The tendency is dismiss things that you have already heard before. The problem, however, is that you may miss a new idea or perspective that might enhance your life. Similarly, engaging in constant routine where you are exposed to the same input everyday will never provide sufficient stimulus to learn new ideas. Building the habit of reading solves this problem by providing a constant stream of new ideas - especially if you read books written from a variety of perspectives.
2. The obstacle at the level of conscious incompetence is knowledge overload. When you spend too much time intellectualizing and not enough time taking action. You can end up in a position where you know a lot about a topic but can't actually do anything. A rule of thumb to live by: if your behavior hasn't changed, you haven't learned anything - you've merely accumulated knowledge. To do this, take a practical approach to learning that is heavily biased towards implementation. One hour of action is worth 10 hours of intellectualizing.
3. Conscious competence is a transition stage. With sufficient time and effort, the behavior becomes unconscious and automatic. However, if you lack persistence, it is very easy to fall back into the conscious incompetence stage. The solution is to create a schedule of practice - just like when learning driving - that allows you move to the unconscious competence stage.
4. The problems that occur at the unconscious competence level are typically due to an undesirable behavior becoming automatic. Either you developed bad habits during the conscious competence stage that have become automatic or, even worse, you have a behavior you engage in by habit that doesn't serve you. For example, you may habitually overeat without realizing it until afterwards. The solution is to recondition a new behavior is the place of the undesirable one. This requires tat you go back to the stage of conscious incompetence with a new, beneficial behavior (like eating healthy food in moderate quantities) and condition that one until it is automatic.

Use this model of learning to help identify points where you are stuck and accelerate your learning process.  Be aware of your current stage and take conscious effort to drive yourself to the next level.