The `Breakthrough' Series:      Book 3

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The `Breakthrough' Series:      Book 3

B R E A K T H R O U G H

T O

S C R E E N I N G

A T T I T U D E S

T O

L E A R N I N G

Zvi Zobin
Jerusalem,
Israel
5754

By the same author 

Breakthrough to Learning Gemora
Breakthrough to Dynamic Reading Self-Improvement
Breakthrough to the First Level
Breakthrough to Thinking for yourself

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unlimited copies of Worksheets, to receive
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requirements, during the period of
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Zvi Zobin
Apt. #1
Ponim Meirot 17
Kiryat Mattersdorf
P.O.B. 6597
Jerusalem
02 - 373 340

APPROBATION

Rabbi Zelig Pliskin

Author of      Guard Your Tongue
                       Gateway To Happiness
                       Love Your Neighbor
                       Gateway To Self-Knowledge
                       Begin Again Now

Breakthrough To Screening Attitudes To Learning is a highly useful tool for all educators, parents and anyone who is interested in self-knowledge.

There are major differences between a person who is detail-oriented and one who is general-principle oriented. Being aware of this will lead to many breakthroughs.

The schedule set out, though deceptively simple, can be a powerful aid to helping a person realize how he can best harness and direct his talents.

Zelig Pliskin

GENERAL   INTRODUCTION

One of the most important aspects of education is tailoring your teaching to fit in with the nature of your pupil. Likewise, an important aspect of tracking-down possible sources of problems to see why a pupil is not succeeding as he should, is an understanding of the way the pupil himself thinks and deals with information.

This book describes a very superficial, simplistic basis for seeing and understanding how people think and, perhaps more significantly, how people differ in their ways of thinking.

When you have seen the reader's own way in which he deals with data, by seeing the way he copies the drawings, you will be able to relate the results of his reading-tests to his approach to studying and so attain an overall picture of how he performs in a learning environment.

An important advantage of this system is that a person can see for himself, through copying the simple diagrams and then seeing how others copy them, that what he might regard as failings or quirks in his own nature are actually no more than valid variations of human nature which are shared by many others. Once he recognizes the validity of his own nature, he can learn to accept them and deal with them on a reasonable  basis. And often a person will see that what he regards as a failing is not actually a failing at all.

Many people might like the color green. That does not mean that there is anything wrong with someone who prefers red. Yet such a person might go around feeling ashamed of the fact that his preference is different to that of others. But we know that intrinsically, as colors, there is no reason why a person who prefers green is more correct that one who prefers red.

So too, in other fields, people have their likes and dislikes and their own ways of thinking.

BEWARE OF LABELS!	

Assigning a person to a type does not in anyway label a person for life. The way he copies the drawing only shows the way he processes information at that time. However, people can change and a person can learn to modify the way he processes information. The screening can show why a person is behaving the way he does and why he is experiencing problems with his studies, but it does not fix him as being a certain type with resulting problems which can never be overcome.

This is true of other systems for categorizing and labeling people - they are useful, but they do not decide a person's fate!

In a suitable environment, a person can change many of his character traits and learn to compensate for others.

IMPORTANT NOTE

In the following Sections, no attempt is made to exhaustively describe the working of the brain or the learning process. For this purpose, the reader is referred to specialized books on the various topics.

All I try to do is to set out some views that I have developed while using the various techniques which help to explain the hows and whys of the various problems and the techniques which can be used to correct them.

The views are based almost entirely on my own observations and analysis and so no sources are given from other works in the field.

The discussions, models and schematics are not intended to describe the actual physiological construction or operation of the brain. Rather, they are an attempt to systematically illustrate our experiences during the learning process.

These models have been valuable tools in counseling both readers and teachers.

Presenting a model to which the reader can relate helps him appreciate the significance of seemingly-trivial malfunctions and how they can be the underlying cause of more traumatic disturbances. He will then more-readily come to terms with his situation and understand the necessity for undertaking a corrective course.

Similarly, such models help the teacher empathize with "careless" mistakes, showing how even apparently-simple skills are actually incredibly complex. They can also help him look for clues when trying to interpret a baffling academic/behavioral anomaly.

I developed all the material empirically from observations of pupils and from hearing their feed-back during testings and counseling. I must therefore once again express my gratitude to all those who have cooperated with me while I was developing these methods and who shared their feelings with me so as to enable me to perfect these techniques.

CONTENTS

APPROBATION	5
GENERAL   INTRODUCTION	6
BEWARE OF LABELS!	7
IMPORTANT NOTE	8
CONTENTS	9
THE TEST	10
INTRODUCTION TO INTERPRETING THE TESTS	11
Series and Parallel	11
1. General attitude	12
Parallel	12
Series	12
2. Learning	13
Parallel	13
Series	13
3. Accuracy	14
Parallel	14
Series	14
4. Hearing	15
Parallel	15
Series	15
5. Foreign Language	16
Parallel	16
Series	16
6. Tackling tasks	17
Parallel	17
Series	17
7. Tenacity	18
Parallel	18
Series	18
8. Temperament	19
Parallel	19
Series	19
9. Obedience	20
Parallel	20
Series	20
10. Sociability	21
Parallel	21
Series	21
11. Distractions	22
Parallel	22
Series	22
12. Ability to Concentrate	23
Parallel	23
Series	23
13. Sense of Humor	24
Parallel	24
Series	24
14. Intuition	25
Parallel	25
Series	25
15. Luggage	26
Parallel	26
Series	26
16. Working	27
Parallel	27
Series	27
17. Jamming	28
Parallel	28
Series	28
18. Inter-changing	29
Parallel	29
Series	29
19. Extreme	30
Parallel	30
Series	30
20. Conversation	31
Parallel	31
Series	31
21. Problems in Learning to Learn Gemora	32
Parallel	32
Series	32
22. Correction	33
Parallel	33
Series	33
23. Parent/child relationship	34
24. Combined Series/Parallel  (The Combo)	35
POWER	35
THE NEED FOR CONTROL	35
TALKING...TALKING...TALKING	36
QUESTIONS...QUESTIONS...QUESTIONS	36
THE PROBLEMS	38
MENTAL CLOCK-SPEED	41
BRAINPOWER	42
COMBINATIONS OF ABILITIES	43
INTERPRETING THE WAY THE DRAWINGS ARE COPIED	45
1. The ORDER in which they are copied.	45
2. Breaking them down into units	47
3. Attitude to the drawings	49
4. Quality and manner of drawing lines	49
Inter-relationship Problems	51
The Test Drawings	52

THE TEST

	Prepare a large piece of clean paper, without lines of any   sort.	
	
	Ask the person to copy the six drawings.	
	
	Position yourself so that you can see clearly how he draws.	
	
	Note exactly how he copies the drawings:-	
	
	the order in which he copies the parts of the drawings;	
	
	when does he draw the numbers, the framework, etc.?	
	
	the manner in which he copies them;	
	
	     does he draw confidently?	
	
	     does he draw all the drawings with the same degree of confidence?	
	
	     are the drawings large and spacious or are they small and cramped,	
	
	     is he precise / over-precise / imprecise / careless / slapdash?	
	
	     are the lines clear and bold or light and hesitant?	
	
	     are the lines straight or are they shaky and serrated?	

INTRODUCTION TO INTERPRETING THE TESTS 

Series and Parallel

Information can be retained in the mind in two basic ways -either in series or in parallel. 

In the series mode, each piece of knowledge is linked to the previous like links in a chain. Each piece of information is accessed only by working along the chain in the sequence. In the parallel mode, the information is arranged in no particular arrangement and each piece of information is accessed independently. 

Some people tend towards one mode and others tend to the other mode, with many consequences to styles of thought, behavior, ways of dealing with information and character traits. 

Basically, the Series person has to work along a train of information in order to see its overview. The Parallel person, however, needs a framework within which he can place his details. Therefore, he needs to know the overview before he can handle the details. 

So, a Series reader begins at the beginning of the text and works through it until the end. The Parallel reader tends to first scan the text and try to pick out clues as to what it is about. 

The following descriptions are, of course, descriptions of extreme aspects. 

Most people tend to be less extreme.

1. General attitude 

Parallel 

The Parallel needs to work within a framework. Once he has a framework, he can develop it as an entity in itself without needing new information. Therefore, until he has the framework, he will seem `switched-off', unable to use information given to him. However, once he has a framework, he will be able to use information and develop ideas beyond the limits of the actual information itself. 

He will tend to be intuitive, creative, a good general planner and organizer, though perhaps lacking in 
attention to details. 

Series 

The Series person deals with information at its face value. He does not need to know the framework. He can concentrate on details for their own sake, and sometimes, perhaps, lose sight of the end goal through preoccupation with the details. 

2. Learning 

Parallel 

The Parallel thinker requires a framework in which to place the ideas he is hearing or reading. Therefore, he first needs to have an overview of the topic and then he can deal with the details. 

When such a person enters a class late, when the lesson has already started, he will find it very difficult to follow the lesson without knowing the exact topic being discussed. Until he gets the framework of the lesson, he might not even be able to hear the words of the teacher. (See aspect 2 - Hearing) 

Series 

The Series thinker progresses from one point to the next. Therefore, he has to build-up his understanding of the topic. Once he understands it, then he can make an overview. But he finds it hard to follow an overview before studying in depth because in an overview, the discussion of each detail is not enough for him to build up his understanding. 

When such a person enters a class late, when the lesson has already started, he will be able to follow the lesson without knowing the exact topic being discussed. He will listen carefully to what the teacher says and try to understand what the teacher is saying. 

3. Accuracy 

Parallel 

The Parallel thinks via frameworks. Therefore, if he forms an incorrect framework, the interpretation of the details will also be incorrect. This applies not only to the processing of thoughts but also to the primary processing of inputs from the senses. 

Therefore the Parallel will be susceptible to mishearing words, to seeing the wrong thing, misunderstanding what someone says and getting the `wrong end of the stick'. This can be a major problem because the mistakes arise from incorrect triggering of primary memory-banks. So the person really feels as if he has heard or seen his incorrect version. If the Parallel tends to be stubborn and quarrelsome, he will find himself constantly in arguments with other people. 

He will also tend to make a lot of `slips of the tongue', substituting opposites. He will tend to say `yes' instead of `no', `right' instead of `left', mix-up people's names. This is because he thinks in concepts, and opposites are stored together with the concept. Therefore, when he selects one word, it is easy for him to select the wrong one. 

Similarly, the Parallel might tend to hypochondria as he forms frameworks of illnesses from the various aches and pains which normally arise from time to time. He will then subconsciously trigger various feelings of pain which will reinforce his diagnosis. 

Series 

The Series processes input objectively, at face value. Therefore, he will tend to be more accurate than the Parallel. 

4. Hearing 

Parallel 

If the Parallel knows the framework of the conversation, or can guess one, then he can have super-acute hearing. This is because he is able to use fragments of conversations as bases for rebuilding the original through biased triggering. 

If, however, he does not know the framework of the conversation, then he will have no terms of reference for hearing the words. Therefore, the words will not trigger a recollection. In other words, he might not `hear' the words at all. So, when someone tries to start a conversation with him regarding a topic which the Parallel is not thinking about at that moment, he might give the impression of being very stupid, because he will ask the speaker to repeat what was said until he can obtain an idea of the framework of the conversation. 

Series

The Series takes what he hears at face value. He listens carefully and takes the words as they come. 

5. Foreign Language 

Parallel

His concern is primarily to obtain the general message of the conversation. The actual words are only a means for transmitting the message. Therefore, he will not pay specific attention to the words, but will only listen for the message. And he will use all sorts of means for obtaining the message, such as body-language, facial expressions, movements of the speakers hands, intuition, etc. So, the actual words do not make any impression on him and he will not be able to recall them. 

Therefore, on the one hand, he will be able to understand a conversation, even if he does not understand each word, because he can build up the meaning from odd words that he does understand, body-language, facial expression and a general understanding of the context of the situation. 

On the other hand, since he tends to ignore the actual words, he will find it hard to recall words. Therefore, he will not be able to speak or read the language as well as he can understand the spoken language. 

Series

The Series listens carefully to what is said to him. He derives the message from the language. Therefore, he relates the message to the language, and he learns how to make a message from the language. 

Therefore, he can speak the language as well as he can understand it. 

6. Tackling tasks 

Parallel

Since he can see the general scope of a problem, the Parallel can plan a task well. He can see if it is viable, prepare everything which might be needed and deploy resources as and when required. 

Series

The Series tends to be taken by surprise when what seem, to the Parallel, to be obvious consequences suddenly fall upon him. He is forever banging into the wall, so to speak. 

7. Tenacity 

Parallel

He sees the general scope of the project, with all the possible future hazards and trials and tribulations. Therefore, if he sees what he regards as an insurmountable problem looming up in the distant future, he will tend to become dismayed and give up - or perhaps, not even start. 

Series

He sees only the next step. If he can take the next step, he will. Therefore, he might succeed in a project which the Parallel despaired over, because the hazards he foresaw never transpired. 

8. Temperament 

Parallel

He can see the overall picture of a situation. Therefore, in a happy situation, he can see the sad aspects, and in a sad situation, he can see the redeeming features. `All fun comes to an end', and `every cloud has a silver lining'. So, he will never become extremely elated, neither will he become extremely depressed. 

Series

He tends to see only the next step. Therefore, if the next step is a pit, he can see only the pit and not beyond it. So, the Series will tend to fall into a deeper depression than the Parallel when things look black. 

9. Obedience 

Parallel

Since he sees the overall picture of a situation and he sees the purpose of rules and regulation within the context of the situation, he knows how to `bend' or evade the rules. If, in his eyes, the `bending' achieves the same purpose as the rules, or if the rules seem pointless in the context of the situation, then he will feel no guilt in doing what he does. 

Series

The Series sees rules as entities in themselves. Rules are rules - to be kept - not to be broken. Therefore, he will be obedient and not like breaking the rules. And since he does not see the overall picture, if he does try and break them, he will probably be caught. 

10. Sociability 

Parallel

Because of his intuitive nature, he can `home in' to a stranger's character very quickly. Therefore, he can instinctively realize exactly how to best approach the stranger. Therefore, sociably, he can be a good mixer. But, because he will feel obliged to socialize with everybody, he will become overpowered by the demands of a crowd. So, he might try to avoid social events and if he does attend one, he will become exhausted by the effort of trying to relate to everyone. 

Series

He takes people as he finds them. He might take some time getting to know people, and he might never get to really understand some people. He might tend to judge them by hard-and -fast rules and will be dissatisfied by the fact that some people do not, or do not want to, fit into these guide-lines. 

11. Distractions 

Parallel

He is interested in the general scene. Therefore, he tends to continually monitor all his senses. So, when trying to concentrate on one activity, he will be easily distracted by an outside disturbance. The Parallel prefers to sit at the back of a hall or large room, preferably in a corner, where he can survey the general scene. If he sits in the front, he feels uncomfortable, not knowing what is going on behind his back. 

Series

He has his job to do and he concentrates on that. He prefers to sit in the front of the hall, where the main action is, though he does not really care. 

12. Ability to Concentrate 

Parallel

Since he can work on random access, he can form two frameworks and effectively work in both simultaneously - like working in two tracks at the same time. Therefore, he can appear to be concentrating on one topic, and actually be thinking about something else at the same time, but be aware of enough of the first topic to be able to cover-up for his lack of total concentration. 

Series

He thinks about the task on hand. 

13. Sense of Humor 

Parallel

He has a good sense of humor. He can see the humorous side of an event, appreciate the innuendoes and enjoy a good pun, all of which require the ability to `hear' two or more aspects simultaneously. 

Series

He takes words at their face value. Therefore, if the joke depends on a pun or some implied meaning, he will not see the joke. 

14. Intuition 

Parallel

He tends to be intuitive because he can use apparently random details to build up a complete picture. He views the world as whole pictures - events, people, situations. Therefore, he has an extensive `library' to use as models in which to fit the details. 

Series

He is not intuitive, but takes things as they seem or as he can work out logically. 

15. Luggage 

Parallel

He can foresee all possible occurrences. Therefore, he likes to `be prepared' and to take with him everything he is likely to need. Therefore, his pockets become full of things `he might need'. He likes multi-purpose gadgets. In contrast, since he appreciates all the possible ways something can be used for, he can make-do with less if necessary. 

Series

He takes what he needs, but he might be caught unawares by an unforeseen circumstance. 

16. Working 

Parallel

He tends to hold all the tools he needs for the job. He might find himself holding a few tools at once, a hammer and a screw-driver with screws and nails grasped in his hands. When he takes out tools, he tends to forget to put them back. 

Series

He works very methodically, taking each tool in turn and returning it to its place afterwards. 

17. Jamming 

Parallel

Since he can work on two `tracks' at once, in reaction to one situation, two thoughts might occur to him at once. This might temporarily immobilize him or make him stutter as he tries to work out which choose. 

Series

He thinks about one thing at a time. Therefore, if he looks like he listening to you, he probably is. 

18. Inter-changing 

Parallel

Ideas, words, letters of words, digits of numbers tend to be accessed from random storage. There, they are in groups of ideas. Therefore, there might be a tendency to interchange letters, words and digits in writing and in speech. 

Apart from interchanging parts of words, e.g. by saying "Chicken" instead of "Kitchen. he might interchange ideas. 

For example, he might say "Right" instead of "Left", or "Up" instead of "Down". or even "Vashti" instead of "Esther".

Series

He tends to be able to remember spellings, telephone numbers, car registration numbers and the like, very accurately. 

19. Extreme 

Parallel

A highly-intelligent person with an extreme tendency to Parallelism is likely to be so overwhelmed by the possible reactions to a situation that they cannot decide on any of them. Whatever he will choose has its good and bad points, each of which will have whole chains of possible good and bad results, each of which.....etc. He will therefore find that he is unable to make a decision. And even if he does make a decision, a subsequent review will show him that the previous decision had not taken all factors into account and was wrong. He will therefore become beset by doubts and have all self-confidence eroded. 

Series

A highly-intelligent person with an extreme tendency to serialism is likely to select one option and to start analyzing that option with such rigor as to exhaust himself. He will tend to get involved in one job and forget about all the rest he has to do. Therefore, even though, intrinsically, he likes to be prompt (because that is what one has to do) he will find that he keeps on being late. He sees that others seem to be able to sail through problems he is unable manage, and they see factors that he cannot see. 

He is always caught by surprise. He never sees the funny side of a joke until either he thinks about it and analyzes it, or someone else patiently explains it to him. After the joker finishes telling his joke, the Series asks, "So what happened in the end?" And he does not understand why all the onlookers laugh at him. 

This undermines his self-confidence and convinces him that he is really incompetent. 

20. Conversation 

Parallel

The Parallel tends to assume that the person to whom he is talking knows the framework within which he is thinking in. However, the other person might not know it. Therefore, often, his comments are not understood fully or are misunderstood. Therefore if the Parallel is not held in high regard, the listener will not bother to try and understand the comments, but might disregard them as being silly. Therefore, the Parallel might get a reputation as being of low intelligence and making silly comments. 

Series

He speaks clearly and says what he means. 

21. Problems in Learning to Learn Gemora 

Parallel

Since he likes to work within a framework, he finds it hard to work on the unpunctuated, apparently formless tract of Gemora. Going to a regular shiur may not help him because he will tend to grasp the concepts whilst ignoring the details of the text. Therefore, he never learns how to deal with the `raw' page of Gemora. 

Series

He likes to work from a complete understanding of one point to a complete and total understanding of the next point. Therefore, he tries to understand the Gemora totally the first time he reads it and feels that he cannot read on until he understands the first part. Unfortunately, often, the first part cannot be understood unless the next part has been learnt. So, he will get stuck and be unable to learn on. 

22. Correction 

Parallel

He has to be taught how to read through the new page and detect the underlying pattern of the Gemora. This pattern will give him the framework he needs to enable him to be able to get to work on really understanding the Gemora. 

Series

He has to be taught how to read through the new page and accept the partial understanding as a first stage in the multi-stage process of learning. Attaining clarity in a text is not a one-shot process. The understanding is built up gradually from successive readings. 

23. Parent/child relationship 

If the parent and child are of the same type, they will be able to understand each other and deal well with each other. 

If the parent is a Series and the child is a Parallel, the child will be able to out-maneuver the parent. The parent might become frustrated by his inability to control the child effectively through intellectual means and so he might resort to imposing his will through shear physical dominance, e.g. by threatening and administering corporal punishment. 

If the parent is a Parallel and the child is a Series, the parent will be able to block all attempts of the child to assert his independence. The child might therefore grow up severely repressed and chronically dependent on the parent. 

24. Combined Series/Parallel  (The Combo)

POWER

Some people have the ability to be both Series and Parallel simultaneously. They can concentrate on the detail and see it as part of the overall pattern at the same time. This is a very powerful combination and such people tend to be exceptionally gifted intellectually. 

Often, they are brilliant organizers because they can see all the details in relation to the overall picture. Therefore, they will attend to all the details without losing sight of the ultimate goal. In contrast, a parallel will tend to ignore or forget details and a series will pay undue attention to the details and lose sight of the general plan.

Similarly, the Combo can immediately relate what he is now learning to his general knowledge. 

THE NEED FOR CONTROL

But, this power can be misused by the person subjecting every decision to simultaneous Series and Parallel forms of analysis. He will analyze a detail, then look at the result of his analysis as part of the whole, reconsider his decision, the re-analyze it as a detail, etc., etc., without ever being able to come to a final conclusion. 

He will set up a closed-loop circuits of continual re-appraisal of decisions. So, like a motor spinning without a load, he will tend to burn himself out as each decisions becomes a major intellectual task of endless analysis. 

For example, let's say that someone wants  to buy a packet of wafers. He goes to the local Supermarket and sees that there are five different types on the shelves. 

The parallel will scan the shelves, see which on takes his fancy and take it to the check-out. 

The series will pick up each one in turn, check their weight and price, work out best value for money and decide which one is most suitable.

Mr. Combo will pick the first type, check the weight and cost, calculate its value-for-money, then pick up the second type, check the weight and cost, calculate its value-for-money, then go back to the first packet and look at it again.

Then he will pick up the third type, check the weight and cost, calculate its value-for-money, then go back to the first packet and look at it again. and go back to the second pack and check it over again.

Then he will pick up the fourth type, check the weight and cost, calculate its value-for-money, then go back to the first packet and look at it again. and go back to the second pack and check it over again and check the third pack again.

Then he will pick up the fifth type, check the weight and cost, calculate its value-for-money, then go back to the first packet and look at it again. and go back to the second pack and check it over again and check the third pack again and then check the fourth packet again.

Then he will go back and start checking all the packets all over again. 

He goes back, checking all the packets again because each time he looks at a packet, he sees a different aspect to the problem. There is the make and there is the hashgacha and there is the flavor and there is the shape of the wafer and its color and crispiness and size - for example, if  each individual is large, it is quite filling, but if you are going to hand the packet around it will not last long, On the other hand, if the wafer is small, if you are going to hand them around the packet will last longer but each will not be very satisfying.

And so, Mr. Combo stands by the shelves, driving himself nuts over what for someone else would be a trivial problem.

I told this example to someone who I had detected as being a combo and he told me that he had needed to by a new tube of toothpaste that very morning. He had gone to the store and found that they had four or five different types on sale. Trying to make decision proved so traumatic, he had to leave without buying a tube!

TALKING...TALKING...TALKING

The combo is constantly monitoring his feelings and he needs to verbalize his feelings. Usually when I work with people on their reading, I can repeat exercises continually with few interruptions. The combo usually has to give a full report on his feelings/mistakes/performance/etc. after each exercise. This means that in the time I can usually do fifty exercises, I can only do about ten with a combo.

However, I must be grateful to the combos because their accurate feed-back has helped me in my researches tremendously and helped me gain insights and develop new techniques which otherwise would have been impossible.

QUESTIONS...QUESTIONS...QUESTIONS

Because he has immediately relates what he hears to what he already knows and thinks about it, the combo is naturally full of good questions. If his parents or teachers have the time and patience and intelligence to listen carefully to his questions, they will appreciate their quality. However, tragically, this is not all that common and often the combo just has his questions ignored or even ridiculed. He then loses his self-confidence and can become very confused be he knows that his questions are good and he cannot understand why they are rejected.

In later years, the combo can become very embittered when he sees from his own studies that his questions are indeed valid.

In shiur, the combo can be a big nuisance, because the moment the rebbi opens his mouth, the combo has a question. Usually the question is excellent but on a level above that of the shiur. 

The rebbi can react in one of three ways. If he is not all that bright or has not prepared well for the shiur, he will simply tell the talmid to keep quiet. The talmid is then effectively quietened and also given to understand that he has asked a dumb question.

If the rebbi recognizes the validity of the question, he might tell the talmid to come to him with the question after the shiur. Usually, the talmid takes this for a hint that the question is dumb and that the rebbi is being kind to him by not exposing his stupidity to the rest of the class.

What the rebbi should do is to explain to the class the depth and relevance of  the question but also show how and why it is not directed to the immediate point and level of the shiur. The combo will then understand why his question, though valid, is out of order at the moment. Furthermore, it will encourage him to concentrate on the basic levels of the gemora which he otherwise tends to ignore.

Because of the combo's intellectual agility, it can be very difficult to pin him down and accept any sort of advice. Dealing with such a person can therefore be both frustrating and painful because the combo usually does seek help and he does want to improve and release himself from the self-destroying prison he puts himself into. However, as while rejecting advice after advice, he still clings to you, seeking help and salvation. 

Usually, the result is that soon the relationship sours and the advice-giver rejects the combo with a sad. "Just leave me alone and do what you like!"

After consultation with combos, it seems that the most effective way to deal with an obstinate combo is to "give him over the head and smash him down" - though gently, of course!

Who do you think you are? Do you know everything? If you have all the answers how come you are doing so badly? Do you really think you know more than I do? How many years have you been teaching people? Just look at yourself - are you anything to be proud of? If you know so much how come you're in this mess and can't get yourself out of it? You rejected X's advice because of whatever and you rejected Y's advice because of whatever and you rejected Z's advice because of whatever. Of course, you know best and they are big idiots for giving their silly advice  but look at yourself! Are you any better off now? Did you come up with anything better? Perhaps X, Y and Z are not such fools. Perhaps you should follow their advice and if you won't follow their advice, why should I waste my time giving different advice which you will reject anyway?

THE PROBLEMS

I. Gemora

Because the combo immediately detects inconsistencies with knowledge he already has, the combo sometimes fails to pick-up basic vocabulary and learning skills. This is because his questions divert his attention from the basic meaning of the text.

Levi did not do well in his bechina. he did not know some simple words and could not work out a simple text of gemora. I assumed that Levi was new to learning and therefore I suggested that he goes to a yeshiva which would give him experience in basic gemora learning. The yeshiva he did go to referred him to me to check his reading to help him with his poor vocabulary.
     I screened his reading-skills thoroughly and found that his reading was much better than expected. Therefore his poor vocabulary  could not be explained by poor reading skills. I then asked him to draw the diagrams and he showed up as a combo. We chatted and he told me that he was far from new to learning - that he came from a very orthodox family and had attended cheder, mesifta and yeshiva all his life.
     I explained the significance of the combo label and showed him how his problem was not a reading problem but an attitude problem. When he learns Gemora he must first concentrate on determining exactly what the plain meaning of the text is.

Solutions

The combo must be trained to enjoy directing his considerable power to the basic interpretation of the text and regarding that as his challenge. These basic interpretations are:-

        a. plain meaning
        b. assumptions
        c. implications.

It might be necessary to train the combo in basic sentence analysis - subject, predicate, verb, object, etc. It might also be necessary to train him how he can extract information from a phrase or sentence by asking the basic questions
Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? By whom? etc.

It is only logical to insist that before you can argue with a person you must first hear and understand what he has said. Therefore, the combo should not allow himself to verbalize a question on the text until he has exhaustively analyzed it.

II Making the detail the whole

A combo has the ability to give a small detail the significance of the whole. 

They can see a small defect in an object or person and condemn the whole because of it. Often, older bachelors are combos who consistently reject possible partners because of small defects they see in them. Similarly, they can be harsh to spouses and children by condemning them totally because of small faults in their behavior/character. They seem to lack appreciation for others because a small failure arouses a complete condemnation, despite past favors. He claims that he does not understand anything - because he is not clear about one small aspect.

A combo can therefore be very hard to please. As one dissatisfaction is satisfied, another minor dissatisfaction takes its place, filling the combo's horizon just like the first did.

Solutions

The combo must be taught a sense of proportion. Does a small scratch really make the whole machine useless? Is she really so bad because she has this minor fault

You might need to give him over the head - 

Are you so perfect? Is right of you do demand perfection from others? Does the machine work properly or doesn't it? So it has got a scratch on it! So what! Keep a sense of proportion! Is really important or isn't it? If you think it is important, will you please tell me how and why!

III Virtual Reality

The combo is able to work-out how each individual should react in any given circumstances. He can thereby make his own little world in which he assumes each person reacts as he reckons. Usually, he will be correct. When someone does not behave as assumed, the combo can explain the errant behavior so that it fits in with his idea of the reality.

It was the day after Sarah had undergone an operation. Ya'akov and Rivka, Sarah's close relatives were staying in the area but Rivka explained to Sarah's husband, Yitzchak, that they would not visit Sarah. Since it was the day after the operation, obviously Sarah would be in no mood to receive visitors. Yitzchak reckoned that Sarah, who had not seen her relatives for quite a long time, would appreciate their company. However, Rivka insisted that they did not feel it right to take the risk.
       That afternoon, Yitzchak visited her wife and told her that Ya'akov and Rivka had felt it better that they do not come to visit. Sarah was shocked and begged Yitzchak to try and convince Ya'akov and Rivka to come because she was feeling low and really wanted company to help cheer her up.
       When Yitzchak returned he gave Ya'akov and Rivka the message. "Oh no!" responded Rivka, "Sarah is only saying that because she is afraid that if she admits she does not want to see us, we will be offended. But don't worry. You can assure Sarah that we understand and of course we will keep away as she really wants us to do."
        Yitzchak could say nothing to convince Rivka to change her mind. When he visited his wife and told her that they would not be coming she burst into tears because she was so looking forward to seeing her relatives.

Another problem associatedwith the virtual reality is the fact that any challenge to the reality of the virtual reality is actually a challenge which carries the risk of undermining the whole of the combo's carefully worked out world. Therefore, a combo will react far more violently to something which does not seem correct to him. For example, if you will tell a non-combo an unusual fact, he will probably either accept it or diasagree. But the combo might become excited and exclaim, "But it can't be like that!" and continue to protest to an extent which does not seem justified to the non-combo.

A further result of the virtual reality is that the combo imagines that he is a paragon of care and consideration, yet he finds that he does not get on well socially. People do not seem to appreciate his sterling qualities. In fact,  he might even be thoroughly unpopular. The reason for this is that unfortunately, what he imagines to be care and consideration does not actually fit in with what the recipient regards as care and consideration (as in the example above)!

Solutions

Logically, there are two aspects to the problem. Firstly, the combo has tremendous intellectual power. Because of this, he needs to learn how to control the power. 

"When you go to buy a packet of wafers, how much do you stand to  lose? How much damage can you do if you make the wrong decision? Is it really worth while standing and worrying over the choice for half-an-hour? The whole packet cost $1. If you stand there for half-an-hour how much are you losing in wages?"

Secondly, he needs to learn to be sensitive to feed-back from other people.

You want to do him a favor, but does he really want it? What are his feelings on the matter? Listen to how he is reacting to your suggestion. Is he really agreeing or can you detect resistance in his manner? Do you really think that you know what is best for him, better than he knows? And even if you do know better, would you like it if your friend tried to run your life for you?

MENTAL CLOCK-SPEED 

Like computers, the brain processes information at a tremendously high rate. This rate varies from person to person. Even for one person, the rate can vary from time to time. 

For example, when you first wake up in the morning, you will notice that time seems to flash by. A menial task might take 10 minutes whereas later on in the day it will take 5 minutes. Take a look at the seconds of your watch when you first wake up, then look at it later on in the morning, then look at it when you are very busy. First thing in the morning, the seconds seem to tick away very fast. Later on they seem to tick slower. 

This is because when you first wake up, the brain is working slower than later on in the day. The second is a standard time-interval. But our appreciation of it depends on our processing our judgment of time. The faster our brain works, the slower one second seems to be. 

Someone who process information at a high rate that average will be able to process more information in an given amount of time than someone with a slower rate of processing. This does not mean that the person with the faster brain will process better than the slower person. He might be worse than the slower person. But he does have the opportunity, in a given length of time, to think through more combinations and make more mistakes and correct himself. 

The person with the higher rate of processing usually needs a higher rate of information input in order to keep pace with his processing. This means that his primary information inputs - reading and hearing - must be to a higher level of competence than that needed by a slower person. (See Breakthrough to Dynamic Reading - The Basics.) Therefore, the person with a higher speed will be more likely to read inefficiently, though this will probably not be detected because he will be as good as the slower person. 

BRAINPOWER 

Brainpower is the equivalent of the memory-power of computers. The greater the power, the greater the amount of information which can be retained and processed at one time. 

Brainpower does not reflect intelligence, or quality of thinking. One person might have a large brainpower yet have poor quality thinking. Another person might have a smaller capacity yet process the information better. 

A person with a lesser amount of brainpower can compensate for his lack of power by spending more time on processing. But if the topic requires a large amount of information to be processed, he might not be able to compensate. 

Even if information is broken-down into smaller portions, the topic might require that all the information be retained in memory, or the processing might take too long. 

COMBINATIONS OF ABILITIES 

We can now consider the combinations of these aspects.

A. Mode - series or parallel
B. Speed - fast or slow
C. Brainpower - large or small

The abilities of the Series person will depend quite simply upon his speed and brainpower. The greater his speed and power, the more details he will be able to concentrate on and combine, in greater depth. 

If the Series person is of high intelligence, and he has had his self-confidence undermined through his inability to see ahead, he might become reduced to continual self-analysis and self-recriminations and become almost paralyzed from taking decisions because experience has taught him that he is `always wrong'. 

The ability of the Parallel person is more complex. Because he is able to form frameworks and to think about two topics at once, he is sometimes able to switch quickly between topics. If he has a fast speed, he is then able to sometimes form frameworks very quickly and switch between them very quickly, even if his brainpower is small. 

This means that a high-speed Parallel of small brainpower can give the impression of being exceptionally clever. And he will be able to engage in some activities as effectively as a person with a large brainpower because of his ability to switch from topic to topic quickly and rapidly deal with sections of a large topic. He will be able to engage in scintillating conversations of brilliant repartee and flash back stunning retorts. 

Yet when such a person engages on a topic which requires large brainpower, he will not be able to cope with it. However, because of his ability to move fast, he might be able to cover-up his inability to understand, by using words and phrases as if he knows what they mean. He might even convince himself! 

Once he realizes that he can cover-up for his lack of brainpower, he might become intellectually lazy and not bother to strain himself even for topics which would be within his ability. 

Because the Parallel thinks in terms of messages and concepts, he tends to ignore the details of words, spellings, specific syntax, etc. This means that when he learns Gemora, he tends to ignore all those aspects which will enable him to learn to learn Gemora by himself. 

Therefore, he will often present a distressing enigma. When he is told the p'shat, he can immediately grasp the lomdos and ask and answer advanced questions. But he never seems to be able to advance in learning by himself beyond the lowest levels. 

The faster his brain speed, the faster he grasps concepts and so the less desire he has to engage in the tedious details of the actual text. Therefore, if he has even the most minor handicap in reading, it will deter him even more from bothering with the text and his ability to learn by himself will not develop at all. 

Therefore, if he has a minor reading-handicap, then the faster his brain-speed and the greater his intelligence, the HARDER it will be for him to learn to learn by himself! 

INTERPRETING THE WAY THE DRAWINGS ARE COPIED

1. The ORDER in which they are copied. 

A Parallel will treat the drawings as purely as patterns.

He will draw the frames first and then fill them in, ignoring the numerical value of the numbers. 

He will first draw the circle and then fill in the dots.

He will draw the box and then draw the circle inside it.

A Series will pay attention to the details.

In an extreme case, he will first write down the numbers according to their numerical value and then draw the frames around them. 

He will draw the dot and then draw the circle around it.

He will draw the circle and then draw the box around it.

In a less extreme case, he will draw the frames first but fill in the numbers according to their numerical value - first 1, then 2, etc. 

2. Breaking them down into units 

Most people draw the frames and then fill in the numbers.

Some people draw the frame as a series of boxes, filling-in each box with the relevant number as they go along. 

This indicates that they need to deal with small bites of information. 

When presented with more information than they can handle, they might become very nervous and not be able to deal with it. 

Some people break the drawing into a series of small lines

And then draw extra lines to form the frames.

This indicates that they need to break information down to its smallest possible components in order to deal with it. 

Some children draw each box as a separate entity.

This indicates that they are not seeing the drawing as a single, whole unit but are seeing it as a collection of isolated small units. Therefore they probably see words only as meaningless collections of random letters. 

Such children should be referred to an expert in Special Education for exercises which will train the child to see whole units. 

3. Attitude to the drawings 

Note the attitude which he has to doing the drawings.

The drawings are really very simple and do not present much of a challenge to one's drawing skills. 

Some people are over precise, treating it as if they were the plans to a nuclear power station. Such people tend to burn themselves up with over-caution regarding matters which they should be able to handle easily. They must be taught to relax and evaluate situations for their real value. 

Some people are overly slapdash. They pay little attention to details. 

Some people do the simple drawings confidently, but become dismayed by the large drawing. This indicates that they have a low expectation of their abilities and do not believe that they can handle anything but the most simple of cases. 

Some people go over their drawings again and again, fixing it up here and there and eventually reducing it to a mess, full of corrections, erasings and smudges. They are nervous and lack self-confidence. 

4. Quality and manner of drawing lines 

Note the way in which he draws each line.

Does he draw it confidently?

Is each line strong and smooth indicating self-confidence?

Or is it faint and wavy indicating uncertainty and lack of self-confidence? 

A serrated line can indicate a tremor which might be due to nervous pressure or to a medical condition - an expert should be consulted. 

The reader can see for himself how you reach your conclusions.

Explain the theory behind interpreting the drawing. Stress that there is nothing judgmental in ascribing him to one or other of the types. A person who is tall is no more correct than one who is short - but both need to take their height into consideration  when they go through a low doorway or need to reach for food on a high shelf. 

Reaching a high  sheIf is not usually a problem for a tall person. But if the tall person does not compensate for his height when he tries to go through a low doorway, he will get a big headache. 

The short person will have no problem going through the low doorway, but if he does not compensate for his low height when trying to get food from a high shelf, he will go hungry. 

Showing him your evidence will help him come to terms with his problems and show him how your advice and correction courses can help him overcome his problems. 

Show him how the characteristics of his "type" might affect his inter-personal relationships - all from a mechanical point of view. 

Inter-relationship Problems

When there is personality conflict, getting the parties to watch each other as they do the drawing can be a major tool for helping them to understand each other. It has been used successfully in marriage-counseling and in helping parents to come to terms with their children.

Parents were trying to draw up a list of people to invite for the wedding of their child. The father wanted to first just list all the possible  people who should be invited, see what the total was and then whittle down the numbers as required. The mother wanted to discuss the  priority of each individual in turn.

 The Test Drawings