Pragmatic is a word that describes a person who takes a practical, realistic approach to issues and problems. A pragmatic person understands that there is always room for improvement, but their focus is on achieving concrete results. This is a trait that is useful in clinical hypnosis, where outcomes directly impact patients’ emotional health and well-being.
The term pragmatic comes from the Greek word pragma, which means “deed.” In philosophical terms, pragmatic describes a philosophy that emphasizes real-world application of ideas over abstractions. It is often contrasted with idealistic.
For example, the four-year-old who wants a unicorn for her birthday isn’t being very pragmatic. A pragmatist would be more likely to accept the party thrown by her classmates and their parents, with the rationale that she will get plenty of unicorns at other celebrations this year.
Philosophers have interpreted pragmatism in different ways, with some adopting forms of empiricism, fallibilism, and verificationism, while others are more focused on an empirical and naturalist metaphilosophy. Many pragmatists are epistemological relativists, believing that different cultures have their own interpretations of truth.
In language studies, the philosophy of pragmatism has contributed to pragmatics, a discipline that examines meaning in context. It is sometimes called the ‘practical side’ of linguistics, because it examines how ambiguity, conversational implicatures, and turn-taking rules are negotiated by speakers in a conversation. Pragmatics also studies how people take social and cultural factors into consideration when using language.
The field of pragmatics includes a number of sub-disciplines. For example, one school of pragmatics focuses on how a speaker’s intentions are communicated through the choices they make about which words to use and how to combine them. Another school of pragmatics focuses on how to interpret ambiguous utterances.
The philosophy of pragmatism is widely incorporated into a range of applied disciplines, such as public administration, leadership studies, international relations, and conflict resolution. Its underlying principle is that thought and action are closely connected, and a person must compromise between their theoretically ideal outcome and the outcomes they can achieve in practice. The pragmatist will choose the latter if it will lead to a better, more productive outcome. For example, if a job applicant is offered a position lower than they expected, a pragmatist will accept it rather than wait to find a better opportunity. The pragmatist believes that this approach is more effective than trying to force the perfect solution through rigid, unrealistic procedures. It also enables people to be more flexible in addressing problems and making changes when they arise. This flexibility is essential in clinical hypnosis, where the success of a session depends on being able to respond to changing circumstances quickly and effectively. The most successful hypnotists are the ones who are able to adapt their approach to meet the needs of their clients, without losing sight of the goals they set at the beginning of each session.
